Powers and abilities of Superman
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The DC Comics character Superman possesses extraordinary powers which render him, as stated in the lead-in to "Action Comics #1" "leap 1/8th of a mile; hurdle a twenty-story building... raise tremendous weights... run faster than an express train... and that nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin!". His superhuman powers were relatively limited in the early stories, but grew to become near-godlike by the 1980s. After John Byrne's 1986 rewrite, Superman's powers were diminished, though have grown again since then, possessing enough strength to lift and hurl mountains. Wielding "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men," he is typically considered to be one of the physically strongest comic book heroes in the DC Universe.
In addition, Superman has select pieces of personal equipment to suit various needs that he stores in his Fortress of Solitude.
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[edit] Superman's powers
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Known Powers: Superman's cellular structure is more dense, resiliant and biologically more effective than human tissue. Without constant exposure to solar energy, his strength seems on par for a human of his height and weight who engages in regular physical activity. He does possess several organs whose functions are not yet disclosed or understood but are believed to be part of, and perhaps even the source of, his biomatrix force field and reclamation aura. The catalogue of powers in his possession is vast. He can defy gravity, move at great superhuman speed, has superhuman reaction time and reflexes, possesses vast super strength, is nearly totally invulnerable, possesses numerous superhuman senses, and also has powerful energy projection capabilities. Superman's body also stores energy actively within his bio-cellular matrix as an energy pattern that is linked to his body's electromagnetic field. These energy powers manifest themselves primarily as Superman's electromagnetic capabilities such as flight, X-ray and heat vision. His powers include:
- The Power of Flight: Allows him to maneuver precisely in any direction as well as hover. Originally, Superman could jump 1/8 of a mile, and only acquired the ability to fly in the early 1940s when the first Superman animated films were being produced and super-jumping proved to not look very impressive on theatre screens. (These quirks were later retconned into the early career of the Earth-Two Superman, although he later learned to fly.) The mechanism by which he flies is unknown, but some suggestions have been a field of energy allowing unconscious manipulation of gravity or defract/reflect of gravity due to unidentified Kryptonian organs affected by a yellow sun, or psionic manipulation of a personal anti-gravitational aura, which is also caused by his Kryptonian cells and a yellow sun. Superman has been able to fly to the moon in under two minutes. During the Silver Age of comics, Superman could fly at superluminal speeds, allowing him to traverse intergalactic space and to break the time barrier.
- Invulnerability: In the 1940s, "nothing less than a bursting artillery shell could break his skin"; by the 1970s he could fly through a star and shrug off a nuclear blast. In 1986, Superman was somewhat depowered. Even in his depowered state, he was still capable of withstanding artillery shells, lasers, and even nuclear explosions (though barely). His powers have since increased back to the level of being, practically, invulnerable. Superman has even been shown withstanding Darkseid's Omega Effect, a feat that was previously considered impossible. In addition, his immune system protects him from toxins and diseases.
- The most common explanations for Superman's invulnerability are him having a super-dense molecular structure and/or a supercharged bioelectric "aura" which acts as an invisible "force field" around his body just a few millimeters above his skin, and, presumably, within his body as well. The proximity of this field to his skin means that loose clothes, for example, may be burned off of him, while cloth that is close to his body is protected by the "aura;" This phenomenon is sometimes cited as Superman's reason for wearing a skin-tight bodysuit. It is sometimes implied that he can unconsciously extend this field to an undetermined extent to protect a greater area, allowing him to carry huge objects within the Earth's atmosphere and without gravity or inertia tearing them apart.
- Stamina: Ability to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an undefined period. Theoretically, Superman has unlimited stamina, due to his nourishment coming from the solar energy his cells process; he does, however, have the physiological need to eat and drink just as humans do, though he receives the majority of his energy from the Sun. He also requires sleep on occasion so that he can dream. He can also hold his breath for an undefined duration. After Byrne's origin revamp, Superman could only hold his breath for several hours at the most, requiring him to carry an external breathing apparatus for prolonged periods in space; however, previous training from Mongul now allows him to process oxygen for far longer while in space. Some stories suggest that Superman may be effectively immortal as his Kryptonian cells constantly regenerate at an accelerated rate, although he may appear to show signs of aging, while other stories present Superman as aging at the same rate humans do.
