Superman

Superman

Superman (Kryptonian name Kal-El, Earthly name Clark Kent, or Clark Joseph Kent) is the superhero, title character, and main protagonist of the Superman comic book series, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who first appeared in Action Comics Vol. 1 #1 in June 1938, becoming the first fictional hero created for a comic book. As a character, we are told how Kal-El, a baby born on the planet Krypton, was launched in a rocket to Earth from the doomed planet, the infant Kal-El landed near the town of Smallville, Kansas, where he was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a farming couple who found the crashed ship. They endowed their adopted son with a strong sense of compassion that would one day benefit the entire world. As Clark matured, the Earth's gravity (lighter than Krypton's) and the rays of the yellow sun helped his abilities recover, abilities he explored during a trip around the world in search of clues about his origins. He later designed a costume based on what he had learned of his Kryptonian heritage and adopted the name given to him by reporter Lois Lane, fighting for truth and justice as "Superman." Concealing his Superman identity, a painstaking task, Clark (who had developed a taste for journalism) landed a job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. There, he and Lois began as rivals but became partners and eventually fell in love until they were finally married.

Information

Real name Kal - The Current Alias: Superman Alias: Clark Joseph Kent, Superboy, Big Blue, Man of Steel, The Last Son of Krypton, The Wonder of Metropolis, the first and the best Relatives: Lois Lane (Wife) Jor-El (biological father, deceased) Lara Lor-Van (biological mother, deceased) Jonathan Kent (adoptive father) Martha Kent (adoptive mother) Kara Zor-El (cousin) Kon-El/Conner Kent (partial clone) Membership: League of Justice Daily Planet Headquarters: Metropolis Fortress of Solitude

Status

Alignment: Superhero, good Identity: Secret/Revealed Citizenship: United States Civil status: Married Occupation: Reporter

Characteristics

Gender: Male Height: 6' 3" (1.91 m) Weight: 224 lbs (102 kg) Eyes: Blues Hair: Black

Appearance

Superman is 6 feet 3 inches (1.92 m) and weighs 225 pounds (102 kg). His hair is wavy jet black, with a natural curl that falls over his forehead, and he has blue eyes. He is always drawn with the physique of a robust bodybuilder and a square "hero jaw" that gives him a noble appearance. His costume essentially consists of a pair of bright blue long underwear, red shorts and boots, a red cape, and a yellow belt. The famous Superman logo (the seal of his Kryptonian family) appears on his chest. Following the Flashpoint event, the Man of Steel's appearance was slightly altered but his most radical change was the new uniform that made his first appearance in the pages of "Justice League #1", designed by Jim Lee. At first glance it appears to be armor, but in reality it is Kryptonian clothing, made of extraterrestrial materials, that functions more like a containment suit than armor.

Personality

In the original stories by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was aggressive and tough. The character appeared to attack and terrorize beating husbands, loan sharks, a lynch mob, and gangsters, having "rather rough edges" and a more flexible moral code than we are used to today. Later writers softened the character and imbued him with idealism and exemplary moral conduct. Though lacking the cold-bloodedness of the early Batman, the Superman included in the 1930s comics was unconcerned with the harm his strength might cause, throwing evil characters around in such a way that deaths would presumably occur, though rarely shown explicitly on the page. This ended in the 1940s, when the new editor, Whitney Ellsworth, instituted a code of conduct for characters, which made it forbidden for Superman to kill. This change was reflected in the stories themselves, which occasionally recalled in dialogue that Superman had sworn never to take a human life and that if he did, he would retire. Superman currently adheres to a strict moral code generally attributed to the Western values ​​in which he was raised. His commitment to the law set an example for many other heroes, but generated resentment in others, who refer to him as 'the big blue boy scout'. Superman can be very rigid in his dealings, which causes tension within the superhero community, most notably with Wonder Woman (one of his closest friends) after she killed Maxwell Lord.

Upon losing his home on Krypton, Superman became very protective of Earth and especially his family and friends. The first loss combined with the pressure of having to use his powers responsibly caused him to feel alone on Earth despite his many friends, his wife, and his parents. Encounters with people who supposedly came from Krypton, like Power Girl and Mon-El, ended in nothing. The arrival of Supergirl, who was not only from Krypton but was also Superman's cousin, alleviated that loneliness a little. In the comic Superman/Batman #3 (December 2003) Batman observed the following: It's a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. However... he shoots fire from the sky and it's hard not to think of him as a god. We're lucky this doesn't happen to him. Later, when Infinite Crisis begins, Batman berates him for identifying too much with humanity and for not providing the strong leadership that superheroes need. Superman is also a bit of a loner, as, for much of his life, he does not reveal his true identity and powers, not even to his closest friends. Many times they come close to finding out on their own, but often he will implement an elaborate trick to trick them into believing that Clark Kent and Superman are completely different people. He is known to collect souvenirs of his adventures and his life housed within the Fortress of Solitude, and has even been known to have wax statues of all of his friends there.

