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{{Infobox character
{{Character_Box
 
|name = Superman
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|name=
|image = [[File:Superman.jpg|250px]]
+
|image=Superman00.jpg
|Real Name = Clark Joseph Kent (Legal/Kal-El (Birth)
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|real_name=Clark Kent,<br />Kal El
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|age=Adult
|Current Alias = Jon Clark<br>Superfool (by [[Uthool]])<br>Sups (by [[Lobo]])<br>The Man of Stand Up (by [[Lex Luthor]])<br>Leadhead (by [[Gorilla Grodd]])<br/>Superman<br>The Man of Steel<br>Last Son of Krypton<br>Man Of Tomorrow<br>World's Strongest Man<br>Big Blue Boyscout<br>Kal<br>Superboy<br>Clark<br>Homer Ramsey
 
  +
|morals=Heroes
|AKA = The Man of Steel
 
  +
|being=Alien
|Species = Kryptonian
 
 
|affiliation=[[Justice League]]
|Gender = Male
 
 
|voice=[[Jason J. Lewis]]
|Hair = Black
 
  +
}}
|Eyes = Black
 
  +
A major superhero, and member of the [[Justice League]].
|Relatives = Jor-El (biological father),<br>Lara-El (biological mother),<br>Jonathan Kent (adoptive father),<br>Martha Kent (adoptive mother),<br>[[Supergirl]] (cousin)<br/>Superboy (brother and sidekick)<br/>[[Bizarro]] (doppelgänger)<br/>Super Brainz (parody)
 
|Status = Alive
 
|Occupation = Hero<br>Reporter<br>Member of the Justice League<br>
 
Protector of Earth and the Universe
 
|Affiliation = [[Justice League]]
 
|Base Of Operations = [[Fortress of Solitude]]<br>[[Metropolis]]<br>Smallville (formerly)<br>Krypton (formerly)<br>[[Hall of Justice]] (formerly)<br>[[Watchtower]]
 
|Abilities = Kryptonian Physiology<br>Solar Energy Absorption<br>Superhuman Strength, Speed, Stamina, Agility, Durability, Jumping, and Reflexes, Invulnerability, Telescopic and Microscopic Vision, Heat Vision, X-Ray Vision, Super-Hearing, Super Breath, Freeze Breathe, and Flight
 
|Weaponry =
 
|First Appearance = [[Power Outage]] ([[Shazam Slam]])
 
|Voiced By = [[Jason J. Lewis]]}}
 
{{quote|Truth, Justice, and the American Way!|Superman in [[Play Date]]}}
 
'''Superman''' is one of the founding members of the Justice League.
 
   
==History==
+
==Description==
  +
[[Superman]] is one of the main characters in the show and appears in two-thirds of the episodes. He is tall with dark hair and is the most heavily built of the superheroes. His build may indicate that he is middle-aged but his voice would suggest that he is younger. As a person, Superman is mild mannered, friendly, agreeable and is unconvincing when he tries to be nasty. His costume is the traditional blue one with red boots, yellow belt, large red cape, and 's' symbol across the chest but the red 'underpants' have gone.
Kal-El was an infant sent to Earth by his parents, Jor-El and Lara-El, prior to the destruction of their home planet Krypton. Kal-El's capsule landed near Smallville,  Kansas where he was found by Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent and subsequently took a liking to both of them. The Kents adopted the young Kryptonian, naming him "Clark" after Martha's maiden name.
 
   
  +
===Powers===
As a youth growing up in Smallville, Clark encountered Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Chameleon Boy prior to discovering the full extent of his powers. During this incident, he aided the trio in stopping Brainiac who had travelled back in time from the 30th century to kill Clark before he could become Superman.
 
  +
We are told that Superman's home world was the planet Krypton (which has been destroyed) but, now that he now lives on Earth, the effect of the rays of the yellow Sun (as opposed to those of the red sun of Krypton) have greatly amplified his physical powers. He appears to be the strongest of the superheroes, though we do not see him moving anything as heavy as a planet, and is also the toughest and able to win a fist fight with the god-like [[Darkseid]]. His body is impervious to bullets and is invulnerable to most other harms. His speed is equal to that of [[Flash|The Flash]] though the latter is more subtle in its use. His lungs enable him to blow with immense force, and the sheer cooling draft can cause things to freeze. He can also suck a large volume of gas into his lungs and blow it out again.
   
