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" I don't know what hole you crawled out of, or where you came from... but I'm sending you back."
—Superman to Doomsday


Kal-El is the last born survivor of the planet, Krypton. When his parents, Jor-El and Laralearned that Krypton was doomed to be destroyed, they sent a baby Kal-El away 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-El 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 one of the founding member of the Justice League, fighting a never-ending battle for truth and justice.

Biography[]

Pre-Flashpoint[]

Born as Kal-El on the planet Krypton to Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. Krypton was on the edge of destruction by Apokoliptians during a conflict, and in an attempt to save their son, Jor-El and Lara placed him inside a homemade spaceship towards Earth, just moments before Krypton exploded. The ship landed in the American countryside, near the small town of Smallville, Kansas. There, he was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, giving him the name, Clark Kent. Clark displayed various superhuman abilities from the start as a young boy, such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His foster parents advised him to use his abilities for the benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as a vigilante. To protect his privacy, he changed into a colorful costume and used the alias "Superman", when fighting crime. After that, he moved to Metropolis and started to work as an investigative reporter for the local Daily Planet newspaper. Sometimes, he shared a bi-line with fellow reporter Lois Lane, who nicknamed him "Smallville". He later became a founding member of the Justice League as the superhero Superman, and eventually fell in love and married Lois Lane.

The Flashpoint Paradox[]

Superman JLFP Altered 001

Kal-El in Flashpoint.

In the alternate Flashpoint timeline, Superman was born as Kal-El. When his father, Jor-El realized that their planet Krypton was doomed, he and his wife Lara, sent Kal-El to Earth; where he crashed into Metropolis and was taken into captivity by the United States Government. Years later, he was released by The Flash, Batman, and Cyborg; 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 soldiers that he laid his eyes on. Horrified and afraid, he 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 a "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[]

Clark's personal history following Flash 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 adored by the world, unlike other superheroes who are feared and mistrusted by the population.

Justice League: War[]

"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

Superman vs Green Lantern and Batman.

Suspecting that Superman may have information of small devices known as Mother Boxes being planted by the Parademons, Batman and Green Lantern arrive in Metropolis in search of him, catching him in the process of 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’s 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 as the three heroes flee through the sewers below.

Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern hide out in an old warehouse in order to find out more of the Mother Box, until it begins 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, flying off to save it.

Superman meeting Wonder Woman

Superman meeting Wonder Woman.

As Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) 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 of the plane turbines to blow, leading to it plunging towards the ground, till Superman catches it while fighting the Parademons, seeing the outside footage, Wonder Woman is immediately smitten with him and assists him in fighting the creatures, impressing him with her strength.

Superman and Wonder Woman meet up with Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash as Shazam and Cyborg reach the scene, where Darkseid appears to continue the invasion. As the heroes fight off the invaders, Darkseid fires his Omega Beams at Superman and The Flash, where they brake at super speed, as the beams lock on the two. The Flash is able to escape one of the Omega Beams by leading it to other targets, such as the Parademons, but Superman isn't fast enough to escape the beams, gets knocked out completely, and begins to fall. A Parademon catches him and takes him to Apokolips. Batman then rushes to save Superman, leaving Green Lantern in charge of the team until he returns.

Superman is tortured by Desaad

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 in order to empower Darkseid's army, planning to do the same to the other heroes, until Batman arrives and frees him. As Parademons begin to attack Batman, Desaad tries to make a run from the battle for his own safety, but is grabbed by the now insane Superman, who snaps his neck. He then begins killing the arriving Parademons and then proceeds to attack Batman. Batman tries his best to break Superman out of the mental programming but to no avail.

"How dare you! I am Darkseid!"
"I don't care!
"
—Superman returning to confront Darkseid


As the rest of the team fight Darkseid, they manage to blind him, preventing him from firing his Omega Beams, Cyborg uses the boom tubes to send the creatures back. Darkseid refuses to retreat without a fight, but the heroes do their best 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.

Justice League

Justice League formed.

