Superman

He is a tall, burly man with pale skin and blue eyes that radiate hope. When he's in his secret identity, he always wears a navy blue suit, a red tie, and glasses. With his Hero costume, he always wears his iconic blue suit, red boots, a red cape, and the S on his chest, which symbolizes Hope.

Clark is calm and serene, always level-headed, compassionate even with cruelty, and always chooses to use dialogue rather than his powers. He is always willing to help and protect the cause of truth, justice, and freedom.

Superman is one of the most powerful beings on planet Earth, an alien immigrant named Kal-El from the planet Krypton who was raised in Smallville, Kansas, to become a superhero radiating hope. Raised with high moral ideals, he uses his incredible strength, speed, flight, and various other powers to fight evil and protect the innocent. In his civilian identity, he is Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter working for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He is a founding member of the Justice League and a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century.

The planet Krypton was about to explode, and scientist couple Jor-El and Lara Van-El decided to build a rocket that they could use to save their unborn son Kal-El from his gestation chamber. They sent him to planet Earth, where exposure to the yellow light of the sun would power his cells into living solar batteries and give him incredible powers, wanting him to regain the fullness of life denied him by the sterility of Kryptonian culture. He was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas; the kind-hearted couple decided to adopt and raise him, claiming the boy as their own after months of isolation during a blizzard and naming him Clark Kent. Clark's abilities steadily increased as he grew older, with super-strength and invulnerability at a young age and the power of flight developing during high school. His adoptive parents eventually revealed the rocket and his foreign heritage to him when he was 18, leading him to decide to secretly become a hero and use his powers to protect the innocent. He operated this way for seven years until he was forced to fly a space plane in front of a crowd of people, meeting reporter Lois Lane at age 25. Deciding it was time to become a public figure, Clark and Jonathan designed a symbol for him to wear, while Martha designed a suit. In his secret identity, he would drastically change his physical appearance and mannerisms, while also wearing glasses so no one would suspect he was leading a double civilian life.

During his early costumed adventures in Metropolis, he was given the name Superman by Lois Lane. Clark began his new career as a reporter for the Daily Planet, working under editor-in-chief Perry White alongside Lois and reporter Jimmy Olsen, with Superman's first exclusive interview. The media coverage eventually caught the attention of corrupt business magnate Lex Luthor, testing Superman and attempting to gain his attention with a terrorist attack. Mayor Frank Berkowitz deputizes for Superman to arrest Luthor, and Lex vows revenge. Repeated attempts to assassinate him eventually led to LexCorp developing an imperfect clone called Bizarro. Superman destroyed the defective creature, and its strange chemical structure somehow cured Lois Lane's sister's blindness. Jimmy began wearing a watch of his own design to summon Superman whenever he was in danger. Upon returning to Smallville after many years to reunite with his teenage girlfriend, Lana Lang, he is exposed to the rocket once again.

This time he receives a message from his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara, learning about Krypton for the first time when centuries of knowledge are implanted in his brain. Superman considers his dual heritage, and decides that no matter where he is from, his life on Earth made him human. Superman would have his first encounters with Darkseid, Arathaza, Bloodsport, the Circle, Chemo, Rampage, Mister Mxyxpltk, Silver Banshee and the Prankster. In one of his early adventures, Superman would often find himself at odds with Lex Luthor, who was committed to destroying the hated alien and reclaiming his place as the first son of Metropolis. Luthor also dismisses the possibility that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person, rationalizing that someone as powerful as Superman would never pretend to be a mere human like Clark Kent. Superman would also face Darkseid for the first time, who teleported him to Apokolips. Superman remained on Apokolips for a time, eventually rallying the dregs of society into a resistance against the despotic ruler, but the revolution was unsuccessful and Superman returned to Earth. Superman and Wonder Woman met during the Legends event, and Superman was surprised to find that he thought of her often. Over time, the two reunited, discussing their mutual attraction. After a Crisis involving Darkseid and the Olympians was resolved, they decided they weren't right for each other and became friends, although Superman did confide his secret identity in Diana. Months later, Superman was surprised to meet a being calling herself Supergirl.

Not long after the event commonly known as "Panic in Heaven", a monstrous alien creature called Doomsday emerged from the east side of Ohio and made its way to Metropolis. The beast single-handedly defeated the Justice League when the team rallied to stop it. Superman battled the creature across several states, eventually arriving with it in Metropolis. After a desperate battle, Superman managed to subdue the monster - but collapsed while doing so, dying in the arms of Lois Lane. All attempts to revive Superman failed, and he was pronounced dead - while Clark was discovered to be dead as well (alongside several hundred others missing and presumed dead in Doomsday's massacre). Superman was buried with full honors, with hundreds of heads of state and hundreds of thousands of spectators in attendance, beneath a large statue in Centennial Park. The Justice League and other heroes marched behind the coffin, following their leader (official or not) one last time. Lois, Lana, and the Kents were devastated. The family chose to keep the secret that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same, while Cadmus stole the body from the grave. Supergirl recovered Cadmus's body, prompting Lex Luthor to gloat that while he may not have killed Superman, by providing the grave, he at least "buried" him.