- Vision-related powers (sometimes collectively referred to as "super-vision"):
- X-ray vision: The ability to see through anything except lead. He can see things behind a wall as if the wall were not there, or can "peel back" layer after layer of matter in his mind. Opponents sometimes used lead-lined constructs in an attempt to hide things from Superman. In one post-Crisis story this trick backfired when Superman simply scanned the field for lead, which instantly stands out as the only opaque substance to his vision, and found the hidden item easily. In his earliest incarnations (pre-Crisis) his X-ray vision was X-rays that were actually projected from his eyes as such. In one issue, Superman ruins some photographic film inside a camera with a quick burst of his X-ray vision. It is theorized that Kal-El is able to focus his vision past layers of matter, literally seeing "through" them -- possibly perceiving x-rays, cosmic rays or other forms of energy invisible to normal human vision which pass through Earth's atmosphere (and solid objects) after emission from stars. Since it is passive, this ability would not generate harmful radiation in the same manner as a focused projection of hard X-rays. This however, is not a hard and fast rule with some older stories.
- Telescopic vision: The ability to "zoom in" his vision to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. The total telescopic ability is unprecedented, but limited to some extent. Uninhibited Superman can see to the ends of the Earth or light years away.
- Microscopic vision: The ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level (normal optical microscopes can only see objects down to the size of chromosomes).
- Heat vision: The ability to fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it with the conscious act of activating this power. Visually, the power is typically depicted as two beams of red light firing from his eyes. These beams can be made invisible, allowing Superman to work undetected. This ability was first introduced in the 1950s comics as "the heat of his x-ray vision"; in the early 1960s, heat vision became its own power distinct from x-ray vision. The area of effect can be consciously determined by Superman, down to the microscopic level. Recent stories imply the precision is so exact it can bypass a target's outer shell (not causing damage to a person's skull for surgical purposes) or even defenses (such as invulnerability or intangibility).
- Other Vision Abilities: Besides Superman's more famous visual abilities, he can also see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared and ultraviolet, allowing him to see in the dark. It has also been established in Superman: Birthright that he can see and identify radio/television and any and all broadcast/transmitted frequencies, allowing him to avoid detection through radar or satellite monitoring methods. Furthermore, in one of the many continuity changes introduced by Superman: Birthright it was revealed that Superman can see the paranormal aura that every living thing generates. This ability is apparently one of the main reasons that Superman is a vegetarian, as he can see the passing of the "soul" at death.
- Super hypnotism: Pre-‘’Crisis’’, Superman had the ability to hypnotize others at will. This ability was dropped in the modern comics. One late 1970s story, attempting to explain the effectiveness of Superman's disguise as Clark Kent, suggested that his super-hypnotism, aided by his Clark Kent glasses, worked continually to make others see him as a thin, mild mannered man, not an athlete in a suit, and even included photographs of himself. However, this theory presented numerous flaws, such as various stories where Batman would disguise himself as Clark Kent; it also failed to account for anyone studying Kent's build from behind, let alone how the illusion could work on a video camera or whenever Kent was performing his job as a TV news anchorman. For these reasons, this explanation for his disguise's effectiveness was dropped, in favor of the traditional "suspension of disbelief" status quo.
- Super-hearing: The ability to hear any sound at any volume or pitch, even over vast distances. The only Earth creature who can detect sounds at the frequency he can is a blue whale (0.01-200,000 Hz). He has shown enough control to block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source/frequency. In Smallville (TV series), Clark Kent is able to block out all other sounds and focus on one particular noise. (heart beat, breathing etc) This also suggests he can tell the difference between individual heart beats and breathing. In JLA #1, Superman was able to detect disturbances in the frequency the human brain operates.
- Super voice: Superman is a master ventriloquist; he used this once to rescue Lois from criminals. He is also a brilliant mimic, able to impersonate human voices or animal sounds. Pre-‘’Crisis,’’ Superman also possessed the power of "super-ventriloquism," or the ability to pitch his voice across vast distances, which he would use in combination with his super-hearing as a means of communication, even in airless space. The Pre-‘’Crisis’’ Superman even cancelled out the effects of a nuclear blast with his "Super-Yell".
- Super breath: The ability to create hurricane force winds by blowing, and to chill his breath in order to freeze a target (this latter ability has also been called "freeze breath" and "arctic breath"). Superman can also breathe in large amounts of air, an ability used when dealing with and disposing things like clouds of poison gas.