After the invasion, the heroes are congratulated by the President, as the team is personally glad that the people are no longer afraid of them. While Wonder Woman is happy to meet people she can relate to, she acknowledges to Superman that she has never met anyone like him, god or mortal, sparking a romance between them. Superman is pleased as they both look 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 asks whether they had a name. The newly formed group is annoyed when Shazam abruptly announces them as the "Super Seven" without the others' consent.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis[]

Superman kisses Wonder Woman

Superman kisses Wonder Woman.

Superman and Wonder Woman stand upon the top of the Temple of Athena in Athens, Greece. Wonder Woman states that they're not like the gods or the people. Superman says they're not like anyone, and Wonder Woman asks him if he's ever felt alone. He replies that he does, but he's learned a way to deal with it and he could show her how. They then share a kiss and fly into the sky together.

Later, Clark heads to a Greek restaurant on a date with Diana. She is surprised that their disguises work to hide in plain sight as one of the people. Superman corrects that it's not just to hide, but to be one of the people, and that they can just blend in together. Holding her hand, they have a romantic moment, until Lois Lane comes by and Clark introduces her to Diana. Lois tells her that she and Clark work closely together. Afterwards, when Shazam and Cyborg appear out of a portal outside, Superman and Wonder Woman leave to join their teammates.

At the Justice League headquarters in S.T.A.R. Labs, Superman and the rest of the League wait for Batman. They watch the attack on Cyborg and Wonder Woman informs the others about the story of Atlantis, but Green Lantern dismisses it as a fairy tale. Superman tells Wonder Woman that he believes her, which prompts Shazam to mock them by making smooching noises. Superman and Batman find an image of a man, identified as Arthur Curry, who’s half Atlantean. Superman and the League race to find Arthur and Atlantis. The Justice League find Arthur and together they fight the Trench.

The League meets Arthur Curry

The League meets Arthur Curry.

The Justice League is split into two groups, with Superman heading to Atlantis with Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Arthur and Mera. Superman and his group watch as Arthur grieves for his dead mother, the Atlantean Queen. Superman makes enemies with Orm, Arthur's half-brother who is revealed to be the murderer of Arthur's mother. The team fights Orm and Black Manta, but Orm defeats them by trapped them in sea eggshells. Arthur sets himself free from his eggshell and sees Mera, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Cyborg getting eaten by the sea monster. Arthur breaks Superman's eggshell and pulls him out. Superman uses his heat vision to cut the tentacles to save his teammates and Mera. Superman fights the sea monster, while Arthur took the others to safety. Superman kills the sea monster and helps Arthur set the others free. Cyborg tells the team that they must return to land, due to Orm and the Atlanteans attacking Metropolis. Superman battles many Atlanteans and Orm, but Orm ultimately overpowers him.

Cyborg then broadcasts the truth of Orm's conspiracy and being the true murderer of Queen Atlanna, to all the Atlanteans. Mera calls Orm a liar, and reveals that she was there when Orm murdered their Queen. After the battle, Superman and the rest of the Justice League return to Atlantis to watch Arthur be coronated as King of Atlantis. Superman asks Wonder Woman on another date, to which she replies only if she can find her glasses. Superman and the team believe there are more potential threats, and invite Arthur to the team, to which he agrees, but Shazam gives Arthur the codename of "Aquaman", which Arthur disliked.

Justice League vs. Teen Titans[]

Superman along with the rest of the Justice League (minus Green Lantern, Shazam, Aquaman) attend the opening of their new headquarters, The Hall of Justice, until the Legion of Doom ambushes them, leading to a fight where they easily dispatch them. When Weather Wizard attempts to escape, he’s suddenly possessed by one of Trigon's corruptors, granting him actual magical powers over weather, Superman goes off to fight him but is unable to defeat him, since his weakness is magic, untill Robin uses the Batwing to knock Weather Wizard out. Wonder Woman ties Weather Wizard up with her Lasso of Truth, which forces the entity out of him, leaving him with no memory of what occured.

