Superman's story begins some fifty light years away from Earth, in another galaxy. There, orbiting a red sun named Rao, the planet Krypton burned like a green star in the endless heavens. There, civilization was far advanced. It had brought forth a race of supermen--men and women like ourselves, but advanced to the absolute peak of human perfection.

Krypton's First Historical Ages were barbaric, bloody times in the planet's history. By the height of Krypton's Fourth Age, however, society had evolved. Although still wildly passionate, the planet had developed more sophisticated sensibilities. Krypton had by this time made tremendous advances in many scientific frontiers, and had in fact perfected the science of cloning. But a violent civil war broke out during the end of Krypton's Fifth Age, and cloning was abandoned in favor of genetic manipulation designed to extend life. By Krypton's Seventh Age, disease had been all but eliminated on the planet. Gone were the violent tendencies of the planet's deep past. Logic and Science ruled over all.