I agree with it being a vital part of Smallville and Superman I & II. But I don't agree with it being vital to Superman. Sure, there's plenty of stories where the father seems to have to die before the son can venture off to do great things. It's a story that I, personally, can relate to. But for God's sake man, Superman lost an entire planet (or country if you want to strip things down). In my mind Superman is all about preventing the destruction of another world, which Johns has explored. That's covered a lot in Smallville and more in the comics. The upcoming New Krypton story seems to want to contradict that concept. Based on interviews, Johns seems to be out to make Superman more special.