After being corrupted by one of Trigon's wraiths, Superman flies to an unknown desert, burrows into the ground, and raises an ancient machine to the surface. Robin is then confronted by the corrupted Superman in the desert, while in the air holding Robin, Robin removes a shard of Kryptonite from his utility belt and stabs him with it, causing Superman to crash into the desert with him, expelling the entity. Superman then asks Robin politely to remove the Kryptonite from him. He then praises Starfire, saying that it was a good call bringing the Teen Titans in to help and tells them to rescue Raven, while he deals with Wonder Woman and The Flash. When confronted by the corrupted Flash, unable to catch him, Superman apologizes to him before snapping his left leg to break one of the entities' hold on him. Flash is naturally unhappy about his choice of limb. As Trigon continues his destruction, Flash tells Superman that it would take an hour for him to heal, to which Superman rebuffs that he has ten minutes. He then engages the possessed Wonder Woman in battle, eventually confining her with the Lasso of Truth and compels her to say who she is, which forces the entity to leave her body. He 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 Titans for stopping Trigon, after Raven traps him in his crystal and saving the world.

Justice League Dark[]

Superman is present during the Justice League's meeting at the Hall of Justice about the strange supernatural occurrences, 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 later uses her magic to remove the spell following Destiny's defeat and the Dreamstone's destruction.

The Death of Superman[]

Superman effortlessly defeats Bruno Manheim and his team, Intergang while they’re robbing a bank and frees their hostages, the Mayor and his wife. He confiscates their Apokoliptian technology and trusts Cyborg with sending them to S.T.A.R 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, 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.

Later on, Superman meets with Cyborg and his father, Dr. Silas Stone, at S.T.A.R. Labs. Dr. John Henry Irons (who reveals that Superman once 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, but Luthor denies any involvement.

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 doesn’t impress her, as it proves he’s 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’s fine being called Diana since she doesn’t 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’s getting married. Superman’s surprised to learn his fiancée, Iris West, has known about him being Flash for years. Aquaman tells him that this isn’t a matter to speak about after marriage, adding to Superman's concerns regarding him and Lois.

When a destructive monster begins a murderous rampage, the Justice League arrive but are brutally defeated, where the Martian Manhunter’s telepathy reveals the creature to be a living weapon designed to annihilate entire civilizations. As the monster heads for Metropolis, Batman notes that their last hope is the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Clark and Lois meet for lunch at a restaurant owned by Bibbowski, where Clark finally reveals himself as Superman to a shocked Lois. The two resolve their differences until Clark receives the Justice League’s distress call. He arrives just in time to save Wonder Woman from the rampaging creature.

Lois, reporting live by helicopter with her cameraman Jimmy Olsen, dubs the monster "Doomsday" as his fight with Superman rages through Metropolis, reaching the Hall of Justice. A battlesuit-clad Luthor joins the fight against Doomsday, aiming to become Metropolis’ “true savior,” but he is incapacitated and saved by Superman. Realizing the toll the battle has taken on Superman, Lois attempts to sacrifice herself to Doomsday to force Superman into using lethal force. As the beast prepares to kill Lois, Superman hurls himself at Doomsday, ultimately breaking the villain’s neck, but is fatally stabbed at that moment, dying in Lois’ arms. Jimmy broadcasts Superman's death across the globe as the world mourns.

In the aftermath of the vicious battle, Superman is given a hero's funeral and a statue to commemorate him in Metropolis Park. His funeral is attended by a large portion of the city, the Justice League, and even Lex Luthor, who uses a eulogy to remember and honor Superman much to Wonder Woman's anger, believing this to be an egotistical PR stunt. His coffin is then interned within the statue itself.

Several days later, Lois and Jimmy are called to the statue in the park, late in the evening. They both look in shock and horror, as the door and coffin of the memorial statue has been opened with no body inside. On lookers then gasp in awe at the sky, as they see a silhouette hovering over them wear a red cape, before flying off. This leaves Lois in a state of shock and wondering, has Superman returned?

