- "So, what can you do?"
- —Superman confronting Batman
Kal-El is the last survior of the planet Krypton. When Jor-El and Lara learned that Krypton was doomed and going to be destroyed, they sent away baby Kal in a rocket, aimed towards Earth where they knew their son would be strong under the yellow sun. The rocket landed in Kansas, where Kal was discovered and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, and given the name of Clark Kent. After he got a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper, he became the superhero known as Superman and a founding member of the Justice League.
Biography
Pre-Flashpoint
Born as Kal-El on his home planet known as Krypton, Krypton was on the edge of destruction. In an attempt to save their son, his parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van placed him inside a small spaceship that could only hold one and is sent off into space till he landed on Earth and is discovered by a kind couple, Johnathan and Martha Kent, and is adopted by them and raised as theirs. He was raised in Smallville and during their time with they, Clark soon learn of his incredible powers and he later learns how to control. After that, he moved to Metropolis and started to work as an investigative reporter for the local newspaper Daily Planet. Sometimes, he shared a bi-line with fellow reporter Lois Lane who nicknamed him "Smallville" and soon became the superhero Superman. He also became a found member of the Justice League, he also fell in love and married Lois Lane.
Flashpoint Paradox
Superman was born Kal-El, and when his father, Jor-El, realized that his planet was doomed, he and his wife Lara sent Kal-El to Earth, where he crashed into Metropolis and was taken by the United States Government. He was later released by Batman, Cyborg and The Flash, however as he was exposed to red sunlight all his life he was extremely thin, pale and weak. After the team escaped the facility with him they were confronted by the United States army threatening to open fire unless they surrender him. During the battle Kal-El was exposed to yellow sunlight for the first time and his powers began to manifest. Being unable to control them his heat vision activated vaporizing all the solders he laid his eyes on. He later flew away much to the team's frustration.
He later returned for the final battle between the Atlanteans and Amazons. After Aquaman had severely damaged Cyborg and was about to kill him, Kal-El used his heat vision to sever Aquaman's right arm and used his freeze breath to blow him through a wall. As Cyborg died Kal-El called him "Hero and "Friend". He was later vaporized after Aquaman detonated Captain Atom within his flagship, creating a new nuclear shock wave destroying the world.
Post-Flashpoint
Early life
Clark's personal history following Barry returning the timeline to normal is restored, with some slight changes. This includes the erasure of his marriage to Lois Lane and him being a single man in his late twenties, as well as his costume being completely redesigned. At this point in his life, Clark has only been Superman for a very short time and is universally loved by the world, unlike other superheroes who are feared and mistrusted by the population.
Superman vs Batman and Green Lantern
- "You bruise, but you don't kill, do you... Clark?"
- —Batman telling him Superman he knows who he is
Superman vs Green Lantern and Batman
Suspecting that Superman may have information of the small devices known as Mother Boxes being planted by the Parademons[1], Batman and Green Lantern arrive in Metropolis in search of him and catches him in the process fighting a Parademon inside an unfinished building. Being cocky, Green Lantern traps Batman outside and rushes in to fight Superman but is easily defeated by him. After seeing Batman with a Mother Box he is led to believe that Batman and Green Lantern are connected to the creature and interrogates them. When the fight reaches the streets, Batman reveals that Superman's identity is Clark Kent causing him to stop. He then uses his x ray vision to find out that Batman is Bruce Wayne. After Superman concludes that the device is not of Kryptonian origin, the authorities reach the scene, the three heroes flee through the sewers below.
Darkseid's Invasion
Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern hide out in an old warehouse in order to find out more of the mother box, till it began to activate along with the other mother boxes around the world, releasing the Parademons. As the heroes fight off the monsters, Superman uses his super hearing to hear a distress call from Air Force One, and he flew off to save it.