- Super speed: The ability to move at an incredible speed, like the Flash. This includes running, but flying is less strenuous and more versatile. The earliest Superman ran at a mere 30 miles per hour, but quickly became much faster by the 1950s. The Silver Age Superman was capable of flying at faster-than-light speeds for which he would also use to travel through time and to distant planets and galaxies. The Post-‘’Crisis’ Superman cannot travel faster than the speed of light and is unable to travel through time under his own power. His top rate of speed is dificult to determine, but Superman has been shown to fly to the sun and back in less than 15 minutes (it takes light 8 minutes to travel from the sun to the earth). Superman also possesses superhuman reflexes and the ability to move at incredible speeds by sheer force of will. He can also perform complex actions like assembling objects at hundreds of times faster than a normal human.
- Super strength: While the exact magnitude of Superman's strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that his strength easily surpasses the capacity to lift 100 tons, but how much more is not known exactly. This is because Superman's strength, like his other powers, has fluctuated over time, with the Man of Steel being at times able to shift a planet from its orbit. With the exception of his original incarnation in the late 30s, Superman is believed to have been at his weakest when he was reinvented by John Byrne in 1986, following ‘’Crisis On Infinite Earths’’. In fact some fans have actually referred to this version as "Byrne's Weak Superman." However, even though Byrne may have placed a few more limits on the Man of Steel's strength level, Superman's power was still staggering. Superman has also shown the ability to become even stronger when "supercharged". Superman can possess enough strength to move an entire planet upon attaining enough solar energy from Earth's yellow sun. Superman is generally accepted as one of the physically strongest comic book heroes.
- Super intellect: In the earliest comics, Kryptonians were endowed with genius-level intellects on their native planet. Eventually, this superior mental talent was altered to being another superpower gained only under the influence of a yellow sun (though Krypton still possessed an advanced educational and intellectual state). In the Silver Age comics, Superman possessed the intelligence of a collection of the world's greatest minds. He had a computer-like brain, which gave him total recall and the ability to speak all earthly languages and even most alien ones. The former ability is evidenced when he memorized the content of the Metropolis phone book in its entirety and all of the files at the Daily Planet. His skills with science and mathematics were beyond human comprehension. However, over time, the power as a whole has since been scaled back, if not eliminated, in various incarnations. In the latest adventures of Superman in the One Year Later storyline, Superman has shown enhanced intelligence and computational abilities; his mind works sharply and with extreme speed. His analytical powers are impressive — he is able to use his senses to read information directly from machines (and, with careful usage of his heat vision, he can even reprogram machines). Aside from power, his parents were among Krypton's brightest, as his father Jor-El was the planet's greatest scientist and his mother Lara was an astronaut or historian (depending on continuity).
- Solar energy absorption: Technically, this is the main source of Superman's powers. Because Superman's powers are greatly due to exposure to Earth's yellow sun, his powers have been affected by extreme absorptions of solar power, whether voluntary or involuntary. However, Superman has used this to his advantage in battle in many instances, and to his detriment at certain times. In an early Post-‘’Crisis’’ storyline, Lex Luthor arranged for satellites to bombard Metropolis with varying frequencies of solar radiation, causing Superman's powers to work uncontrollably. Shortly after his death and recovery, he absorbed energy uncontrollably and became a lumbering out-of-control aberration. During Morrison's run in JLA, Superman defeats the nearly omnipotent threat of Mageddon by absorbing the Anti-sun energy. In Action Comics #782 (October, 2001), during the "Our Worlds at War" series, Superman flies through the sun, which makes him seem to be wreathed in flames, and gives him enough strength and power to move an entire dwarf planet (Pluto, turned Warworld).
- Healing factor: Superman can regenerate physical damage to his body at a accelerated rate. He was able to regenerate when Wonder Woman slit his throat with her tiara in Infinite Crisis #1 [1]. In the series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Superman regenerates his body after being reduced to near a skeleton by a special nuke that was designed to blot out sun light and disrupt energy.