Reign of the Supermen[]

Four new Supermen have appeared in the six months since Doomsday's attack. A younger version of Superman, 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, who takes a couple of pictures of Steel. The Eradicator attacks some weapon smugglers and takes their weapons. Cyborg Superman redirects the rocket missile from South Kasnia to space, preventing it to reach North Kasnia.

5D294E40-51F9-4074-B315-CC587FF3A1B2

Superman's Rebirth.

After locating the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, Steel enters the structure and finds 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’s alive he’s greatly depowered and doesn't know if his powers will ever return.

At the same time, Lois and Luthor see a broadcast from inside Cyborg Superman's mind, revealing Darkseid's plans to invade and that he had orchestrated the deaths of both Superman and the Justice League in response to the failure of his previous attempt. Lois and Luthor form a plan just as Superman, Steel, and Superboy head to Metropolis.

When Cyborg Superman begins the invasion, using the Cyber Corps to open a giant boom tube over Metropolis as the real Superman heads towards him. Henshaw betrays Darkseid and closes the boom tube, stopping the invasion so he can personally kill Superman and orders the drones to attack Metropolis just as Superman arrives. The battle is one-sided, as Superman’s not yet at full strength, as Cyborg Superman reveals that he blames Superman for not being there to save him and his wife from the Excalibur space shuttle disaster. Meanwhile, Luthor uses the Mother Box to free the Justice League, who were imprisoned in another dimension, to help Steel and Superboy defeat the drones. Cyborg Superman launches the Watchtower into orbit to prevent the League from aiding Superman and Lois. With Superman nearly defeated, Lois opens the Watchtower's window shutters, allowing the Sun's yellow rays shine on Superman, bringing him back to full power. Superman defeats Henshaw with help from the Eradicator, in the form of one of the Fortress' crystals, which injects the Eradicator's program into Henshaw's brain, destroying him from within. With Cyborg Superman dead, the battle ends when the drones are deactivated, although all of the people who were turned into drones die in the process.

Weeks later, Clark Kent is revealed to be alive, with the cover story of having been stranded off grid during Doomsday's attack, while the real Superman, donning a new suit, is welcomed back to the world with open arms. Sometime later, Superman and the Justice League meet up at the Watchtower and begin to plan out a way to finally end the war with Darkseid, by taking the battle to Apokolips. Superman then watches as Luthor enters the Watchtower, inviting himself to the fight.

Batman: Hush[]

Batman V

Superman battles Batman under Ivy's control.

As Poison Ivy is in Metropolis, she somehow gets the attention of Superman and utilizes a synthetic Kryptonite lipstick to get him under her control. She then uses him in an attempt to kill Batman and Catwoman, but he resists the urge, before he's kissed again by Ivy. This results in a fight between him and Batman in the sewers, where he is initially beaten down by Batman, wearing Kryptonite brass knuckles. The fight leads to the streets above, near the Daily Planet, where Superman gains the upper hand on Batman.

He soon hears the sounds of Lois Lane yelling for his help. She has been captured by Catwoman in hopes of breaking him of the mind control. Initially failing to work, Catwoman tosses Lois off the building, which causes him to snap out of the control and save Lois. Though Lois notices the lipstick, Superman simply says he blacked out for that part and that he'd explain everything later. Superman then helps Batman and Catwoman confront Ivy, though she attempts to flee, Catwoman was able to knock her out.

Although he makes his displeasure of endangering Lois quite clear to Batman, the Dark Knight knew he'd save her. Catwoman tosses the lipstick to Batman, examining it, indicating it to be a synthetic version of Kryptonite. Superman questions who made it, so they interrogate Ivy. After Catwoman threatens to cut her throat, Ivy reveals the name, Hush, to the trio. Superman then takes her to Arkham Asylum.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War[]

