"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they would reject me... out of fear. I let my father die because I trusted him. Because he was convinced that I had to wait. That the world wasn't ready. What do you think?"
Clark Joseph Kent[1] (born as Kal-El; 1980 – November 13 2015) was an incredibly powerful alien superhero, son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, a journalist of the Daily Planet, and one of the extremely few survivors of the destruction of Krypton. In addition, Kal-El is the first (and last) Kryptonian of natural birth in centuries and the host of the Kryptonian Growth Codex.
When Kal-El's father, Jor-El, realized that Krypton was doomed, he and his wife Lara sent their son to Earth, where he would be found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Using his powers, he defends the people of Metropolis from threats, such as the terraforming attempted by the Kryptonian war criminal General Zod, using the moniker Superman.
Two years later, Superman would grow increasingly wary of the vigilante Batman, and was ultimately forced into a fight with the Dark Knight by a new enemy, this time the malevolent supergenius Lex Luthor. However, the two of them would ultimately settle their differences and team up with Wonder Woman, together managing to take down the unleashed monster Doomsday, though Superman himself was seemingly killed in the process by the dying monster. Earth's greatest hero was honorably buried in Heroes Park, with the world mourning his passing, and his heroic sacrifice inspiring both Batman and Wonder Woman to begin establishing the valiant Justice League, in order to battle any future threats to the world.
According to Amanda Waller, the emergence of Superman inspired numerous metahumans to finally emerge, openly revealing themselves to the world as well. Thus, he is, in a way, indirectly responsible for the formation of the Suicide Squad.
Kal-El was born on the faraway planet Krypton to the scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara Lor-Van and given the name Kal-El in the wake of a military coup d’état (lead by General Zod). When Kal-El made his first cries, they were heard by some Rondors near the House of El Citadel.
Kal-El was the first (and, tragically, last) naturally born Kryptonian child on the planet in centuries (due to artificial population control and genetic engineering having been established after the end of the age of Krypton's cosmic expansion), and thus not appointed into any of the predetermined Kryptonian Guilds. Foreseeing that the planet was about to explode, Jor-El dispatched Kal-El in a small starship to carry him to safety, sending him to Earth, located in Sector 2814 of the galaxy, many light years away from Krypton. Jor-El knew of a colonial settler ship sent millennia ago, where his son would grow up with astonishing powers (becoming a godlike being to the people of Earth), while looking identical to the planet's population. Right before bidding his son farewell, Jor-El bonded the genetic information within Krypton's Growth Codex to the cell's of Kal-El's body, after which Jor-El finally placed a Command Key into the starship, so that Kal-El might be able to one day meet and converse with Jor-El's AI.
Arrival on Earth
Just as Jor-El was about to launch the ship, however, General Zod barged into the Citadel, and engaged his former friend in a fierce duel, desperate to retrieve the Codex and abort the launch. Jor-El's wife Lara, however, succeeded in launching the starship, inducing an enraged Zod to stab her husband, lethally injuring Jor-El. Determined to get the Codex at any cost, General Zod ordered a loyal Sword of Rao pilot to shoot Kal-El's starship down, but at that moment, the pilot himself was shot down by a starship of the Sapphire Guards. This gave just enough time for the Phantom Drive of Kal-El's ship to activate, opening a portal through the Phantom Zone to Earth's solar system (many light years away from Krypton), through which the starship disappeared, just as Zod and his loyalists were outnumbered and forced to surrender to the Sapphire Guards.
The starship emerged near to the gas giant planet Saturn, and promptly made its way to Earth, flying right by the Moon in the process. Kal-El's ship landed undetected in the rural Kansas town of Smallville, and was found by local farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. The childless couple promptly adopted the infant Kal-El inside, naming him "Clark Joseph Kent" (combining Martha's maiden surname with Jonathan's) and hiding his true origins from others and even Clark himself for most of his childhood.
Growing up, his adoptive parents helped him learn to use his secret powers in clandestinely. Clark attended Weisinger Primary School in his youth. When Clark was nine years old, his body drastically began to change to adopt his super powers. To the amazement of his parents, Clark began evolving abilities, the extent of which none of them knew.
When Clark's super hearing and X-ray vision first developed and all the noises he could hear manifested at once, it was troublesome for the boy to come to terms with. Frightened, he ran out of his classroom and into a closet. His mother was called to school and helped calm Clark and control his new aptitudes.
Learning of His Heritage
"You are my son! But somewhere out there you have another father who gave you another name."
Whilst travelling on the school bus when he was thirteen, the bus drove off a bridge into a river. With the bus submerged, Clark determined to use his abilities in order to save the passengers by pushing the bus to safety. Numerous kids saw Clark do this such as Lana Lang and Pete Ross, Clark’s bully.
Jonathan shows Clark his ship.
Pete’s mother confronted Martha and Jonathan, but they defended Clark claiming there was nothing special about him. Back at their home, Jonathan attempted to convey to Clark that he had to hide his gifts from the world if he is to be safe, as not everybody will be as understanding as they are, but Clark questioned why he shouldn't help people if he can. Inquisitive as to his place in the world, Jonathan decided to divulge to Clark his origins. In the barn under the floor, Jonathan revealed Clark's ship to him proving Clark is an alien. Jonathan hugged Clark and said he will always be his son. Jonathan said that Clark owed it to himself to discover who he really is and the reason he was sent to Earth.
Death of His Father
Four years later, he was driving with his parents on a highway when a tornado swept through the area. People began abandoning their vehicles with Jonathan telling Clark to get Martha to safety.
Clark watches Jonathan sacrifice himself.
Clark realized he could help people with his abilities but Jonathan told him not to use them, safeguarding his secret. As Jonathan was helping other people, Clark carried a little girl to safety. Jonothan went back for the Kent’s dog who was still in the car. Upon rescuing his dog he injured his leg. Just about to step in and save his adoptive father, Jonothan held up his hand and signaled for Clark to stay put. Jonathan was subsequently swept away in the tornado and died, lending much guilt to Clark.
Finding Himself
"You were sent here for a reason. And even if it takes you the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is."
Not long afterward, Clark followed Jonathan's bidding as well as following his own growing desire to search for his origin, leaving Smallville in pursuit to find the reason why he was sent to Earth. He traveled across North America for years, easily surviving on the borders of civilization, so he could help if he ever came across others in need, and swiftly disappear if anyone became too inquisitive.
Sixteen years after Jonathan's death, Clark was still on his journey, and ended up getting himself a job on the Debbie Sue fishing boat. One day, Clark saw a huge oil rig on fire and jumped overboard to try and help the occupants. Discovering people there, he helped them to a helipad where a chopper was arriving to transport people to safety. The helicopter got clear before a huge explosion sent Clark flying unconscious into the water. Awaking shortly thereafter, Clark swam to the shore and skipped town.
Clark hitchhiking.
Later, he got a job as a busboy in a truck stop bar where he overheard some men talking about the US Military observing a strange construct buried under the ice of Ellesmere Island, Canada. Clark then started working for the Arctic Cargo helicopter company near to the site, calling himself "Joe" (using his actual middle name, Joseph). It was there on Ellesmere where he meet Lois Lane, an intrepid female reporter who is there to write a story on the find for the Daily Planet. Clark and his boss escort her to the cite, with Clark carrying her heavy bags. Clark then went to the site himself at night, away from the military. He used his heat vision to make a path through the ice to the ship before the ships defences begin attacking Clark. Lois who sees Clark and followed him is also attacked by the defenses; Clark sees her and saves her taking her back to the surface revealing to her his special powers, by using his heat vision to cauterize an internal wound, saving her life.
Walking around the enormous ship he realized the key Jonathan gave him as a child, was of the same technology and plugs it in to a port.
Clark learns of his origins.
An interactive projection of Jor-El appeared and welcomed Clark. Jor-El enlightens him of his heritage and true name, Kal-El, why he was sent to Earth and the obligation to test the limits of his powers. The Scout ship then activated after thousands of years of dormancy and landed on a mountain top. Jor-El then displayed to Clark their house coat of arms and showed him the history of Krypton and the dangers of other Kryptonians, before giving Clark a Kryptonian skinsuit, which the latter put on. Due to Jor-El's explanation, Clark was now finally able to accept his alien heritage as Kal-El, and embrace his powers, finally able to overcome his weakness of mental power suppression, and so he went outside and began to test the limits of his powers, gradually learning how to fly.
Clark returned to Smallville and visited Martha after several years of being abroad. He described to her the explorations he went on and that he found the answers to the questions he had, before Lois Lane showed up at the farm with questions about Clark. Clark found Lois at the Smallville Cemetery over Jonathan’s grave, where he told her that he died in order to protect Clark from the world. His sacrifice convinced her to not publish her story revealing him to the world.
General Zod's Arrival and Surrender to Humanity
"I'll surrender, but only if you guarantee Lois' freedom."
Meanwhile, General Zod the maniacal Kryptonian military leader sent a message to the people of Earth to hand over his missing citizen or suffer his wrath. Recognising that he couldn't put people in danger after a discussion with a Smallville priest, Clark voluntarily handed himself in to military custody wearing his new suit.