- Pre-Crisis Powers: In addition to Super-Hypnotism and his super-voice, pre-crisis Superman had several powers that were rarely seen but mentioned from time to time (many were one-time powers that were promptly forgotten about). This led to the joke that his real power was making up powers as he needs them. They included Super-Aim, Super-Hunches, Super-Mathematics, Super-Landscaping, Super-Weaving, Super-Kisses, Super-Friction, the ability to make Super-Cakes though not necessarily with Super-Baking, and when Superboy was transformed into a woman s/he temporarily had Super-Woman's Intuition. Several texts describe Superman as possessing super-senses which, among other things, enable him to sense the presence of an electrical discharge, cosmic disturbances, differentiate metal simply by touch, or sense the close proximity of Lori Lemaris. Pre-Crisis Superman could eat any form of matter (And a virtually unlimited amount thereof).
All of these powers were either removed post-crisis or never mentioned again.
[edit] How Superman's powers work
Superman's powers are derived from his Kryptonian biology and Earth's sun (a yellow star), and are likely increased by Earth's lesser gravity (versus Krypton's higher gravity). However, Post-‘’Crisis,’’ he has not shown any evidence of extra-human strength during times when he has lost his ability to process solar radiation (as during the Final Night storyline), so it seems unlikely that Earth's gravity is significantly different in strength from Krypton's.
Various explanations have been offered over the years explaining how Superman's powers work. In the earliest comics, all Kryptonians were said to possess superpowers while on Krypton. By the late 1940s, this was changed to Kryptonians only gaining superpowers when under a lower gravity environment such as Earth's. In the early 1960s, after the introduction of Supergirl, this was amended to Kryptonians deriving their powers from mainly exposure to a yellow sun (vs. Krypton's red sun), as well as to a much lesser degree Earth's lower gravity; when under a red sun, a Kryptonian would be completely powerless, even if it was a low-gravity environment. John Byrne in his 1986 reboot suggested that Superman's powers were telekinetic or psionic in their functioning (as a result of the traditional yellow sun explanation), though recent comics such as Birthright have begun to retcon this explanation away. As of Birthright's continuity, Superman's powers again work on a combination of solar conversion and gravitational difference from Krypton.
The Birthright retcon cites specific parameters for Kryptonian physiology; before launching the ship that will carry Kal-El from Krypton, to Earth, Jor-El scans the planet stating that its gravitational pull is "relatively negligible"; on a computer read-out on baby Kal-El's craft, the exact gravity of earth is read as "0.03 Krypton Standard", indicating that Earth's gravity is less than 3% that of Krypton. Arguably, without the aid of any solar radiation then, Superman's muscles would still work at nearly a thousand times the capacity of a normal humans, and his tissues would be several times more durable.
The amount of time in which Superman must be exposed to yellow sunlight in order to acquire maximum power levels has varied depending upon the variation of the character being addressed. During the Silver Age, Superman merely needed to be within the proximity of a yellow sun to instantly have his maximum power levels; this ability is still apparent in Superboy-Prime, whose biology stems from before the Crisis on Infinite Earths and as such is more similar to the pre-‘’Crisis’’ Superman of Earth-1 than the post-‘’Crisis’’ Superman. Since the 1986 reboot, Superman has required a period of "charging up" under yellow sunlight in order to acquire his powers. The amount of time required to establish full power has, again, varied with time even since the reboot; while early storylines (such as Superman's Exile) have established that Superman could travel for weeks, even months, in space without the light of a yellow sun and still maintain significant power levels, more recent storylines have shown Superman completely losing his abilities after a week without sunlight. In the novel The Death And Life Of Superman, it is established that Superman's power usage requires him to use his solar energy reserves; the more energy he must expend, the more solar power he must use up from within his cells, and the more quickly his abilities begin to diminish in strength. However, periods of light to moderate "super-activity" do not usually cause deficits in Superman's cellular solar energy reserves, as he can recharge at a fairly rapid rate. Use of heat vision, it is noted, will drain the solar energy faster than usage of any other particular super-power.
It has been explained that Superman seems to have two primary sources of energy. The first is that Superman's cellular structure is suffused with specialized cells, organelles and organs whose function seems to be the storage of the radiant energy in multiple formats. It is unknown if this is a part of the normal Kryptonian physiology or was added due to their scientific advancements in biomodifications. One of these formats is a superdense cellular protein that can be broken down and turned back into biological energy. This metaprotein is what powers Superman's long-term endurance and is restored slowly. The second is Superman's bio-aura that acts as effective an energy containment device as ever seen in nature. This field is constantly reclaiming stray electromagnetic energies from the environment and converting them into this cellular protein (for the remainder of this report it shall be called Meta-ATP). The energy for the meta-energy protein in Superman's body is captured by his biological electromagnetic reclaimation aura. This invisible (to the naked eye) structure acts as a radiant energy collector that creates an energy-retentive skintight force field capable of absorbing and converting cosmic radiation (solar, radiant and electromagnetic energies). One aspect of the energy gathered by this field is that there is almost no electromagnetic waste. This biomatrix recycles almost all of its radiation-harnessed energies. Otherwise, Superman would glow with a distinctive signature, easily detected by others, whenever he uses his powers.