  +
Superman's senses are also greatly enhanced. His hearing is acute and can detect very quiet or very distant sounds even over the top of noise. He can see things at immense distances and also down to microscopic levels, as well as being able to see through solid objects. His vision is so intense that he can emit red heat beams from his eyes that can melt the toughest substances, and frequently uses this ability.
To keep his identity sealed, he moved to Metropolis. There, he startef working under his name as Clark Kent. He also adopted a mild-manner uncharismatic personality to mask his true heroic nature, something that also becomes a problem as due to this he is rarely acknowledged by his love interest [[Lois Lane]]. Along with [[Batman]] and [[Wonder Woman]], they founded and established the [[Justice League]].
 
   
  +
[[File:Superman01.jpg|128px]]
== Biography ==
 
Sent to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton as a baby, Kal-El was found by farmers, Martha and Jonathan, who raised him as their son Clark. As Clark grew up, the radiation from Earth's yellow sun gave him extraordinary powers which he kept hidden. Now fully grown, he uses his powers to protect his adopted world as Superman!
 
   
  +
More unusual are the abilities to fly through the air and to travel through space, and in the latter case, Superman is not affected by the lack of air. He can travel to other star systems in a surprisingly short time.
== Background ==
 
   
  +
All of this is achieved by storing the Sun's yellow energy in his body, and, in any situation where this is not available, his super energy will still be effective for a while until it runs out.
== Personality ==
 
   
 
===Weaknesses===
== Powers and Abilities ==
 
  +
For someone with such superhuman abilities, Superman has a surprising number of vulnerabilities. He is incapacitated by exposure to the green variety of [[kryptonite]] (the radioactive remains of Krypton) of which there appears to be a never-ending supply to be used by his enemies. The other, rarer varieties of this substance have more unusual effects. A lead-lined suit is available for him to use which can block kryptonite rays. When exposed to the rays of a red sun, Superman loses his powers - but not immediately - and weapons based on this can inflict injury upon him. He can be infected by microscopic nano-bots which can drain his super energy and threaten his life. Mind control (like that practised by the [[Martian Manhunter]]) can be used, for instance, to make him lose consciousness, and like most non-supernatural beings he is helpless against magic. He has difficulty getting the better of other super-powered Kryptonians and can be punched and knocked out by an equally powerful opponent like [[Mongul]].
* '''Kryptonian Physiology: '''As a Kryptonian, Superman possesses immense, seemingly godlike powers under a yellow sun, the Man of Steel is invulnerable and has the powers of super-strength, super-speed, and flight. He also has enhanced senses which include heat vision, X-ray vision, super-hearing, and super-breath.
 
* '''Solar Energy Absorption: '''Under optimal conditions, this is main source of Superman's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. His biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and his bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is storied for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
 
* '''Superhuman Strength: '''Superman possesses incredible superhuman strength, allowing him to easily able to bend steel, crush coal into diamond, punch through walls, produce powerful shock-waves by clapping his hands, and lift far in excess 100 tons. He is considered to be the strongest member of the [[Justice League]] and the strongest being on Earth.
 
* '''Superhuman Speed:''' Superman can move at incredibly fast speeds.
 
* '''Superhuman Stamina:''' Superman is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time.
 
* '''Superhuman Agility and Reflexes:''' Along with super speed, Superman has very fast reflexes and agility.
 
* '''Superhuman Durability: '''Superman can survive extremely powerful blows without a visible scratch from people such as Lobo, Mongul, etc.
 
* '''Superhuman Longevity: '''Superman can potentially live indefinitely with little to no ageing to his being, so long as he continuously retains enough yellow solar radiation in his body.
 
* '''Superhuman Jumping: '''Superman can jump higher than buildings.
 
