(By the time of the series itself, Superman fully remembers his new Post-Crisis timeline, including his children and relationship with Sam Lane. He shows no signs to the contrary.)
:''For other uses of Superman, see [[Superman (disambiguation)]].''
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:''For other uses of Superman, see [[Superman (disambiguation)]]''.
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:''For other uses of Man of Steel, see [[Man of Steel (disambiguation)]].''
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:''For other uses of Man of Steel, see [[Man of Steel (disambiguation)]]''.
{{Character
{{Character
|name= Clark Kent
|name= Clark Kent
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[[File:Lex Luthor.png|thumb|left|250px|Lex Luthor, Superman's best friend-turned-archenemy.]]
[[File:Lex Luthor.png|thumb|left|250px|Lex Luthor, Superman's best friend-turned-archenemy.]]
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Superman also befriended the brilliant billionaire industrialist, [[Lex Luthor]], the CEO of [[Luthor Corp]]. Initially, the two decided to work together to end the threat of alien invasions, but Lex's methods were far crueler than Superman's. Although Superman tried hard to trust his friend, defending him against accusations of others and continuing to give him several chances to atone for his wrong deeds,<ref name="Luthors">{{Ep|Luthors}}</ref> but he was eventually forced to realize Lex's true nature - this ultimately resulted in a falling out between the pair.
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Superman also befriended the brilliant billionaire industrialist, [[Lex Luthor]], the CEO of [[Luthor Corp]]. Initially, the two decided to work together to end the threat of alien invasions, but Lex's methods were far crueler than Superman's.<ref name="The Darkest Place" /> Although Superman tried hard to trust his friend, defending him against accusations of others and continuing to give him several chances to atone for his wrong deeds,<ref name="Luthors">{{Ep|Luthors}}</ref> he was eventually forced to realize Lex's true nature - this ultimately resulted in a falling out between the pair.
Shortly after this, Lex came to believe that Superman himself was the cause of alien terrorism as his presence attracted them and declared war on his former friend, becoming his greatest enemy.<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /><ref name="The Darkest Place" /> One of these duels had Superman thwarting an attempt by Lex to trigger a fault line in [[California (Earth-38)|California]] with an "earthquake machine",<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /> while another incident involved Lex creating and selling a series of battle armors he called [[Lexosuit]]s, which he used in order to even the playing field when facing the Kryptonian.<ref name="Midvale" />
Shortly after this, Lex came to believe that Superman himself was the cause of alien terrorism as his presence attracted them and declared war on his former friend, becoming his greatest enemy.<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /><ref name="The Darkest Place" /> One of these duels had Superman thwarting an attempt by Lex to trigger a fault line in [[California (Earth-38)|California]] with an "earthquake machine",<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /> while another incident involved Lex creating and selling a series of battle armors he called [[Lexosuit]]s, which he used in order to even the playing field when facing the Kryptonian.<ref name="Midvale" />
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[[File:Martian Manhunter.png|thumb|250px|Superman had one encounter with J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter and eventually called him "the most powerful being on Earth".]]
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[[File:Martian Manhunter.png|thumb|250px|Superman had an encounter with J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter and eventually called him "the most powerful being on Earth".]]