In 1997, the Superman titles began a year-long storyline; beginning in February 1997, Superman began experiencing problems with his powers---a conventional plot element. Superman soon found that his conventional superpowers were replaced with electrical-based ones that required a special new costume to contain them. Superman (2nd series) #123 introduced both Superman's new powers and his new costume. Superman appeared with his new costume and powers until the end of 1997, when the comic special Superman Red/Superman Blue saw him split into two beings: a red-colored Superman, or "Superman Red", and the then-current blue-colored Superman, or "Superman Blue". These elements, as well as the comic special title, were a reference to the classic Silver Age "imaginary story" of the same name. After a few months of stories, March and April 1998 saw the comic special Superman Forever, in which the two Supermen united into one whole, with Superman's classic powers and costume restored.
In the events of ‘’Infinite Crisis,’’ Superman again lost his powers as a result of flying through Rao, the red sun Krypton once orbited. Though Clark Kent himself, when his powers started slowly to return ‘’One Year Later,’’ had formulated some hypotheses, ranging from the simple burning out of his solar energy reserves to a mental block unconsciously placed on his own Kryptonian metabolism to enjoy the simple life of husband and journalist without the Superman responsibilities (in essence, enacting Clark Kent as the real personality theory).
This power returned to him in the same fashion Kal-L first manifestated his own: at first, he was only able to leap an eighth of a mile and had a limited strength that made him stronger than a speeding locomotive (in fact, he survived a train accident) and he stated that his resistance to personal injury had returned to the point that nothing short of a bursting shell could damage him. Also, in the same day, he regained his hearing powers, followed by some of his flying and speed abilities.
As stated in past stories, Superman's powers need absolute and full control to be mastered successfully. The sheer amount of information acquired due to the unchecked use of his supersensory abilities, if not controlled, can give Superman a strong sense of disorientation. In fact, when almost fatally wounded by Gog in the past, he explained that the most difficult part of being Superman is keeping in check his own physical powers to keep himself from killing or maiming his opponents. Supergirl, who lacked that self-control, was originally believed to be stronger than the Man of Steel.
Years of life on Earth taught Clark how to hone and control his abilities to live an almost perfect life as a regular human being, but he became a full human being after "Infinite Crisis." His body was rejecting solar radiation. The Sunstone crystal Lex Luthor used for his diabolical scheme in Superman's "One Year Later" story arc; Up, Up, and Away; was activated by Clark's thoughts. He didn't realize it, but when he activated it, it restored his powers, but he is able to think much faster than he could before losing his powers. At the end of the arc, Superman threw the crystal in the Arctic, creating a Fortress of Solitude.
[edit] Weaknesses
[edit] Kryptonite
Since the destruction of Krypton, its remains (rendered radioactive by the explosion) have been spreading throughout the universe as kryptonite, a crystalline substance which has many variants, which affect Superman in a number of different ways.
The first and most common type is Green Kryptonite, fatal to Kryptonians exposed to it for a sufficient period of time, and causes immediate intense pain to Kryptonians upon exposure. Pre-‘’Crisis,’’ Green Kryptonite was harmless to humans; post-‘’Crisis,’’ it is also lethal to humans, but the poisoning is much more gradual. As an example of this, by wearing a kryptonite ring for an extended period of time, Lex Luthor eventually had to have his hand amputated due to the poisonous effects, which later affected his entire body.
Other variants were introduced over time, most well known being Red (which was believed to affect a Kryptonian's mental state) and Gold (permanently removes a Kryptonian's superpowers). Only slightly less featured were "Blue" (which affected Bizarros the same way Green Kryptonite affects Kryptonians), "White" (which killed all plant life, whether Kryptonian in origin or not), and "Jewel" (a diamond-like form which bolstered the telepathic abilities of those trapped in the Phantom Zone, going so far as to allow them control over people in the normal world).