Lois arrived shortly after wanting questions from Clark and was about to give him a name, but was interrupted by Dr. Hamilton and General Swanwick, who made they intentions regarding delivering Kal-El to General Zod clear. Shortly thereafter Sub-Commander Faora-Ul arrived in a dropship for Kal-El, but she also unexpectedly requested for Lois to join them as well, much to the dismay of both Kal-El and Colonel Hardy.
Kal-El's mental probing.
Once aboard the Black Zero starship, Kal-El came face to face with General Zod, who had him tied down, as the atmosphere aboard was replicating Krypton's, leaving Kal-El practically helpless, due to it rendering him unable to access his stores of solar energy. Zod's leading scientist Jax-Ur then proceeded to take some of Kal-El's blood, before Zod exposed him to mental probing.
General Zod attempted to sway Kal-El to his side, requesting the location of the Kryptonian Growth Codex that Jor-El had sent with the latter to Earth. Kal-El, however, promptly refused to sacrifice his adopted planet, even if that meant restoring his native one.
Escape and First Battle
"You can save her, Kal. You can save all of them."
Lois, however, had brought Jor-El's key aboard the ship and he helped her escape using an escape pod before changing the atmosphere for Kal-El to re-claim some strength to break free. Beating a hole in the ship for yellow sun rays to get through, Kal-El recuperated his full strength and had final words with his father who encouraged him to save mankind. Kal-El then raced after Lois in the falling escape pod reaching her just before the pod exploded on impact.
Kal-El's super hearing alerted him to General Zod, already at Kent Farm and threatening Martha. He flew over and attacked Zod. Zod's breather mask was damaged and all his senses overwhelmed him causing him to collapse. Faora and Nam-Ek followed and confronted Kal-El, with the pair outnumbering him, beating him to the ground and cautioning him that he won’t prevail.
Kal-El fighting Nam-Ek in Smallville.
He was thrown though numerous buildings in Smallville by Faora, while Nam-Ek went to confront the incoming military forces. Before Faora could kill Colonel Hardy, Kal-El tackled her and eventually defeated them both.
General Zod’s forces retreated back to space to begin their plans for terraforming Earth, while Kal-El flew home to check on his mother. Hardy then proclaimed that Kal-El was not their enemy.
Lois then told Kal-El that Jor-El’s AI gave her directions to use his starship against Zod’s, with Kal-El then promptly taking his infant starship over to the Northcom base, handing it over to Colonel Hardy, before flying to the Indian Ocean to destroy the World Engine that General Zod had unleashed. At the US Military Northcom base, General Swanwick gives a green-light to the operation against Zod, with a soldier under his command telling him that the alien Kal-El (who has now been dubbed by others in the military as "Superman") and Colonel Hardy are on the way.
The World Engine’s defenses attack Superman with many huge tentacles of molten-hot Liquid Geo, but he eventually manages to break through them, and destroy the World Engine by flying up the colossal gravity beam. Taking a few seconds to lie in direct sunlight to recover from the battle, Superman then flies to Metropolis on the other side of the planet, to stop General Zod who had unleashed his Black Zero starship upon the city at the same time.
While Superman flies back, Colonel Hardy and Lois are under attack from General Zod, the latter attempting to shoot their plane out of the sky with the Fortress of Solitude. Superman, however, returns right in time to collide with the Fortress (incapacitating it's targeting systems) and destroy its Genesis Chamber, much to Zod' dismay. The Fortress is thus swiftly brought down onto the ground in Metropolis, colliding with many skyscrapers in the process. Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of Colonel Hardy and Dr. Hamilton, the Phantom Drive of Superman's infant starship is activated, and the plane successfully collides with the Black Zero. This creates a temporary Phantom Zone energy singularity that sucks in the Black Zero and the plane, including Faora, Nam-Ek, Tor-An, and Car-Vex, but also Colonel Hardy and Dr. Hamilton. At this time, Superman emerges from the crashed Fortress, and flies up, just in time to catch Lois, who fell from the place shortly before the collision. Due to him also having been once exposed to Phantom Zone energy, Superman struggles to escape the tremendous gravitational pull of the singularity, which he ultimately succeeds in doing. He then proceeds to put Lois beside Perry White and Jenny Jarwich and in a moment of adrenaline, Lois kissed Superman, who responded, before confronting General Zod, who was revealed to still be on Earth, having been too far from the singularity.
Final Duel with General Zod
"There's only one way this ends, Kal - either you die, or I do!"
Superman went to face Zod, who speculated how he could have built a new Krypton out of Earth if Superman hadn't betrayed them. Vowing to avenge his people on Superman, Zod promised that he would take away all whom Superman loved, and then attacked him. Superman, seeing no other way to reason with Zod, Superman vowed that he would stop him no matter what it took He fought General Zod in an intense and incredibly destructive battle across the city, destroying buildings, vehicles and property, including the Wayne Financial Building brought down by Zod's heat vision, much to the dismay of Bruce Wayne, who witnessed it occur from the streets.
The battle intensified once Zod managed to master his heat vision and Superman struggled to counter the Kryptonian's superior experience and skill in honing his abilities. Zod efficiently gained the upper hand in the fight, before ripping off his armor and finally grasping his flying ability, now on even footing with Superman.
Superman hugging Lois after killing General Zod.
The two then clashed climactically in mid-air, with Zod hurling Superman through numerous skyscrapers, and tackling him into outer space, destroying a Wayne Enterprises satellite in the process. The two mighty aliens then crashed in Metropolis Central Station, where General Zod, feeling that he was beginning to lose the fight, opened his heat vision on innocent civilians. Superman grappled Zod, trying to divert the latter's heat vision away, before resorting to breaking Zod's neck to save the civilians, causing him to scream in brief trauma. However, he was then consoled by Lois, who had just gotten to the station by that time.
Superman flew back home to Martha in Smallville. He was consoled by her, as Martha was alright, with only some damage to her house. Clark later got a job at the Daily Planet newspaper in Metropolis. Upon arriving at his first day at work, he chose to wear a pair of glasses in an attempt to conceal his identity as "Superman", with only Lois recognizing him, and promptly welcomed him to "the Planet".
Life After the Black Zero Event
Early Superhero Career
In his first days of openly being a superhero, Superman took to dealing with natural disasters (notably the wildfires in the home forests of the state of Senator Stearns, that had almost claimed hundreds of lives), crime and humanitarian missions, but he notably avoided getting involved in controversial political disputes, such as wars between the nations of Earth. As such, a massive silvery statue of Superman is built in Metropolis (on the epicenter of what was left after General Zod's terraformation attack on the city, in the new commemorative Heroes Park), and online message boards are created, with numerous people from all over the world using them as a means to ask Superman for help, regarding both trivial (helping to pay their rent) and severe matters (curing their cancer).
Superman Committee Established
At the same time, a number of survivalist militias also emerge, who believe Superman to be the advance scout for a future, larger alien invasion of Earth. Businessman Lex Luthor, whose prolific philanthropic efforts made some claim that he is as much a hero to Metropolis as Superman, claimed that the alien superhero is a figure too mysterious and controversial for him to be a good comparison, but in light of Superman's debut, Lex claims that recognizing the importance of the "ordinary" citizens of Metropolis (such as rescue workers, first responders, and countless ordinary citizens, who also helped save others in the Battle of Metropolis) has become more important than ever. Thus, US Senator Finch believed that before an ultimate decision regarding Superman is made, the issue of his existence must be approached objectively, and she therefore advocated for the creation of a committee to study and learn more about Superman.
Bangladesh Floods
One day, Lois and Clark swiftly exit the Daily Planet newsroom, as Lois heads off to expose the corrupt Hanford Technologies CEO Mark Hanford (who had been illegally profiting from the sale of Kryptonian weapons on the black market), while Clark heads off to help with floods in Bangladesh as Superman, warning Lois to be safe in his absence.
Rescuing a Train
Superman saving a train.
Some time later, Superman saves a runaway train full of passengers. As he uncouples the cars, he runs out of track and has to settle the front cars on the desert by lifting them up. Shortly thereafter, video footage of the event is recorded, and studied by Professor Garcia, after which he discusses it with a woman named Teri and another man. Garcia goes out of his way to argue that Superman tries to save lives, with the hero having done so even in the infamous Battle of Metropolis. Garcia also defends Superman's decision to avoid getting involved in wars, as intervening in political disputes (such as unilaterally disarming a country's military) could actually make the situation worse. Teri appears to agree with the professor, but as it turns out, she is only speaking the words spoken to her through an earpiece by Lex Luthor.
S.T.A.R. Labs Field Trip
Some time later, Clark took a school class from Metropolis on a school trip to S.T.A.R. Labs Metropolis branch. At the facility, the S.T.A.R. Labs team display their Tachyon Transfer technology, that can send objects vast distances across space. They proceed to open the portal, but grotesque alien creatures, called the Ko'erst came through. They had been were controlling Dr. Forsythe to keep it open, so that they could invade Earth. Clark managed to swiftly leave in the confusion, and return as Superman, after which he managed to swiftly overpower and tie up the Ko'erst, before they were sent back through to their home world.
Wayne Enterprises Field Trip
Some time later still, Superman, having learned of criminals attempting to steal Kryptonian technology from the Wayne Enterprises Research & Development Facility, promptly arrives and confronts them. While they initially make him retreat with Kryptonian plasma rifles (due to Superman's unwillingness to hurt them), Bruce Wayne gets a hold of a Kryptonian Signal Jammer, and utilizes it at a high frequency to incapacitate them all, though Superman recovers much quicker than the criminals, and thus, he manages to hand them over to the Metropolis Police Department, though not before confiscating the stolen Kryptonian tech.
