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Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures , Legendary Pictures , DC Entertainment , and Syncopy , it was directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay written by David S. Goyer who developed the story with producer Christopher Nolan .
Jun 16, 2023 · If you want to make a movie about an all-powerful character that's morally compromised, there's a ton of those in comic books — I don't think it should be Superman. Superman III and Man of...
- Overview
- Biography
- Personality
- Powers and Abilities
- Weaknesses
- Equipment
- Relationships
- Trivia
―Clark Kent to Lois Lane
Kal-El, legally named Clark Joseph Kent, is the superhero known as Superman, the last survivor of Krypton, the host of the Growth Codex, an investigative reporter for the Daily Planet, the fiancé of Lois Lane, and a member and direct inspiration of the Justice League.
Born to Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van of the House of El, the couple realized that Krypton was doomed to be completely destroyed with their entire civilization going with it. To save their son, they placed baby Kal in a rocket, aimed towards Earth, where he would be found by kindly farmers, Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville and was subsequently adopted by the couple with them giving the infant the human name "Clark Joseph Kent". Using his maturing superpowers, he defends the people of Earth from various world-ending threats of all sorts, such as the terraforming attempt by the Kryptonian warlord Dru-Zod and the Sword of Rao, using the alias Superman. After a fierce battle that destroyed a significant portion of Metropolis, Superman was reluctantly forced to kill Zod when the latter refused to cease the conflict, ending the attack for good, but not without catastrophic collateral damage and a tremendous loss of life for the unfortunate citizens of Metropolis caught in the crossfire.
A year and a half later, after thwarting various criminals and threats throughout Metropolis and all around the world while considered a highly controversial figure by those around him due to his alien status and godly abilities, whilst also living in a shared apartment with Lois whilst still working as a reporter alongside her, Superman became increasingly wary of the violent vigilante Batman, being ultimately forced into a fight to the death with the Dark Knight by a new and much greater enemy, the malevolent super genius Lex Luthor in exchange for Martha's life, who was being held captive by Anatoli Knyazev. However, the two of them ultimately settled their differences in the end without killing each other, rescued Martha unharmed, and teamed up with fellow hero Wonder Woman, with the three of them managing to take down the unleashed Kryptonian mutant monster Doomsday, a powerful hybrid creature created by Lex with the corpse of Zod for the sole purpose of killing Superman, together, though Superman was notably killed in the process delivering the finishing blow with a Kryptonite Spear.
Earth's greatest hero was honorably buried in Heroes Park but truly buried in Smallville, with the entire world mourning his passing, and his heroically noble sacrifice inspired both Batman and Wonder Woman to begin establishing the valiant Justice League in order to battle any future threats to the world dedicated in his memory. His death also inspired Amanda Waller to assemble the expendable Task Force X to deal with any other powerful beings similar to Superman that could threaten national security. His death also served as an inspiration for metahumans such as the Flash and Aquaman to step more into the open to become heroes themselves.
Two years following Superman's death, Batman would employ the assistance of both the Flash and Cyborg to revive him with the power of a Mother Box as Batman believed he would be needed against an oncoming threat. With the Justice League now fully assembled following his resurrection, Superman greatly contributed to the successful offensive against the invading New God General Steppenwolf, forcing the latter's attempted invasion into retreat after swiftly defeating the fearsome New God in battle with ease. Afterwards, Superman officially joined the Justice League and subsequently returned to his life of super-heroism and journalism after being reunited with Lois and Martha.
ChildhoodBecoming SupermanNew career at the PlanetPlanet―Lois Lane to Clark. Superman flew back home to see his mother in Smallville. To his relief, she was fine, with the only damage she commented on was to the house. Later, Clark began a new job in Metropolis as a junior reporter at the Daily Planet. Upon arriving, he was introduced by Perry White to his new coworkers, including Lois Lane. Lois smiled at his new glasses and shook his hand, welcoming him to "the Planet" (both the Daily Planet, as well as Earth), to which Clark laughed.The Superman Question―Neil deGrasse Tyson on Superman After saving the Mexican girl, Superman descends into the crowd of people in Díos de los Muertos apparel, and the civilians all surround and stretch out their hands towards him, eager to touch the godlike alien. As the days go by, Superman continues his heroic career, notably saving a family from a flooded house, rescuing Russian astronauts from a rocket that collapsed during launch, and towing a half-sunken steamship through Arctic ice. Meanwhile, however, the world continues responding to Superman and what his existence means to the world (much like how Jonathan Kent had once predicted), with the media referring to it as "The Superman Question." The question sparks quite a bit of controversy worldwide, with many being quick to express their opinions. Astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson, while seemingly not opposed to the alien superhero, remarks that Superman's very existence challenges humanity's sense of priority in the Universe. Openly negative views on "The Superman Question" are held by Internet blogger Glen Woodburn and author Andrew Sullivan. Wodburn's concern is based on humanity having a track record of following people with great power, down paths that led to huge human monstrosities. Sullivan questions whether there are any moral constraints on Superman, and that, due to there being International Law, every one of Superman's acts is a political one. Finally, Senator June Finch is interviewed on the matter, with her interviewer wondering aloud if it is really surprising that Superman, as the most powerful man in the world, is viewed as a figure of controversy. He proceeds to ask her if she would be personally comfortable with saying to a grieving parent, that Superman could have saved their child, but couldn't because the government had not wanted him to act. Finch admits that while Superman's engagement in state-level interventions should be cause for concern, she proceeds to explain that the problem is not Superman's actions, but that he should not be carrying them out unilaterally. This makes her interviewer conclude by saying that the overall question is in fact, “must there be a Superman?”; to which she simply replies that "there is." Clark himself sees this interview on television, and is visibly dismayed, feeling more unsure of his place than before. Shortly thereafter, Clark calls his mother, Martha Kent. Not having it in him to tell her about his problems right away, he instead asks her why Jonathan had never left Kansas. A bit confused, Martha says that this was so because her late husband had felt that he was "already there," and he thus had no need to travel. Clark sighs, saying that he wished things were simple. Martha, however, gently disagrees, claiming that "nothing was ever simple."―Superman to Calvin Swanwick
Superman is exceptionally kindhearted, possessing a strong sense of justice, honor, empathy, honesty, patriotism, and innate selfless benevolence. Jor-El foresaw that his son would become "an ideal" for humanity to strive towards, which at first proved correct, and even Batman, who had initially had his doubts, later claimed that Superman is a "beacon to the world," one who doesn't just save people, but also "made them see the best parts of themselves." Also, despite being an alien from Krypton by birth, Superman's interactions with Lois Lane induce him to be very human in personality, with Batman admitting that Superman's personality and values make Superman more human than he is.
