Comic book fans like to speculate what would have happened if Superman hadn’t been raised by the Kents. DC Elseworlds stories, notably Superman: Red Son, explore alternate realities where the Man of Steel was raised in the Soviet Union and became a symbol and champion of a very different set of ideals and political values. But what if Kal-El hadn’t been raised by humans at all? Unbelievable as this might seem, one Elseworlds story explored a reality where Kal-El landed in Africa – and was found and raised by apes... and Tarzan fans know where this is heading.
In Superman/Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle, readers discover how the Kryptonian spacecraft carrying baby Kal-El ends up diverting two lives from their expected paths. In this reality, Lord Greystroke and his pregnant wife are about to be marooned in the African jungle by mutineer sailors when Kal-El’s ship blazes across the skies. Taking this as a sign from God, the mutineers back down and take the couple back to civilization. As a result, Greystoke’s son John, who would have been raised by gorillas to become the Lord of the Apes gets to instead live with his birth parents.
Meanwhile, the apes gain a very different child in the arriving Kryptonian. Adopted by the ape Kala, Kal-El is named “Argo-Zan” – the “Fire-Skin” – due to the flames he rode on when he arrived. Argo-Zan grows strong over the years, but when his adoptive mother is killed, he is sent away from the apes and ends up discovering the spacecraft he arrived in. Thanks to recordings from Jor-El and Lara (and his super intellect), Argo-Zan acquires an advanced education. However, because he still sees the world through the eyes of an ape, he starts to believe that all humans, including the tribes of Africa, must be Kryptonians.
Back in civilization, John Greystoke grows up to be a gifted albeit purposeless man. Feeling he belongs somewhere else, he begins traveling, going from England through the American Southwest and finally decides to fund an expedition to Africa where he finds himself accompanied by two women – reporter Lois Lane and her aide Jane Porter. The three explore the jungles of Africa – which feels suspiciously like home to John – and inevitably encounter an unusual Super-Man Ape who wonders if these hairless apes are Kryptonians.
Interestingly enough, Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel frequently admitted he took inspiration from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and John Carter of Mars when he created Superman. The stories do show strong parallels, as they are both about a child raised outside of his world who acquires amazing gifts that make him something more than human. The Elseworlds story itself feels a bit too convenient in places as John and Kal-El find themselves switching places (and then switching back) with minimal difficulty. Kal-El also doesn’t manifest (or use) most of his super powers in the jungle aside from his super strength, preventing the comic from exploring the implications of a Tarzan who can fly and use heat vision.
Even so, Superman/Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle is an intriguing Superman story that emphasizes his link to the heroes of long ago while also reiterating that a man’s character is often shaped by those around him. Even apes.