Meeting Wonder Woman
Superman meeting Wonder Woman
As Wonder Woman is fighting off Parademons as well in order to rescue the President of the United States who is on a plane, she accidentally causes one the plane turbines to blow, leading to it falling to the ground till Superman caught while fighting the Parademons, seeing the outside footage, Wonder Woman is immediately smitten with him and assist him on fighting the creatures, impressing him with her strength.
Meeting Darkseid
Superman and Wonder Woman meet up with Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash and then Shazam and Cyborg reach the scene as Darkseid appears to continue the invasion. As the heroes fight the invaders, Darkseid fires his omega beams at Superman and The Flash and the to brake at super speed as the beams lock on the two. The Flash was able to escape one of the omega beams by leading it to other targets such as the Parademons but Superman was not fast enough to escape the omega beam chasing and is knocked out completely and begins to fall. A Parademon catches him and takes him to Apokolips. Batman then leaves to save Superman and leaves Green Lantern in charge of the group until he returns.
Experimented On
Superman is tortured by Desaad
On Apokolips, Superman is being experimented on and tortured by Desaad who plans to use his Kryptonian DNA to create Super Parademons to empower Darkseid's army and plans to do the same to the other heroes, until Batman arrived and freed him. As Parademons began to attack Batman, Dessad tries to make a run from the battle for his own safety is grabbed by the now insane Superman and snaps his neck. He then begins killing the arriving Parademons and then proceeds to attack Batman. Bruce tries his best to break Superman out of the mental programming but to no avail.
Darkseid's Defeat
- "How dare you! I am Darkseid!"
"I don't care!" - —Superman returning to confront Darkseid
As the rest of team fight Darkseid and blinded him, preventing him from firing his omega beams, Cyborg uses the boom tubes to send the creatures back. Darkseid was not going back without a fight and the group does their best effort to push him through the boom tube. When Superman and Batman join in, together they manage to send Darkseid back to his home planet and the heroes are finally adored by the public.
The Justice League
Justice League formed.
After the invasion, the group are congratulated by the president as the heroes of the new age and Wonder Woman is personally glad that the people are no longer afraid of them. While he is happy to meet people who he can relate to, she acknowledges to Superman that she has never met anyone like him, God or Mortal, sparking a romance between them. Superman was pleased and Wonder Woman and Superman looked at each other deeply. Debating whether the heroes should be a team if a similar threat were to happen, the President of the United States asked whether they had a name. The newly formed group was annoyed when Shazam abruptly announced them as the "Super Seven" without the others' consent.
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
Superman kisses Wonder Woman
Superman and Wonder Woman stood upon the top of the Temple of Athena in Athens, Greece. Wonder Woman said they're not like the Gods and not the people. Superman said they're not like anyone and Wonder Woman asked him if he ever felt alone. He replied that he does, but he learned a way to deal with it and he could show her how. He and Wonder Woman shared a kiss and they flew into the sky together.
Later, Clark went to a Greek restaurant on a date with Diana. Diana was surprised that their disguises worked, to hide in plain sight as one of the people. Superman corrected, not just hide as much as be one of people and he said they can just blend in together and held her hand, and they had a romantic moment until Lois Lane came by and Clark introduced Lois to Diana. Lois told her that she and Clark worked together, closely. When Shazam and Cyborg came out of a portal outside, Superman and Wonder Woman left to join their teammates.
In the Justice League headquarters in S.T.A.R. Labs, Superman and the rest of the League waited for Batman. They watched the attack on Cyborg and Wonder Woman told the others about the story of Atlantis, Green Lantern dismissed it as a fairy tale. Superman told Wonder Woman that he believed her which prompted Shazam to mock them by making smooching noises. Superman and Batman found an image of a man, identified as Arthur Curry who is half Atlantean. Superman and his team raced to find Arthur and Atlantis. The Justice League found Arthur and together they fought the Trench.