In addition, Superman, being the son of Krypton's most prominent Thinker Guild genius Jor-El, and having been a nerdy, bookish wunderkind as a teenager, is himself a highly prolific and eclectic genius, notably becoming a brilliant Daily Planet reporter as an adult (often labelled a "nerd" by Perry White), to the point of almost rivaling the far more experienced Lois Lane herself. His love for her kept him on the right side for a long time. He was able to instinctively tell that General Zod couldn't be trusted, and even able to deduce Batman's secret identity. Despite being a highly prominent eclectic genius, however, Superman was still in many ways considerably intellectually surpassed by supergenius Lex Luthor, who easily successfully manipulated Superman as a pawn in his grand plan, successfully killing him in the end with Doomsday.
Growing up as the only person of his kind, thus being very different and alienated by his peers, Clark grew up a very confused, lonely, and lost person who struggled to see good in others. Hence, this, as well as his inability to understand his superhuman powers, made Clark subconsciously suppress them, with him unable to reach his full potential for many years (until he finally met Jor-El). Instilled by his parents, he grew up to selflessly care for other people and to do the right thing. Realizing that he could help others with his powers, Clark went against his father's (Jonathan) wishes to help others. Clark would even go out of his way to save Peter Ross, a boy that had relentlessly bullied him not long ago. This selflessness and faith in others show that even before meeting Jor-El, Clark already strived to uphold what the House of El had always stood for.
With the passing of his adopted father Jonathan Kent, an initially embittered Clark would go on a long journey of discovery, in which he eventually discovered his true name, and true purpose on Earth, going out of his way to always selflessly save people in need along the way, if it that meant exposing his alien superpowers and losing an acquired job, such as when Clark promptly abandoned his job on the Debbie Sue in order to rescue workers trapped in a collapsing oil rig. While he tended to be quite serious and sometimes even brooding, when Clark meets Lois Lane and receives empathy from her upon revealing himself as an alien (while also revealing his lingering guilt about heeding Jonathan Kent's request not to save him from death), Clark begins to enjoy life a bit more, with her spunky and sometimes flirty personality having a gradual effect on Clark. Lois, in turn, was so smitten with his selfless heroics, that she decided to drop what could have been the biggest story in human history for him.
Due to still not understanding his alien powers and heritage, however, Clark subconsciously suppressed his superpowers, and while still incredibly powerful, this mental block considerably limited Clark relative to his full potential and prohibited him from mastering the power of flight. However, once Clark finally meets the AI projection of his birth father Jor-El and learned of his Kryptonian heritage and true name (Kal-El), Clark finally permanently overcame this weakness and gained his full potential, becoming not only much more powerful than ever before, but also finally unlocking his power of flight, in addition to becoming more optimistic and confident as Kal-El. He now resolves to uphold what the House of El stands for: hope.
Powers
―Clark and Jor-El Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, on a planet near a red star, Superman would have physical attributes nearly identical to those of humans, but once charged by yellow sunlight, Superman possesses various superhuman attributes that surpass the capabilities of humans, metahumans, Atlanteans, Amazons, and even some New Gods, making him the Justice League's most powerful member and appear godlike to humans (indeed rivaling an Old God in power). Having spent nearly his entire life on Earth and adapted to its environment, Superman possesses greater power and skill in application of said powers than any Kryptonian that has immediate exposure. His father Jor-El stated that he'd grown more powerful than he'd previously imagined, and the only way to know just how powerful was to keep testing his limits. Bruce Wayne has even stated that Superman is capable of single-handedly wiping out the entire human race should he choose to, likening him as being stronger than a planet, and Amanda Waller spearheaded the creation of Task Force X in order to have a team capable of combating an opponent of Superman's power. After his resurrection, he single-handedly overpowered the combined might of the Justice League and Steppenwolf, an ancient New God, with relative ease. In fact, the only beings known to surpass the power and might of Superman himself are: Zeus, the strongest Old God; Darkseid, the most fearsome New God, and Doomsday, a monstrous Kryptonian creation. •Superhuman Strength: Superman possesses vast physical strength, virtually incalculable, as he is able to carry, lift and exert billions of tons of force. As a teenager, he was able to push a school bus out of a river and warp a fence post by squeezing. Even while limited by his internal struggles, Clark was still incredibly strong enough to swiftly destroy a trucker's rig with lumber, to crush a Kryptonian android, and hold up an oil rig's collapsing drilling derrick, though the latter visibly strained him. After reaching his full potential, he became considerably stronger, with his punches being powerful enough to generate shock waves during combat. He's capable of effortlessly hurling semi-trucks across extreme distances, destroying mountaintops, towing a massive steamship through the Arctic, effortlessly crush diamonds with his bare hands, and even flying against the opposing force of a World Engine's gravity beam. During the Battle of Smallville, Superman could take Zod by the waist and hit him several times in the face without Zod being able to react, although it must be taken into account that Superman took Zod by surprise. Also, although he was initially subdued, he was able to dominate Faora-Ul, who was an extremely fierce and formidable combatant, knocking her down twice even while being beaten by Nam-Ek, as well as subduing the latter by throwing him against a train car. He could also ultimately overpower Zod, throwing him away with a powerful blow, as well as taking Zod by the neck and smashing him into a building and hitting him three times in a row causing him some pain, and could even break the neck of the latter with a single movement, although he had to exercise a considerable force to do it. He was also able to quickly get rid of a car that fell during the battle with Zod. Superman was also able to lift a train to save the people inside it. During their second encounter, even while holding back, Superman proved to still considerably surpass the heavily armored Batman in strength, just merely light blows alone knocking around the Dark Knight and once getting angry, proceeding to easily tackle and throw him through several stone columns with a simple body slam and backhand with enough force to clearly hurt Batman, as well as cracking the armor with a punch to the face, and would have completely overwhelmed him had he not been exposed to