Determined to end the threat of Darkseid once and for all, Superman gathered the entire Justice League and their allies to mount a direct assault on the planet of Apokolips. Despite Lex Luthor, John Constantine, and Flash voicing their dismay that the plan was extremely risky, Superman believed that sooner rather than later, Darkseid would come for Earth again, so Superman insisted that they'd strike now. However, unbeknownst to the League, Darkseid was listening in on their plan through Cyborg's Apokoliptian technology. After the briefing, he talked with Lois Lane, telling her to be safe, and that he loved her. The Justice League departed for Apokolips, while the Teen Titans were assigned to remain on Earth to defend it. Upon arrival, the League was immediately attacked by a massive army of Paradooms, genetic hybrids of Parademons and Doomsday. Despite their best efforts, the heroes were utterly decimated, as most of them were either killed or captured to serve under Darkseid's slavery. Superman was among those captured, as Darkseid tortured anf injected his body with liquified Kryptonite that formed Superman's symbol on his chest, which left him in a depowered state yet sparing his life, wanting Superman to live knowing that his failed plan costed his teammates' lives. After the invasion of Earth and the deaths of the Teen Titans, Superman appeared at Titans Tower, preventing Raven from committing suicide, with the two consoling each other and lamenting over their teammates' deaths.

Superman-Strapped-For-A-Depowering-Punishment
Superman-Let-Me-Ease-Your-Pain

Two years later, Earth has been taken over by Darkseid's forces and is left a barren wasteland. Clark and Raven confront John Constantine in a London pub with Etrigan the Demon, who's drinking his sorrows away, wanting to recruit him for their mission. Constantine initially refuses, blaming Clark for things going completely wrong, but eventually agrees to join them, due to his overwhelming guilt over the death of his lover, Zatanna. They ask Constantine to use his magic to locate Damian Wayne, and upon locking on his location, they head to a League of Assassins outpost. Damian meets with the group, but expresses a cold resentment towards Clark, knowing from the start that his plan would fail, and blames him for costing him his father and his teammates. Clark and Raven wish to ask Damian to help Batman break free from Darkseid's programming, and Damian reluctantly agrees. With Damian on board, the group head to Metropolis to meet with Lois Lane, who has gained the support of the Suicide Squad for their operation.

After going over their plan to destroy Apokolips, the resistance forces head to LexCorp, the location of the only boom tube, their only means of traveling to Apokolips. Due to his depowered state, Kal-El leaves most of the fighting to the others. When they’re confronted by Lex Luthor, Raven momentarily loses control of Trigon after seeing Luthor hurt Damian, but Clark manages to talk her back into control before she kills Luthor. When Luthor joins the resistance forces' side, he gives them anti-Kryptonian weapons for their battle against the Paradooms, and lends Clark his anti-Kryptonian battle suit, which was ironically created to kill him. From here, the forces split into two teams: Clark, Constantine, Raven, Robin and Etrigan head to Apokolips, while Luthor, Lois, and the Suicide Squad stay behind to defend the boom tube from the Paradooms.

Superman-Lets-Keep-Moving

Soon after infiltrating Apokolips, the group is confronted by Darkseid's Furies, consisting of Wonder Woman, Mera, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman and Starfire, who were brainwashed to become Darkseid's servants, while their torn bodies were cybernetically restored. Clark blames himself for what happened to them and apologizes. After Constantine uses his magic to break Wonder Woman's mind control, she fights off the other Furies while the group continue with the mission. After saving Flash from his role as the planet's power generator, they come across Cyborg, who’s been permanently fused with Apokolips itself, as Constantine freeing him of his programming causes the planet's technology to be shut down, saving the other Furies from their mind control. When Darkseid arrives, Kal-El angrily attacks him, but is easily brushed aside without his powers.

When Robin is seemingly killed by Darkseid, an enraged Raven loses control of Trigon, who emerges and chooses Kal-El as his host, before killing Constantine. Trigon burns out the liquid Kryptonite from the depowered Clark, as he fights and gains the upper hand against Darkseid. While fighting, Lois tries contacting Clark, who manages to reach him to deliver her last message to him, as she’s about to be blown up on LexCorp. Lois tells him she loves him as she dies in an explosion, which drives Kal-El to force Trigon out of his body and regain control of it. This successfully restores Superman's powers to their peak, using the residual magic to fully repair his superhero suit.

