"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 2015) was an incredibly powerful alien superhero, son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, a journalist of the Daily Planet, and one of the very few survivors of the destruction of Krypton. In addition, Kal-El is the first (and last) Kryptonian of natural birth in centuries. In addition, he is 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, he would grow increasingly wary of the vigilante Batman, and ultimately was forced into a fight with the Dark Knight by the malevolent 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. Earth's greatest hero was buried in Heroes Park, with his heroic sacrifice inspiring 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 lunch. 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 heal 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.
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 Fortess 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 the 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
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"When it's time for you and I to say goodbye, you'll know." ―Kent Nelson, Black Adam
This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the most recent DC Extended Universe content. You have been warned.
Saving Lois at Nairomi
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. 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.
Visiting Martha
While the rest of the world is busy debating whether or not Superman has been a positive or negative addition to planet Earth, 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.
Hearing in Washington
Despite media speculation to the contrary, Superman arrives to speak and answer at Senator Finch's committee, a trial which 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 in Superman's battle with General Zod. After seeing a distasteful note left for her by Lex Luthor, she stops in mid-speech before a bomb (hidden inside Keefe's wheelchair by Lex Luthor) explodes, killing her, Graves, Keefe, and everyone else present, except for Superman.
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 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". After Superman flew away, seemingly not impressed with the threat, Batman drove to the Batcave in the damaged Batmobile.
Confronting Lex Luthor
After Lex Luthor unexpectedly pushes Lois Lane off of LexCorp Tower, Superman comes out of his self-imposed exile just in time to save her. He then flies up to confront Lex, determined to bring the supervillain in. However, the malevolent supergenius counters by telling Superman about the latter's mother, Martha Kent, being held in captivity by Knyazev, and that she would be burned alive in one hour, unless Superman flies to Gotham City, kills Batman in a vicious duel to the death, and brings the vigilante's head to Lex.
A furious Superman is left with no choice but to seemingly comply with Luthor's orders, and decided to convince Batman to help him.
Duel with Batman
"Stay down! If I wanted it, you'd be dead already!"
―Superman to Batman
Superman face to face with Batman.
Batman, enraged at Superman, begins to attack him with various weapons. First he is attacked with large sonic devices that momentarily immobilize him. Superman, however, recovers almost at once and throws debris at the devices, destroying them. Next, Batman tries to shoot Superman with large machine guns he has had set up. They have no effect and Superman just destroys them with heat vision. Batman walks up to Superman and the Man of Steel sends the Dark Knight flying over 40 ft backwards with a gentle push. Superman then grabs Batman and takes him to the top of a building. Superman throws Batman across the roof, smashing him through the Bat-Signal. Batman gets up and throws 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. Suddenly weak and powerless, 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 have no effect on him. Superman begins to throw Batman around until the Dark Knight uses another Kryptonite weapon on him. 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, seemingly defeated, is about to be stabbed by Batman with the Kryptonite spear when Superman says, "You have to save Martha." Batman, confused by this asks why he said that name. Lois Lane arrives and tells Batman that it is his mother's name. Batman then realizes that if he kills Superman, he will have become what his parents' killer was, a despicable monster. The two then agree to work together to stop Lex Luthor, the true enemy that had been deviously manipulating both of them this whole time. Superman resolves to confront Luthor, while Batman promises him to save Martha.
Having mostly recovered from the Kryptonite gas, Superman flies to the Fortress of Solitude and smashes through the starship's hull to face Lex Luthor, letting the latter know that Martha was safe, Batman was 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 reveal his secret contingency plan - a massive hybrid Kryptonian monster grown from General Zod's corpse and Lex's blood (in an ancient long-forbidden Kryptonian ritual), Superman's "Doomsday". The monster then proceeds to swiftly break out of the ship's birthing matrix and hurls a monstrous punch at Superman, which the latter blocks and counters.
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. 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.
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, considerable larger and stronger than the first. In the meantime, Superman is floating in space, with him being extremely weakened by the nuclear missile, rendered 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.
Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, ready to face 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.
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 is to risk his own life. 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.
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, causing Wonder Woman to 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, 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.
Superman is buried in Heroes Park in Metropolis, but the funeral of Clark Kent 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.
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.
Clark'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.
More to be added
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 wrecking the truck of the arrogant jerk Ludlow instead. As a result, Clark grew accustomed to holding back his incredible strength and powers quite a bit unless absolutely necessary, evident in his battle with Batman, where Superman greatly held back, not wanting to kill his far weaker opponent.
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.
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 villain off and released his incredible rage upon him. 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.
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 also speculated, oddly enough so similarly with 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 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 respect.