Superman manages to arrive in warn-torn Nairomi just in time to save Lois, who had been kidnapped by an African warlord and threatened with death. The warlord held a gun to Lois, with Superman, who Lois nodded approvingly to, responding by tackling the man away from Lois the wall behind him in the blink of an eye, killing the man. However, moments before he arrives, Anatoli Knyazev and his men murder the warlord's men, incriminating Superman, as per the orders of their employer, Lex Luthor.
This incident generates quite a bit of controversy throughout the world, with Senator Finch and her committee (responsible for studying Superman) holding Superman responsible for what occurred in the North African desert.
Conversation with Lois
"I just don't know if it's possible?" "If what's possible?" "For you to love me and be you. "
Returning home to his and Lois' apartment, Clark sees Lois in the bathtub and said he wanted to surprise her by cooking up something. When the subject shifts to the controversy surrounding his actions in Nairomi, Clark makes it clear that he is unconcerned, as Lois could have been killed; also adding that he didn't murder anyone. When Lois questions if whether or not it is possible for him to love her and be Superman, he responds by giving her one of the roses he bought and getting into the bathtub with her despite being fully-clothed; kissing her passionately before his glasses come off.
Bat Brand of Justice
"Justice turned dark across the harbour when police found an alleged sex trafficker apparently tortured and branded by the Gotham Bat"
―Metropolis 8 News journalist
On the evening news, while cooking, Clark hears about Batman branding a Gotham sex trafficker, and he is visibly disturbed by the news, seemingly then deciding to take these matters into his own hands.
End of Love Affair With Man in the Sky?
"Jenny, headline: "End of love affair with man in the sky", question mark."
Clark, saddened by the news of his Heroes Park statue's vandalism
Clark is assigned by Perry to cover the Metropolis vs Gotham football game when the news reports on Wallace Keefe vandalizing the Superman Statue by spray-painting the words "False God" in red on the chest before he is arrested. Clark is visibly saddened about this hate crime.
Conflict with Perry
"It's like a one man reign of terror. This bat vigilante has been consistently targeting the port and the adjacent projects and tenements, and as far as I can tell the cops are actually helping him!"
At a staff meeting, Clark begins his pursuit of Batman by bringing up his repeated targets in the poor areas of Gotham and alliance with the local GCPD, which earns him mockery from Perry, who also asks if whether or not he began work on the football story he assigned him to. Clark insists that this story is worth printing as it shows that the common civilian matters, but Perry retorts by saying “the American conscience died with Robert, Martin, and John”. At that point, Lois enters the meeting, displaying a bullet found in Nairomi, letting Perry know that she intended to fly to DC to further investigate, and briefly making eye-contact with Clark.
Meeting Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor
"Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent! I love it! I love bringing people together like this!"
Clark is invited to Lex Luthor's fundraiser event at the Metropolis library. While listening to the host's greeting speech, Clark's super-hearing quickly picks up on the voice of Alfred Pennyworth, coming from the earpiece of Bruce Wayne, a billionaire from Gotham City, who is also attending the event. Clark notices Bruce sneaking away from the crowd, as per Alfred's instructions. Hence, a suspicious Clark is quick to interview Bruce Wayne as soon as the latter returns, asking Bruce about his position regarding Batman.
Bruce initially attempts to brush the reporter off, but Clark persists, claiming that Batman's actions are trampling on people's civil liberties in Gotham. Bruce, however, is quick to point out the hypocrisy in Clark's words, noting that every time Superman, the hero of Metropolis, carried out a trivial deed, journalists are quick to shower him with praise in "puff-piece editorials", while in fact the godlike alien should instead be feared, as there would be seemingly no way of stopping him, if Superman were to suddenly decide to "burn the whole place down." Clark is angered by this criticism, but calmly point out that most of the world doesn't share Bruce's opinion on the alien superhero, but Gotham's billionaire responds by claiming that perhaps his view is based on the bad history that Gotham has with "freaks dressed like clowns."
At that precise moment, their conversation is abruptly interrupted by Lex Luthor, who enthusiastically introduces himself and invites Bruce to visit the LexCorp research and development facilities. However, Mercy Graves comes up and lets Lex know that a governor wants to speak to him. As Bruce walks off, a suspicious Clark attempts to follow him (having heard Alfred's voice in the earpiece again), but he suddenly sees a TV news report of a girl stuck in a burning house in Mexico, and is forced to switch his clothes and depart.
The Superman Question
"We're talking about a being, whose very existence challenges our own sense of priority in the Universe."
After saving the Mexican girl, Superman descends into the crowd of people in Dios de los Muertos apparel, and they all surround and stretch out their hands towards him, eager to touch the godlike alien.
As the days go by, Superman continues his heroic career, notably saving a family from a flooded house (after they paint his symbol on their house's roof), rescuing Russian astronauts from a rocket that collapsed during launch, and towing a half-sunken steamship through Arctic ice.
Meanwhile, however, the world continues responding to Superman and what his existence means to the world (much like how Jonathan Kent had once predicted), with the media referring to it as "The Superman Question". The question sparks quite a bit of controversy worldwide, with many being quick to express their opinions.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, stating Superman's effect on humanity.
Astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson, while seemingly not opposed to the alien superhero, remarks that Superman's very existence challenges humanity's sense of priority in the Universe. Tyson recalls how Copernican Heliocentrism displaced Earth and restored the Sun in the center of the known Universe, and how Darwinian Evolution established that humanity was just one among other lifeforms, instead of being special on Earth. And now, with the emergence of Superman, humanity learns that it isn't even special in the entire Universe, as there is now an alien living among them.
Openly negative views on "The Superman Question" are held by Internet blogger Glen Woodburn and best-selling author Andrew Sullivan.
Andrew Sullivan, questioning Superman's moral contraints.
Wodburn's concern is based on humanity having a horrible track record of following people with great power, down paths that led to huge human monstrosities (notably under the dictatorship of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Zedong). Sullivan, in the same light, questions whether there are any moral constrains on Superman, and that, due to there being International Law, every one of Superman's acts is a political one.
Vikram Gandhi, speaking in support of Superman.
However, documentary filmmaker Vikram Gandhi openly disagrees with their position. Remarking that every religion believes in some sort of Messianic figure and that humanity has been looking for a savior, Gandhi claims that humanity wanting to make Superman, such a figure, abide by its rules, is incorrect. Gandhi argues that instead, humanity must understand that Superman actually coming to Earth is a paradigm shift, and that humanity must instead start thinking beyond politics. He continues, stating that humans have always created icons in their own image, thereby projecting themselves onto Superman. Gandhi concludes by saying that maybe Superman is not in fact some sort of Devil or Jesus character, and is instead "just a guy trying to do the right thing".
Finally, Senator June Finch is interviewed on the matter, with her interviewer wondering aloud if it is really surprising that Superman, as the most powerful man in the world, is viewed as a figure of controversy. He proceeds to ask her if, as a US Senator, Finch would be personally comfortable with saying to a grieving parent, that Superman could have saved his/her child, but that on principle, the US government had not wanted him to act. Senator Finch responds by admitting that Superman's engagement in state-level interventions (notably recently in Nairomi) should indeed give them all pause. However, she proceeds by saying that the problem is not Superman's actions, but rather, that he should not be carrying them out unilaterally. This makes her interviewer conclude by saying that the overall question is in fact, “must there be a Superman?”; to which she simply replies that “There is”. Clark himself sees this interview on television, and is visibly dismayed.
Second Conflict with Perry
"Nobody cares about Clark Kent taking on the Batman!"
Clark is confronted by Perry, who is furious with him for having not covered the Metropolis football match or the fundraiser for the Metropolis Library. Clark argues by saying that the press has the responsibility of showing integrity and exposing Batman, bringing up the fact that the Daily Planet had an upstanding reputation for displaying such character at its foundation. Perry responds by mocking Clark’s values, saying that “it’s not 1938” and life is no longer simple enough for someone like Clark to be admired for upstanding character alone; therefore, he is ordered to cease his pursuit of Batman, as no one will find such a thing interesting. Clark is agitated, but undeterred.
Meeting Batman
"Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy."
While still pondering over this theme while working at his cubicle, Clark receives mail. Inside are pictures of criminals that were victims of Batman’s brutality, with the words “judge, jury, executioner, and justice” written at the bottom of them. At this moment, a frustrated Clark finally decides on a different, more direct approach.
While Batman was intercepting Lex Luthor's men transporting Kryptonite, Superman interrupted the chase, damaging the Batmobile after Batman tried running him down, and again when Superman tore the doors off. Superman threatened the Dark Knight, warning him to give up his crusade, and that he should consider Superman's warning mercy. As he turned to leave, Batman countered with a threat of his own, expressing his determination to make the godlike alien "bleed". Not impressed with Batman's threat, Superman flew off, while Batman promptly drove back to the Batcave in the damaged Batmobile.
While the rest of the world is still busy debating on "The Superman Question", Clark returns home to Smallville to visit his mother Martha. There, she advises him that either way, he shouldn't be concerned with what others think of him, assures him that he is neither a threat, nor a killer, and that ultimately, he doesn't owe planet Earth a thing.
Superman at the hearing.