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At some point, Superman had at least one encounter with [[J'onn J'onzz|J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter]]. Whether or not this encounter ended up in a fight is unknown, but it was enough for him to call J'onn "the most powerful being on Earth". He also became aware of his deception, posing as [[Hank Henshaw]].<ref name="Human For a Day">{{Ep|Human For a Day}}</ref><ref name="Manhunter">{{Ep|Manhunter}}</ref> Later on, Clark helped the D.E.O. uncover an alien asteroid, composed of an emerald-green Kryptonian xeno-mineral. J'onn nicknamed it "[[Kryptonite]]" and resolved to store it in the D.E.O. as a contingency against other Kryptonians, which enraged Clark, thus leading to the pair falling out. Despite this, Clark still kept J'onn's secret identity posing as Henshaw a secret for his sake. According to J'onn, Clark was the only other person on Earth besides himself who knew of his identity for many years.<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /><ref name="Human For a Day">{{Ep|Human For a Day}}</ref>
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At some point, Superman had at least one encounter with [[J'onn J'onzz|J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter]]. Whether or not this encounter ended up in a fight is unknown, but it was enough for him to call J'onn "the most powerful being on Earth". also became aware of his deception, posing as [[Hank Henshaw]].<ref name="Human For a Day">{{Ep|Human For a Day}}</ref><ref name="Manhunter">{{Ep|Manhunter}}</ref> Later on, Clark helped the D.E.O. uncover an alien asteroid, composed of an emerald-green Kryptonian xeno-mineral. J'onn nicknamed it "[[Kryptonite]]" and resolved to store it in the D.E.O. as a contingency against other Kryptonians, which enraged Clark, thus leading to the pair falling out. Despite this, Clark still kept J'onn's secret identity posing as Henshaw a secret for his sake. According to J'onn, Clark was the only other person on Earth besides himself who knew of his identity for many years.<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" /><ref name="Human For a Day">{{Ep|Human For a Day}}</ref>
Over the years, Clark began a steady romantic relationship with [[Lois Lane]].<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" />
Over the years, Clark began a steady romantic relationship with [[Lois Lane]].<ref name="The Adventures of Supergirl" />
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{{Quote|When I arrived, I was still a 13-year-old girl. But in that same time, my cousin Kal-El had grown up and revealed himself to your world... as Superman. The most powerful man in the universe.|[[Kara Danvers]] about Superman|Pilot (Supergirl)}}
{{Quote|When I arrived, I was still a 13-year-old girl. But in that same time, my cousin Kal-El had grown up and revealed himself to your world... as Superman. The most powerful man in the universe.|[[Kara Danvers]] about Superman|Pilot (Supergirl)}}
In 2003, twenty-four years after Krypton's destruction, and thus his arrival on Earth, a [[Kara Zor-El's pod|Kryptonian pod]] crash-landed on Earth. Superman eventually tracked down the ship and discovered his older cousin, [[Kara Danvers|Kara Zor-El]], scared and alone inside it. As Kara was trapped in stasis inside the [[Phantom Zone]] for 24 years, she did not age, resulting in her still being physically 13 years old. Feeling that Kara should learn how to be a human and needed people who could be with her at all times, like the adoptive family that took him in, Clark left his cousin in the care of the [[Danvers family|Danvers]], knowing that they would help Kara to understand her powers just as they had done with him.<ref name="Pilot" />
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In 2003, 24 years after Krypton's destruction, and thus his arrival on Earth, a [[Kara Zor-El's pod|Kryptonian pod]] crash-landed on Earth. Superman eventually tracked down the ship and discovered his older cousin, [[Kara Danvers|Kara Zor-El]], scared and alone inside it. As Kara was trapped in stasis inside the [[Phantom Zone]] for 24 years, she did not age, resulting in her still being physically 13 years old. Feeling that Kara should learn how to be a human and needed people who could be with her at all times, like the adoptive family that took him in, Clark left his cousin in the care of the [[Danvers family|Danvers]], knowing that they would help Kara to understand her powers just as they had done with him.<ref name="Pilot" />
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Over the ensuing years, Clark kept in touch with his cousin and invited her to see the [[Fortress of Solitude (Earth-38)|Fortress of Solitude]] several times, though Kara rejected the offers as she thought it would remind her of Krypton and make her homesick.<ref name="Solitude" />
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Over the ensuing years, Clark kept in touch with his cousin and invited her to see the [[Fortress of Solitude (Earth-38)|Fortress of Solitude]] several times, though Kara rejected the offers as she thought it would remind her of Krypton.<ref name="Solitude" />
====Sending James to National City====
====Sending James to National City====
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===New multiverse===
===New multiverse===
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As a result from the merging of [[Earth-38]] with [[Earth-1]] and [[Earth-TUD5]], the timeline was slightly changed, resulting in Lois and Clark having two sons instead of one,aswellas [[Lex Luthor]] never being arrested by Superman, and being known worldwide as a beloved and respected humanitarian.<ref name="Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five">{{Ep|Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five}}</ref>
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As a result from the merging of [[Earth-38]] with [[Earth-1]] and [[Earth-TUD5]], the timeline was slightly changed, resulting in Lois and Clark having two sons instead of one and 12 years sooner. It also resulted in [[Lex Luthor]] never being arrested by Superman, but rather being known worldwide as a beloved and respected humanitarian.<ref name="Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five">{{Ep|Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five}}</ref>
====Early life====
====Early life====
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====Marrying Lois====
====Marrying Lois====
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[[File:Lois and Clark in the fortress.png|thumb|250px|left|Lois and Clark in the fortress.]]
