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Kal-El is one of the last survivors of the dead planet Krypton, who was sennt to Earth by his parents. Now he is the planet's foremost protector known as Superman.

Kal-El was born on the planet Krypton, which eventually started destabilizing. His father decided to create a spacecraft to help him escape to Earth before the planet was destroyed. He successfully escaped Krypton and reached Earth as intended, being found by the childless Kent Family when his spacecraft crash-landed in Kansas. The Kents gave him the name "Clark Kent", but soon found that his Kryptonian heritage granted him tremendous abilities.[1]

Clark's parents helped him guide in controlling his powers, and he was also helped by the recordings of his parents in his spacecraft about using his power judiciously. He came to value truth and honesty, while despising deception. Wanting to use powers to protect people and inspire them, he became the hero called "Superman". Despite his intention to use his powers only for good, he would strike fear in criminals and foes to discourage them. He also started working at the Daily Planet and became a member of a group of heroes called the Justice League.[1]

Unknown to Clark, his cousin Kara Zor-El had escaped Krypton's destruction and had spent decades in suspended animation in space, making her biologically younger than him, despite her being born earlier. Despite her trauma upon learning of Krypton's end, she decided to become a hero like Clark and started calling herself "Supergirl".[1] The two joined the other heroes in battling the Anti-Monitor when he started destroying the Multiverse, and Supergirl sacrificed herself to stop him. Superman mourned her cousin's loss, however she and him were replaced by another version as the timeline reset.[2]

The Earth Engine

Some of Superman's fellow Justice League members fought together with other heroes from various universes, in order to protect the Multiverse from Brainiac.[3] Sometime after Brainiac's defeat, Wonder Woman of Earth-17 found a strange giant contraption on her world's destroyed Gotham City. She called the other heroes who had banded with her to save the Multiverse, among them Batman of Earth-0.[4]

After finding from Catwoman of Earth-19 that she had seen s device similar to the one she found in the office of her world's Lex Luthor, who had previously joined them in the fight against Brainiac, and the heroes found out that it was called "Earth Engine". They believed it was designed to create a brainwashed multiversal army to fight the Monitor. Batman informed Superman about Lex and the two went Earth-19, confronting Lex together on his airship.[5]

Lex insisted to Superman and Batman that he was innocent, but they didn't believe him due to their universe's Lex Luthor being evil. Realizing his statements weren't going to convince them, Lex tricked them and quickly donned his warsuit.[6] As they fought, Luthor's secretary Mercy Graves intervened. Luthor accidentally destroyed one of the engines of the ship while firing at Clark and fled, with Batman telling Superman to go after him.[7]

Superman chased Lex to his headquarters in Metropolis, but struggled to defeat him. Batman soon joined the fight by arriving there in one of Lex's airplanes, but the two were still unable to defeat him. Lex soon got the upper hand and prepared to blast them, but was struck by Hawkgirl's Nth Metal mace.[7] Hawkgirl tried attacking Lex in return for manipulating her mind earlier, but the two asked her not to, since worlds were in danger and Lex could avert it. Despite their story sounding incredulous, she realized they were being truthful and allowed Batman to question Lex, while flirting with Superman despite his hesitance.[8]

Batman called in Catwoman of Earth-19, and she revealed that Lex had stolen the technologies and magic they had encountered together while fighting Brainiac. Lex however showed them that he only built a small device that manipulated minds, not the Earth Engine which could control entire planets. Batman told Catwoman to summon their other allies, but found Green Lantern of Earth-13 was not responding. He and Superman together went to Earth-44, where Hal had went to contact that world's Mecha Superman.[8] The two however found they had already dealt with Deathstroke who had attacked them, and were shown the Earth Engine uncovered on their world.[9]

Batman and Superman went back to Earth-19, meeting up with other heroes. Batman decided to split the heroes into teams to find the Earth Engines and Superman decided to search their Earth. Batman sent Green lantern of Earth-13 and Wonder Woman of Earth-17 with him to help searching. The three tracked the Earth-0's Earth Engine located to Keystone City Supermall, using the Monitor's orb, and were confronted by Captain Boomerang, who quickly ran away after being intimidated. The heroes discovered the Earth Engine as they expected[9] and went back to Earth-19, where they learnt that Luthor had discovered another in his lab. Superman recognized he wasn't the one responsible for it and told Batman about it. The heroes later learnt to their shock that the Earth Engine was rigged to drive everyone mad if tampered with.[10]