* '''Superhuman Hearing: '''Superman can hear sounds of far greater distances and with more detail than any average human.
 
* '''Self-Sustenance: '''He does not need to eat or sleep (but is still capable of doing so) and doesn't require oxygen to breathe, enabling him to travel in space and underwater unprotected.
 
* '''Invulnerability:''' Superman is nigh-invulnerable, and can withstand almost any form of harm, hence his nickname the "Man of Steel". He is also immune to earthly diseases and toxins.
 
* '''Flight:''' Superman is capable of unaided flight.
 
* '''Enhanced Vision: '''Superman's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
 
** '''Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: '''Superman can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. He can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living thing.
 
** '''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.
 
** '''Heat Vision:''' Superman can project beams of intense heat from his eyes.
 
** '''X-Ray Vision:''' Superman can see through most solid objects.
 
** '''Microscopic Vision: '''This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
 
** '''Infrared Vision:''' Superman can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
 
* '''Super Breath: '''Superman is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
 
* '''Freezing Breath: ''' He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets.
 
* '''Survival in Space:''' As a result of his Kryptonian physiology, Kal can survive the vacuum of space.
 
   
  +
===Family and residences===
== Skills ==
 
  +
Superman's original Kryptonian name was Kal El but, when he came to Earth, he adopted the family name of his foster parents to become Clark Kent and grew up on their farm near Smallville in Kansas. We occasionally see him in this everyday identity and he currently works in [[Metropolis]] for the Daily Planet newspaper alongside [[Lois Lane]], [[Jimmy Olsen]], and others.
* '''Expert Combatant: '''Due to having superpowers all his life and constantly engaging in battle with various foes, Superman has over time become an excellent hand-to-hand fighter utilizing a fighting style that directly complements his superpowers. Superman's combat versatility allows him to adapt to nearly any foe and beat them.
 
* '''Genius Level Intellect: '''He has shown incredible intelligence and computation abilities; his mind works sharply and with extreme speed relative to earth-humans. Superman's analytical powers enable him to read information directly from machines (and, with careful usage of his heat vision, he can even reprogram machines).
 
* '''Indomitable Will: '''Superman has shown to have a powerful spirit, free of corruption and temptation. Having been raised by a kindly Kansas farmer and his wife, he was taught to protect life and help others. He is very optimistic and never gives up, even when things look bad. Superman has learned how to place mental inhibitors on his own power so that he doesn't accidentally "flex and cause the tectonic plates to shift." To him, they are the barriers that allow him to feel human enough to live a healthy life, and he only ever releases one of them when fighting a particularly powerful opponent or performing a difficult task.
 
* '''Torquasm Vo: '''Torquasm Vo is a Kryptonian discipline that Superman uses sometimes. It is basically a mean of focusing ones mental discipline to help fight adverse effects such as mental domination. It can be used to manipulate someone's mind. Superman used that ability during his fight against the Eradicator. It was used to create an illusion to let Superman enter inside the Eradicator.
 
* '''Torquasm Rao: '''A heavy-hitting martial art from Krypton. Allows him to tap into his instincts and separate himself from his body. Makes him able to prevent others from manipulating his mind and allows him to fight on the astral plane.
 
* '''Investigating: '''Both as a superhero and as a journalist, Superman is an expert at investigation and gathering evidence.
 
* '''Journalism: '''Clark is one of the best reporters on the ''Daily Planet'', rivaled only by his wife Lois Lane. He gained a Pulitzer Prize at least in one occasion.
 
* '''Leadership: '''Superman has proven many times over his ability to command respect and inspire others with his charisma, ardor, and idealism. He often serves as the ''primus inter pares ''of the Justice League.
 
* '''Ventriloquism: '''Used to practice in high school.
 
* '''Photographic Memory: '''He could learn surgery in minutes by reading the appropriate books, and re-build an exploded computer by recalling where each component was. Superman's data processing speed is equivalent to a TRS-80.
 
* '''Aviation: '''Superman piloted the Supermobile on occasions when he was deprived of his super-powers.
 