The League meets Arthur Curry
The Justice League were split into two groups, Superman went to Atlantis with Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Arthur and Mera. Superman and his team watched as Arthur grieved for his dead mother, the Atlantean Queen. Superman made enemies with Orm, Arthur's half-brother who was revealed to be the murderer of Arthur's mother. The team fought Orm and Black Manta, but Orm defeated them and they were all trapped into sea eggshells. Arthur set himself free from his eggshell and saw Mera, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Cyborg getting eaten by the sea monster. Arthur broke Superman's eggshell and pulled him out. Superman used his heat vision to cut the tentacles to save his teammates and Mera. Superman fought the sea monster while Arthur took the others to safety. Superman killed the sea monster and helped Arthur to set the others free. Cyborg told the team that they must return to land, because Orm and the Atlanteans were hitting Metropolis. Superman fought many Atlanteans and Orm, but Orm overpowered him.
Cyborg showed all the Atlanteans the truth about Orm and him being a murderer of Queen Atlanna. Mera called Orm a liar and revealed that she was there when Orm murdered their Queen. Superman and the rest of the Justice League returned to Atlantis to watch Arthur be coronated King of Atlantis. Superman asked Wonder Woman on another date, to which she replied only if she can find her glasses. Superman and the team believed there were more potential threats and invited Arthur to the team, which he agreed and Shazam gave Arthur the code-name of "Aquaman", which Arthur disliked.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans
The Hall of Justice
Superman along with the rest of the Justice League (minus Green Lantern, Shazam, Aquaman) were at the opening of their new headquarters, The Hall of Justice, until the Legion of Doom ambushed them leading to a fight where they easily dispatch them. When Weather Wizard attempted to escaped, he is then possessed by one of Trigon's corruptors, granting him actual magical powers over weather, Superman goes off to fight him but could not defeat him since his weakness is magic till Robin uses the Batwing to knock Weather Wizard out. Wonder Woman ties Weather Wizard up with her lasso of truth which forces the corrupter out of him and leaving him with no memory of what happened.
Battle Against Trigon
After being corrupted by one of Trigon's wraiths he flies to an unknown desert and burrows into the ground and raises to the surface an ancient machine. Damian is then confronted by the corrupted Superman in the desert and while in the air holding Damian, the boy wonder removes a shard of Kryptonite from his utility belt and stabs him with it causing Superman to crash into the desert with him and expelling the wraith. Superman asked Damian politely to remove the Kryptonite from him. He then told Starfire that it was a good call bringing the Titan's in to help and tells them to rescue Raven while he deals with Wonder Woman and Flash. When confronted by the corrupted Flash, and unable to catch Barry, Superman apologizes to him before snapping his left leg to break the demon's hold on him. Flash is unhappy about his choice of limb, naturally. As Trigon continued his destruction, Barry told Clark it would take an hour for him to heal, to which Clark rebuffed that he had ten minutes. He then engages the possessed Diana in battle, eventually confining her with the Lasso of Truth and compels her to say who she is which forces the wraith to leave her body. He then cradles her in his arms. Following Trigon's defeat he is present at the Hall of Justice with Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash, congratulating the Titan's on stopping the demon and saving the world.
Justice League Dark
He first appeared in the Justice League Meeting at the Hall of Justice of the strange outbreak, most of the League's members come to the conclusion that magic must be involved in this. He later confronts Destiny after his release, however Destiny makes him and the rest of the league members perceive each other as demonic threats. Zatanna uses her magic to remove the spell following Destiny's defeat.
The Death of Superman
Superman effortlessly defeats Bruno Manheim and his team, Intergang, while they are robbing a bank and frees their hostages, the Mayor and his wife. He confiscates their Apokoliptian technology and trusts Cyborg with sending them to Star Labs for research on their origin while leaving Flash to clean up the collateral damage before going to meet with Lois Lane. He receives praise from Bibbo Bibbowski and takes a picture with him and leaves. He gives Lois an exclusive interview where he reveals the rocket that transported him to Earth, including its birthing matrix and Kryptonian technology with the intent of exposing it to the world. He gives Lois a free trip back to the Daily Planet via flight. Inside, he meets her as Clark Kent and reluctantly agrees to let her meet his visiting parents--a first for him.
