The Justice League had responded to reports of a monster tearing up an interstate highway somewhere in middle America. The foe they faced seemed to be a mindless, wanton engine of destruction. Although they fought bravely, the combined might of the Justice League was no match for this enemy. The creature tore into them, beating several of them into unconsciousness.

Superman had been giving an interview to Cat Grant in Metropolis when word came in that the Justice League was in trouble. Excusing himself, he flew to their assistance. But, finding himself up against a being of such strength and mindless rage as he had never encountered before, he, too, found himself unable to defeat the monster called Doomsday.

Doomsday continued its trek eastward, heading towards Metropolis, bringing death and destruction in its wake. As the creature neared the city, Superman battled harder, determined to drop the monster before it could reach his home. Those members of the Justice League who had not been taken to the hospital also joined in the battle, as did the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit. Even Supergirl fought against Doomsday, despite Lex Luthor II's efforts to keep her from harm.

But in the end, only Superman was able to face the monster alone. The two fought a pitched battle which raged across the entire city. Onlookers were amazed and frightened to see the Man of Steel hurt, bruised, bleeding, and seemingly unable to subdue Doomsday. Windows shattered with the force of their blows, and the streets and buildings were torn to rubble. Lois Lane, who had been covering the battle with Jimmy Olsen, begged the man who would be her husband to stop, to wait for some help, but Superman could not. He kissed her goodbye, then went in for the final assault.

Then, finally, horribly, it happened. Although the Man of Steel was able to finally subdue and destroy the beast, the toll on his own body was too much. As the monster Doomsday fell to the ground, lifeless, so too did Superman. As Lois told him that Doomsday had been beaten, Superman died in her arms.

The immediate aftermath was chaos. Medical teams tried to resuscitate Superman, to no avail. The Special Crimes Unit took Doomsday's body into custody. News teams everywhere reported the unthinkable: the Man of Steel was dead.

Superman's death hurt the city of Metropolis almost as badly as Lex Luthor's death had. Although her economy remained strong, the spirits of her people were broken. Those who had been his friends mourned the loss of a great champion.

But Superman's death wasn't the only tragedy to have come from Doomsday's rampage. The citywide destruction had left thousands missing and presumed dead, including Clark Kent. Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and others at the Daily Planet feared that he was dead, but hoped that he might still be saved. Of course, those closest to Clark knew the terrible truth...

Superman's funeral was a state event. Lex Luthor II took charge of organizing the procession from the Daily Planet building to Centennial Park, and commissioned a giant statue to mark Superman's crypt. Dignitaries from all over the world turned out to pay their respects. Nearly every super hero on the planet turned up as well, both to pay tribute to their fallen comrade and, as the crowd threatened to turn into a mob, to provide crowd control. And there, in Centennial Park, under the watchful eyes of the world, Superman was laid to rest.