Some early Superman and mid-80's Superboy stories suggested that kryptonite had a lethality akin to some snake venoms or natural poisons, and so could theoretically be rendered ineffective through short, limited exposure to build up an immunity. Superboy was even depicted collecting all the terran samples of the substance known and storehousing it so that he could regularly expose himself in controlled conditions and so build up sufficient tolerance that by adulthood kryptonite would no longer affect him. Since the post-‘’Crisis’’ rewriting and other retcon developments, kryptonite appears to once again be a wholly debilitating substance to Superman, with no 'tolerance' or immunity to its effects possible through this method.
After the 1986 John Byrne reboot, all versions except for green were retconned out of existence. However, since that time, an updated version of red kryptonite was reintroduced into the comics, followed by the return of older as well as previously unseen forms of the substance.
[edit] Magic
Superman is also vulnerable to magical and psionic effects. Although he is no more detrimentally affected by such effects than a normal human would be, this is a significantly exploitable weakness in comparison to his incredible physical resilience. As a result, in the recent mini-series, First Thunder, which depicts Superman's first encounter with Captain Marvel, Superman notes that he would prefer that the Captain handle these threats when possible since, although Captain Marvel's powers are similar to his own, their magical orientation makes him more resistant to supernatural attacks. He is vulnerable to Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth and Tiara. Effects that specifically alter the established laws of science are another matter entirely such as the natural weapons of supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc.), spells and arcane energies targeted at the Man of Steel are treated as cast on any mortal.
During the JLA/Avengers crossover, Superman battled Marvel Comics character Thor. Although the thunder god manages to draw blood from the Last Son of Krypton with his mystical hammer "Mjolnir", it is evident that Superman's invulnerability still worked to resist debilitating damage from the blows, even going so far as blocking the weapon mid-strike (only achieved once before during Thor's battle against Count Nefaria), as well as the lightning from the god's warhammer. It's been established that if the effect of magic is used to simulate or enhance a naturally occurring force (such as the natural elements or concussive energy, for example), Superman's natural defenses reacts to them normally. Superman can resist telepathic/mental manipulation or outright domination thanks to his Kryptonian knowledge of "Torquasm Vao" (a mental training technique), his own indomitable will, and his advanced Kryptonian mind.
[edit] Equipment
Given his abilities, personal equipment plays less of a role for Superman than for other superheroes.
[edit] Costume
Superman's distinctive attire, based on a circus stongman's uniform, incorporates the most striking combination of colors possible with four-color printing, which was the method used in early comics. The bright colors of Superman's costume were an aesthetic choice intended to make sure children would notice the magazines which featured Superman on the cover. It was drawn as a skin-tight suit because it is quicker and more dynamic for an artist to draw anatomical nudes rather than spend time on the difficult wrinkles of clothing. Also, the depiction of anatomy emphasizes Superman's athleticism, as in classical art.
Within the context of the narrative, the costume serves a variety of practical functions.
The bright colors are variously explained. First, they provide an attention-grabbing target to enemies, encouraging them to assault the invulnerable Superman instead of vulnerable "civilians." Second, the gaudy uniform may distract viewers from associating Superman with mild-mannered, and conservatively-attired Clark Kent. Further, Superman has expressly stated on various occasions that he hopes to serve as an optimistic symbol, easily recognized.
The "S" shield is most often elucidated as a Kryptonian symbol of some kind, though it is "translated" variously by different writers. The Kryptonian origin of the symbol is not apparent in the original Siegel and Schuster comics, where it presumably stood for 'Superman'. In the DVD commentary for the 1978 Superman: the Movie, Richard Donner, the film's director, claims that the he and his writers were the first people to have conceived the idea of the 'S' symbol as having Kryptonian origins. In the movie it was shown as a sort of family crest, first seen being worn by Jor-El (played by Marlon Brando) on Krypton. The most recent explanation in the comics, offered in the title 52, is that the sigil is the Kyptonian glyph for hope (and that when inverted it means resurrection). Kal-El chooses to wear the symbol to honor his Kryptonian heritage and it is misread by Earthlings as an "S," sometimes inspiring the moniker "Superman" in The Daily Planet's headlines.