kryptonite gas. Even while not fully recovered from inhaling it, Superman was strong enough to block a kick from the armored Batman and toss him through a concrete wall. He claimed that had he wished to, he could easily kill Batman despite his armor. Superman was even able to hold his own in a prolonged ferocious battle with the stronger Doomsday, capable of sending him flying with his punches and even at one point restraining the colossal juggernaut long enough to have both of them hit by a 300 kiloton nuke and despite having been mortally wounded by being stabbed by Doomsday's spiky hand, still able to fully pierce his skin with the kryptonite spear to finally bring him down, although at the cost of his own life. After his resurrection, Superman used his strength more freely in his confusion and easily overpowered the combined might of the Justice League, launching Aquaman flying and out of the fight for a time with a single mighty punch, punching Wonder Woman a great distance away even when she blocked his attack with her shield, yanking himself free of the Lasso of Hestia and pulling Wonder Woman to him, keeping her restrained with a single hand while easily remaining firm when the other Justice Leaguers tried to flank him before easily tossing them away and knocking out the Flash with a single glancing blow. He was also able to steadily overcome Cyborg's attempts to hold him back, soon easily tossing him to the ground and then aside, and down Wonder Woman with two mighty headbutts, leaving her stunned for a while, and effortlessly swat Batman away with enough force to severely bruise him later on enough to require treatment from Wonder Woman. He later overpowered Steppenwolf with ease, a feat the other Leaguers had been struggling (and failing) to do, with each of his punches dealing considerable damage to the New God. With Cyborg's help, the duo were able to separate the Mother Boxes before they could activate, although not without considerable difficulty. According to a newspaper, he even had enough strength to move tectonic plates while preventing an earthquake from occurring. The only beings known to possess strength superior to Superman's are Zeus, Darkseid, and Doomsday. •Nigh-Invulnerability: Superman's body is virtually indestructible, allowing him to withstand the extreme heat of an oil rig conflagration, the extreme cold of the Arctic, exposure to the vacuum of outer space, falls from great heights, and a high-speed collision with a mountaintop without injury. High caliber bullets bounce off of him, and artillery, including anti-tank depleted uranium rounds and Maverick missiles, have no effect. Superman was completely unaffected by the explosion caused at the US Capitol Building. He also was able to withstand plasma bolts from Kryptonian weapons and tendrils of service robots with no signs of visible damage, seemingly only suffering slight harm, and withstood the full force of a World Engine's colossal gravity beam and the singularity from the Black Zero's Phantom Drive exploding, which caused him noticeable pain but otherwise did not injure him. Superman was also able to take attacks from other Kryptonians while only being knocked back and suffering little pain and harm, and he was even able to withstand the destructive electrical shock waves and thermal blasts as well as tremendous blows from the stronger Doomsday without any issue. Later, Superman was able to endure a direct hit from Cyborg's plasma cannon with no damage, only being slightly knocked back and suffering minimum pain to where he was mostly irritated. Soon after, Cyborg's punches weren't even able to so much as faze him in the slightest. He also took a mighty headbutt from Wonder Woman (which was strong enough to generate a shockwave) with no injury or damage at all from the attack, only being dazed by the hit. Steppenwolf's Electro Axe, which could notably harm even incredibly durable beings like Wonder Woman and Aquaman and casually dismember the likes of Atlanteans and Amazons, also had absolutely no effect on him, as he was able to effortlessly withstand the blow without even flinching. Superman's body also maintained its invulnerability after his death, as the lack of cellular decay allowed the Justice League to resurrect him. Even while he was weakened by kryptonite, which Batman used during their duel in Gotham, Superman retained incredible enough levels of superhuman durability to survive blows from the armored Batman, which had considerable superhuman strength and threw him through concrete and a remarkable distance, though he was left reeling but otherwise he seemed to be mostly uninjured, and as he recovered, he took the armored Batman's punches while only getting his face turned back and otherwise being clearly only irritated by Batman's persistence before he fully recovered and the punches Batman attempted didn't even faze him to where Batman attempting to punch him caused a strong metal-like sound. However, Superman's invulnerability still ultimately has its limits, since after being weakened by kryptonite, and still having a scar from it, he barely survived a hit from a nuclear bomb, being left near death, and potentially would have died had he not been exposed to the sun. Also, Superman's invulnerability can be broken through by beings of comparable incalculable strength (such as other Kryptonians), shown when Superman himself killed General Zod by breaking his neck (thought it took Superman quite a bit of effort), and when Doomsday killed Superman by piercing his chest (though it is unclear if that would have been possible without the Kryptonite spear being nearby). Also, the supernatural and matter-manipulating explosion of the Mother Box Unity completely vaporized Superman, along with the other League members and Steppenwolf, and Superman was only saved and restored when the Flash reversed time, so the Unity never successfully occurred. •Regenerative Healing Factor: Superman, in the rare instances when he is hurt, is capable of healing at superhuman speeds, especially in direct sunlight. Hence, he was able to quickly recover from the stress of battling the World Engine, once exposed to sunlight. Later, a scar on his face inflicted by kryptonite healed with direct exposure to the sun. Superman was also able to fully recover in seconds from his desiccated corpse-like state from being hit by a nuclear missile, after being exposed to the sun. However, if the injuries are serious enough to instantly kill Superman, his healing factor will not be able to save him, such as when Doomsday mortally wounded and killed him. •Superhuman Speed: Superman can run and fly faster than the speed of sound. During his first flight, Superman traveled all the way from the Arctic to the savannas of Kenya and then to the Monument Valley in Utah, all in a matter of minutes. He was able to fly through the World Engine's gravity beam to destroy it. Later, Superman was able to tackle Amajagh away from Lois Lane before he managed to use his gun to shoot her. Superman is fast enough to escape the gravitational pull of a Phantom Zone singularity. His speed is easily capable of surpassing that of Aquaman and Wonder Woman, as he easily reacted to Arthur's attempt to stab him even when he had the advantage of having super-jumped and was close to doing so and managed to move faster