WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2, by Dan Watters, Leila del Duca, Nick Filardi and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
The thing that has always fueled Superman's incredible array of powers and abilities was the way his Kryptonian body processes the yellow sun radiation that bathes the Earth. As one of the most powerful superheroes in the entire DC Universe, the Man of Steel grows significantly and progressively weaker whenever this constant flow of yellow sun radiation is disrupted. In the alternate timeline of Future State, the new Superman, Jon Kent, finds himself facing not one but two different embodiments of the sun itself.
And in Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2, Jonathan Kent and Yara Flor figure out how to extinguish two of DC's hottest suns with surprisingly effective results.
As Superman and Wonder Woman defended the Future State DCU, the Earth was menaced by Solaris, a sun-eater. While traveling the cosmos consuming the raw solar energy of any star it encounters on its path, Solaris confronted Jon's father both in DC One Million and All-Star Superman. With Clark Kent exiled from Earth after being implicated in a devastating international incident, this particular job for Superman falls upon his son to defend the planet. To buy Earth some time while he formulated a strategy, Jon challenged Solaris to a test of might. The Brazilian sun god Kuat was soon roped into the competition as well to see which of three could truly stand as the DCU's ultimate, solar-powered champion.
For their contest, the three solar figures decide to have their own space race across the stars; if Solaris wins, he will be permitted to consume Earth's sun. However, Superman is still feeling the effects from Solaris, who secretly poisoned him with tainted solar radiation -- not unlike how Clark had been facing acute solar overloaded during Morrison and Quitely's All-Star Superman. As Jon rides Wonder Woman's Pegasus, Yara Flor develops the perfect counter to restore the Future State Superman to full strength.
Using a black hole gun developed by Professor Ryan Choi, Wonder Woman is able to change the radioactive composition of Solaris, thus purging the negative effects he had inhibited Superman with during their initial conversation. With Superman restored and Solaris out of the race, the Man of Today easily bests Kuat. But when the sun god refuses to concede, Jon unveils his own genius plan by punching the sun. The blow not only supercharges Superman but also stuns Kuat. Superman brings the incapacitated Kuat back down to Earth to recover.
Future State's solar contest of champions served as a strong showcase for Jonathan Kent and proved that the new Superman is just as resilient as his father. And while Jon is still forced to resort to using his fists, Superman opts to dole out a punch to the sun instead, correctly deducing its secondhand effects on the Brazilian sun god. Mighty and resourceful, Jon has more than lived up to his father's example as the Future State Superman.
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