Despite much media speculation to the contrary, Superman arrives to speak and answer at Senator Finch's committee, at the US Capitol in Washington DC. While there are notably quite a few anti-Superman protesters gathered there (with banners labelled "SuperDeath", "Thanks for the "Help"", "Earth Belongs to Humans", "God Hates Aliens" and "Aliens Doom Nations", a House of El glyph with a swastika, as well as an alien-shaped head on a pole), Lois stands there as well, for additional support.
Superman, mortified and heartbroken over the deaths at the Capitol
The trial is also attended by Lex Luthor's personal assistant, Mercy Graves. Senator Finch points out to him a witness/victim of Superman's actions, Wallace Keefe, who lost his legs during the Black Zero Event. After seeing a distasteful note left for her by Lex Luthor, a startled Finch stops in mid-speech, before a bomb (hidden inside Keefe's wheelchair by Lex) explodes, killing her, Graves, Keefe, and everyone else present, except for the invulnerable but mortified Superman.
Self-Doubts and Exile
"Superman was never real. Just the dream of a farmer from Kansas."
That evening, Superman flew back to his and Lois' apartment, and spoke to her on the balcony. While Loisassured him that he was not to blame, Superman insisted that he hadn't been able to prevent the bombing because he hadn't been looking for a potential bomb in the first place. Now, mortified at how his actions had so far consistently lead to horrible consequences, Clark claims that the whole idea of "Superman" had never even been real in the first place, with it only ever being "the dream of a farmer from Kansas." Lois insisted that this "dream" is all that most people have to give them hope, and she pointed to his House of El glyph, stating that it still means something. However, Clark sadly replies that while it did on Krypton, that world no longer exists, and he then promptly flies off, into self-imposed exile.
Clark, in self-imposed exile in the Arctic.
Superman flies back to the Arctic, dons civilian clothing, and hikes up into the mountains. Much to his surprise, he suddenly experiences a vision of his adopted father, Jonathan Kent. The vision spoke to Clark, telling him of how he himself had once believed himself to be a hero after saving his farm a flood during the age of 12, yet inadvertently thereby flooding the Langs' farm. He encouraged Clark, and let his son know that he both loves and misses him.
Superman returns to Metropolis and rescues Lois just in the nick of time after Lex Luthor throws her off of the roof, and flies back up to deal with him. Superman angrily vows to bring the malevolent supergenius in "without breaking him". However, Luthor confidently retorts by revealing that he knows Superman's secret identity, and proceeds to tell Clark about his views on both him and God, stating that "God is tribal." Lex then reveals that his father, Alexander Luthor Sr., while seemingly affable in public, was egregiously cruel and evil behind closed doors, abusing his defenseless son with both fists and "abominations." Due to there having been no "man in the sky" to protect Lex from this unjust suffering, he subsequently became an antitheist, burdened by the theological problem of evil (that if God is truly all-powerful, then He cannot be all-good, and vice versa), and concluding that power cannot be innocent (with belief in an innocent power being "the oldest lie in America"). Hence, Superman (whom Lex compares to the gods Horus, Apollo, and Jehovah), due to his own godlike power, has the same problem of evil applicable to him in Lex's eyes, and Lex is now determined to prove this to the world by having him engage Batman in a mortal duel, the "greatest gladiator match in the history of the world."
Superman, forced to bow to Lex Luthor.
When Superman attempts to refuse, Lex reveals that the former's mother, Martha Kent, is held in captivity in a top-secret location by Knyazev (producing several photos of a horrified tied up Martha as proof). An incredibly furious Superman seems ready to destroy Lex with his heat vision, but the latter says that if Superman attempts to kill him or fly away, Martha will be burned alive, and the only way for Superman to save her, is to fly to Gotham, fight and kill Batman in a vicious duel to the death, and subsequently bring the vigilante's head to Lex. An incredibly furious Superman is left with no choice but to comply with Lex's orders, and flies off, much to the delight of Lex, who gleefully muses that now "God bends to [his] will."
Superman, shaken up by the power Lex holds over him with his horrifying ultimatum, flies to Lois and briefly explains the situation to her, but then adding that he will instead try to convince Batman to help. He then sadly concludes by saying that "no man stays good in this world", before flying off.
Duel with Batman
"Stay down! If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!"
Superman arrives at Gotham, where Batman is waiting for him. Superman tries to reason with Batman, beginning with an apology for wrongly accusing him of being a criminal and trying to explain what Luthor has done, however the latter refused to listen and attacked the former with various weapons, which Superman is able to quickly dispose of with relative ease. Then, even while holding back, Superman proves his dominance, when he proceeds to send Batman flying and bouncing down the street with a light push, and grabs him before he takes him to the top of a building and throws him across the roof, smashing Batman right through the Bat-Signal.
Superman battles Batman.
Batman, loudly panting from his great effort, rises and hurls a smoke bomb, which Superman just speed-flies through. Batman, having used that moment to steathily move and position himself behind Superman, proceeds to shoots a grenade at Superman, which the latter easily catches. Kryptonite gas begins to come out of it. His power now diminished to human levels, Superman is then thrown trough a window on the roof of the building by Batman. Inside, the two begin to exchange blows. As Batman has Superman backed against a wall, Superman's powers begin to come back and Batman's punches no longer have any effect on him. Superman again proves his dominance when he begins to throw Batman around until the Dark Knight uses another Kryptonite weapon on him.
Superman's Defeat and Batman's Epiphany
"You were never a god. You were never even a man!"
Batman throws Superman all the way down to the ground floor from a railing and using his grappling hook to spin Superman around the room, knocking him into walls and columns. Superman is then placed on his back and taunted by Batman, who claims that Superman was not only never a God, but never even a man, before cutting the latter's cheek with his Kryptonite Spear and raised it for the killing blow.
Superman, begging Batman to save his mother.
Superman, realizing that he is about to die, implores Batman to save "Martha". Batman, confused and shocked by this (as "Martha" was the name of his own late mother), pauses his killing blow, and yells at Superman, demanding to know why the latter had uttered that name. At that moment, Lois finally arrives, and explains to Batman that it is the name of Superman's mother. Batman then realizes his own hypocrisy - while he had previously accused Superman of having the potential to become malevolently corrupted, Batman has ultimately become malevolently corrupted himself, as he has abandoned is no-kill rule following the Black Zero Event, and had allowed Lex Luthor to manipulate him into becoming the abominable killer of Martha's son, much like how Joe Chill had orphaned Batman himself, the son of another Martha. Hence, Batman hurls the spear away in disgust, horrified at what he had almost become, and he is now prepared to help Superman, whom he now better understands, while also redeeming himself in his own eyes in the process.
The two then converse, and Superman reveals Luthor's plan, meaning that his mother is losing time every second. Batman, now finally seeing Superman for the selfless person that he is (instead of an inhuman alien threat, since when threatened, Superman had pleaded to save his mother, rather than his own life), tells him that they should work together to stop Luthor, the true enemy that had been deviously manipulating both of them this whole time. After some persuasion from Batman, Superman resolves to confront Luthor, while Batman promises him that he will save Martha.
Having partially recovered from the Kryptonite gas and exposure, Superman flies to the Fortress of Solitude and smashes through the starship's hull to face Lex Luthor, letting the latter know that Martha is safe, Batman is now an ally, and that Lex had lost. The malevolent supergenius, however was unfazed by the news of his failed plan, and he is quick to finally reveal his far more grandiose and extreme contingency plan - a massive hybrid Kryptonian monster grown from General Zod's corpse and Lex's blood (in an ancient Kryptonian ritual, long forbidden by the Law Council), Superman's "Doomsday". Lex gleefully added that now Superman was "as good as dead."
First Battle with Doomsday
"If man won't kill God, the Devil will do it! Blood of my blood! Your Doomsday!"
The monster then proceeds to swiftly break out of the ship's birthing matrix, loudly roars, and hurls a monstrous punch at Lex, which Superman manages to block and counter just in time. Superman and Doomsday, now locked in mortal combat, proceed to break out of the Fortress of Solitude, into Heroes Park. Superman again engages the massive monster, and the two battle one another, destroying the Superman Statue in the process.
Superman and Doomsday face off at Heroes Park.
Doomsday's strength and durability surpass that of Superman, but the the Man of Steel defiantly holds his own, managing to send the monster flying into a building. Doomsday is then shot at by military helicopters, but his body takes it all, adapting and only becoming more durable, generating a huge electrical shock-wave.
In desperation, Superman tackles Doomsday and takes him into space. The US President intends to shoot the alien monster down with a nuclear missile, and it is carried out, despite the protests of Calvin Swanwick. Superman defiantly holds Doomsday in place as he sees the missile approach, determined to have the monster destroyed. The resulting explosion is so gigantic, that Batman can clearly see it from Earth's surface.
Superman, restraining Doomsday.
Doomsday's body lands on the abandoned Stryker's Island, but he is far from dead, as the nuclear explosion seems to have only made the monster stronger, with its body once again regenerating, and generating another electrical shock-wave, considerably larger and stronger than the first.
Incapacitated in Space
"Projectile 2 no apparent re-entry" "Projectile 2?" "Superman, Mr. President. Projectile 2 was Superman..."
