Superman, birth name Kal-El and adopted name Clark Kent, is Earth's premiere superhero and the stalwart protector of Metropolis.
History
The exact details of his early superhero career are unknown, but it safe to assume that it is the same as his New Earth counterpart.
Public Enemies
An indeterminate economy crisis had plagued the U.S., causing Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor to become President and bring stability to the country; an act that makes him very popular amongst the populace. Even so, Superman maintains his distrust of Luthor, a sentiment shared by fellow superhero Batman.
Later, he stops a runaway car driver, he is confronted by Captain Adam, Power Girl and Major Force, a trio of superheroes who had become part of a government-sponsored superhero team and wanted to convince Superman to change his mind about Luthor, but Superman remains unconvinced. The Man of Steel goes to the Batcave, where he and Batman overhear a presidential speech, where Luthor warns about a Kryptonite meteor hurdling towads Earth and asking Superman for a meeting in which they could make a plan to stop the meteor. Despite Batman's warnings, Superman cannot stand by and watch the meteor destroy Earth, so he leaves to meet up with Lex.
As the Man of Steel arrives at Gotham City with peaceful intent, Lex orders Metallo, his Secret Service agent, to attack him. In the confrontation, Metallo shoots Superman in the chest with a Kryptonite bullet, but Batman is able to hold off Metallo long enough for him to escape with Superman to Gotham's sewers, where they make their way back to the Batcave. Alfred Pennyworth removes the Kryptonite from Superman's system, but Luthor has makes a speech on national television, claiming Superman attempted to attack him and murdered Metallo when he came to Luthor's defense. For that, Lex has placed a one-billion-dollar bounty on Superman.
Batman promises Superman to find a way to clear his name, but for now they must focus on stopping the meteor. While breaking into S.T.A.R. Labs seeking information on the meteor, Batman and Superman find Metallo's remains and realize that intense radiation has killed him. An army of villains looking to collect on the bounty then attacks them. The army includes: Silver Banshee, Captain Cold, Icicle, Killer Frost, Mister Freeze, Gorilla Grodd, Bane, Black Manta, Black Spider, Brimstone, Catman, Cheetah, Copperhead, Deadshot, Despero, Kestrel, King Shark, Brutale, Despero, Giganta, Girder, Lady Shiva, Mongul, Captain Boomerang, Nightshade, Parasite, Solomon Grundy, and Shrike. Superman and Batman, with some assistance from Captain Atom, defeat the villains. Unfortunately, Captain Atom and his team, composed Major Force, Power Girl, Black Lightning and Katana, have arrived to arrest Superman under presidential orders. They, except the insecure Power Girl, attempt to capture Superman and Batman. Superman creates a twister using his super-speed, and the two heroes escape with Power Girl.
In Metropolis, Power Girl admits her distrust of Lex and that she does not believe Superman killed Metallo. Luthor's superheroes catch up and the fight begins anew, this time with Power Girl aiding Superman and Batman. Batman, having already discovered Major Force killed Metallo under Luthor's orders, goads him into admitting it in front of everyone. In anger, Power Girl punches him in the stomach with so much force that it ruptures his containment suit. Captain Atom, ashamed at his complicity in Luthor's misdeeds, absorbs the energy, disintegrating Major Force and injuring himself in the process.
With Power Girl's assistance, Superman and Batman attempt to break into Lex's base of operations to retrieve data on the meteor's radiation. They end up in battle with Captain Marvel and Hawkman, but emerge victorious. However, Luthor refuses to relinquish the data, going so far as to erase it from the lab computers. Fortunately, Amanda Waller gives them a copy, being disgusted with Luthor's plans.
Batman and Superman fly to Tokyo to deliver the data on the meteor to Toyman, who has already developed a spacecraft to destroy the meteor. After Batman and Superman arrive at Toyman's base, he shows them the spacecraft, which resembles a giant, robotic composite version of Superman and Batman. With the data, Toyman is able to calculate the necessary reinforcements needed for his own rocket so it will not explode before impact. Unfortunately, the arriving Luthor, who is wearing a kryptonite-powered armor, neutralizes Power Girl, Superman and Batman, and then disables the rocket's remote guidance systems so that it will not take off by itself. Having no other choice, Batman decides to fly the rocket himself, despite Superman's protests. Though initially faring poorly against Luthor and his kryptonite warsuit, the rage over losing his best friend allows Superman to gain the upper hand, and after an aerial chase leading them all the way back to Metropolis, he defeats him in the streets there. Batman succeeds in destroying the meteor, and Superman finds him alive and well in an escape pod.
