Not so long ago stories like these would be something to tell the grandchildren, perhaps something picked up in a comic book or from a successful movie franchise, but certainly not the truth. A mention of it and a sanitarium would be the first thing people would think appropriate for your recovery, or perhaps just a good cup of coffee. In the past, many such tales and stories have spun their webs only to be torn down by the masses or laughed away, Roswell perhaps being a prime example. Conspiracy theories made out of nothing but pure imagination. Yet, what if? The question that must now be posed. 

A new figure has entered the scene. Superman. A name that has picked up steam in journalistic circles as of late, the origin of which seems to be from the mind of our great Jimmy Olsen here at the Planet. 

Yet, what is a Superman?

All we know right now is the basics. A face, a silly costume, and a set of tricks that would make a priest jump for his Bible. He has no known name, family, title or even origin. He simply appeared, from nowhere. Some deep part of me laughs at the thought that he could be from anywhere, imagining my own Smallville in rural Kansas playing home to such legends. Yet, why not? At this point it seems just as likely as Metropolis being the caped vigilanties place of birth, after all, if Atlantis could hide in plain sight, why not him?

His age? Without verifiable facts all we can go on is opinion. Several experts have stopped by the Planet in recent days to give their analysis right down to minor ticks and impulses. To them he seems simply human, a man in his early to mid twenties, perhaps a brunette with unidentified eyes and a somewhat charming smile.

What is there behind it? Perhaps nothing.

Arriving, seemingly from the ether, allows hundreds of interpretations to fly about. With corruption at an all time high in Gotham, and with crime finding its way onto the streets of Metropolis, spill overs from our neighbors, some have accessed the government of intervening in an illegal manner to stem the tide before its too late. Others suggest that the Superman is psyop from Russia, designed to distract from distant conflicts. Regardless of what he is, or whether he is within the bounds of the lore, one has to suppose it doesn't really matter. He is, and he will do.

And who can tell him no?

The most remarkable aspect of this case is the sheer anonymity. In this modern world, having your face in the public domain and keeping it a secret from the masses is an almost impossible feat, yet this vigilante in a comic book costume with abilities beyond any man has somehow managed it. Is it worrying, perhaps? I would suspect for many it is.

Yet inside of that remains a comfort.

Maybe this is what the world needs, not another celebrity or politician telling you what to do, not another business mogul running your daily lives, but a symbol. An icon of the Metropolis skyline. 

I, for one, am happy to feel just that bit more safe at night.

Written by Clark Kent, 

Correspondent for the Daily Planet.