Superman-Trigons-Possessive-Target

Completely restored, Superman engages in a vengeful battle with Darkseid, enraged at the conqueror for taking everything from him, and manages to force him on the defensive. The other heroes with Cyborg, hatch a plan to escape to Earth as well as trap Darkseid and his forces in a black hole, but Batman refuses to leave Superman behind, despite Darkseid needing to be distracted. Constantine and Raven combine their magic to grant Trigon a physical form, as he takes over the battle, ordering Superman to leave unless he wants to get through him to get to Darkseid. As Darkseid is overwhelmed by Trigon, Cyborg goes through with his plan to send Superman and the heroes to Earth, the Paradooms to Apokolips, and sending Apokolips into a black hole, along with Darkseid, Trigon, and himself. Cyborg's plan goes through, and the heroes are safely transported to Earth.

Superman-Ultimate-Skirmish

The Justice League is victorious, but lament over their failures and losses. Batman announces that while the Reapers have been destroyed, the damage has been done, and Earth's population is doomed. Superman remains optimistic and tries to inspire the League to work on saving the planet. During this, Constantine convinces Flash to reset the timeline and create a second Flashpoint, explaining that any changes would be better than their current situation. Superman, along with the remaining League members, watches as the universe is erased in front of them.

Personality[]

In Justice League: 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’s much more humble and calmer by the time he’s 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 Justice League: 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 The 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. Despite his flaws, he still does his best to represent optimism and American patriotism, hoping to inspire humanity to do good and help their fellow man.

Due to numerous attempted invasions of Earth by Darkseid, Superman gradually started to grow more unhinged and frustrated. He allowed his emotions to guide him and recklessly endangered his team members in an attempt to defeat Darkseid rather than wait longer to plan. However he knew that Darkseid was simply too powerful and that the universe's doom would come anyways and any amount of planning would only prolong the doom. Even after being stripped of his powers, Superman remains optimistic that the remainders of team can still defeat Darkseid. His determination and indomitable will pay off as rescuing the Flash gave them another opportunity to defeat Darkseid with another Flashpoint.

Powers and Abilities[]

Superman vs Darkside

Superman battles Darkseid.

Powers[]

Kryptonian Physiology: Superman possesses incredible superhuman abilities when exposed to yellow solar radiation: 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 his key attributes and capabilities go beyond the extraordinary as pointed out by Wonder Woman.

  • 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.
    • Superhuman 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.[1] Of all the members of the League, Superman was the only one strong enough to fight and survive against Doomsday.
    • Superhuman Speed: Superman is capable of flying, reacting, and running 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.
    • Super-Breath: Superman is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
    • Freeze Breath: Superman is also have the ability to generate from within oneself ice/cold and release them from the mouth.
    • Super-Hearing: Superman's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
    • Nigh-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 Trident almost killed him. Sufficient enough physical strength can also harm him, such as when a strike from a Trigon-possessed Weather Wizard gave him a bloody nose.[1] Doomsday, another being of extreme strength, was able to make Superman bleed. He’s also weak to Kryptonite (radioactive remnants of Krypton); brief exposure can hurt him and prolonged exposure can kill him.
    • Accelerated Healing: Superman possesses a limited, but rapid healing factor which is further enhanced by his exposure to direct sunlight. Despite being fatally wounded by Doomsday, he survived and entered into a healing coma, where he slowly recovered from his grievous wounds. Upon being exposed to the sun's rays, all of the injuries he had sustained during his fight with Cyborg Superman had instantaneously healed.
    • 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 can project beams of intense heat from his eyes, capable of burning through steel, destroying Parademons and bore into Darkseid's eye sockets.[2]
    • X-Ray Vision: Superman has the ability to 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.
    • Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
    • Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
    • Self-Sustenance/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.[3]Superman doesn't need to eat or sleep so long as he has enough solar energy (but is still capable of doing so), and doesn't require oxygen to breathe.