* '''Charisma '''
 
* '''Disguise'''
 
   
  +
[[File:Superman02.jpg|128px]]
== Weaknesses ==
 
'''Kryptonian Physiology: '''Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Superman possesses the same potential weaknesses as an average Kryptonian. These include:
 
* '''Solar Energy Dependency: '''Kryptonian abilities will eventually weaken without replenishing their energy reserves with normal (yellow) sun radiation. When exposed to the same red solar radiation as Krypton's red sun Rao, it causes Kryptonians to lose their powers within a large amount of exposure until exposure to yellow sunlight reverses this effect.
 
* '''Vulnerability to''' '''Kryptonite: '''Superman's most well-known weakness is Kryptonite, radioactive shards of Krypton. Even the smallest piece of Kryptonite is enough to weaken him.
 
* '''Vulnerability to''' '''Red Solar Radiation''': If Superman is exposed to the energy of a red sun, akin to that of his home planet, Krypton, his powers will slowly deplete until reaching human levels.
 
* '''Vulnerability to''' '''Magic''': Magic can harm or affect Superman.
 
* '''Vulnerability to''' '''Lead''': Though it doesn't physically harm him, Superman's X-Ray vision cannot see through lead.
 
* '''Vulnerability to Psionics: '''Superman could be totally disabled and incapacitated by a psychic intrusion if the source of the attack was capable of working quickly enough to subvert all of Superman's mental defenses before Superman's willpower overcame the foreign psionic presence. Potentially, a talented psychic could quickly render Superman unconscious or place him under mind-control if Superman were not given the opportunity to respond.
 
* '''Vulnerability to Q-Energy: '''Q-Energy had a similar effect on Superman as Green Kryptonite and could potentially destroy him.
 
   
  +
In his superhero guise, he makes use of a private retreat at the North Pole, the [[Fortress of Solitude]]. Of his original Kryptonian family, only his cousin [[Supergirl]] survives but he still has his pet, [[Krypto]]. The people of the bottled city of [[Kandor]] are his fellow Kryptonians as are the three villains ([[General Zod|Zod]], [[Faora]], [[Quex-Ul|Quex]]) held in the Phantom Zone.
== Paraphernalia ==
 
'''Equipment '''
 
* '''Superman Costume: '''Originally just the normal Kryptonian cloth that infant Kal-El was swaddled with during his flight to Earth, Superman's costume becomes just as invulnerable as he himself is, if not actually more so, under the radiation of a yellow sun. Evidence of the possibility that Superman's costume becomes more durable than himself on Earth includes the fact that fights with various enemies capable of physically harming Superman still fail to tear or rip his costume. As a result, Superman's costume provides some measure of protection even when Superman is stripped of his superpowers, as it can resist the effects of drastic temperature change and physical abuse, through this says nothing about the ability or lack there of its wearer to sustain this type of damage under circumstances of powerlessness. Superman's costume is also known to be able to shield its wearer (or anything wrapped in its cape) from the effects of friction.''' '''
 
* '''Kryptonian Lenses: '''Clark Kent can use glasses with lenses from his Kryptonian spaceship to project his heat vision without melting them.
 
* '''Superman Robots: '''Android facsimiles of the Man of Steel imbued with inferior duplicates of Superman's main power set and used to stand in for him on occasions when it is necessary that Superman and Clark Kent be seen together in order to deflect suspicion or to defend Metropolis when their creator is unable to for a variety of reasons. Special Superman Robots have even been created to pose as Clark Kent in his civilian identity. Pollution eventually made it unsafe for them to use their superpowers.
 
* '''Supercomputer: '''Superman's highly advanced supercomputer, located in the Fortress of Solitude.
 
'''Transportation '''
 
* '''Supermobile: '''Usually just flies under his own power, but occasionally made use of a Supermobile to compensate for temporary loss of powers or for protection against non-yellow sun-systems in which Superman would often lose his powers or find them diminished. During his time in Kandor as Nightwing, Kal-El utilized a rocket belt to give him the ability to fly as he would be able to under Earth's yellow sun.
 