than the clashing motion Wonder Woman was about to made to activate her bracelets with ease and simultaneously expose her to land a headbutt before successfully knocking her down with yet another attack before she could react, although Wonder Woman seemed to be able to keep up just enough to land a single blow on her own, and while his strength and durability was inferior to Doomsday, his speed was the only thing superior to the monstrous juggernaut, allowing Superman to hold his ground despite the advantage the mutated Kryptonian had and restrain him. In addition, Superman proved able to easily surpass Steppenwolf's speed, dodging his blows with virtually no effort and at one point completely catching him off-guard to knock down and pummel him. Superman is even capable of moving at a level of speed close to the Flash, as when the Flash attempted to freeze him in place, Superman was not affected and was able to closely pursue the Flash, with the latter barely able to dodge most of Superman's blows, before finally knocking him out with a glancing blow, and shortly afterwards, Superman was able to dodge Flash's superspeed charge, forcing him to run into Aquaman. •Superhuman Reflexes: Superman's speed extends to his reflexes as well, as he managed to catch a punch from the larger Kryptonian Nam-Ek while being pinned by him and Faora-Ul, and later easily caught a grenade shot at him by Batman at close range. He was able to stop Wonder Woman from clashing her bracelets together, dodge all of Steppenwolf's attacks, and even perceive and react to the Flash's incoming attack despite simultaneously battling Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Like the Flash, Superman sees others as slowed to the point that they're all but frozen in place, though the Flash moves at normal speed while in this state. •Superhuman Stamina: Superman almost never seems to grow tired if he is continuously powered by the yellow sun of Earth. He doesn't need to eat, sleep, or even breathe. Hence, he can survive flying into outer space and diving underwater. He intensely battled with General Zod, Faora, Nam-Ek, Steppenwolf, and even Doomsday, without ever needing to slow down and catch his breath. Indeed, he could resist the pull of a Phantom Zone singularity and fight General Zod shortly thereafter. While he was severely weakened from the effort of destroying a World Engine, Superman was able to recover almost instantly under direct sunlight and fly back to Metropolis. •Flight: Superman can fly by manipulating his own gravitational field, taking advantage of Earth's weaker gravity to propel himself through the skies and even beyond the planet's atmosphere. Upon mastering this technique, Superman can fly at hypersonic speeds that allow him to circle the globe in moments. Further practice with this power has allowed him to extend it to others, most notably Lois Lane, so that they don't experience the negative effects of traveling at high speeds. •Superhuman Breath: Superman is capable of surviving prolonged periods without oxygen, allowing him to walk through a burning oil rig, travel at tremendous hypersonic speeds, and even remain underwater or within the vacuum of space without adverse effects. •Arctic Breath: Following his resurrection, Superman displayed the ability to significantly focus the intensity of his breath to the point of freezing targets by blowing on them. This ability was powerful enough to freeze Steppenwolf's Electro Axe to the point that he was able to shatter it with a single strike. •Hypersonic Scream: As an infant, Clark was able to release a scream that shattered every glass or ceramic object along Main Street in Smallville, Kansas. After being stabbed in the chest by Doomsday during the Battle of Gotham City, Superman let out a hypersonic scream of agony so powerful that it reverberated around the world, awakening the Mother Boxes in Gotham, Atlantis, and Themyscira. ―Superman to Dru-Zod •Superhuman Vision: Superman possesses superhuman eyesight that encompasses a variety of sensory capabilities including telescopic, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray visual capabilities that allow him to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum when he desires, through mental focus. In his youth, his enhanced vision overwhelmed him, as he saw everything in his hometown at once, though he managed to hone his senses after some guidance from Martha Kent. •Telescopic Vision: Superman has the ability to focus his vision to see past great distances, mentally zooming in. Hence, he was able to see the Black Zero in low orbit from his parent's farm, and later saw Lois Lane within a falling drop pod. •X-ray Vision: Superman can focus his vision past layers of matter to see through them. He was able to clearly see through the one-way glass in the interrogation room to read Emil Hamilton's ID badge in the latter's pocket, and simultaneously see through walls to identify the squad of soldiers nearby. The only known materials known to be impenetrable to Superman's X-ray vision are lead, the force-field of a Kryptonian Breather, as well as the Kryptonian metal used on vehicles such as Scout Ship 0344 and the Black Zero. •Heat Vision: Superman possesses the ability to emit beams of intense heat from his eyes that can reach temperatures of 5500°C. Visually, the power manifests as two laser-like beams of fiery energy being released from his eyes, with the surrounding areas being outlined as the energy builds. These beams can be made less intense to the point of being invisible, allowing Clark to work undetected. Clark has developed extremely fine control of this ability, as he was able to cauterize Lois Lane's wound, and previously cut a tunnel into layers of thick ice in the Arctic to reach the alien vessel hidden within. At full power, Clark can utilize his heat vision to dismember humans, quickly melt a thick steel beam, and momentarily stun and push back other Kryptonians, with the beams being hot enough to make them feel burning pain. He was able to destroy the helm of Scout Ship 0344's bridge and the automated machine gun turrets used by Batman in their fight. However, Superman's heat vision was not powerful enough to match that of Doomsday, as the latter was able to overwhelm Superman during their standoff. •Superhuman Hearing: Superman is able to hear at extreme variances of sound and pitch frequency, allowing him to pick up numerous sounds, including both infrasound and ultrasound, from immense distances. In his youth, this, along with his enhanced vision, greatly overwhelmed him until he eventually learned to control it. Honing his senses, he has enough control to block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. Later in life, Clark was able to passively pick up the sound of Alfred Pennyworth's voice in Bruce Wayne's earpiece, as well as hear Calvin Swanwick and Emil Hamilton's conversation and heartbeats from within a soundproof interrogation cell. Clark heard Martha Kent in distress at the Kent Farm from miles away and even heard Lois Lane drowning over the noise of his ferocious battle with Doomsday. •Superhuman Smell: Superman has incredibly acute olfactory senses, as he was able to detect the distinct saline odor of the Genesis Chamber on Scout Ship 0344, despite the very thick barrier that separated him from it.