Powers and Abilities

Powers: In his original conception and as presented in his earliest stories, Superman's powers were relatively limited, consisting of superhuman strength capable of lifting a car over his head, running at incredible speeds, and leaping a distance of four hundred meters in a single bound, as well as extremely tough skin that could not be pierced by anything weaker than an exploding artillery shell. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster compared this strength and jumping abilities to those of an ant and a grasshopper. When the Fleischer brothers were creating the animated series, they found it difficult to animate Superman jumping frequently, so they asked DC Comics to change his ability to flight. This was convenient, especially for filming shorts that would otherwise have spent valuable time moving Clark Kent from place to place. The writers gradually increased Superman's powers to much greater levels during the Silver Age, during which Superman could fly to other worlds and galaxies and even cross universes with relative ease. He would frequently fly across the solar system to stop meteors heading toward Earth, or even just to have a moment of peace. As a result, the same writers found it increasingly difficult to write stories in which Superman was believably challenged, and so DC made several attempts to rein in the character's abilities.

The most significant, carried out by John Byrne in 1986, established several insurmountable limits to his abilities: he can barely survive a nuclear impact and his space flight abilities are limited to his ability to hold his breath; later a notable weakness that would be attributed to him would be the power that magic has over him, so magical attacks and supernatural beings are capable of injuring him or putting him in mortal danger even if they are technically weaker than him. Superman's power levels have been increasing again since then and he now possesses the strength to throw mountains, withstand nuclear impacts with ease, fly into the Sun without suffering damage and survive the vacuum of space without oxygen. Changes in his powers and derivations have also been seen in the character's films, with the biggest change coming in the cartoons, as implied in "All Star Superman" when he carried the densest and heaviest object created by man on the Moon weighing 6.6 sextillion tons. He has also been shown to be faster than the speed of light in "Superman: The Movie" implying that the character is not only capable of turning back time, but traveling through time and even creating portals to parallel universes... In the Silver Age version, he was able to destroy an entire abandoned solar system with a single sneeze.

Kryptonian Physiology: Superman's cellular structure is far denser, more resilient, and more biologically effective than human tissue. Interestingly, he does not appear to possess superhuman levels of strength despite his increased cellular capacity as without his cellular structure being charged with solar yellow energy, his strength appears to be on par with an average human being. As an alien Superman possesses several organs whose functions are not yet known or understood but are believed to be part of and perhaps even the source of his bio-matrix force field and recovery aura. Superman's body also actively stores energy within his bio-cellular matrix as a pattern of energy that is related to his body's electromagnetic field. This energy powers most of Superman's electromagnetic abilities such as flight and heat vision. It also supplements his physical strength by a factor of 80 thousand times or so. Solar Energy Absorption: Technically, this is the primary source of Superman's powers. As a Kryptonian, Superman's cells absorb yellow solar energy, and this, in turn, fuels his powers and abilities. Superman's cells also store solar energy, allowing him to retain his powers under roofed structures or even at night, though he ultimately needs a yellow sun to recharge his powers. Superman can also absorb solar energies from other kinds of stars such as when he absorbed the solar energies of a blue star which increased his abilities to a higher degree and gave him additional abilities...he can perfectly absorb over a million exploding suns and become more powerful with all this energy.

Super Strength: The exact extent of Superman's strength is unknown. This is because the Man of Steel's strength, like his other abilities, has fluctuated over time. However, his effortless strength must be in the multi-megaton range, at the very least. While the exact extent of his strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that his strength easily exceeds the ability to lift 6.6 sextillion tons, but how much more is not exactly known. This makes Superman the strongest being on the planet and one of the strongest beings in the universe. More recently, he has been shown to be able to lift the weight of the Earth (approximately 6.6 sextillion tons) for five days while inside the Earth itself (and thus deprived of replenishing his solar energy reserves). In his Silver Age version, he was able to move an entire series of planets linked by a chain. He has been able to lift entire cities, planets, moons, or suns with ease... he was able to move the machinery of Armageddon with his colossal strength. On another occasion he was able to move a ship many times larger than the planet Earth together with the Martian Manhunter. Super Speed: Superman has the ability to move and fly incredibly fast through sheer force of will. Because of this, he has the ability to reach speeds faster than light. However, his exact limit is unknown, but it is shown that he is not as fast as Flash. While this fact is true, Superman can match most speedsters in his ability to perform super-fast movements, reactions, and processes.