Jonathan Kent, suffering from a heart attack, is taken to Smallville Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Jonathan recovers after having a near-death experience in which his soul, guided by kismet, reunited with the spirit of Superman (who was being plagued by demons) and convinced him to fight his way back to the land of the living. When Jonathan awakens and tells Lois and Martha that Superman has returned, sightings of four different beings, all claiming to be Superman, emerge in Metropolis: "The Man of Tomorrow", "The Last Son of Krypton", "The Man of Steel", and "Metropolis Kid". A trip to the tomb itself reveals it to be empty. While the first two actually claimed to be Superman (and provided circumstantial evidence that this was true), the latter two did not make the same claim. The young Superboy claimed to be a clone of the original Superman (in fact, he told anyone who would listen, taking the spotlight as much as possible) and the Man of Steel was claimed (by a psychic named Rosie) to be Superman's soul bound into a robotic body.

It was eventually revealed that none of the four were the real ones. The Eradicator, having been incorporeal after the battle with Superman, went to Superman's grave to use his body as a new vessel. Sensing Superman's still-lingering soul, he formed a new concrete body in Superman's image and placed Kal-El's body in a regeneration matrix that was bombarded with sunlight. The Eradicator's body could not absorb sunlight the way Kal-El's could, so he used Kal-El's body to fuel his own until Superman was successfully revived. His memory was hazy, however, and he briefly believed he was actually Superman. He also struggled with the new human emotions he felt in his new body. When Superman was finally restored to the fortress, he was weak and powerless, so he used a Kryptonian battle suit to reach Metropolis. When the Warsuit arrived in Metropolis it encountered Lex Luthor II, Lois, and others, who were shocked when a black-suited Superman stepped out and claimed that he was the real one. Knowing that Coast City had just been destroyed by the Cyborg Superman (and that he plans to destroy Metropolis as well), he joins up with Superboy, Supergirl, and Steel and they depart for the site, which is now the location of Engine City. Before departing, he has a brief chat with Lois, who becomes mostly convinced that this man is the man she fell in love with.

The assault on Motor City is brutal, but Superman is soon joined by first the Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), who manages to defeat Mongul after Superman and Supergirl failed. and then the Eradicator, who explains that it was he who was responsible for Superman's revival - and that it can't happen a second time. Superman also learns that the Cyborg is really Hank Henshaw, who was so desperate for revenge against Superman that he decided to assume his identity and tell the entire universe that it was his fault that Earth was destroyed. During the fight, Superman's powers are restored through a self-sacrifice by the Eradicator, who stops the Cyborg. Superman returns to Metropolis - and Lois, who no longer has any doubts about him. Superman springs back into action, quickly convincing Lex Luthor and Maggie Sawyer that he is the real deal as well. Unfortunately, he has yet to reacquire the rights to the "Superman" name and symbol, but after helping young Superboy come to terms with his origins and accept the name "Superboy", the boy graciously returns the rights to the Man of Steel.

Superman, with the help of the Shapeshifter Supergirl, manages to find a plausible way to "resurrect" Clark Kent, who has not been seen since Superman's death (one of several hundred people presumed missing because of the rampage of the Battle of Doomsday). Supergirl takes the form of Clark and Superman in a "meeting" and Clark among the rubble of a destroyed building. Jimmy puts up another picture of Superman and Clark side-by-side. Doctor Occult visits Superman and Lois, explaining how his rebirth came about before taking them to Kansas to see his parents. Superman also learns that the Fortress of Solitude has been destroyed; he buries what remains of it in ice and does his best to stop the cults that have sprung up to worship him. He also discovers that the Eradicator has been cured, apparently after his body was merged with the mind of a scientist named David Conner. Clark is welcomed back to a chorus of cheers at the Daily Planet and Superman throws a party for Lex Luthor II aboard a blimp, but things turn ugly when Underworlders attack the blimp, attempting to kill Paul Westfield. Fortunately, the Man of Steel saves the day (and so do Westfield and Luthor). Superman jumps back into the good fight with renewed vigor - barely stopping to rest in the first few weeks after his return. He battles a new team that possesses nuclear waste and bids farewell to John Henry Irons, who'd decided to give up being a superhero (his armor being mostly destroyed in Engine City) and move to Washington, D.C.