Abilities
•Genius-Level Intellect: Clark Kent is extremely intelligent, as shown when he won a science fair at age 9 and could later be seen reading The Republic of Plato, a highly complex piece of historical literature (concerning philosophy and political science), when he was only 13, effectively making him a wunderkind prodigy. As an adult, Clark managed to successfully falsify his identity, and stay hidden as he traveled the world for many years, with even the extremely skilled reporter Lois Lane needing weeks of research to track him down. Clark also displayed basic medical knowledge when cauterizing Lois Lane's wound and could instinctively tell that General Zod couldn't be trusted, based on his past criminal actions during the Kryptonian Civil War (revealed to him by Jor-El) and threat against humanity. As an investigative reporter, Clark is considered a "nerd" by Perry White, managing to twice receive the Elliot Prize for Investigative Journalism after only a year at the Daily Planet (the first of any of the reporters on the Daily Planet Staff to earn so quickly), and was swiftly able to deduce that Batman targeted poorer areas in Gotham City, and his aid from the city's police in his anti-crime crusade. Superman's brilliant intellect extends itself to his exceptional science, writing, investigative reporting, leadership, and tactical skills. However, Superman is notably not quite as intelligent as supergenius Lex Luthor, with the latter thereby successfully outsmarting and manipulating Superman into battling and almost killing Batman with a sophisticated ultimatum. It was shown that his intelligence has the potential to surpass Batman's. •Expert Reporter: Clark Kent, as a reporter for the very famous and respected Daily Planet newspaper, is an exceptionally skilled investigative reporter, displaying remarkable insight and investigative skills right away after getting hired as a junior reporter, quickly climbing through the ranks. After only a year, Clark had already twice earned the Elliot Prize for Investigative Journalism (the first of any of the Planet's reporters to earn such prestige so quickly) and was considered a "nerd" by his boss Perry White, almost rivaling even his far more experienced girlfriend. His abilities as a reporter allowed him to successfully lead a school field trip to S.T.A.R. Labs, and to expertly interview Bruce Wayne, Kahina Ziri's neighbors, and Adriana Santos with objective non-confrontational questions. Indeed, Clark's prowess led him to believe that he could successfully undermine the vigilante Batman through the press and was notably able to quickly deduce that Batman often targets poorer areas in Gotham, and that he is aided by the city's police in his anti-crime crusade. •Expert Social Intuit: Superman, as both Kal-El and Clark Kent, has a considerable degree of social confidence, making him highly talented in intuitively determining how to interact with others, gain their respect and get his point across with calmness, eloquence, and charisma. Even while inexperienced, Clark was able to gain many jobs during his years of soul-searching, knowing how to appeal to potential employers and coworkers (such as Chrissy), being well-liked by them despite his inaptitude in the jobs he took, and showed an ability to restrain himself from harming those who pissed him off, as shown by how he calmly confronts the obnoxious Ludlow (even when the latter insults and pours been over Clark's face), only destroying his truck when he wasn't around and remains calm to Byrne's insulting reprimanding (as the latter had just attempted to save his life). As an illustrious Daily Planet reporter, Clark became fully experienced in social interaction and capable of preventing his emotions from clouding his diplomatic demeanor, and was soon confident and able enough to successfully lead a school field trip to S.T.A.R. Labs, to level with his own boss Perry White despite his condescending demeanor regarding his decision to undermine Batman under the press, to diplomatically interview Kahina Ziri's neighbors, and later Adriana Santos with objective non-confrontational questions (controlling his dismay and rage regarding what he was trying to learn). Indeed, Clark was even able to not only maintain his diplomatic composure when interviewing billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne himself, but also begin to wear down the much more experienced and older man, somewhat successfully angering the usually calm Bruce by cordially expressing his views regarding Batman, unaware that Bruce was actually the fearsome vigilante, remaining calm even as Bruce coldly told him off and diplomatically responding to the latter's distasteful remarks about him as Superman (despite clearly being dismayed at the personal criticism) by reminding Bruce that most of the world doesn't share his opinion, even inciting a cold reaction from Bruce afterwards, who went as far as to compare it to his interactions with Joker, and proceed to diplomatically greet Lex despite his interference allowing Bruce to get away. As Superman, he also showed an uncommon amount of calm confidence when first revealing himself and surrendering over to General Swanwick, successfully convincing him that he wasn't a threat, was confident in his ability to get through to the enraged Batman (which he ultimately did by appealing to him to save his mother, successfully giving the vigilante pause, despite his expectance of ruses from Superman due to a previous nightmare he had regarding Superman becoming evil, and allowing Lois to fully reason with him), and even in his ability to address the US government in his broadcasted hearing and convince everyone of his selfless intentions (which was deemed by even supergenius Lex Luthor himself as a threat to his plans to expose him as a fraud and saw the need to egregiously sabotage the hearing and rob Superman of his ability to speak at it). •Expert Tactician: Superman has proven himself a very capable tactician in combat, as when facing off with the far more skilled and experienced Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek, he took advantage of the powers he had mastered, that they had yet to develop (flight and heat vision primarily), and ultimately defeated Faora when taking her by surprise and destroying her solar visor to expose her to a sensory overload, rendering her helpless. During his battle with General Zod, aware the latter's intentions to kill the entire human race, Superman was able to quickly come up with several ways