With the truth of Metallo's death now public knowledge, Superman is cleared of the murder charge and Luthor is arrested and taken away to face trial and impeachment for his crimes. Batman then returns to Gotham while Lois Lane arrives and happily embraces Superman.[1]
Apocalypse
Weeks after Luthor's arrest, a spaceship lands in Gotham City Harbor and a young Kryptonian girl emerges. She accidentally causes all sorts of havoc with her powers, even damaging a police blimp, which almost crashes on the city until it is stopped by Superman. At the same time, Batman exposes the girl to a piece of Kryptonite and brings her to the Batcave. With Superman's help, they discover that the girl is Kara Zor-El, the niece of Jor-El and Superman's biological cousin. Joyful at meeting another Kryptonian, one of his own family no less, Superman welcomes Kara, teaches her English, and helps her adjust to Earth society. Later, Wonder Woman and Lyla ambush Clark and Kara in a park and take Kara to Themyscira, on the basis that only there can she learn to control her powers. Superman reluctantly agrees, but still prefers to watch to Kara himself.
Two monts later, a horde of Doomsday clones arrive from Apokolips. Superman, Wonder Woman and the Amazonian army fight them for a while until Superman vaporizes all of them with a single blast of his heat vision, but Batman discovers that Darkseid has kidnapped Kara, and killed Lyla, who was trying to prevent Kara's abduction. Distraught, Superman vows to avenge her and save Kara. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman locate and recruit Big Barda to help them find their way on Apokolips. Once there, Superman tears his way to Darkseid's palace. Superman encounters Darkseid, who sets the brainwashed Kara on him. Kara pummels Superman but the Man of Steel defeats her. At the same time, Wonder Woman and Barda had defeated the Female Furies while Batman had threatened Darkseid with Apokolips' destruction if he did not free Kara. Darkseid agrees to release her and the heroes return home.
With the ordeal over, Clark takes Kara to meet his adoptive parents in Smallville. Unfortunately, such plans are cut short when Darkseid ambushes them. The dark lord of Apokolips throws Superman into orbit and brutally defeats Kara, but Superman recovers and returns to Earth to confront Darkseid again. He gains the upper hand and pummels Darkseid using a combination of punches and heat vision at super speed. Darkseid grabs Superman and begins attacking him with Omega Beams. As Superman's skin starts to glow red hot from the assault, Kara uses Darkseid's Mother Box to activate a Boom Tube behind Darkseid. Superman uses the momentary distraction to his advantage and pushes Darkseid through. While Superman anticipates Darkseid's eventual return from Apokolips, Kara informs him that she changed the coordinates to a random spot in space, leaving Darkseid floating around frozen in ice. Having saved her cousin's life and found her place on Earth, Kara decides to use her powers to fight for justice under the identity of Supergirl. Superman introduces Supergirl to their gathered friends at Themyscira, and they both fly to Metropolis.[2]
Powers and Abilities
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.
Abilities
- Expert Combatant: In combat situations, Superman makes use of an improvised fighting style that relies on overwhelming force and speed.
- Genius Level Intellect: Superman possesses incredible intelligence and computational abilities.
- Indomitable Will: Superman has shown to have a powerful spirit, free of corruption and temptation. Having been raised by a kindly Kansas farmer and his wife, he was taught to protect life and help others. He is very optimistic and never gives up, even when things look bad.
Weaknesses
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Superman possesses the same potential weaknesses as an average Kryptonian. These include:
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the Superman/Batman movies and is an adaptation of Clark Kent/Superman. The original character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics #1.
- Superman was voiced by Tim Daly.
Related
- 2 Appearances of Kal-El (Superman/Batman)
- 26 Images featuring Kal-El (Superman/Batman)
- Quotations by or about Kal-El (Superman/Batman)
- Character Gallery: Kal-El (Superman/Batman)
Footnotes