History
Origin
Kal-El was born as his home planet, Krypton, but the world was at its end. His father, Jor-El, a brilliant scientist and a well known Kryptonian, sent his son away in a rocket with a few choice items, including the symbol of his family. Kal-El landed on Earth in Smallville, Kansas. He was discovered and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They named him Clark from Martha's maiden name. Clark was raised with a strong sense of ethics and morals and when he came of age, he discovered Earth's Sun radiated to him and gave him a range of superpowers. Kent still remained distant and almost acted his humanity, often being forgetful and clumsy.
After a couple of years, he decided to use his powers for the sake of humanity and became Superman. After relocating to Metropolis, he took a day job as a reporter for the Daily Planet where he worked alongside Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Over time, Superman discovered a weakness to red sun radiation and irradiated debris of Krypton, dubbed Kryptonite. Undaunted, Superman cleaned up Metropolis and defied Lex Luthor. He also teamed up with Batman and Robin many times.
Sidekicks Assemble!
Superman also served for some time on the Justice League until the team was disbanded. During the time the League was active, it was said Superman and Martian Manhunter once had an arm wrestling match. He continued to keep Metropolis safe and encountered even more bizarre villains such as Metallo and Mr. Mxyzptlk. He later told the tale of his first encounter with Mxyzptlk to Batman.
If aliens, supervillains, and extradimensional menaces weren't enough, Superman also once had to fight Jimmy Olsen. Olsen had found a growth ray on the beach and was struck by it. He transformed into a Giant Turtle Man and disrupted shipping lanes. When Superman isn't in Metropolis, he is in his secret headquarters: the Fortress of Solitude. It can be opened by a giant Gold Key only he can lift. The Bottle City of Kandor and Krypto The Super-Dog are two famous residents of the Fortress. Batman is also privy to the location of the Fortress.
Battle of the Super-Heroes!
In recent times, Superman rushed to the emergency room to find Jimmy Olsen on his deathbed. Superman used his super senses and saw it was another of Olsen's schemes to learn his secret identity.(but pretended to believe he was really sick.) At the same time, Lex Luthor staged a theft in the Hall of Minerals. As Superman arrived, he encountered Batman. The two teamed up to stop Luthor and save Lois Lane. Superman managed to persuade Batman to stay in Metropolis and the two could team up as "The World's Finest," just like old times. Together, they fought Metallo, El Gar-Kur, and Mr. Mxyzptlk. They even managed to squeeze in some time to play with Krypto.
However, Luthor manipulated Lane and Olsen into exposing Superman to Red Kryptonite. He turned into a rude, selfish, sadistic, and heartless creep and took over Metropolis as its king. Batman and Krypto fought Superman until the effects wore off. Batman and Superman then deduced Luthor was the culprit, as he was the only other person who knew about Red Kryptonite. As a precaution against Green Kryptonite, Batman and Superman disguised themselves as each other. They also masked their voices with super-ventriloquism. With Luthor defeated, a parade was held in the duo's honor. However, it quickly came to an end when Brainiac arrived. Batman and Superman jumped into action from the escort.
Triumvirate of Terror!
Superman once fought Lex Luthor near the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. Despite his new armor, Luthor was defeated again when Superman disabled the suit's power source and neutralized a chunk of Green Kryptonite with a lead manhole cover. After meeting with Batman and Wonder Woman in Star City, Superman returned to the Fortress of Solitude in search of something to donate to the Superhero Memorial. He was about to visit Kandor to look for artifacts when he was ambushed by Cheetah. Cheetah was armed with the magical Amulet of Urzkartaga and Kryptonite-laced nail polish. The Big Three were all defeated and teleported to the Hall of Doom for a televised execution. However, they escaped and defeated Luthor, Joker, and Cheetah. Superman froze Cheetah's legs and shattered Luthor's suit. 50 years later, he is still active as Superman and utilizing telephone booths to change clothes.
Powers and Abilities
Under a yellow sun, Superman possesses a wide range of incredible powers. He can fly under his own power, possesses incredible strength and near invulnerability. His eyes can emit bursts of heat, while vision ranges from the microscopic to the telescopic. His vision is also capable of seeing in a broader spectrum than human eyes, such as X-rays and radio waves. He can hear faint sounds amongst a bustle of noises by concentrating. His lungs are capable of holding air for long periods of time in environments without oxygen, and the ability to compress this air and exhale it in a freezing capacity. As long as his cells have solar energy, he can heal quickly from any wound as long as they aren't fatal. One of his few weaknesses is Kryptonite, radioactive pieces of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous radiation that weakens him and prolonged exposure can kill him.
Appearances
- Rise of the Blue Beetle! (mentioned)
- Terror on Dinosaur Island! (mentioned)
- Legends of the Dark Mite! (mentioned)
- Sidekicks Assemble! (cameo)
- The Knights of Tomorrow! (cameo)
- Battle of the Super-Heroes!
- Triumvirate of Terror!
- Powerless!
- Crisis 22,300 Miles Above Earth! (mentioned)
- Mitefall! (cameo)
Trivia
- Superman is one of the few heroes that haven't been shown to be infected by Starro clones.