Later on, Superman meets with Cyborg and his father, Silas Stone, at Star Labs. Dr. John Henry Irons (who reveals Superman one saved him and idolizes him by wearing a shirt with his crest on it) has analyzed the fragments to be made of a metal alloy composed of both Apokoliptian and Earth elements, leaving one suspect whose company has the means to synthesize Apokoliptian and Earth technologies: Lex Luthor. Though Luthor is under house arrest with an ankle monitor (that he has personally branded with fake kryptonite out of spite), Superman confronts him. Luthor denies any involvement. Superman remains unconvinced and warns Luthor he will never have the love of Metropolis just for hating him.
Clark has dinner with Lois and his parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who reveal things about Clark's past that Lois is unaware of due to his inclination to being secretive. After dinner, she confronts him about his shady past but he insists she knows him better than any else. This does not impress her, as it proves he is a secluded person. Sensing her dissatisfaction, he ponders if he should reveal to her his identity as Superman. He talks with his mother, who regrets having raised him to keep to himself and pushes him to be honest with Lois.
During a training session with Wonder Woman, they banter back and forth about the names they prefer to go by in public (she is fine being called Diana since she does not have a secret identity). He expresses a liking of Superman in part for his secret identity and because it was given to him by Lois. He acknowledges his relationship to her is complicated--just as their relationship was. Diana encourages him to be open with Lois about his full self.
During a weekly Justice League meeting, the Flash reveals he is getting married. Superman is surprised to learn his fiancée, Iris, has known about him being Flash for years. Aquaman tells him that this is not a matter to speak about after marriage, adding to Superman's concerns regarding him and Lois Lane.
After his death at the hands of Doomsday, Superman was given a heroes funeral and a statue to commemorate him in Metropolis park. His funeral was attended by a large portion of the city, the Justice League and even Lex Luthor, who used a eulogy to remember and honor Superman much to Wonder Woman's anger believing this to be an egotistical PR stunt. His coffin was then interned within the statue itself.
Several days later, Lois and Jimmy were called to the statue in the park late into the evening. They both looked in shock and horror as the door and coffin of the memorial statue had been opened with no body inside. On lookers in the sky then gasped in awe as they saw a man hovering over them wear a red cape, before flying off. This left Lois in a state of shock and wondering, has Superman returned?
Reign of the Supermen
Six months have past since Doomsday, four new Supermen have appeared. In the beginning, Superboy saves a couple from muggers. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Jimmy Olsen is carrying a tray of coffees and then drops them when he sees Superboy fly in the sky right past him. He crosses the street to try to take pictures but then a bus honks and almost hits Jimmy. Steel saves Jimmy and Jimmy takes a couple of pictures of Steel. The Eradicator attacks some weapon smugglers and then takes their weapons. Cyborg Superman redirects the rocket missile from South Kasnia to space, preventing it to reach North Kasnia.
After locating the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, Steel enters the structure and find the Eradicator who appears to be charging himself from underneath the spacecraft that brought Kal-El to Earth. The Eradicator then attacks Steel until the fight is stopped by Clark who emerges from the spacecraft in a black kryptonian suit, with long hair and five o'clock shadow. He informs Steel as the Fortress bots repair his armor, that even though he is alive he is greatly depowered and doesn't know if his powers will ever return.
Personality
In War, Superman has a love for battle and isn't exactly humble when it comes to how much power he has and is cocky and smug. However, he is much more humble and calmer by the time he is seen in the sequels for the first movie. By the time of Justice League vs. Teen Titans, he's much closer to the nice guy he traditionally is, as compared to the punch first, ask questions later approach he had in War, and makes a point to complement the Titans and Starfire in particular on a job well done. Even Throne of Atlantis sees him tell Arthur that he should connect with his heritage, no doubt having in mind his own dead home-world. As highlighted in Death of Superman, due to having spent his whole life keeping parts of himself secret from others, Superman has difficulty letting people get to know all facets of him.