Abilities[]

  • Enhanced Intelligence: Superman's brain can process things at a faster rate than normal human beings. His intelligence is also extremely high, but not higher than the likes of Batman and Lex Luthor.
  • Expert Combatant: Superman is known to utilize hand-to-hand combat most of the time, as he uses his powers against his foes. During combat situations, Superman makes use of an improvised fighting style that relies on overwhelming force and speed. He spent time training with Diana in combat simulations at the Hall of Justice, improving his skills. Clark managed to defeat and subdue a possessed Flash and Wonder Woman. Despite his weakened state, he was able to hold his own against Cyborg Superman for a while. Even without powers, he took out an armed military guard during a siege at Lexcorp.
  • Intimidation: Superman is indeed a powerful force and when engaging the Trenchers for the first time, he caused an impact crater, taking a couple of them out with his eyes glowing red with his heat vision and ordering the invading forces to retreat. This was enough to send the Trenchers back to their home.

Weaknesses[]

  • Kryptonite: Superman is vulnerable to the effects of Kryptonite, a radioactive crystalline substance originating from his destroyed home world of Krypton. The mineral's radiation affects him almost instantaneously, robbing him of his powers and causes him great pain, and prolonged exposure will eventually kill him. He’s also susceptible to synthetic Kryptonite, which Poison Ivy exploited via a synthetic Kryptonite lipstick combined with her pheromones, enthralling Superman. After Darkseid injected him with liquid Kryptonite, Clark lost all his powers. He regained them after Trigon possessed him and purged all Kryptonite from his body.
  • Magic: Superman's invulnerability provides no protection against magic. As such, enchanted weapons and magic spells affect him as easily as they would a normal human, such as Wonder Woman's sword or Aquaman's trident. He is also vulnerable to Shazam's divine lightning. He was notably harmed by a possessed Weather Wizard as well, due to him being possessed by a demon channeling the magical power of Trigon. Superman was also affected by Destiny's dark magic, driving insane and causing him to attempt to kill Batman. Zatanna was able to use her magic to stop him however. He is also vulnerable to demonic possession, such as when a demon possessed him to serve Trigon. The possession can be broken if the host body is damaged, which Robin exploited by stabbing Superman with a piece of Kryptonite to free him. The second time he was possessed he was able to expel Trigon out after Lois died.
  • Solar Energy Dependency: Superman's abilities will eventually weaken without replenishing his energy reserves with yellow solar radiation, especially if he doesn't have any direct contact with yellow sunlight.
    • Red Solar Radiation: Red solar radiation replaces the higher-yield yellow solar energy in Superman's cells, robbing him of the fuel for his powers and rendering him mortal.
  • Lead: Though this isn’t a physical weakness to Superman, his X-ray vision cannot penetrate lead. Ironically, lead is also used to block the radiation Kryptonite gives off.

Equipment[]

  • Superman Suit: Superman's costumes are shown to be as inhumanly durable as he is and therefore can withstand almost any form of damage, with only the strength of beings of similar physical power or attacks of supernatural nature having the capacity to cause so much as a tear on the fabric.
  • Earpiece: Superman wears a standard issued ear-piece to keep in contact with the Justice League.
  • Solar Suit: Superman wore a solar suit after his rebirth, which aided in his revitalization process. The suit is made from a black durable material, consisting of a chrome "House of El" family crest, as well as cuffs.
  • Lexosuit: Superman wore one of Lex Luthor's warsuits equipped with Kryptonite weapons to fight the Paradooms.

Appearances[]

Films[]

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)

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Clark's codename of "Superman" was given to him by Lois.
  • In Reign of the Superman, Clark's new costume is based on his Superman: Reborn suit.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Corson, Heath (writer) & Oliva, Jay (director) (February 4, 2014). Justice League: War.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Corson, Heath (writer) & Oliva, Jay (director) (February 4, 2014). Justice League: War.
  3. Corson, Heath (writer) & Spaulding, Ethan (director) (January 27, 2015). Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.
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