The costume was practical in Superman's earliest stories due to its gliding cape and unencumbering body suit [1]. The history was soon developed that the costume was designed by his adoptive mother Martha Kent. Pre-Crisis, the story was that she created it out of the blankets from the rocket that brought him to Earth. These blankets, like everything else from Krypton under a yellow sun environment such as Earth's, shared Clark's invulnerability. His armor-like costume could also protect others that wore it, and it was made as a tightly fitting bodysuit so that it might be concealed easily beneath his street clothes.
In the post-‘’Crisis’’ comics, Superman's costume (still designed by Ma Kent in most stories) is not indestructible. The supercharged bioelectric "aura" that contributes to Kal's invulnerability projects several millimeters past the boundary of his skin. Therefore he chooses to wear his famous skin-tight bodysuit because it lies close enough to his skin to be protected. In this continuity, his cape, as well as his civilian clothes, can be dirtied, burned or torn, and often are, to dramatic effect.
While carrying passengers in flight, Superman will sometimes wrap them in his cape to protect them from aerodynamic friction, or employ it as a trauma blanket; this utility is often cited as a function or rationale for the cape.
(Recently, the costume was retconned so that it did indeed "again" come from blankets in Kal-El's ship.)
In the original comics, Clark's eyeglass lenses were made from two small rounded pieces of glass from his spaceship. Since they were of Kryptonian origin, Clark could fire his heat vision through them without melting them (in contrast, the post-‘’Crisis’’ Clark has to lift his glasses [made of ordinary materials] off his eyes when he uses his heat vision). Superman also sometimes carries spare change in his hollowed-out belt buckle, which also doubles as a Justice League communication device. In recent comics (as seen in Superman/Batman), the belt buckle is made of lead and stored a fairly safe synthetic form of kryptonite for Clark to use. When he had Kandor in his possession in the pre-‘’Crisis’’ comics, all of these improvisations were supplemented by the products of the professional tailors and lenscrafters available in the bottle city.
[edit] Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude, located in the Arctic in the pre-‘’Crisis’’ version of the mythos and (until recently when it was moved to the Amazon Basin) in Antarctica in the post-‘’Crisis’’ version, serves as Superman's secret base of operations. The Fortress acts as Superman's personal getaway, although it has communications equipment for urgent messages. While various 1940s comics made mention of Superman having a "mountain retreat," the Fortress in its familiar sense was first introduced in the comics in 1958.
In pre-‘’Crisis’’ continuity, the Fortress included laboratories, a private zoo of alien animals, a room for communication with the Phantom Zone with a projector to place or remove people from it, a Krypton memorial, a trophy room, and a gym with custom exercise equipment. It also had tribute rooms to personal friends like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Batman, and Clark Kent (to throw off suspicion about his secret identity by visitors unfamiliar with it), where Superman prepared special gifts for each in the event of his death. Most importantly, the Fortress was where Superman stored the bottle city of Kandor, which, in the pre-‘’Crisis’’, was a Kryptonian city shrunken and stolen by Brainiac prior to the planet's destruction. For years, Superman worked to reverse the city's condition, while also enjoying the opportunity to visit a native community where he was an honored guest.
In post-‘’Crisis’’ continuity, the Fortress was originally created by the Kryptonian artifact, the Eradicator, when Superman tried to dispose of it in Antarctica. The device created the Fortress which contains much of Krypton's technology, including artificially intelligent robots. Superman and fellow superhero Steel encased the Fortress in a tesseract, permitting the Man of Steel to carry the Fortress wherever he travels. Superman also stores in the Fortress various equipment, weapons, and vehicles of Kryptonian design, including a large fighting mecha called a battlesuit and a means of accessing the Phantom Zone.
A trademark of the Fortress in all of its incarnations is a memorial statue of his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara, holding up a globe of the planet Krypton.
After recovering a Sunstone Crystal from Lex Luthor, Superman was able to make it build another Fortress in the Arctic, in a way reminescent of the first Superman Movie. Superman is currently thinking to set up some other emergency hide-outs, scattered all over the ground, and use the Amazon Fortress as a "public address", a front-end with the large public, because it's currently too damaged to be rebuilt safely in a short time, and too many people know its location.
[edit] Robots
Superman, in the pre-Crisis comics, also had androids that could impersonate himself (as both Superman and as Clark Kent). He largely abandoned them when Earth's pollution began to interfere with their functions. Post-Crisis, Superman at one time had built various Superman robots; however, all but one were destroyed, with the sole remaining robot currently being kept on duty at the Fortress of Solitude. This one remaining robot was destroyed by superheroine Donna Troy, at the expense of her own life, though she was soon resurrected.