Powers and Abilities
Superman in battle against Darkseid
Superman has all the basic abilities of a Kryptonian when exposed to yellow sunlight: vast superhuman strength, speed, and stamina; invulnerability; flight; super breath; x-ray vision; telescopic and microscopic vision; freeze breath; heat vision; and super hearing. As a result, Superman is considered to be the most powerful member of the Justice League, something that many people, both allied and enemy, have admitted, since many of its key attributes and capabilities go beyond the extraordinary as pointed out by Wonder Woman.
Powers
- Solar Energy Absorption: This is the main source of Superman's powers, his cells act as solar batteries that absorb different types of solar energy such as Earth's yellow sun, granting him vast superhuman abilities.
- Super Strength: Superman possesses incredible superhuman strength, allowing him to lift a truck and beat Parademons with it easily, break through Green Lantern's constructs, and push Batman far away by just slightly nudging him. Even Darkseid showed pain from the might of Superman's blows.[2] Of all the members of the League, Superman was the only one strong enough to fight and survive against Doomsday.
- Flight: Superman has the ability to fly at high speeds by manipulating the graviton particles around his body allowing him to defy gravity.[2]
- Heat Vision: Superman has the ability to fire beams of intense heat from his eyes, capable of burning through steel, destroying Parademons and bore into Darkseid's eye sockets. [2]
- Super Speed: Superman is capable of moving, reacting, running, and flying at near light-speed, though he limits his velocity on Earth to prevent environmental damage. While his reflexes aren't at Flash's level, Superman's natural mobility is able to just keep up with the speedster.
- Invulnerability: Superman is nearly indestructible, being able to take large amounts of damage without being injured, for example, he withstood all of Batman's weapons and took one of Darkseid's Omega Beams to the back. However, his invulnerability can be broken down by magic as Aquaman's magic-induced trident almost killed him. [2] He is also weak to Kryptonite (radioactive pieces of his home-world). Brief exposure can hurt him and prolonged exposure can injure or kill him.
- Accelerated Healing: Superman possess a limited, but rapid healing factor which is further enhanced by his exposure to direct sunlight. Despite being fatally wounded by Doomsday, he entered a regenerative coma, where he recovered from his wounds. Upon being exposed to the Sun, all of the injuries he had sustained during his fight with Cyborg Superman had instantaneously healed.
- X-Ray Vision: Superman has the ability to project harmless X-rays from his eyes, allowing him to see through solid objects with the exception of lead. He used this to see through Batman's smoke screen and look through Batman's mask to discover his identity.
- Underwater Breathing: While his physiology appears human, Superman is able to breath and speak clearly underwater without any aid and can handle the bottom depths pressure of the ocean unfazed.[1]
- Super Hearing: Superman's hearing is very sensitive, allowing him to detect even the faintest of sounds.
Appearances
Films
- Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
- Justice League: War
- Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
- Justice League vs. Teen Titans
- Justice League Dark
- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (mentioned)
- The Death of Superman
- Reign of the Supermen
Comic books
- The Death of Superman: Part 1
- "Power: Blowing Hot and Cold"
- "Power: Containment!"
- "Power: The Harder They Fall"
- "Power: Slugfest!"
- "Proof: Pitch"
- "Proof: Shots"
- "Proof: Into the Fire" (photo)
- "The Wake: Picking Up the Pieces" (flashback)
- "The Wake: Flashback" (flashback)
- "The Wake: Clyde" (flashback)
- "The Wake: Show Me!" (flashback)
Trivia
- Clark's codename of "Superman" was given to him by Lois Lane.
- In Reign of the Superman, Clark's new costume is based on his reborn suit.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Corson, Heath (writer) & Spaulding, Ethan (director) (January 27, 2015). Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Corson, Heath (writer) & Oliva, Jay (director) (February 4, 2014). Justice League: War.