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." While, as Jor-El predicted, humanity (notably Batman and Senator Senator Finch) would at first be slow to fully accept the unrestrained supremely powerful godlike alien (with Superman even coming to doubt himself), they would eventually come to see, admire, and look up to him as Earth's greatest superhero. 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. After Superman's heroic death in the battle against Doomsday, the former would inspire Batman and Wonder Woman to establish the Justice League, honoring him, with Bruce determined not to fail Superman in death. In addition, Superman's noble sacrifice seems to have given Bruce a more optimistic and hopeful outlook, since he says that despite their many flaws, men are still good, and that they do in fact have the potential in them to improve. 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 benevolence, however, Superman is ultimately not completely incorruptible, since, as shown in the vision of the original timeline (shown to Batman by that future's Flash), when Lex Luthor brutally murdered Martha Kent, 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 as its tyrant ruler. 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 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 godlike, 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. 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, Superman's punches are powerful enough to generate large shock-waves, and he could now effortlessly kill humans (tearing the heart from Batman's chest in a nightmare vision of a possible future), effortlessly hurl cars and trucks great distances, instantly destroy mountain tops, break through the extremely thick hull of the Black Zero starship with a single punch, break out of Kryptonian Liquid Geo constructs, tow a huge steamship by its anchor chain through Arctic ice without strain, fight evenly against fellow Kryptonians (despite them being considerably more experienced and skilled combatants), and 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 tremendous 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 much larger and slightly stronger monster Doomsday, ultimately bringing the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut down, albeit seemingly only succeeding at the cost of his own life. Hence, even while holding back, Superman still swiftly 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 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 he showed effort lifting a huge oil rig, but that was before he reaches his full potential, and he was still ultimately able to lift it. After embracing his heritage and reaching his full potential, he hardly showed signs of fatigue. Though he did grow tired after destroying the World Engine, he was able to recover almost at once under direct sunlight, and to 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 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 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, and was able to avoid several 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. File:Man-of-steel-clark-on-fire.jpg
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-rich gas twice shortly beforehand). File:Superman-withstands-batwing-attack.jpg
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 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-rich 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.
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 in 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 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: Clark 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: Clark can see through almost any object. Superman is able to focus his vision past layers of matter, literally seeing "through" them, possibly perceiving x-rays, File:Manofsteel2013-1440.jpg
First manifestation of Clark's x-ray vision.
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 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 Calvin Swanwick 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, 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 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 defeat Faora as well by breaking through her helmet after catching her off-guard. 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 was able to ultimately defeat and kill him. After 2 years of experience, Superman's fighting skills 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 juggernauts ended up seemingly killing each other. However, it should be noted that when Superman was temporarily weakened to human levels (by Kryptonite-rich gas), he was clearly outmatched in hand-to-hand combat by the extremely skilled and experienced Batman, but even then, Superman still managed to temporarily hold his own and get in several solid hits, before being brought down by the superior combatant. Overall, Superman makes up for his lack of combat training with effective adaptability and improvisation.
Indomitable Will: Superman has tremendous determination and strength of will, since 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 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 believe that he could successfully undermine the vigilante Batman through the press. Also, Clark was notably able to relatively quickly deduce that billionaire Bruce Wayne was in fact Batman's alter ego.
Lex Luthor, examining Kryptonite with fascination.
Superman's greatest weakness is this radioactive green xenomineral from Krypton, as it is extremely deadly to him. Kryptonite exposure makes Superman instantly lose his powers and invulnerability, and induces sickness symptoms in him, 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 mineral 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:Man of steel superman bleeding.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.
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 his for a few seconds, with him able to swiftly recover and destroy them.
Mental Block (Formerly): Before Clark finds out about his alien origins, he subconsciously suppressed his powers out of isolation and a lack of understanding them. While he was still incredibly strong, File:Man-of-steel-clark-kent-super-strength-in-action.jpg
Clark, before reaching his full potential.
this mental block considerably limited his strength, endurance and durability relative to what they could be at their full potential, to the point that an oil rig's explosion and collapse was able to knock him out, and prohibited Clark from the ability of flight. However, once he learned of his Kryptonian heritage from Jor-El and embraced his 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 huge steamship by its chain through Arctic ice without any strain), nearly never showing signs of fatigue, and even learning how to fly.
Beings of Equal Power:
Superman, attempting to fight Faora.
Beings of comparable incalculable superhuman might, such as other Kryptonians and the monster Doomsday, can generate enough force that can 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. 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, and General Zod, 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 chest was pierced by the tremendously hard and sharp bone arm protrusion of the huge monster, which seemingly killed the Man of Steel.
Nuclear Explosions: 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 causes Superman to desiccate, with his skin to be almost completely disintegrated, and him being left in an almost corpse-like state of unconsciousness. However, direct exposure to sunlight allowed Superman to completely heal and recover from this, regaining consciousness and full power in mere seconds. It should also be noted that Superman was exposed to Kryptonite-rich gas twice shortly beforehand (and retaining some deep scars from the mineral), and, without solar exposure, did not yet fully recover his powers and invulnerability by the time the bomb hit him.
Equipment
Supersuit: Superman's traditional Kryptonian skinsuit[3], which he wears when openly demonstrating his powers as a superhero, by helping others in need.
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: 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: 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 mortally wounding 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.