[edit] Kryptonite shielding
For situations involving kryptonite, Superman in the original comics had a collection of lead-lined suits for protection. If his powers were disabled or he needed stronger protection, Superman also had his "Supermobile," a small flying car-like vehicle which could fly anywhere and use its powerful waldo arms to handle outside objects.
[edit] Other Kryptonians
- See also: Category:Kryptonians
Superman (and his many incarnations) aren't the only ones with a vast array of powers. All Kryptonians exhibit similar powers underneath a yellow sun.
[edit] In other media
In the television series Smallville, most of Clark Kent's powers develop over his teenage years. In the first episode of the series, he is aware of his super-strength and superhuman speed, and first experiences the durability of his invulnerability when Lex Luthor hits him with a Porsche at 60 miles an hour.
Clark develops x-ray vision in the first season episode "X-Ray", heat vision in the second season episode "Heat" and super hearing in the third season episode "Whisper". Flight is developed very gradually over time. The first mention is in the first season episode "Metamorphosis", where Clark first "defies gravity", however this is not really controlled. He is shown to be hovering over his bed while sleeping but falls and destroys his bed once he wakes up. The first real controlled flight is in the second season episode "Vortex", although this is with the help of a tornado. In the third season finale "Covenant", his "floating" in the air is assisted by Kara, who has been empowered and brainwashed by Jor-El. In the fourth season episode "Crusade", he flies properly, but only in his Kal-El persona. As Clark Kent he cannot fly but can make great leaps. While in his Kal-El personna, he also exhibits telekinesis. He discovers super breath in the sixth season episode "Sneeze".
Clark also exhibits a healing factor seen rarely in the comics. Any wound he suffers appears to heal within seconds. If he suffers injuries during a period of power loss, any wounds will heal up as soon as his powers return. This power appears to have extremely high limits; for example, in the sixth season episode "Wither," an alien plant impales him through the chest for an extended period of time, yet upon the plant's removal, he appeared recovered within seconds.
In addition to these, Smallville also features a number of abilities not seen in other incarnations, not all of which find their source in Clark's Kryptonian origin, but rather some appear particular to Kal-El himself. In the first example occurs in the season three episode "Hereafter", which explores Clark's immortality, reputes his ability to alter the destiny of others. Later in season three, in the episode "Resurrection", it is said Clark's blood has the power to revive the dead. In addition, his spirit itself is accredited with special healing properties in season four's "Transference", and even affects the moral inclinations of others for an extended period of time.
In the animated TV series of the DC Animated Universe, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and its sequel, Justice League Unlimited, Superman is not shown to be as powerful as he is in the comics. He is capable of feeling pain -- even as bullets deflect off his skin. Plus certain elements of his invulnerability have been eliminated; for example, he requires oxygen when underwater, and has to wear a spacesuit when in the vacuum of space. Perhaps for this reason, when the League travels to other planets or from Earth to the Watchtower space station, Superman has to travel in their spacecraft, rather than flying there on his own.
These limits were supplemented in Superman's series with special suits such as a lead lined one for protection against kryptonite and dangerous attacks like Parasite's energy draining powers and a spacesuit for outer space. In addition, the ship that transported Kal-El to earth in his infancy was originally meant to have a pilot and it is in perfect working order into Clark's adulthood, making it an ideal craft for long range space travel.
[edit] Notes
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Superman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster |
| Characters: | Superman (Clark Kent) • Lois Lane • Jimmy Olsen • Perry White • Jor-El • Ma Kent • Pa Kent • Lana Lang • Steel • Supergirl • Superboy (Kon-El) • Krypto |
| Villains: | Lex Luthor • Bizarro • Brainiac • Cyborg Superman • Darkseid • Doomsday • Eradicator • General Zod • Metallo • Mongul • Mr. Mxyzptlk • Parasite • Toyman • Ultra-Humanite • Intergang • Phantom Zone villains |
| Locations: |
Daily Planet • Fortress of Solitude • Krypton • Metropolis • Smallville |
| Storylines: | Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane • Alternate versions of Superman • Publications • Superman in popular culture |
| Miscellanea: | Kryptonite • Powers • Symbol |