to keep him away from innocent bystanders to limit the damage their battle would cause as much as possible - knocking Zod up to into an unoccupied construction site, keeping him airborne and above the city with repeated strikes, grappling and tossing him into outer space, and ultimately restraining him in a headlock to keep General Zod from causing any more harm (though Zod subsequently forced Superman to kill him then). Superman was even able to think his way out of the sophisticated ultimatum of supergenius Lex Luthor by holding back and allowing Batman to best him to give him the opportunity to reason with him, successfully avoiding having to kill the vigilante while rescuing his mother. During his battle with Doomsday, after taking the monster into outer space, Superman immediately recognized the nuclear missile shot at them, and took the opportunity to hold the monster into place so that it could be destroyed by the weapon. However, when that failed, Superman recalled the Kryptonite Spear's deadly effects on Kryptonian physiology (with that allowing Batman to beat him in their recent fight) and successfully utilized it to kill Doomsday after realizing that brute force alone wasn't enough to defeat the ever-evolving monstrous juggernaut, although he also lost his life in the process. Following his revival, Superman helped the Justice League defeat Steppenwolf, by personally freezing the New God's Electro Axe with his Arctic Breath in order to render it brittle, before allowing Wonder Woman to swiftly shatter it into pieces with her Sword of Athena, thus effectively depriving the New God of his weapon, leaving him defenseless. •Expert Leader: Superman has a natural talent in leadership, with even the much more experienced Batman admitting to Alfred that Superman would have done a better job bringing the Justice League together than he ever could. This proved true, as the remaining Leaguers looked up to Superman when he arrived on the scene of the final battle against Steppenwolf's invasion, with Superman thus taking up the leadership position from Batman. •Bilingualism: Superman, apart from his native English, also understands Spanish enough to comprehend the Spanish news coverage of a girl trapped in a burning house. ―Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne •Skilled Combatant: Despite not having any formal combat training, Clark is a formidable fighter when facing most opponents due to his tremendous strength and various powers. When facing other Kryptonians with more combat experience, Clark is shown to be an improvisational learner and an effective brawler. As such, when facing the combined might of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek, he was able to use the powers not yet acquired by either of them to his advantage, allowing him to gain the upper hand and forcing them to retreat, swiftly knocking out Nam-Ek and eventually breaking the Faora's visor. Later, Superman displayed improved skill to compete with General Zod reasonably well, as although he was still unable to match him in skill, he was able to fight almost evenly with the General, blocking a fair share of Zod's blows and landing his own punishing blows, ultimately holding on long enough for Zod to become briefly distracted to best and kill him. As Superman gained more experience as a superhero, he became considerably more skilled, as shown when despite being weakened by a kryptonite gas grenade and pitted against the highly skilled Batman, Superman still temporarily stood up to his opponent despite being visibly outmatched by the Dark Knight's far more superior experience, and once his powers had began to return, even briefly dominated the Dark Knight, ultimately holding on long enough for his powers to return. His fighting skills also allowed him to single-handedly contend with the even stronger monstrous juggernaut Doomsday and even overpower him long enough to restrain him in order to have both of them hit by a 300-kiloton nuke. After his revival, Superman used his superior godly physical abilities to overpower the Justice League with only mediocre effort, launching Aquaman off the fight with a single mighty blow before he could attack him and swiftly pushing back Wonder Woman armed with her shield before proceeding to repel her attempts to restrain him with the Lasso of Hestia and pull her to him while also easily blocking an attempted flank from Aquaman and Cyborg. Despite the Flash's slightly greater speed, Superman was able to quickly overwhelm and knock him out after proving impervious to his attempts to freeze him and pushing aside the other members of the Justice League, glancingly hitting him after the Flash barely dodged his previous attacks. In his resulting altercation with Wonder Woman, although he did have a bit more difficulty fighting her, having been headbutted after landing a similar blow to her upon intercepting her attempt to clasp her Bracelets of Submission, he quickly grounded her with a single attack before easily tossing aside and restraining Batman with a single hand. He would have eventually killed them had Lois not stopped him. During the battle with Steppenwolf, Superman was the only member of the Justice League able to overpower him and did so with ease, easily dodging his blows and swiftly responding with his own punishing blows that quickly beat the New God into submission. ―Jor-El to Dru-Zod •Indomitable Will: Superman has tremendous determination and strength of will, since he refuses to ever hunker down and give up, even when placed against seemingly insurmountable odds. Hence, despite being badly outmatched and outnumbered in his fight against the combined efforts of Faora-Ul and Nam-Ek, his battle with the World Engine's gigantic gravity beam, and his final duel with General Zod, and taking a tremendous beating from all of them, Superman promptly rose up and kept on fighting, persisting until he eventually managed to gain the upper hand. Indeed, Superman's will was even greater than that of Batman and Wonder Woman, since the former ultimately strayed away from superheroism after undergoing hardships, and the latter stepped away from full-time superheroism for 100 years after a traumatic war experience, while Superman only stepped away into self-imposed exile for a few days after a similarly traumatic experience, and returned to save a world than had forsaken him. Thus, Superman persisted in getting through to Batman, and later refused back down when faced by the stronger and more powerful Doomsday, proceeding to team up with