'''Weapons'''
 
* '''Phantom Zone Projector: '''Various weapons collected from past interstellar adventures, usually contained the Fortress of Solitude's armory.
 
   
== Relationships ==
+
==Appearances==
 
: 2. [[Power Outage]]
 
: 3. [[Night of The Bat]]
 
: 4. [[Abate and Switch]]
 
: 5. [[Follow that Space Cab!]]
 
: 6. [[Nuclear Family Values]]
 
: 8. [[Galaxy Jest]]
 
: 10. [[Under a Red Sun]]
 
: 11. [[Play Date]]
 
: 12. [[Repulse!]]
 
: 16. [[Luthor in Paradise]]
 
: 17. [[Plastic Man Saves the World]]
 
: 18. [[Field Trip]]
 
: 19. [[Rage of the Red Lanterns]]
 
: 21. [[Inside Job]]
  +
: 22. [[The Trouble with Truth]] (brief)
 
: 24. [[Battle for the Bottled City]]
 
: 25. [[Garden of Evil]]
 
: 28. [[The Fatal Fare]]
 
: 29. [[Mxy's Mix-Up]]
 
: 32. [[Booray for Bizarro]]
  +
: 33. [[Best Day Ever]]
 
: 35. [[Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp]]
 
: 36. [[Superman Red vs. Superman Blue]]
 
: 37. [[The Ringer]]
 
: 38. [[Forget Me Not]]
 
: 41. [[Harley Goes Ape!]]
 
: 42. [[Phased and Confused]]
 
: 44. [[System Error]]
 
: 45. [[Race Against Crime]]
 
: 46. [[Party Animal]]
 
: 50. [[Keeping up with the Kryptonians]]
 
: 51. [[Unleashed]]
 
: Short 2. [[Beep Beep]]
 
: Short 4. [[Good Cop, Bat Cop]]
 
: Short 5. [[It's a Trap!]]
 
: Short 7. [[Quality Time]]
  +
: Short 13. [[True Colors]]
 
: Short 15. [[Plastic Man of Steel]]
  +
: Short 19. [[Skyjacked]]
   
  +
==Links==
* [[Batman]]: Batman is one of Superman's oldest friends and a founding member of the Justice League. Despite his quiet and anti-social personality contrasting with him, the two are good friends.
 
  +
* [[wikipedia:Superman|Superman]] on Wikipedia.
   
 
==Notes==
* [[Wonder Woman]]: Wonder Woman is another friend of Superman and co-founder of the League. She was also briefly a love interest, when he grew tired of Lois not acknowledging in his uncharismatic civilian disguise as Clark Kent. Diana faced similar problems with his love interest Steve Trevor. His soft-heartedness often contrasts with her hard nature.
 
 
* In [[Play Date]], he says "Truth, justice, and the American way" which is a reference of his original catch-phrase from the old comics.
   
 
==Gallery==
* [[Lois Lane]]: Lois is Superman's co-worker at the Daily Planet, though he is often dismayed that she never acknowledges him as Clark due to his uncharismatic disguise. She however does have a crush on his Superman personality, but also gets suspicious as to his secret identity at times, something he has to go to lengths to hide
 
 
<gallery cols="3">
  +
File:Superman.jpg|Promotional art.
 
</gallery>
   
== Notes ==
 
 
== Trivia ==
 
* His hero description refers to [[w:c:plantsvszombies:Super Brainz|Super Brainz]], a supervillain and zombie hero created by [[w:c:plantsvszombies:Dr. Zomboss|Dr. Zomboss]].
 
* In [[Play Date]], he says "Truth, Justice, and the American way" which is a reference of his original catch-phrase from the old comics.
 
* Superman is also very similar to the Fairy of the Dragon Flame Bloom, one of the main protagonists of the Winx Club franchise.
 
** Kal-El is the last survivor from his home world, Krypton, which was destroyed in when the planet exploded. Superman's biological parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, died in the disaster.
 
** Similarly, Bloom was the last survivor from her planet, Domino, which was destroyed when the Ancestral Witches attacked it. Bloom's biological parents, Oritel and Marion, disappeared during the disaster.
 