He can use this power to disarm opponents with or without heightened reflexes, dodge and catch bullets, or cross great distances in a matter of seconds. He has been seen constantly running alongside the Flash at speeds of 2,000 kilometers per second (around Mach 9350). He has flown to the Moon in under two minutes, as well as flown to the Sun in under 8 minutes which is how long it takes for light to travel from the Earth to the Sun, proving that Superman is capable of traveling at speeds faster than light... about 200 times that to be exact. Invulnerability: Superman has complete immunity to almost all forms of damage and disease, including extreme strength and extremely high temperatures. The reason for this is because Superman possesses a super-dense molecular structure and a supercharged bio-electrical "aura" that acts as an invisible "force field" around his body to within a few millimeters of his skin. The proximity of this field to his skin means that loose clothing, for example, can be burned or damaged, while clothing that is form-fitting is protected by the "aura" it emits; this phenomenon is sometimes cited as the reason Superman wears a skin-tight suit.

His invulnerability has allowed him to withstand Darkseid's omega vision, a feat previously thought to be impossible. Superman has also withstood literal supernovas, and supernovas are millions of times more powerful than the sun, and to destroy the sun it is estimated that it takes 3,000,000,000 times the energy needed to destroy the Earth, and that already gives you an idea of ​​the Kryptonian's resilience, who can also hit with the force of a stellar explosion. However, the few times Superman did need medical attention, his resistance to damage complicated the procedures necessary to heal it, such as surgery. For example, when he was shot with a Kryptonite bullet, the surgeon was forced to expose him to the mineral in order to weaken his skin enough to make the incisions necessary to remove the bullet fragments. In some versions, this power slows his growth and increases as he ages, which is why he was sometimes considered immortal (in the epilogue of "The Kingdom Come" the hero is seen 1000 years later). In another DC version he manages to live until the 853rd century as a virtual deity. Flight: While Superman's body is charged with solar energy he is able to emit a gravitational field that allows him to defy gravity. His flight control is perfect and he can perform acrobatic feats such as hovering, flying backwards, and even lifting enormous amounts of weight while in flight. Thanks to his immense power he could fly at speeds much faster than light.

Super Stamina: Superman has the ability to sustain continuous vigorous physical action for an indefinite period. Theoretically, most incarnations of the character have unlimited stamina as their source of sustenance is produced from the solar energy processed by their cells. Superman, like other Kryptonians, does not tire and does not need to eat or sleep and can sustain himself solely on the solar energy he absorbs. He was once able to withstand an attack that was capable of vaporizing the entire universe. Super Hearing: Superman's ability to hear sounds from much farther distances than normal, including sounds or frequencies inaudible to humans. Superman is able to shut out most of these sounds in order to live normally and can focus on specific things, such as a person's voice or a heartbeat, even if they are in another part of the city. Like humans and most animals, he can detect his name in the middle of various conversations, which allows him to quickly respond to calls for help from anywhere in the city or even from a distant part of the Earth during his travels through hyperspace. Heat Vision: Superman's physiology can convert stored solar energy into highly concentrated beams of thermal energy that can reach temperatures comparable to those produced by stars. The two beams of energy released from his eyes are bright red, but at lower temperatures they can be made invisible, allowing him to use them undetected.

Superman has shown a high degree of skill and precision in manipulating his heat vision, being able to use this power with surgical precision and at microscopic levels. Superman can lobotomize or remove someone's psychic powers, as shown in his fight against the Elite when he cut off Manchester Black's mental powers. This ability is sometimes shown to be the most physically draining on him, as it uses up his solar energy reserves. Super Flare: This power is an evolved version of Superman's heat vision. Instead of focusing the energy through his eyes, the Super Flare allows Superman to release the energy of every cell in his body at once, resulting in a solar flare similar to an energy explosion. This energy release, which is like a small solar bomb, incinerates everything within a quarter mile radius. Using the power appears to be very taxing on Superman. The initial use causes the Man of Steel to pass out, something Batman himself says he has never seen from Superman. Despite being a great power, it has a side effect that completely drains the energy from his cells, leaving him temporarily powerless. Though his abilities should return once his cells recharge, a process that should take about a day, in theory. Super Vision: Superman's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and gives him great control over selective perception and focus. STAR Labs have not yet fully defined how Superman has been able to utilize his powerful senses, part of which is believed to be due to his natural physiology. Among this power are also:

Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Superman can see and identify radio and television signals, as well as all other transmitted frequencies. With this ability, Clark can avoid radar detection or satellite tracking methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living beings. Telescopic vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Although limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera. X-Ray Vision: Superman has the ability to see through solid objects with the exception of lead. However, Superman is able to take advantage of the element's opacity to do a wide scan of an area with his X-ray vision in which objects made of lead become immediately visible and then narrow his search to those specific locations. Kal-El is also able to focus his vision beyond the layers of matter, literally seeing "through" them. Possibly sensing X-rays, cosmic rays, and other forms of energy invisible to normal human vision, which pass through the Earth's atmosphere (and solid objects) after being emitted from stars. Microscopic vision: Superman's ability to see very small objects and images at the atomic level. Infrared Vision: Superman can see more acutely in the dark, and to some extent in complete darkness.

Super Sense of Smell: On several occasions, Superman has shown that his sense of smell is significantly heightened than that of an average person to the point where he can sniff out odors from across the entire planet. Super Scream: On one occasion, Superman was shown to have the ability to project a "super scream" from his vocal cords. He used this ability to neutralize the imminent threat of a nuclear explosion. Superman again used this power (or something similar) when he destroyed Darkseid's essence from the Miracle Machine by bellowing a chord at such a high frequency that it countered Darksied's own vibrational frequency, thus destroying his essence. Super Breath: This is the ability to inhale and exhale huge volumes of air with great force, capable of extinguishing large fires or moving heavy objects such as cars. It also allows him to hold his breath for long periods of time to survive in oxygen-depleted environments. Exhaling compressed air through a valve causes his temperature to drop radically. This is known as the Joule-Thomson effect and when Superman performs it it is often called 'Ice Breath', with which he can freeze objects at sub-zero temperatures. This is likely not a separate power, but an adjunct to his super strength and endurance, which give him unlimited cardiovascular capacity. Healing Factor: In the extreme case of Superman being harmed, whether by an alien or God matching his own strength, or some other event, the Man of Steel has demonstrated the ability to heal almost instantly from any injury, assuming the process is not impeded by some external factor, i.e. Kryptonite. This "healing factor" is supplemented by his solar energy reserves.

Super Intelligence: Superman possesses an intellect that is beyond the level of a genius. This is because the people of Krypton already had superior intellectual capacity, being a society thousands of years more advanced than Earth. In the presence of a yellow sun, Superman's intelligence is even greater, giving him superhuman intelligence and allowing his brain to function faster than a supercomputer. His intelligence has allowed him to create effective strategies and tactics to defeat his enemies in situations where he is exposed to Kryptonite, the Red Light, or enemies with magical powers. Eidetic Memory: Superman generally remembers everything he has seen, read, or heard in great detail. He is also often shown to be multilingual. This 'power' is shared by some real-life people, such as Kim Peek, but in Superman's case it is likely a result of his brain's lack of impairment and his mental ability to perceive events of superhuman speeds as if they had occurred at normal speeds.

Skills

Martial Arts Expert: Superman knows several martial arts disciplines, the most notable of which are Torquasm Rao and Torquasm Vo. The first prepares and adapts his body for combat, and the second prepares his mind, making him highly resistant to mind control and various Psychic attacks. In addition to these Kryptonian combat skills, Superman has trained with the best fighters on Earth, such as Wildcat and Wonder Woman, from whom he learned different fighting styles. He can even psychically dominate his opponents. Another fighter he learned from was Mongul who taught him to shed his self-limitation and to be more creative with his powers in order to be a better fighter. In the saga "The New Krypton" when Commander Gor another Kryptonian (from the miniature city of Kandor) challenges him, Kal-El fought on equal terms since both had the same abilities, however he ended up easily defeating his rival using only pressure points thanks to the fact that he learned this from the best martial artist in the world, Batman. Leadership: Superman has amply demonstrated his ability to command respect and inspire others with his charisma, enthusiasm, and idealism. He often serves as the primus inter pares of the Justice League.

Limiters: Throughout his life and power acquisition under a yellow sun, Superman has learned to place mental inhibitors on his own power. These "limiters", as he calls them, are used to keep his power in check so that he does not accidentally "flex and cause the tectonic plates to shift". Although it is known that he has placed several of these limiters within his own mind, it is unknown how powerful he would be if he chose to break free from all of them. To him, they are the barriers that allow him to be human enough to live a normal life, and he only sometimes releases one of these limiters in order to fight a particularly powerful opponent or in the accomplishment of a predominantly difficult task.