We should take a moment in this #SupermanAnalogue series to talk about yet another canon example, the Superman of Earth 2! This one's going to take a little bit of explaining, because while he's BASED on the Golden Age Superman, he's not actually the original character. 
The Earth 2 concept arose out of the Silver Age Flash books. A world where the Golden Age versions of the character lived. When the concept was expanded to include the broader DCU, editors were initially reluctant to include Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
The reason: top tier characters never had a break in publishing the way Flash or Green Lantern did. Plus they were ostensibly the same characters this whole time. However, eventually they were introduced as a means of exploring both continuity trivia and character growth.
This became an opportunity to tell the next phase in characters stories. Batman and Catwoman got married and had a daughter. Robin grew up. Superman married Lois and became the editor in chief of his newspaper, The Daily Star, when George Taylor retired (trivia nods to OG names)
This was a great opportunity to explore an older Superman while still having it somewhat tied into regular continuity. The characters could age and change in a way that the main book wouldn't allow. For once, the Man of Steel was freed from his perpetual second act!
It also meant that regular Superman had someone who understood him and could advise him. Plus they could throw down if an editor needed someone who could match the Last Son of Krypton.
When it came time for DC to try to streamline their continuity, Kal-L (the original spelling natch) was obviously on the chopping block. However, he didn't actually die during the Crisis on Infinite Earth's. Instead heade it to the end and was welcomed into paradise.
He even was given the Honor of taking out the Anti-Monitor. This was all symbolic of his role as the original hero...even though, again, Superman was always Superman so this was an alternate concept.
When DC did Infinite Crisis 20 years later, Superman of Earth 2 was there to usher in the new era of the DC multiverse.
And we got a nod to the concept in the CW's recent #CrisisOnInfiniteEarths crossover, although that also had shades of Kingdom Come and a whole lot of the Chris Reeve Superman mixed in. Like I said, a nod.
Kal-L may have worked at a different newspaper, his cousin may have been powerful instead of super, and his better days may have been behind him, but he was still an important part of the evolution of the character. It was a chance for Superman to be more than a static brand.
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