** Kal-El's biological parents saved him from their planet's destruction by placing him in a rocket when he was a still a baby and sent him to Earth.
 
** Bloom's biological elder sister, Daphne, saved her from her planet's destruction when she was still a baby by sending her to Earth through a magical portal.
 
** The rocket containing baby Kal-El was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a married couple of human farmers from the small town of Smallville, Kansas in the United States of America on Earth. Jonathan and Martha adopted Kal-El, named him Clark Kent, and raised him as their own son.
 
** Bloom was similarly found in a magical protective shield in a building on fire by Mike, a human firefighter, who adopted her together with his wife Vanessa, a human florist, and they raised her as their own daughter in the town of Gardenia, California, in the United States of America on Earth.
 
** As he grew up, Kal-El/Clark Kent developed super powers because, being a alien from planet Krypton whose sun is red, his body absorbs radiation from the yellow sun of planet Earth and transforms it into superhuman abilities.
 
** When Bloom grew up and she turned 16 years old, her magical powers started manifesting themselves, giving her magical superhuman abilities.
 
** When he grew up, Kal-El/Clark Kent adopted the secret identity of Superman, who wears a primarily blue-colored costume, to fight evil
 
** Similarly, when Bloom grew up, she became a fairy who transforms into a blue-colored fairy costume to fight evil.
 
** In the "Legacy" episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, Superman is captured and temporarily turned evil by Darkseid, the God of Evil Chaos Death Shadows Destruction Disorder and Darkness who rules over the planet Apokolips and wants to conquer the universe
 
** Similarly, at the end of Season 2, Bloom is captured and temporarily turned evil by Lord Darkar, the ancient god of evil chaos death shadows destruction disorder and darkness of the Winx Club universe
 
 
== Appearance ==
 
 
== Appearances ==
 
'''Episodes'''
 
* [[Power Outage]] (First Appearance)
 
* [[Night of The Bat]]
 
* [[Abate and Switch]]
 
* [[Follow that Space Cab!]]
 
* [[Nuclear Family Values]]
 
* [[Galaxy Jest]]
 
* [[Time Share]]
 
* [[Under a Red Sun]]
 
* [[Play Date]]
 
* [[Repulse!]]
 
* [[Luthor in Paradise]]
 
* [[Plastic Man Saves the World]]
 
* [[Field Trip]]
 
* [[Rage of the Red Lanterns]]
 
* [[Inside Job]]
 
* [[Battle for the Bottled City]]
 
* [[Garden of Evil]]
 
* [[The Fatal Fare]]
 
* [[Mxy's Mix-Up]]
 
* [[Booray for Bizarro]]
 
* [[Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp]]
 
* [[Superman Red vs. Superman Blue]]
 
* [[The Ringer]]
 
* [[Forget Me Not]]
 
* [[Phased and Confused]]
 
* [[Harley Goes Ape!]]
 
* [[System Error]]
 
* [[Race Against Crime]]
 
* [[Party Animal]]
 
* [[Keeping up with the Kryptonians]]
 
* [[Unleashed]]
 
'''Shorts'''
 
* [[Beep Beep]]
 
* [[Good Cop, Bat Cop]]
 
* [[It's a Trap!]]
 
* [[Quality Time]]
 
* [[Plastic Man of Steel]]
 
 
== Gallery ==
 
<gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
 
[[Category:Characters]]
 
[[Category:Characters]]
  +
[[Category:Heroes]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
[[Category:Heroes]]
+
[[Category:Aliens]]
 
[[Category:Kryptonians]]
 
[[Category:Kryptonians]]

Revision as of 22:20, 3 June 2020


A major superhero, and member of the Justice League.

Description

Superman is one of the main characters in the show and appears in two-thirds of the episodes. He is tall with dark hair and is the most heavily built of the superheroes. His build may indicate that he is middle-aged but his voice would suggest that he is younger. As a person, Superman is mild mannered, friendly, agreeable and is unconvincing when he tries to be nasty. His costume is the traditional blue one with red boots, yellow belt, large red cape, and 's' symbol across the chest but the red 'underpants' have gone.

