We open with Kal-El on his motorbike, zooming home from work as one of Krypton's many low level officials. He is musing about why people always dream of flying. At home with his wife Lyla, an alien, he tries to make breakfast but burns it. She's just showered and watches him for a while before they discuss how frustrated he is with his mundane life.

On his way to work, he's followed by alien renegades who start to chase him, trying to run him off the road. When Kal-El manages to get one of the rebels to turn over, the bike flies off and smashes through the biosphere, exposing him to yellow sunlight. His eyes flare up and he fires his heat-ray at them. He has become strong, stronger than any other living creature and he doesn't know why.