―Swanwick, Carrie Farris and the President of the United States on Superman after being hit by a nuclear bomb
Superman, momentarily incapacitated
In the meantime, Superman is floating in space, with him being extremely weakened by the nuclear missile, knocking him completely out and rendering him thin and undead in appearance.
Soon, however, he is exposed to radiation from the yellow sun, which reinvigorates Superman's cells, returning him back to full power. He then proceeds to defiantly fly towards Doomsday again, sending the monster flying into a gas tank.
The Trinity Unites - Second Battle against Doomsday
Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, united against Doomsday.
Superman and a recently arrived Wonder Woman then proceed to jointly attack Doomsday in tandem, while Batman tries to expose the monster to Kryptonite, which would exploit its only known vulnerability. Wonder Woman soon manages to cut off the monster's right arm, but that only results in a sharp bony protrusion growing back in its place.
Superman, about to fight Doomsday again
In the meantime, Lois is in Gotham, trying to retrieve the Kryptonite Spear from underwater. Superman is able to hear her drowning, and flies off to rescue her, retrieving the spear in the process, while Wonder Woman manages to temporarily restrain Doomsday with her indestructible lasso. Superman sees that the only way to stop Doomsday will end up putting his life at risk. Hence, he says a tender goodbye to Lois with a kiss, before taking hold of the spear and flying back to the battle scene, exposed to the substance himself in the process.
Batman, Wonder Woman, and Lois stand over Superman's lifeless body.
A weakened Superman returns back to the battle and stabs Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear, causing more electrical energy than ever before to pour out of Doomsday, making Wonder Woman momentarily lose her footing. This allowed Doomsday to slip out of the Lasso of Truth binding him, and plunge a his bony arm protrusion into Superman's chest. Superman, however, is undeterred by his impending death, and defiantly fights against the incredible pain, plunging the spear deeper into Doomsday's chest with his last once of strength, as well as letting the monster's bony protrusion sink deeper into his own chest, thereby allowing the spear to pierce Doomsday's body completely. The two give one final bellow of agony, before their lifeless bodies hit the ground. A distressed Lois Lane cradles Superman's corpse as a very saddened and shocked Batman and Wonder Woman stand over their fallen ally's lifeless body.
Superman's Funeral - the Dawn of Justice
"I failed him in life. But I won't fail him in death. "
Superman is honorably buried in Heroes Park in Metropolis, in a grandiose military ceremony, with his black coffin (with a silver House of El glyph) being wrapped in the US flag. Later, numerous visibly saddened people of Metropolis come with candles to Superman's resting place, to pay their respects to Earth's greatest hero, who had selflessly died saving the world from its greatest threat, a hero that so many of them had failed to properly accept during his life. Hence, while Superman's monument is still broken (in the aftermath of the great battle with Doomsday), his tomb reads: "If you seek his monument, look around you", emphasizing how Superman's heroic sacrifice guaranteed that the world and humanity are still around, saved from Doomsday's bloodthirsty rampage.
However, the coffin in Metropolis is actually empty, as the funeral of Clark Kent (who is reported to have died while reporting on the superheroes' battle in Gotham) is held in Smallville, with Father Leone presiding over it, and with Bruce, Diana, and Lois in attendance, along with Pete Ross and Lana Lang. An after function is held at Martha's home. Lois is in Clark's bedroom when Martha enters. She gives Lois a letter, revealing to her that Clark had intended to propose to her.
The levitating dirt, making Superman's death uncertain.
Still at the cemetery, Bruce and Diana share a conversation about bringing the other metahumans together, in case a threat of that scale ever should arise, honoring Superman's heroic sacrifice. Diana questions the necessity and inquires why Bruce is proposing it. He replies that it is simply due to a feeling he has that things will imminently get worse.
Superman's coffin is then shown, with the handful of dirt (scattered on it by Lois) beginning to rise into the air followed by a faint heartbeat, implying that Superman might still in fact be alive.
Justice League
To be added
Personality
Superman possesses a strong sense of justice, honor, and selfless benevolence.
Growing up as the only person of his kind, thus being very different and alienated by his peers, Clark grew up a very confused, lonely, and lost person. Hence, this, as well as his inability to understand his superhuman powers, made Clark subconsciously suppress them, with him unable to reach his full potential for many years (until he finally met Jor-El). Instilled by his parents, he grew up to selflessly care for other people and to do the right thing. Realizing that he could help others with his powers, Clark went against his father's (Jonathan) wishes to help others. Clark would even go out of his way to save Peter Ross, a boy that had relentlessly bullied him not long ago. This selflessness and faith in others shows that even before meeting Jor-El, Clark already strived to uphold what the House of El had always stood for: hope, embodied in which is the potential that every individual has to be a force for good and righteousness.
With the passing of his adopted father Jonathan Kent, Clark went on a journey of discovery in which he learned to control his pent up anger, instead of releasing his incredible power on mere humans, he instead found different means, like secretly crushing a metal pipe when aggressively dared by a bully to fight, and wrecking the truck of Ludlow when the latter insulted Clark and his co-worker. As a result, Superman grew accustomed to holding back his incredible strength and powers quite a bit unless absolutely necessary, which is evident when Superman expressed his intention of taking in Lex Luthor "without breaking" him, and when Superman greatly held back while fighting the far weaker Batman.
While he tended to be quite serious and even brooding, when he meets Lois Lane and receives empathy from her, Clark begins to enjoy life a bit more, with her spunky and sometimes flirty personality having a gradual effect on Clark. He was romantic, flirty, and affectionate towards her, enough that he could get into a tub with her while he himself was fully clothed.
Despite usually being calm, gentle and collected, Clark is capable of terrifying displays of rage when provoked, shown when General Zod threatened his adopted mother Martha. Clark promptly tackled the supervillain off and released his incredible rage upon him, temporarily beating Zod into submission. Clark's anger was again shown when Zod threatened innocent bystanders, making Clark determined to put an end to General Zod's relentless rampage. As a result though, Clark was inevitably forced to kill the malevolent Zod, an act that Clark was fully remorseful of, prompting him to scream out agony and tears at what he had to do. However, after this, Superman is less hesitant about killing enemies in extreme situations when presented with no other choice, such as him impaling the monstrous Doomsday through the chest using a Kryptonite spear. Also, after learning that Lex Luthor had kidnapped his adopted mother, an incredibly infuriated Superman seemingly intended to destroy Lex with his heat vision, but stopped when realizing that his mother would die if he attacked.
Despite having felt isolated from humanity for most of his life due to his powers, when he learned about Zod's plans to restore Krypton on Earth, Superman immediately chose to protect humanity over Krypton, absolutely refusing General Zod's offer to help the Sword of Rao sacrifice Clark's adopted people for the sake of a planet that had already been destroyed decades ago. He thus agreed with his father Jor-El that Krypton had had its chance, and that its time had long-since passed.
As Superman, Clark is willing to face seemingly insurmountable odds, potentially endanger his own life and safety, and even make choices that greatly conflict with his morality, as long as he is capable of ultimately saving innocent lives as a result. This is evident when he made the choice to reveal and surrender himself to General Zod in order to save Earth, when he faced the combined might of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek (both much more skilled combatants) without hesitation, when he promptly flew off to destroy the World Engine (despite knowing that being in proximity to it might potentially kill him), when he stubbornly flew against the tremendous force of a Phantom Zone singularity in order to save Lois, when he implored Batman (armed with the Kryptonite spear) to save his mother rather than beg for his own life, when he willingly endangered himself in order to ensure that a nuclear missile hit Doomsday, when he made the incredibly hard choice to kill General Zod, and when he does his utmost to take down Doomsday, persisting even after being mortally wounded himself, persisting defiantly up until his own dying breath (to further plunge his weapon into Doomsday), much to Batman and Wonder Woman's admiration and respect. In fact, Superman's determination and willpower were so great, that he was even able to temporarily overcome the weakening effects of Kryptonite for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and deliver the killing blow.
Due to Superman's indomitable will, great power, selfless morality, and natural birth, Jonathan Kent believed that his adopted son would one day "stand proudly in front of the human race" and ultimately "change the world", while Jor-El believed in his son's ability to represent "the best" of both Earth and Krypton, and to one day give the people of Earth "an ideal to strive towards." As such, shortly after Superman's debut to the world, a huge statue of him is built in Metropolis, and online message boards are created, which numerous people from all over the world use as a means to ask Superman for help. However, as Jor-El predicted, many people (notably Batman, Glen Woodburn, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lex Luthor, and Andrew Sullivan) would at first be slow to fully accept the unrestrained supremely powerful godlike alien (with Superman even coming to doubt himself after failing to stop the US Capitol's bombing), they would, after his heroic selfless death at the hands of Doomsday, finally come to see, admire, and look up to him as Earth's greatest superhero. In addition, Superman's heroic death would inspire Batman and Wonder Woman to establish the Justice League, honoring him, with Batman determined not to fail Superman in death. Also, Superman's noble sacrifice seems to have finally given Batman a more optimistic and hopeful outlook, since he says to Wonder Woman that despite their many flaws, men are still good, and that they do in fact have the potential in them to rebuild and improve (a crucial House of El-based belief held by Superman himself in life). Even villainous metahumans (like Killer Croc and El Diablo) would be inspired by Superman, as Amanda Waller noted that his emergence induced them to finally come out into the open and reveal themselves to the world as well.