The Monitor later arrived after being called by Wonder Woman, who was told to do so by Batman. The Monitor blamed Luthor, but Superman vouched for him. He then decided to take a look at the Earth Engine, despite Lex's warning, and was struck by an energy wave. Lantern surrounded the Earth Engine in a force field, limiting its influence on the heroes. As they tried chexking on the unconscious Monitor, he soon struck them upon recovering, since he had been driven insane.[11] The heroes tried subduing him, with Superman, Mecha Superman and Wonder Woman successfully restraining them. Batman meanwhile told Hal to surround the heroes in his force field instead, since he was struggling to do so with the Earth Engine.[12]

The Monito however soon knocked away those trying to restrain him, and started fighting the again. Batman then told Catwoman to call their other allies across the Multiverse, while the heroes on Earth-19 engaged him.[12] The magic users who arrived with others soon temporarily calmed the Monitor down with their spells, and he told Superman and Mecha Superman to throw the Earth Engine into the Bleed, once he opened a portal to it for them.[13] The two heroes did so, freeing Earth-19 from its influence driving people mad. The heroes however soon realized Luthor was missing and went to search for him.[14]

Batman, Catwoman and Robin of Earth-43 discovered that Lex was being mind-controlled by Vandal Savage, who was also behind the Earth Engines. The three defeated him with the help of Hawkgirl and the heroes soon disabled the Earth Engines across the Multiverse. Green Lantern, Superman, and wonder Woman later went to Monitor's world Nil, to inform him about their success. He praised them and told them Savage, whom he had imprisoned on Nil, hadn't admitted to working for anyone. The Monitor however told them that the further waves of the Infinite Crisis were still to strike the Multiverse. The heroes agreed on recruiting more allies, and Superman suggested even looking to their foes for help.[15]

Infinite Crisis

As the most powerful wave of Infinite Crisis struck, realities were torn asunder and cast adrift into the Bleed. This resulted in Gotham City of Earth-19 and Gotham of Earth-0, which were adrift in the Bleed, to be merged together. Superman decided to band with the other heroes to fight the threat endangering the multiverse. He sent out a call to "Protectors", to lead the heroes who had been weakened by the effects of the Bleed, through their neural connections, and started guiding them through the process.[1]

Superman first helped the Protectors in rescuing the Batman of Earth-19, after he had been injured by the drones sent by their enemy threatening the Multiverse. Batman of Earth-19 soon reached the Monitor's base, set up in Earth-19's Gotham City by his A.I. Construct, and Superman told the Protectors to guide him in defending it. Superman soon noticed the effects of the Bleed had started affecting the operations of the base, and guided the Protectors in destroying the enemy's turret. He later learnt that their enemy had set up a base in Gotham of Earth-19, and guided the others in destroying it.[1]

Wonder Woman of Earth-0 arrived after learning from Superman that they couldn't merge the Gothams of Earth-0 and Earth-19 back into their respective universes. She suggested using the merged Gothams as a place for trials of Protectors and he agreed. After the Protectors destroyed the enemy base in the Marina section of Coast City of Earth-0, cast adrift into the Bleed, Superman came there with his Earth-0 teammates Batman and Wonder Woman, to confront the freed Doomsday. Surprisingly, the monster decided to join them, and Superman theorized he was doing it out of self-preservation, as he had been weakened by the effects of the Bleed too.[1]

Powers

  • Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Superman possesses the same potential powers as an average Kryptonian. These include:
    • Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Superman's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. His biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and his bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
    • Heat Vision: Superman can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. He can vary the heat and area affected.
    • Super-Hearing: Superman's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
    • Enhanced Vision: Superman's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
      This umbrella ability includes the following:
      • Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Superman can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. He can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living thing.
      • Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
      • X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Supermans can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. He can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
      • Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
      • Infrared Vision: Superman can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
    • Flight: Superman is able to manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and achieve flight. This ranges from hovering to moving in any posture, in any direction.
    • Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Superman is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases.
    • Superhuman Stamina: Superman is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This based on his body converting yellow solar radiation directly to energy but is limited by physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink, and sleep.
    • Superhuman Strength: Superman's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation interacting with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of his musculature. His strength is more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables him to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass.
    • Superhuman Speed: Superman is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to his perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid-flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time.
      This also confers:
    • Super-Breath: Superman is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
    • Longevity: Superman can live longer than regular humans, remaining at his prime as long as he was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.

Weaknesses


Related

Footnotes


Daily Planet The Batman Strikes! 01
DC Bullet 2024

Daily Planet Staff member
This character is or was an employee of the Daily Planet, a daily newspaper based in Metropolis. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Daily Planet Staff members" category.

Superman Red and Blue Vol 1 6 Textless
DC Bullet 2024

Superman Family member
This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Superman, and a member of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Family members" category.

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