He also needs time to spend with Lois - which has some tragic results when the two decide to go to Paris and are therefore not present in Metropolis when the Toyman kidnaps Adam Grant and subsequently murders him. Superman is able to track down the Toyman and bring him back with minor problems. Superman also had to deal with a new villain named BloodThrist, who had a new Bloodsport, and possessed modernized high-tech weapons to engage in a killing spree, known as "The Gorefest," at the heights of the Hob, all to create more chaos in the city. Bloodsport and his Hi-Tech attempted to assassinate Jimmy Olsen, but Superman was able to save his friend and eventually stop Bloodsport. Bloodthirst, before fleeing, hinted that Luthor's presence in the city would truly lead to chaos. Shortly after the Toymaker is brought to justice, Superman gets into a fight with Lobo that ends with both of them stranded in outer space for a couple of weeks. While in space, he encounters Auron (who at first doesn't believe he's the real Superman, because Auron was created to protect Superman's legacy) and meets Massacre for the first time. Massacre kills Auron and leaves, vowing to come back for Superman sooner or later.

Superman had a rematch with Doomsday after the monster appeared alive and well on Apokolips (the Cyborg Superman was there as well). Superman had been troubled by nightmares about the creature, worried about what had happened to him, and Waverider warned him to go to Apokolips, where the monster was alive and well. Not even Darkseid could stop the monster. After working with Darkseid to defeat the Cyborg, Superman pursued Doomsday to the planet Calaton and fought the beast to a standstill. Fortunately, with the help of Waverider, Superman was able to teleport Doomsday into the distant future - just before the universe came to an end. This allowed him to find a small piece of the creature's mind, though he mourned the creature's apparent death.

Kryptonian Physiology: Superman's body structure is much denser and more biologically effective than human tissue. Curiously, he does not appear to possess superhuman levels of strength despite his enhanced cellular capacity without his cellular structure charged with yellow solar energy. Without that energy, his strength is equal to that of a man of his same height and weight, who involves much physical activity. As an alien, he possesses many organs that have yet to be revealed their functions; but it is believed that some are part of the source of his biomatrix force field and his aura. Superman's body also stores active energy within his biocellular matrix as an energy pattern that is linked with his electromagnetic field. The energy of several of his superman powers are produced by his electromagnetic abilities such as flight and heat vision.

•Solar Battery: This is the core of all of Superman's powers. As a Kryptonian, his cells can absorb yellow solar energy, and this, in turn, is the source of all his powers and abilities. Superman can also absorb energy from other types of stars, for example when he absorbs the solar energy of a blue star it increases his abilities to a higher level and gives him new powers. He once overloaded himself with solar energy beyond his normal levels and nearly went insane, requiring the help of the parasite to drain it. •Superhuman Strength: Superman's exact strength is unknown, as his strength has varied over the years. However, his strength must be at least several megatons. This makes Superman the strongest on planet Earth and one of the strongest beings in the universe. •Invulnerability: Superman's body is nearly invulnerable, although this power has also changed over time. He has demonstrated this in several ways, for example: He has entered the sun and emerged completely unharmed, traveled through Krypton's red sun and survived without physical damage, even when the red solar radiation diminishes his powers and weakens him. •Longevity: Can live indefinitely. •Superhuman stamina: Has the ability to maintain continuous vigorous physical action for an indefinite period. •Flight: In the Earth's atmosphere and in space, Superman can fly faster than light. •Super Speed: Superman is capable of enhanced reflexes and the ability to move at incredible speeds through sheer force of will, though he is not as fast as The Flash (Wally West). Even so, Superman can move as fast as light and is one of the fastest beings in the universe. •

•Superhuman Hearing: Superman has incredible hearing, capable of extreme variations in sound and pitch frequencies, allowing him to pick up noises from all over the world. He has demonstrated sufficient control to block out ambient sounds and focus on a specific source and/or frequency. •Super Smell: On several occasions, he has demonstrated that his sense of smell has been significantly enhanced to the point where he can smell odors across the entire planet without any problem. •Self-sufficiency: Does not need to eat or sleep, so while under the effects of the yellow sun radiation. •Healing Factor: In the extreme case that Superman is injured, whether by his own strength or another event, he has been shown to have the ability to heal almost instantly from any wound, assuming the process isn't hindered by kryptonite. The healing factor is supplemented by his solar energy reserves. •Super-Breath: The ability to create hurricane-force winds by simply blowing, and freeze the target with his breath (commonly referred to as "Freeze Breath" or "Arctic Breath"). When Superman inhales air, his lungs compress the incoming gas. When this gas expands upon exhalation, the sudden increase in volume causes its temperature to drop proportionally to the size of this expansion. Superman can also inhale large amounts of air, a skill he typically uses to clear poisonous gas clouds. •Heat Vision: This is the ability to shoot intense heat rays at a target by looking at it. Visually, the power is usually represented as two beams of red light shooting from his eyes.