Despite his great benevolence, however, Superman is ultimately not completely incorruptible, since, as seen in the vision of a possible future (shown to Batman by that future's Flash), when either Martha Kent or Lois Lane were brutally murdered, Superman's devastation and incredible grief would unhinge him, inducing him to to become dark and malevolent, going so far as to take over the Earth (with a stormtrooper army) as its tyrant totalitarian ruler that let the world be taken over by alien Parademons. This version of Superman wore a permanent scowl, and was able to kill without any reluctance and in the most ruthless and brutal of ways, allowing him to burn his prisoners into ash with heat vision, and to break through that future Batman's chest, ripping out the latter's heart. Thankfully though, Batman successfully altered the timeline by saving Martha from death just in time.
In order to successfully maintain his double identity as a human reporter of the Daily Planet (during the time that he isn't protecting and saving others as Superman), Clark tries to be as small and invisible as possible, in order to attract little attention to himself and to avoid inducing anyone into thinking that he could possibly be the mighty godlike Superman.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, Superman's bone structure is almost identical to that of a human. On a planet near a red class M main-sequence star (like Krypton with its sun Rao), Superman would have physical attributes nearly identical to those of humans, but if on a planet near a yellow G-type main-sequence star (like Earth), he has many new abilities and powers, all of them far beyond the capabilities of humans, and even most metahumans, making Superman appear as a godlike juggernaut, which thus makes him the Justice League's most powerful member. His father Jor-El states that Superman has become more powerful than the former ever could have imagined, and that the only way to know just how powerful, is for Superman to "keep testing the limits." Batman once even went so far as to say that these powers make Superman capable of single-handedly wiping out the entire human race. Hence, as revealed by Lex Luthor, even the tremendously powerful mysterious alien individual only resolved to attack Earth after it was left vulnerable by Superman's death. As such, even Alfred stated that Batman trying to fight Superman head-on would be "suicide" for the former. Hence, Superman often withholds his power unless absolutely necessary, due to the incredible destruction it can potentially cause. The only known being to slightly surpass Superman in power is the ferocious monster Doomsday.
Solar Battery: Superman's Kryptonian cells absorb only yellow solar energy and this in turn fuels all of his powers and abilities. His cells also store solar energy as well, allowing him to retain his powers under roofed structures or even at night, although he eventually needs a yellow sun to recharge his powers. However, due to being on Earth for years and having adapted to Earth's environment, Superman is more powerful than any Kryptonian that has immediate exposure. In fact, direct exposure to sunlight can allow Superman to recover and heal almost instantly from most of his weaknesses, notably otherwise incurable Kryptonite-inflicted wounds and damage, giving him powerful regenerative healing capabilities.
Superman and General Zod battling each other, demonstrating their incredible strength.
Superman has a tremendous level of superhuman strength, virtually incalculable, as he is able to carry more than 1 million tons, and is the physically strongest member of the Justice League, with Doomsday being the only known being to slightly surpass his strength. As a teenager, he was able to push a bus out of a river and effortlessly bend a solid metal pole. As an adult, even while considerably limited by his mental block, Clark was still incredibly strong, enough to swiftly destroy Ludlow's truck with lumber, and to hold up an oil rig's collapsing drilling derrick, though the latter somewhat strained him. After finally reaching his full potential as Superman, he became considerably stronger, with his punches being powerful enough to generate large shock-waves, with him now able to effortlessly kill humans (tearing the heart from Batman's chest in a nightmare vision of a possible future), to effortlessly hurl cars and trucks extreme distances, to instantly destroy mountain tops, to break through the extremely thick hull of the Black Zero starship with a light punch, to break out of Kryptonian Liquid Geo constructs, to fight evenly against fellow Kryptonians General Zod, Faora, and Nam-Ek (despite them all being considerably more experienced and skilled combatants), to tow a gigantic steamship by its anchor chain through Arctic ice without any strain, and to even stand up against the tremendous force of a World Engine's gigantic gravity beam, and proceeding to fly up against it. Superman also managed to briefly knock the larger Kryptonian Nam-Ek unconscious with a tremendously mighty punch, and even break through the invulnerability of fellow Kryptonian General Zod, breaking the latter's otherwise invulnerable neck without the need of Kryptonite. Superman was even able to hold his own in a prolongued ferocious battle with the slightly stronger and much larger monster Doomsday (sending him flying with the tremendous might of his blows, and even managing to restrain Doomsday long enough for a nuke to hit them), ultimately bringing the seemingly unstoppable monstrous juggernaut down, albeit only succeeding at the cost of his own life. Hence, even while holding back, Superman still swiftly and easily beat the heavily armored Batman to the ground twice - first sending him flying over 40 feet with a light push, and then lightly hurling him into the Bat-Signal, shattering it and a large portion of the surrounding roof. Even before fully recovering from a Kryptonite gas attack and regaining only a small fraction of his strength, Superman was already strong enough to block a mighty kick from the armored Batman, and to hurl the latter through a thick concrete wall, both without any strain.
Super Leaps: Superman is able to use his incredible strength to perform super jumps, shown when he leaped tremendous distances in the Arctic, while trying to master his power of flight. After having learned how to fly, however, Superman hardly ever uses this power.
Super Stamina: Superman almost never grows tired if he is continuously powered by the yellow sun of Earth. He doesn't need to eat, sleep, or breathe. He is able to survive flying into outer space and diving underwater. There was originally a limit to his stamina, as Clark showed strain while lifting an oil rig's huge collapsing drilling derrick, but that was before he reached his full potential (being considerably limited at the time by a mental block), and he was still ultimately able to lift it. After embracing his heritage and reaching his full potential, Superman hardly showed signs of fatigue, notably even towing a gigantic steamship by its anchor chain through Arctic ice without any strain. While he did grow tired after destroying the World Engine, Superman was able to recover almost instantly under direct sunlight, and to swiftly fly back to Metropolis, battle the pull of a Phantom Zone energy singularity, and fight General Zod, all without needing to catch his breath. Even during his ferocious mortal battle with the slightly stronger Doomsday, Superman, despite being considerably pressured by the huge ever-evolving monstrous juggernaut, never slowed down.
Super Speed: Superman can run and fly at tremendous supersonic speeds. During his first flight, Superman traveled all the way from the Arctic to the savannahs of Kenya and then to the Monument Valley in Utah, all in a matter of minutes[3]. At full speed, he was able to fly right through the World Engine and destroy it. Hence, Superman managed to tackle an armed Nairomi terrorist away from Lois before he managed to shoot her in the head. Superman flew back from the Indian Ocean to Metropolis in less than a minute, which easily makes his speed greater than Mach 900. Superman was even able to use his speed to escape the tremendous gravitational pull of a Phantom Zone energy singularity. Superman is thus the second fastest member of the Justice League, with the only known being capable of moving slightly faster than Superman being the speedster Flash.
Super Reflexes: Superman's speed seems to extend to his reflexes as well, as he managed to easily catch a Kryptonite gas grenade shot at him by Batman at close range, caught a punch from the larger Kryptonian Nam-Ek while being pinned down by him and Faora, from whom he also managed to catch a punch, and was able to avoid a couple of strikes from the equally fast and far more skilled General Zod.
Invulnerability: Superman's body is incredibly durable, virtually indestructible, so he is nicknamed the "Man of Steel" as a result.
Clark, demonstrating his invulnerability.
Hence, Superman can withstand the extreme heat of an oil rig conflagration (along with said oil rig's collapse), the extreme cold of the Arctic, an exposure to the vacuum of outer space, falls from great heights, a collision with the Batmobile (causing it to harmlessly glance off of him), a high-speed collision with a mountain top (sheering it off in the process), high-caliber bullets (from both military jets and automated machine guns), anti-tank depleted uranium rounds, Maverick missiles, plasma bolts from Tor-An's Kryptonian Dropship, contact with extremely hot constructs of Liquid Geo[3], numerous mighty blows from fellow Kryptonians (notably surviving a tremendous beating from the combined might of Faora and Nam-Ek) and even many tremendously mighty blows from the stronger Doomsday, attacks of other Kryptonians' heat vision (though it does cause him burning pain on contact), and even the full force of a World Engine's colossal gravity beam, spaghettification from a Phantom Zone energy singularity, as well as the stupendously destructive thermal attack from Doomsday, and the full force of a nuclear bomb (which did, however, extremely weaken him, if only temporarily, though this may be because he was exposed to Kryptonite gas twice shortly beforehand).
Superman, withstanding the brutal assault from Batman's automated machine guns.
While Superman can be affected by the considerable force of powerful impacts, they only at most cause him to stumble and briefly knock him down, leaving him unscathed. The only things capable of breaking through Superman's invulnerability and actually harming him are Aquaman's Trident[4], Wonder Woman's Sword, Batman's Kryptonite spear, and beings of comparable incalculable strength (such as other Kryptonians and the monster Doomsday), as they are strong enough to physically break though his invulnerability without the need of Kryptonite, shown when Superman himself managed to kill fellow Kryptonian General Zod by breaking his otherwise invulnerable neck, and when Doomsday seemingly killed Superman by stabbing right through the latter's otherwise invulnerable chest with his tremendously hard and sharp bone protrusion.