Batman and Wonder Woman to take the seemingly unstoppable monster down, persisting with his utmost until Doomsday was defeated, persisting even after being himself mortally stabbed by the monster, persisting defiantly up until his own dying breath (to further plunge his weapon into Doomsday), much to Batman and Wonder Woman's admiration and respect. In fact, Superman's determination and willpower were so great, that he was even able to temporarily overcome the weakening and superpower negation effects of the kryptonite spear for several seconds, long enough for him to fly up to Doomsday and plunge the weapon into the monster. Wonder Woman was astounded to have finally, after 100 years, meet a person who had both the phenomenal godly might of Ares, and the self-sacrificing morality of Steve Trevor. Indeed, Batman claimed that Superman is a "beacon to the world," one who doesn't just save people, but also "made them see the best parts of themselves." This was a consistent trait in Superman, which allowed him to inspire Pete Ross (who had previously bullied him) to become a good man, to inspire Lois Lane to do the right thing (despite her previously just wanting to publish the alien's story), to gain the trust and respect of General Swanwick and Colonel Hardy (despite them initially being gruff, fearful, xenophobic, and not even seeing him as human), to inspire Dr. Hamilton to risk his life to defeat the Kryptonian invasion (despite him usually being shy and soft-spoken), to inspire Perry White to risk his life saving his DP employees (despite him usually being gruff and controlling), to inspire Steve Lombard to risk his life saving Jenny Jurwich (despite him usually being sleazy and unfriendly), to gain the respect of the US Armed Forces and inspire them to give his superhero nickname (despite them initially being hostile, fearful, and xenophobic towards him), to inspire the brutal fallen Batman to snap out of his rage and once again become a selfless superhero (despite him having initially wanted to kill the alien), and also to inspire the cynical and almost hopeless Wonder Woman to finally become a full-time superhero again (despite her having stepped away 100 years ago). Indeed, the only time Superman ever failed to inspire a flawed individual to "see the best parts of himself" and do a heroic deed was when he saved Lex Luthor from Doomsday since despite this disproving Lex's main reason for hating God and Superman, Lex was already too far gone and too malevolent an individual to change his ways. Superman's powerful will even allowed him to resist the Anti-Life Equation's powers and he was only broken when the grief he felt over Lois' death allowed Darkseid to brainwash him. •Free Will: Being a Kryptonian born of biological reproduction, Kal-El possesses a more complete and higher Free Will than his fellow men and even his parents, although the latter have completely broken the boundaries of their engineered DNA thinking, but they did not have enough Free Will as much as their son. Jor-El had in fact predicted that his son might have the right to choose to protect humanity or have Krypton be reborn on Earth. Kal-El, despite initially wanting to be with his fellows, chose to protect Earth and side with humans when he learned of the Kryptonians' apocalyptic plan to extinguish humanity to save Krypton and rebuild it on Earth. Because of his superior Free Will, he was looked down upon by his fellow creatures, who are artificially born with a specific purpose to fulfill, while he was free to decide without anyone's imposition what purpose or destiny he can pursue; above all, Faora accused him of being weak and insecure, due to his high morality, which artificially born Kryptonians with a purpose have never had. Kal-El, unlike his other Kryptonian companions, who lacked the ability to genetically move forward once their purpose is lost, is able to go on to pursue his purpose of protecting Earth from the threats that follow, even when much of the world has abandoned him, due to the manipulations of Lex Luthor, despite having withdrawn temporarily for a few days in solitude to reflect on his purposes to follow, unlike other metahumans who have hidden for years, because of their fear of not being accepted by society. It is thanks to his Free Will that he eventually returned from his self-isolation to save the world from Doomsday, despite the fact that he had to risk his life by dying in the process. Another aspect of his Free Will is that he could choose which planet to stay with, whether with Krypton or Earth, as demonstrated when he briefly hesitated to destroy Scout Ship 0344 because unborn Kryptonians could die, but at the same time he didn't want the Kryptonians conquered Earth for a planet that had been destroyed decades ago, so Kal-El chose to side with Earth, as Krypton had already had its chance and they wasted it.
•Kryptonite: Superman is vulnerable to the effects of Kryptonite, a radioactive xenomineral created by the World Engine. It can weaken or even kill him if he is exposed to it for a prolonged period of time, or if he is impaled with a shard of it. Indeed, scars inflicted on Superman's body by kryptonite will only heal under direct sunlight.
•Kryptonian Atmosphere: Having grown up on Earth, Superman's body rejected the Kryptonian-compatible atmosphere aboard General Zod's ship, causing him to bleed and making him more susceptible to damage.
•Red Sunlight: If exposed to the radiation from a red star, such as Krypton's sun Rao, it'd replace the higher-yield yellow solar energy in Superman's cells, losing his powers and becoming as powerful as an ordinary human.
•Lead: Superman's superhuman senses can be blocked through lead, as Superman cannot hear or see through things coated with lead. Lex Luthor managed to prevent Superman from seeing and hearing the bomb in the Captorium by coating it in lead.
•Magical/Divine Weapons: Weapons of magical origin such as the Sword of Athena and the Trident of Atlan, can injure Superman. He can also be restrained (albeit temporarily) by the Lasso of Hestia, and is susceptible to its truth compulsion.
•Family and Friends: Despite Superman's strength of will, it can be weakened by feelings of love and friendship. Lex Luthor taking advantage of Superman's love for his mother and threatening to kill her, managed to manipulate Superman and turn him against Batman.
Weapons
•Kryptonite Spear: Originally created to be used against him, Superman used the spear to kill the behemoth Doomsday during their showdown in Gotham City.
