After he comes back from the dead, Clark appears to be fully healed and ready to resume being Superman. All is falling into place, including his relationship with Bruce, they go from awkward former enemies to friends, with this underlying tension between them. Clark and Lois have decided to be friends, but remain each other's confidants.

After an incident with a new super villain ironically demolishes Clark's apartment building, Bruce offers Clark his guest room at his lakeside house, which Clark accepts after some cajoling. One night Bruce and Clark come back from their respective patrols and bid each other goodnight. But in the early dawn hours, Bruce is awoken by Clark calling out to him. When Bruce gets up his is horrified as Clark stumbled towards his with the front of his shirt bearing a rapidly growing red stain right over the horrible wound Clark got from Doomsday. It becomes a mad dash by a terrified Bruce to save Clark, he's not gonna let him slip away this time.