Healing Factor: Superman, in the rare instances when he is hurt, is shown to heal at superhuman speeds, such as when he was knocked unconscious by the explosion and collapse of an oil rig, taking a tremendous beating from the combined forces of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek, and the full force of the gigantic beam of the World Engine. He almost instantly recovered from the World Engine, once exposed to sunlight. A wound on his face inflicted by Kryptonite left Superman with degraded cells within the wound, and this did not disappear until only after Superman was directly exposed to the sun. After being hit by a nuclear missile, Superman survives the tremendous explosion, but is greatly weakened, with his body desiccated into a slightly disintegrated corpse-like state (though this may be because he was exposed to Kryptonite gas twice shortly beforehand, and had not yet fully recovered without solar exposure), but as soon as he is exposed to the sun's radiation, his cells are reinvigorated almost at once, allowing Superman to recover to full power in mere seconds, and resume fighting Doomsday. However, if the injuries are serious enough to instantly kill him (such as when Superman broke fellow Kryptonian General Zod's neck, and when he himself was mortally stabbed by Doomsday), his healing factor will not be able to save him. However, since it is implied that Superman might still actually be alive, this might be due to his healing factor.
Flight:
Superman's first flight.
Superman can fly due to him being able to manipulate his own gravity field (since Earth's gravity is considerably lighter than Krypton's) and absorbing yellow sunlight. Combined with his speed, Superman can fly at tremendous supersonic speeds (beyond Mach 900), allowing him to take off into the atmosphere and even outer space and land safely back onto the planet's surface with ease. He can also maneuver with precision in any direction, as well as hover in one place.
Super Breath: Superman, as long as he is exposed to yellow solar radiation and can access his energy stores, is capable of surviving without the need to breathe, allowing him to walk through a burning oil rig, travel at tremendous supersonic speeds, remain underwater, and even in the vacuum of outer space, all for lengthy periods of time without suffocation.
Super Vision: Superman has superhuman eyesight far beyond that of humans. He thus possesses a superior sensory arrangement of telescopic, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma ray visual capabilities. He can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum when he desires, through mental focus. However, in his youth, his vision overwhelmed him as he saw everything at once, though he managed to hone his senses and bypass that weakness after some encouragement from Martha Kent.
Telescopic Vision: Superman has the ability to focus his vision to see something at a great distance, by mentally zooming in. Hence, he was able to see the Black Zero in space from Smallville, and (in combination with his X-ray vision), he saw Lois inside the falling capsule.
X-Ray Vision:
First manifestation of Clark's x-ray vision.
Superman can see through almost any object, with him able to focus his vision past layers of matter, literally seeing "through" them, possibly perceiving X-rays, cosmic rays or other forms of energy invisible to normal human vision which pass through Earth's atmosphere (and solid objects). He is able to clearly see through the one-way glass in the interrogation room, reading Dr. Hamilton's ID badge in the latter's pocket, and simultaneously see through several walls into adjacent rooms, clearly seeing the soldiers in them. The only known materials known to be impenetrable to Superman's X-ray vision are lead, the force field of a Kryptonian breather (when rendered opaque)[3], as well as the Kryptonian metal which the walls of the Fortress of Solitude were composed of.[3]
Heat Vision: Superman has the ability to fire thick beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it with the conscious act of activating this power.
Superman, utilizing heat vision.
Visually, the power manifests as two thick laser-like beams of red light firing from his eyes. These beams can be made less intense, rendering them invisible, allowing Clark to work undetected. He has extremely fine control of this ability, as Superman was able to swiftly cauterize Lois Lane's wound without fatally burning her, for instance. At full power, Clark can utilize his heat vision to instantly disintegrate humans (Batman's allies in a nightmare vision of a possible future), instantly melt a thick steel beam, swiftly burrow a wide cylindrical passage through an Arctic glacier, momentarily stun other Kryptonians (causing them burning pain on the impact), destroy the Fortress' Genesis Chamber, and even bring down an entire skyscraper in one blast (as evidenced by General Zod doing so to the Wayne Financial Building). However, Superman's heat vision was not quite as powerful as that of Doomsday, seem when the latter's much thicker optical beams were able to relatively quickly overpower his when Superman meet them head-on.
Super Hearing: Superman has incredible hearing at extreme variances of sound and pitch frequency, allowing him to pick up numerous sounds (including both infrasound and ultrasound) and noises from immense distances. In his youth, this along with his superhuman vision overwhelmed him, but he eventually learned to control it. After honing his senses, he has shown enough control to block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. Hence, Superman was able to clearly hear Alfred's voice in Batman's earpiece, clearly hear General Swanwick and Dr. Hamilton's voices and heartbeats from within a soundproof interrogation cell, clearly heard Martha Kent in distress at the Kent Farm from miles away, and even heard Lois Lane drowning miles away, over all of the noise of his ferocious battle with Doomsday.
Lie Detection: Superman can tell whether people are lying or not, based on the rate of their heartbeats, which he is quick to warn General Swaneick about.[3]
Super Smell: Superman has incredibly acute olfactory senses, as he was able to detect the "distinct saline odor" of the Genesis Chamber on the Fortress of Solitude, in spite of the very thick translucent barrier that separated him from it.[3]
Longevity: Superman, as a Kryptonian under a yellow sun, has a lifespan far greater than that of a human. As such, he doesn't show signs of age as long as the yellow sun is there to empower him. As Superman is unaffected by earthly diseases and draws energy from the sun to live, he is effectively an ageless immortal on Earth.
Abilities
Combatant:
Superman, overpowering Nam-Ek.
Superman, despite not having any formal combat training, is an extremely formidable fighter when battling against most opponents, due to his tremendous godlike strength and powers. When pitted against equally strong opponent Kryptonians with more combat skill, Superman was shown to be a quick improvisational learner and effective brawler. Hence, when forced to battle against the combined might of Faora and Nam-Ek of the Kryptonian Warrior Guild, Superman was able to effectively use his powers of flight and heat vision (not yet acquired by either of them) to his advantage, allowing Superman to gain a slight upper hand. Superman then proceeded to use his superior speed and agility to swiftly take out the larger Nam-Ek, and, despite him initially struggling to keep up with the equally fast and much more skilled Faora in a straight-up fight and initially losing to her, Superman managed to ultimately also defeat Faora by catching her off-guard and subsequently breaking through her helmet.
Superman fights Batman.
Hence, Superman fared better in his final duel with General Zod himself, since despite the latter maintaining the upper hand throughout most of it, Superman persisted, and, with an immense amount of effort, was able to ultimately defeat and kill him. After 2 years of experience, Superman's fighting skills considerably improve, to the point that he is even able to hold his own against the stronger and much larger Doomsday in a prolongued duel, with it ultimately ending in a draw, as both mighty alien juggernauts end up seemingly killing each other. Even when Superman was temporarily weakened down to human levels (by a Kryptonite gas grenade) and pitted against the extremely skilled and experienced armored Batman, Superman still temporarily held his own, and even dominated the Dark Knight for a bit, driving the latter to abandon physical combat and rely on his second Kryptonite grenade for victory.
Genius-Level Intellect: Superman, while not quite on par with Lex Luthor, is extraordinarily intelligent, most likely due to him being the son of Jor-El, the greatest genetically engineered scientist of the Kryptonian Thinker Guild. Clark's prodigious intelligence was implied at an early age, as Clark won a science fair at age 9 and was shown to be reading "The Republic of Plato", a highly complex piece of historical literature, when he was only 13, effectively making him a wunderkind. As an adult, Clark managed to successfully falsify information concerning his identity, name, and work history, and stay hidden as he traveled the world for many years. Clark also displayed basic medical knowledge when cauterizing Lois Lane's wound, and could instinctively tell that General Zod couldn't be trusted (based on the latter's past criminal actions on Krypton and threat against humanity). As a reporter, Clark swiftly deduced that Batman often targets poorer areas in Gotham, that he is aided by the city's police in his anti-crime crusade, and even that his alter ego is Bruce Wayne.
Tactician: Superman, though not on par with Batman (due to having far less experience), has proven himself a capable tactician in combat, as when facing off with the far more skilled and experienced Faora, he defeated her by intentionally taking her by surprise and destroying her solar visor to expose her to a sensory overload (rendering her nearly helpless). Also, due to his fight with Batman, Superman was well-aware of the Kryptonite Spear's deadly affects on Kryptonian physiology, and he therefore successfully utilized it to kill Doomsday, after realizing that brute force alone wasn't enough to defeat the ever-evolving monster.
Indomitable Will: Superman has tremendous determination and strength of will, since, much like Batman, he refuses to give up, even when placed against seemingly insurmountable odds. Hence, despite being badly outmatched and outnumbered in his fight against the combined efforts of Faora and Nam-Ek, his battle with the World Engine's gigantic gravity beam, and his final duel with General Zod, and taking a tremendous beating from all of them, Superman promptly rose up and kept on fighting, persisting until he eventually managed to gain the upper hand. Superman later refused to back down when faced by the stronger and more powerful Doomsday, and proceeded to team up with Wonder Woman and Batman to take the seemingly unstoppable monstrous juggernaut down, persisting with his utmost until Doomsday was defeated, persisting even after being himself mortally stabbed by the monster, persisting defiantly up until his own dying breath (to further plunge his weapon into Doomsday), much to Batman and Wonder Woman's admiration and respect. In fact, Superman's determination and willpower were so great, that he was even able to temporarily overcome the weakening effects of the Kryptonite spear for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and plunge the weapon into the monster.
Expert Reporter: Clark Kent, as a reporter for the very famous and respected Daily Planet newspaper, while not quite as skilled as his girlfriend Lois Lane (having far less experience), is still confident enough in his abilities as a reporter to lead a school field trip to S.T.A.R. Labs, and to believe that he could successfully undermine the vigilante Batman through the press. Also, with his reporter skills, Clark was notably able to relatively quickly deduce that Batman often targets poorer areas in Gotham, that he is aided by the city's police in his anti-crime crusade, and even that billionaire Bruce Wayne is in fact Batman's alter ego.
Superman, immensely weakened by Batman's Kryptonite.
Superman's greatest weakness is this radioactive green xenomineral from Krypton, as it is extremely deadly to him. It does so by degrading his cells, causing them to degenerate and decay on contact. Kryptonite exposure makes Superman instantly lose his powers and invulnerability, and induces somewhat fever-like sickness symptoms in him (including nausea, weakness, dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, immense amounts of pain, and near loss of consciousness), which collectively weakens him to the point that Superman can be defeated and even killed without much effort by a regular human (like Batman and Lex Luthor). Hence, the Kryptonite spear utilized by Batman is one of the extreme few weapons capable of actually killing the Man of Steel, with the Dark Knight very nearly doing so in their duel. In addition, wounds inflicted by Kryptonite will not vanish after the xenomineral is removed from proximity to him (making Superman unable to regain full power even after his superpowers subsequently return), and they will only heal upon Superman being directly exposed to yellow solar radiation. However, with a tremendous amount of determination and willpower, Superman was able to temporarily overcome the weakening effects of the Kryptonite Spear for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and plunge the weapon into the monster.
Red Sun Radiation: Superman is robbed of the powers that he gains under a yellow G-type main-sequence star when exposed to the radiation of a red class M main-sequence star. Because of this, any environment filled with red sun radiation (such as Krypton with its sun Rao) will render him to human levels.
Kryptonian Atmospherics: Superman, when breathing in an atmosphere, the composition of which is identical to that which was once on Krypton, and remaining in an environment shielded from any solar radiation (such as the interior of the Black Zero), is induced to lose access to his stores of solar energy, which, in turn, renders Superman to human levels. File:Superman coughing up blood aboard the Black Zero.jpg
Superman, weakened by the Black Zero's Kryptonian atmospherics.
Also, due to Superman having spent 33 years of his life adapting to Earth's environment (and having lived only a few hours in the environment of Krypton), he also had trouble breathing, and was weakened to the point of gaining a profuse nosebleed and blacking out. However, once he had adapted to the environment, Superman's health returned to normal. But the atmosphere and radiation shielding of the ship's hull still made him unable to access his solar energy stores. However, as soon as the Kryptonian atmosphere is changed by Jor-El (back to that of Earth, in order to also accommodate Lois), Superman instantly regained access to his stores and powers. Kryptonian air will not, however, have such an effect on Superman when he is in an environment full of yellow solar radiation, as Faora, Nam-Ek and General Zod all still had access to their powers on Earth while wearing breathers with Kryptonian air.
Magic: Superman, just like Doomsday, is vulnerable to magic-based attacks and weapons, so he can therefore be cut and wounded by both Wonder Woman's sword and Aquaman's Trident[5], and can be restrained by the Amazonian Lasso of Truth (which is magically rendered unbreakable).
Nuclear Explosions:
Superman, temporarily incapacitated by a gigantic nuke.
Superman, as shown in his duel with Doomsday, is somewhat vulnerable to nuclear weapons. Hence, General Swanwick himself was hesitant to use nuclear weapons on Doomsday and Superman, when the latter brought the former into space, as he believed that Superman would die. While not enough to kill him, the combination of both the tremendously powerful gigantic explosion and radiation of the nuclear bomb caused Superman to desiccate, with his skin to be almost completely disintegrated, and him being left floating in an almost corpse-like state of unconsciousness. However, direct exposure to sunlight allowed Superman to completely heal and recover from this, regain consciousness and full power, all in mere seconds. It should also be noted that Superman was exposed to Kryptonite gas twice shortly beforehand (and retaining some deep scars of degraded cells from the xenomineral), and, without any solar exposure, Superman did not yet fully recover his powers and invulnerability by the time the bomb hit him. Hence, had Superman not been exposed to the Kryptonite shortly beforehand, he would have handled the nuke better.
Beings of Equal Power:
Superman, attempting to fight Faora.
Superman, when fighting beings of comparable incalculable might, such as other Kryptonians and the monster Doomsday, is more vulnerable, as they can generate enough force to knock out, injure and even kill Superman, breaking through his invulnerability without the need of Kryptonite, much like how Superman himself was able to kill General Zod by breaking the latter's otherwise invulnerable neck. In addition, due to Superman's lack of formal combat training, opponents with comparable might and considerable fighting skills pose a greater threat to him, with Superman thus being unable to defeat Faora in a straight-up fight, and forced to do so by utilizing his flight and vision powers (not yet obtained by her), exploiting her weakness, and catching her off-guard.
Superman, attempting to fight Doomsday
It does, however, still take quite a bit of effort on their part to actually injure Superman though, as he was able to withstand a tremendous beating at the hands of Faora, Nam-Ek, General Zod, and even from the stronger gigantic Doomsday, which, while visibly very painful to Superman, left him almost unscathed afterwards. However, at the end of his ferocious mortal battle with Doomsday, Superman's otherwise invulnerable chest was swiftly pierced by the tremendously hard and sharp bone arm protrusion of the huge monster, which seemingly killed Superman.
Sensory Overload (Formerly): As Superman has superhuman senses, his brain can be overwhelmed by the information it takes in. Though he can gradually learn to hone his senses, an attack on his sight and/or hearing can briefly stun him. But he will recover from the attack afterwards. Clark, however, permanently overcame this weakness as a child, though focus and with guidance from his mother Martha. Hence, a sudden intense attack from Batman's sonic emitters only affected him for a few seconds, with Superman able to swiftly recover and destroy them.
Mental Block (Formerly): Clark, before finding out about his alien origins, subconsciously suppressed his powers out of isolation and a lack of understanding them. Hence, while Clark was still incredibly strong and powerful, this mental block
Clark, before reaching his full potential.
considerably limited his strength, endurance and durability relative to what they could be at their full potential, to the point that holding up an oil rig's collapsing drilling derrick strained Clark, and the subsequent explosion and collapse of the oil rig knocked him out. In addition, the mental block also prohibited him from mastering the power of flight. However, once he learned of his Kryptonian heritage from Jor-El and embraced who he is as Kal-El, Clark finally permanently overcame this weakness and gained his full potential, becoming much stronger than ever before (notably towing a gigantic steamship by its chain through Arctic ice without any strain), nearly never showing signs of fatigue, and finally learning how to fly.
Equipment
Supersuit: Superman's traditional Kryptonian skinsuit[3], which he wears when openly demonstrating his powers as a superhero, by helping others in need. It was ultimately damaged in his mortal duel with Doomsday, when the monster pierced Superman's chest.
Clark Kent glasses: Clark's pair of glasses, which he always dons whenever he needs to conceal him being Superman, notably while posing as a mild-mannered human reporter at the Daily Planet.
House of El Command Key (Formerly): Superman's piece of highly advanced Kryptonian technology, made of Liquid Geo, which allowed him to operate and use the Fortress of Solitude, as well as communicate with Jor-El's artificial intelligence. He wore it on his neck as a pendant during his many years of searching for answers. It was, however, ultimately sucked into the Phantom Zone.
Infant Starship (Formerly): Superman's former starship (equipped with a Phantom Drive), which Jor-El and Lara had used to send him to Earth as an infant. It was, however, ultimately sucked into the Phantom Zone.
Fortress of Solitude: Superman discovered this ancient Kryptonian scout ship deep under Canadian ice, after which he promptly took possession of it. He made the Fortress his temporary residence, when he communicated with the AI of Jor-El. The Fortress used to contain a Kryptonian Genesis Chamber with Aquabots, though Superman was forced to destroy it when General Zod briefly stole the Fortress and attempted to exploit it. However, after the Black Zero Event, the Fortress of Solitude would fall into the malevolent hands of Lex Luthor.
Growth Codex: Superman's cells have been bonded by Jor-El to the Kryptonian Growth Codex, which constituted the intended DNA makeup of over a billion Kryptonians. However, as revealed by Jax-Ur, it would have still been potentially possible to extract the Codex from Superman's body even if the latter had been killed.
Kryptonite Spear: Superman utilized this weapon (originally owned by Batman) in his ferocious mortal duel with Doomsday, ultimately managing to kill the monster with it. Due to its nature, it is one of the extremely few weapons capable of actually wounding and killing Kryptonians.
Relationships
"I can't print this, Lois, you might've hallucinated half of it." ―Perry White, Man of Steel
It is suggested that this article, or a section of this article, is in need of proper citations.
On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Henry Cavill had been cast as Superman in Man of Steel, becoming the first non-American actor to play the character of Superman. He was previously cast in Superman: Flyby, and was considered for the role in the 2006 film Superman Returns. Previous Superman actors Brandon Routh and Tom Welling had expressed desire to return to the role, but were both unsuccessful.
Trivia
Superman and Lex Luthor share the same middle name: Joseph.
Superman and Batman's mothers share the same name: Martha.
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