Powers

We are told that Superman's home world was the planet Krypton (which has been destroyed) but, now that he now lives on Earth, the effect of the rays of the yellow Sun (as opposed to those of the red sun of Krypton) have greatly amplified his physical powers. He appears to be the strongest of the superheroes, though we do not see him moving anything as heavy as a planet, and is also the toughest and able to win a fist fight with the god-like Darkseid. His body is impervious to bullets and is invulnerable to most other harms. His speed is equal to that of The Flash though the latter is more subtle in its use. His lungs enable him to blow with immense force, and the sheer cooling draft can cause things to freeze. He can also suck a large volume of gas into his lungs and blow it out again.

Superman's senses are also greatly enhanced. His hearing is acute and can detect very quiet or very distant sounds even over the top of noise. He can see things at immense distances and also down to microscopic levels, as well as being able to see through solid objects. His vision is so intense that he can emit red heat beams from his eyes that can melt the toughest substances, and frequently uses this ability.

Superman01

More unusual are the abilities to fly through the air and to travel through space, and in the latter case, Superman is not affected by the lack of air. He can travel to other star systems in a surprisingly short time.

All of this is achieved by storing the Sun's yellow energy in his body, and, in any situation where this is not available, his super energy will still be effective for a while until it runs out.

Weaknesses

For someone with such superhuman abilities, Superman has a surprising number of vulnerabilities. He is incapacitated by exposure to the green variety of kryptonite (the radioactive remains of Krypton) of which there appears to be a never-ending supply to be used by his enemies. The other, rarer varieties of this substance have more unusual effects. A lead-lined suit is available for him to use which can block kryptonite rays. When exposed to the rays of a red sun, Superman loses his powers - but not immediately - and weapons based on this can inflict injury upon him. He can be infected by microscopic nano-bots which can drain his super energy and threaten his life. Mind control (like that practised by the Martian Manhunter) can be used, for instance, to make him lose consciousness, and like most non-supernatural beings he is helpless against magic. He has difficulty getting the better of other super-powered Kryptonians and can be punched and knocked out by an equally powerful opponent like Mongul.

Family and residences

Superman's original Kryptonian name was Kal El but, when he came to Earth, he adopted the family name of his foster parents to become Clark Kent and grew up on their farm near Smallville in Kansas. We occasionally see him in this everyday identity and he currently works in Metropolis for the Daily Planet newspaper alongside Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and others.

Superman02

In his superhero guise, he makes use of a private retreat at the North Pole, the Fortress of Solitude. Of his original Kryptonian family, only his cousin Supergirl survives but he still has his pet, Krypto. The people of the bottled city of Kandor are his fellow Kryptonians as are the three villains (Zod, Faora, Quex) held in the Phantom Zone.

Appearances

2. Power Outage
3. Night of The Bat
4. Abate and Switch
5. Follow that Space Cab!
6. Nuclear Family Values
8. Galaxy Jest
10. Under a Red Sun
11. Play Date
12. Repulse!
16. Luthor in Paradise
17. Plastic Man Saves the World
18. Field Trip
19. Rage of the Red Lanterns
21. Inside Job
22. The Trouble with Truth (brief)
24. Battle for the Bottled City
25. Garden of Evil
28. The Fatal Fare
29. Mxy's Mix-Up
32. Booray for Bizarro
33. Best Day Ever
35. Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp
36. Superman Red vs. Superman Blue
37. The Ringer
38. Forget Me Not
41. Harley Goes Ape!
42. Phased and Confused
44. System Error
45. Race Against Crime
46. Party Animal
50. Keeping up with the Kryptonians
51. Unleashed
Short 2. Beep Beep
Short 4. Good Cop, Bat Cop
Short 5. It's a Trap!
Short 7. Quality Time
Short 13. True Colors
Short 15. Plastic Man of Steel
Short 19. Skyjacked

Links

Notes

  • In Play Date, he says "Truth, justice, and the American way" which is a reference of his original catch-phrase from the old comics.

Gallery