Other Equipment
•Glasses: Kal-El possesses a pair of glasses he dons whenever he poses as the mild-mannered Clark Kent. •House of El command key: Clark once possessed a piece of Kryptonian technology made of liquid geo that allowed him to operate and use the abandoned Kryptonian ship found in the Arctic. A gift from his father, the key held within it the artificial intelligence program of Jor-El's conscious self. He wore it around his neck as a pendant during his years searching for his origin. The key was sucked into the Phantom Zone along with his infant pod and the Black Zero. ―Lois Lane and Superman •Supersuits: Clark wears a black Kryptonian skinsuit as the superhero Superman. He previously wore a blue skinsuit with a red cape. The suits were crafted from an immensely durable material, and are adorned with the House of El glyph on its chest, the original in red, and its replacement in silver. The initial suit was damaged during the Showdown in Gotham Port against Doomsday, before he later donned the second suit to take down Steppenwolf. •Growth codex: Kal-El's cells have been bonded to the Kryptonian growth codex by Jor-El, which contain the genetic makeup of over a billion Kryptonians. As revealed by Jax-Ur, it was still possible to extract the codex's information from Kal-El's body even if he were dead.
Vehicles
•Starcraft: As a baby, Kal-El was placed into a small starship equipped with a phantom drive, which his parents used to send him to Earth. The starship was used again later in his life to send the Sword of Rao back to the Phantom Zone. •Scout Ship 0344: Clark discovered the ancient Kryptonian scout ship frozen deep in an ice shelf in Canada, and he later took possession of it. He used the ship as a temporary base of operations while learning of his origins from the stored consciousness of Jor-El. The ship, also known as the Fortress of Solitude, contains a damaged Genesis Chamber with aquabots, though Clark was forced to severely damage its systems it when General Zod commandeered the vessel during the Black Zero Event. Afterwards the ship fell into the temporary possession of the United States government and was exploited by Lex Luthor. The ship was then claimed by Silas Stone and his S.T.A.R. Labs colleagues.
Family
•House of El •Jor-El † - father, savior and temporary mentor •Lara Lor-Van † - mother •Zor-El † - ancestral relative •Alura † - ancestral relative •Kara Zor-El - ancestral relative •Unidentified - adoptive-grandfather •Unidentified - adoptive-grandmother •Jonathan Kent † - adoptive father and mentor •Martha Kent - adoptive mother and mentor •Harry Kent Jr. † - adoptive uncle •Unborn child
Allies
•Hank - pet •Lana Lang - childhood friend •Pete Ross - bully turned friend and rescuee •Cassidy Pub •Chrissy - former colleague •Weaver - former colleague ••Lois Lane - colleague, rescuee, and fiancé •Perry White - boss •Jenny Jurwich - colleague •Steve Lombard - colleague •Trinity Lutheran Church •Daniel Leone - confidant and ally •United States Armed Forces •Calvin Swanwick •Carrie Farris •Nathan Hardy † - enemy turned ally and rescuee •Mackenzie Olsen •Edwards •DARPA •Emil Hamilton † •Superman Study Committee •June Finch † •Barrows † •Purrington † •S.T.A.R. Labs •Jenet Klyburn •Silas Stone † •Justice League •Bruce Wayne/Batman - rival and enemy turned ally, teammate and close friend •Diana Prince/Wonder Woman - situational ally turned teammate •Arthur Curry/Aquaman - ally and teammate •Barry Allen/Flash - resurrector, ally and teammate •Victor Stone/Cyborg - ally, savior and teammate •Dexter Tolliver •A.R.G.U.S. •Amanda Waller •Alfred Pennyworth •Shazam Family •Billy Batson •Freddy Freeman •11th Street Kids •Peacemaker •Emilia Harcourt •Vigilante •Leota Adebayo •John Economos
Enemies
•Ken Braverman - bully •Whitney Fordham - bully and rescuee •Ludlow •Sword of Rao •Zod † - archenemy and victim •Faora-Ul - prisoner •Nam-Ek •Jax-Ur •Tor-An •Car-Vex •Dev-Em II •Nadira •Gor •Kevin's criminal group •Kevin •Eddie •Nairomian terrorists •Amajagh •Kahina Ziri † - slanderer •Wallace Keefe † - indirect victim and opposer •Andrew Sullivan - opposer •Glen Woodburn - opposer •LexCorp •Lex Luthor - archenemy, manipulator, rescuee and indirect killer •Mercy Graves † •Anatoli Knyazev † •Emmet Vale •Doomsday † - victim and killer •Darkseid's Elite •Darkseid •Steppenwolf † •DeSaad •Granny Goodness •Parademons •Robert DuBois/Bloodsport - attempted killer •Teth-Adam/Black Adam
•Henry Cavill is the first non-American actor to play Superman.
•Superman is currently the third oldest member of the Justice League, being younger than Bruce and Diana.
•Clark's birth year is listed as 1986 in the Daily Planet article, "Daily Planet Reporter Clark Kent killed reporting Gotham Battle". General Dru-Zod had already confirmed his birth year to be no later than 1980, so this is likely a mistake.
•Along with his parents, the only people who know Clark Kent is Superman are General Zod, the Sword of Rao, Lois Lane, the Justice League, Alfred Pennyworth, Father Leone, and Lex Luthor.
•Clark is right-handed.
•Superman being able to match the Flash's speed does not quite fit in with the common concepts of DC. Usually, speedsters are described to be considerably faster than solar-powered Kryptonians. It is possible that this is due to Barry's inexperience, and the Flash is still shown to be able to surpass his speed.
- Alfred Pennyworth
- 3 min
Jun 4, 2023 · "Superman III" was marketed as a family-friendly superhero flick, but the film still includes one of the most haunting scenes in a "Superman" movie ever.
Dec 4, 2023 · Man of Steel was the first installment of the DCEU, setting up a shared universe of DC characters for Warner Bros. The film's ending effectively sets up the future of Superman and Clark Kent in the DCEU.
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Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero Superman. Produced by Syncopy and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures , It is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe .