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[[File:Lois and Clark in the fortress.png|thumb|250px|left|Lois and Clark become engaged in the fortress.]]
Sometime later, Clark introduced Lois to his mother, Martha and prepared himself to reveal his secret identity as Superman to Lois. Martha told Clark that there will be no going back, but Clark said that was the case since the first time they met. Clark then led Lois outside into the field, where he revealed the truth to her.<ref name="A Brief"/> When Lois caught Clark spying on her with his superhearing, she almost broke up with him, but Clark spent two weeks sending her flowers so she decided to get back in touch with him and rekindle the relationship since she was still in love.<ref name="Perks"/> Clark proposed to Lois at the [[Fortress of Solitude (Earth-Prime)|Fortress of Solitude]] and then they were married in [[Smallville (Earth-Prime)|Smallville]].<ref name="Pilot (Superman & Lois)"/> After the wedding, Clark and Lois went on a honeymoon. Clark said he knew why he had kept his secret for so long, as he was saving it for her, and that he couldn't wait to tell the A.I. of Jor-El about the wedding.<ref name="A Brief"/>
Sometime later, Clark introduced Lois to his mother, Martha and prepared himself to reveal his secret identity as Superman to Lois. Martha told Clark that there will be no going back, but Clark said that was the case since the first time they met. Clark then led Lois outside into the field, where he revealed the truth to her.<ref name="A Brief"/> When Lois caught Clark spying on her with his superhearing, she almost broke up with him, but Clark spent two weeks sending her flowers so she decided to get back in touch with him and rekindle the relationship since she was still in love.<ref name="Perks"/> Clark proposed to Lois at the [[Fortress of Solitude (Earth-Prime)|Fortress of Solitude]] and then they were married in [[Smallville (Earth-Prime)|Smallville]].<ref name="Pilot (Superman & Lois)"/> After the wedding, Clark and Lois went on a honeymoon. Clark said he knew why he had kept his secret for so long, as he was saving it for her, and that he couldn't wait to tell the A.I. of Jor-El about the wedding.<ref name="A Brief"/>
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====Final battle against the Anti-Monitor====
====Final battle against the Anti-Monitor====
[[File:The heroes gets ready for the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.png|thumb|250px|The heroes gets ready for the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.]]
[[File:The heroes gets ready for the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.png|thumb|250px|The heroes gets ready for the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.]]
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The day after the [[Earth-Prime|new Earth]] was created, Clark had his old memories restored by J'onn and immediately went on [[Central City (Earth-Prime)|Central City]] to join the final battle alongside [[Rene Ramirez|Wild Dog]], the [[Nia Nal|Dreamer]], [[John Diggle|Spartan]], the Flash, [[Sara Lance|White Canary]], Martian Manhunter, [[Kate Kane|Batwoman]], Alex and his cousin, to stop the resurfaced Anti-Monitor from destroying everything once more.
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The day after the [[Earth-Prime|new Earth]] was created, Clark had his old memories restored by J'onn and immediately went on [[Star City (Earth-Prime)|Star City]] to join the final battle alongside [[Rene Ramirez|Wild Dog]], the [[Nia Nal|Dreamer]], [[John Diggle|Spartan]], the Flash, [[Sara Lance|White Canary]], Martian Manhunter, [[Kate Kane|Batwoman]], Alex and his cousin, to stop the resurfaced Anti-Monitor from destroying everything once more.
[[File:Superman and Supergirl fights the giant Anti-Monitor.png|thumb|left|250px|Superman and Supergirl fight the giant Anti-Monitor.]]
[[File:Superman and Supergirl fights the giant Anti-Monitor.png|thumb|left|250px|Superman and Supergirl fight the giant Anti-Monitor.]]
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Despite Clark's pride as a superhero, he is not above apologizing or admitting when he is wrong, like when he apologized to Lena for his initial distrust towards her, when he believed she was behind sabotaging the [[Venture]]; due to his bad experience with Lex, as Clark realized that he should have given Lena the benefit of the doubt, not just the because of her last name.
Despite Clark's pride as a superhero, he is not above apologizing or admitting when he is wrong, like when he apologized to Lena for his initial distrust towards her, when he believed she was behind sabotaging the [[Venture]]; due to his bad experience with Lex, as Clark realized that he should have given Lena the benefit of the doubt, not just the because of her last name.
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Despite Clark's brave demeanour, he is not completely fearless, as he is terrified that someday he may become exactly like the very threatens that he protects citizens of [[Metropolis (Earth-Prime)|Metropolis]] and overall the entire [[Earth-Prime|world]] from. Upon Clark learning about misdeeds of his evil doppelgänger, [[Kal-El (Earth-TUD22)|Kal-El]] of [[Earth-TUD22]], he was horrified by the atrocities committed by the latter; Clark becomes even more terrified when he discovers that his doppelgänger was exactly like him; until he started killing innocent individuals, as he is afraid that someday he may become exactly like his evil doppelgänger.
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Despite Clark's brave demeanour, he is not completely fearless, as he is terrified that someday he may become exactly like the very threatens that he protects the citizens of [[Metropolis (Earth-Prime)|Metropolis]] and overall the entire [[Earth-Prime|world]] from. Upon Clark learning about misdeeds of his evil doppelgänger, [[Kal-El (Earth-TUD22)|Kal-El]] of [[Earth-TUD22]], he was horrified by the atrocities committed by the latter; Clark becomes even more terrified when he discovers that his doppelgänger was exactly like him; until he started killing innocent individuals, as he is afraid that someday he may become exactly like his evil doppelgänger.
</tabber>
</tabber>
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****'''{{Power link|Super stamina|alien}}:''' Clark can run, fight or fly without getting tired seemingly endlessly. Even when physically hurt in battle, he can continue his efforts with no tangible decline in his performance.
****'''{{Power link|Super stamina|alien}}:''' Clark can run, fight or fly without getting tired seemingly endlessly. Even when physically hurt in battle, he can continue his efforts with no tangible decline in his performance.
***'''{{Power link|Flight|alien}}:''' [[File:Superman suit (Earth-38).png|thumb|250px|Superman flying through the city]]Clark is able to manipulate his own gravitational field to levitate himself in midair and generate such thrust to propel himself through the air at tremendous hyper-sonic speeds, even faster than he can travel by foot. As such, he is able to levitate and fly past Earth's atmosphere and near the planet's orbit.
***'''{{Power link|Flight|alien}}:''' [[File:Superman suit (Earth-38).png|thumb|250px|Superman flying through the city]]Clark is able to manipulate his own gravitational field to levitate himself in midair and generate such thrust to propel himself through the air at tremendous hyper-sonic speeds, even faster than he can travel by foot. As such, he is able to levitate and fly past Earth's atmosphere and near the planet's orbit.
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***'''[[List of alien powers|Heat vision]]:''' Clark can emit blue or red energy beams of intense heat from hiseyes. Due to his control over the beams, he has demonstrated being capable of burning through stone and welding metal, causing small explosions and fires concussive force to physically repelling or potentially damaging enemies with similar durability, making it useful in combat. It can also be focused to reflect of mirror surfaces. He often uses this power for more mundane purposes; such as heating heating up food or doing manual labor.
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***'''[[List of alien powers|Heat vision]]:''' Clark can generate, create and project bright blue or red energy beams of intense heat from both of his. Due to Clark's control over the beams, he has demonstrated being capable of burning through stone and welding metal, causing small explosions and fires concussive force to physically repelling or potentially damaging enemies with similar durability, making it useful in combat. It can also be focused to reflect of mirror surfaces. He often uses this power for more mundane purposes; such as heating heating up food or doing manual labor.
****'''Solar Flare:''' Clark can immediately expel massive amounts of stored solar energy from his body. This attack is much more powerful then his regular heat vision, however it comes at cost, as Clark remains mostly powerless afterwards, and must recharge himself.
****'''Solar Flare:''' Clark can immediately expel massive amounts of stored solar energy from his body. This attack is much more powerful then his regular heat vision, however it comes at cost, as Clark remains mostly powerless afterwards, and must recharge himself.
***'''{{Power link|Invulnerability|alien}}:''' While soft to the touch, the densest of Earth's matter can be shattered when struck upon his body while leaving him unscathed and painless. This durability has earned him the moniker of "Man of Steel" as he is seemingly impervious to injury. Due to his lifelong time in the young sun, Clark's durability is noticeably stronger than other Kryptonians, able to resist such challenges at greater levels. Clark's resilience also makes him virtually impervious to most harmful elements like crushing weights, electrical shocks, flames, and extreme temperatures.
***'''{{Power link|Invulnerability|alien}}:''' While soft to the touch, the densest of Earth's matter can be shattered when struck upon his body while leaving him unscathed and painless. This durability has earned him the moniker of "Man of Steel" as he is seemingly impervious to injury. Due to his lifelong time in the young sun, Clark's durability is noticeably stronger than other Kryptonians, able to resist such challenges at greater levels. Clark's resilience also makes him virtually impervious to most harmful elements like crushing weights, electrical shocks, flames, and extreme temperatures.
"Honey, I know you've got a lot on your plate, but you really do need to be around more." "Mom, I, uh, you know, I do have a responsibility to the world as you-know-who." "Well, you've got a bigger responsibility to your family as a father. Theboys need to see what a strong and loving and vulnerable man looks like... what your father was to you."
Clark Kent (born 1979[1] as Kal-El) is the son of the late Jor-El and the late Lara Lor-Van, and the last child on Krypton before its destruction. After being rocketed to Earth as an infant from his dying planet, he was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a couple of kindly humans who adopted and raised him in their hometown of Smallville, Kansas. They imbued him with strong moral values and leading for him to decide to fight for truth and justice once he grew up. In his secret identity, Clark worked as a reporter at the Daily Planet in the city of Metropolis, while secretly operating as one of the planet's greatest protectors; the world-famous superhero known as Superman, stylized as the "Man of Steel", the "Man of Tomorrow" and the "Last Son of Krypton".
In the new multiverse, Clark was fired from the Daily Planet after it was bought by Morgan Edge. After his adopted mother died and he found out that Jordan has powers, Clark and his family moved to Smallville, where he became the assistant coach at Smallville High School.
Kal-El with his parents prior to being sent away from Krypton.
Kal-El was born in 1979 on the planet Krypton into the prestigious House of El to his parents, scientists Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. Shortly after his birth, Krypton was on the brink of destruction with its core about to explode, so the House of El decided to save their children from the catastrophe by sending them away from the planet. Kal-El was rocketed to Earth alongside his older cousin, Kara Zor-El.[1] Making it there safely, the alien infant landed in a field where his pod was discovered by "Pa" and "Ma" Kent, a kindly human couple of farmers who decided to raise him in Smallville, Kansas[2][3] as their son, "Clark Kent".
Clark's upbringing and the lessons of his adopted parents imbued him with strong moral values growing up. Thus, he resolved to use the extraordinary powers he gained on Earth from its yellow sun to do good, fighting evil and protecting the innocent.[1] Clark began his crime-fighting activities in early youth, solving various mysteries with the help of his lifelong friend, Chloe.[4]
The statues of Clark's parents in the Fortress of Solitude.
Although he sometimes felt like a "strange visitor from another planet",[3] Clark remained proud of his dual heritage, taking both his human and Kryptonian legacy seriously. Over the years, he maintained a secret sanctuary known as the Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole in order to preserve the memory of his home planet and provide himself some respite from his adventurous life.[5][6]
At some point in the 1990s, Clark met Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers, a couple of married scientists who helped him understand his own powers.[1]
As an adult, Clark moved to Metropolis and after saving a plane from crashing,[1] he became a superhero publicly known worldwide as Superman. In his secret identity,[5] Clark began working as a reporter for the Daily Planet, where he met Lois Lane, with whom he was paired and fell in love at first sight, Cat Grant, who developed romantic feelings for him, Perry White, his irascible but fair-minded boss,[2] and Jimmy Olsen, a young photographer he had previously saved under the guise of Superman[7] and with whom he became best friends.
The first photo of Superman.
Clark eventually entrusted Jimmy with his super-heroic secret and gave him a special signal watch which Jimmy could use to contact him in case of emergencies.[8] Clark also allowed Jimmy to take the first photo of Superman, which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize[1] before being exhibited at the Siegel and Shuster Gallery.
At one point, Clark conducted a prison interview with Winslow Schott Sr., a convicted terrorist known as Toyman. Clark questioned his fixation on toys, to which Winslow mused that toys have the power to briefly transport their owner to happier times, which can be weaponized for revenge. He then began laughing uncontrollably, leaving Clark disturbed even as he left.[9]
During Clark's career as Superman, he came head-to-head with numerous supervillains; such as General Zod, a Kryptonian warlord whom he considered his most feared nemesis,[10] the powerful Darkseid,[11] a being known as Doomsday,[12] and Ben Krull/Reactron, one of his most persistent enemies as neither one was able to defeat the other, resulting in several encounters over the years. Despite the stalemate, Clark was nearly killed by Reactron at one time.[8] Superman also went on intergalactic adventures, including a journey to Warworld,[10] and also encountered a baby Sun-Eater, a race of powerful creatures which feed of the energy of small stars. Clark eventually chose to keep the Sun-Eater as a pet in the Fortress.[13]
Clark made many enemies as Superman. The one who is considered the greatest and most feared is General Zod.
In Clark's early days as Superman, he made some mistakes that annoyed the citizens of Metropolis. However, overtime, he became a beloved hero by both the citizens and the world.[5] Despite Clark's heroic acts, many of the public are still openly or secretly terrified of him, not because of his god-like powers, but due to their fear of what he might do if he ever lost control of his temper.[14]
Under undisclosed circumstances, Superman has worked with Bruce Wayne, a masked vigilante with "tons of gadgets (and) lots of demons" who has a habit of frightening the very individuals he is trying to protect and is considered a "nut" by many. Eventually, Bruce became one of Clark's closest friends or "frenemy",[15][16] to the point that they revealed their secret identities to each other and were known as the "World's Finest".[17]
Lex Luthor, Superman's best friend-turned-archenemy.
Superman also befriended the brilliant billionaire industrialist, Lex Luthor, the CEO of Luthor Corp. Initially, the two decided to work together to end the threat of alien invasions, but Lex's methods were far crueler than Superman's.[15] Although Superman tried hard to trust his friend, defending him against accusations of others and continuing to give him several chances to atone for his wrong deeds,[18] he was eventually forced to realize Lex's true nature - this ultimately resulted in a falling out between the pair.
Shortly after this, Lex came to believe that Superman himself was the cause of alien terrorism as his presence attracted them and declared war on his former friend, becoming his greatest enemy.[2][15] One of these duels had Superman thwarting an attempt by Lex to trigger a fault line in California with an "earthquake machine",[2] while another incident involved Lex creating and selling a series of battle armors he called Lexosuits, which he used in order to even the playing field when facing the Kryptonian.[4]
Superman had an encounter with J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter and eventually called him "the most powerful being on Earth".
At some point, Superman had at least one encounter with J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter. Whether or not this encounter ended up in a fight is unknown, but it was enough for him to call J'onn "the most powerful being on Earth". also became aware of his deception, posing as Hank Henshaw.[19][20] Later on, Clark helped the D.E.O. uncover an alien asteroid, composed of an emerald-green Kryptonian xeno-mineral. J'onn nicknamed it "Kryptonite" and resolved to store it in the D.E.O. as a contingency against other Kryptonians, which enraged Clark, thus leading to the pair falling out. Despite this, Clark still kept J'onn's secret identity posing as Henshaw a secret for his sake. According to J'onn, Clark was the only other person on Earth besides himself who knew of his identity for many years.[2][19]
Over the years, Clark began a steady romantic relationship with Lois Lane.[2]
Discovering Kara
"When I arrived, I was still a 13-year-old girl. But in that same time, my cousin Kal-El had grown up and revealed himself to your world... as Superman. The most powerful man in the universe."
In 2003, 24 years after Krypton's destruction, and thus his arrival on Earth, a Kryptonian pod crash-landed on Earth. Superman eventually tracked down the ship and discovered his older cousin, Kara Zor-El, scared and alone inside it. As Kara was trapped in stasis inside the Phantom Zone for 24 years, she did not age, resulting in her still being physically 13 years old. Feeling that Kara should learn how to be a human and needed people who could be with her at all times, like the adoptive family that took him in, Clark left his cousin in the care of the Danvers, knowing that they would help Kara to understand her powers just as they had done with him.[1]
Over the ensuing years, Clark kept in touch with his cousin and invited her to see the Fortress of Solitude several times, though Kara rejected the offers as she thought it would remind her of Krypton.[6]
Sending James to National City
"Well, he knew that I was trying to expand my own horizons, so, as a favor, he asked me to expand them here, National City. Hang out. Be near you." "So, so, wait a minute. He... He wanted me to do this? Why didn't he just tell me?" "Because he wanted you to choose it for yourself. The same way he did. That's what makes a hero, Kara."
In 2015, years later, Superman asked James, who he knew wanted to broaden his own horizons, to go to National City to keep an eye on Kara, and to deliver her the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby, so she could use it as a cape.[1] After Supergirl appeared in National City, Clark, along with Lois, was said to be furiously working on getting an exclusive with her.[5]
Superman shields Supergirl from Reactron's attack.
After coming to National City to save his cousin from Reactron when James called him with his signal watch, Superman had to quickly leave just a few minutes later in order to deal with a natural disaster. The following day, however, he apologized via chat with Kara for having interfered and told her that he was proud of what she was doing.[8]
When Toyman escaped from prison to National City, Clark sent Kara a copy of his old prison interview with the terrorist.[9]
Meanwhile, Maxima, queen of the planet Almerac, visited Earth to pursue Superman, believing him to be the only man worthy to be her mate. However, Superman rejected her, causing Maxima to go on a rampage, forcing him to take her down and lock her up at the D.E.O. headquarters.[21]
Myriad
Superman arrives in National City to help Supergirl deal with Myriad.
After Non and Indigo activated Myriad, Superman headed to National City to help Kara deal with them. Upon his arrival however, he was also affected by the brainwashing signal and fell unconscious, much to the shock of both Cat Grant and Kara. Maxwell Lord theorized that since Superman had spent his entire childhood on Earth, gaining powers from the yellow sun longer than Kara, it made him more susceptible to Myriad than her.[21] After Supergirl freed National City from Myriad, Superman remained inactive and was taken into the D.E.O. headquarters during his recovery. He later returned to Metropolis after briefly chatting with Kara to thank her.[22]
Arresting Lex Luthor
After several years and various brutal encounters resulting in numerous fatalities, in early 2015, Superman was able to defeat Lex when he successfully exposed the latter's crimes to the public after he turned Earth's sunlight red in a bid to de-power Superman in a final attempt to kill him.[23] Lex was incarcerated for 32 consecutive life sentences in Stryker's Island Penitentiary. As a result, Superman came to distrust the Luthor family, including Lex's mother, Lillian, and adopted sister, Lena.[2][15]
Visiting National City
Supergirl and Superman after their first team-up.
When the suborbital spacecraft Venture mysteriously began to crash to engine failure shortly after its launch, Superman went to the rescue. At the accident site he met Supergirl, and together they prevented catastrophe by cushioning the fall of the shuttle. Then Kara said she has long waited for the occasion to work alongside him and led him to the D.E.O. headquarters to meet her co-workers and friends, as well as to show him the comatose alien they had found into the pod the previous night and ask his opinion about him. Despite his strained relationship with J'onn, Clark decides to stay in National City and join the investigations on the fall of the shuttle and offers to go to CatCo with Kara. There, Clark met James and Cat, who were both glad to see him again.
Lena interviewed by Clark Kent and Kara Danvers.
Afterwards, Kara and Clark went to Luthor Corp, to talk with Lena Luthor, who explained that she decided at the last moment not to fly on the Venture due to an emergency meeting on the renaming of the company. and was not related to the accident. To prove it, she gave Clark a flash drive with information on the Venture's destroyed oscillator that a subsidiary of her company had manufactured. Later that day, Lena's helicopter was attacked by drones, but Supergirl and Superman saved her, destroying the drones and realizing someone wanted to kill Lena. Afterward, J'onn tried to talk with Superman who, refused, claiming they have nothing to say to each other as he feels he can't trust the martian since, although he knew J'onn would not allow the Kryptonite in his possession to be used to kill him or Kara, Clark also knew that an order may come from above.
During Lena Luthor's speech at the businesswoman's ceremony to rename her company, the international assassin-for-hire John Corben (hired by Lex Luthor to kill his adoptive sister) attacked her by detonating explosives he had planted beneath a plaque in the Luthor Corp building. Supergirl saved Lena while Superman supported the building and preventing it from collapsing on a square full of people. The following day, Clark and Kara came back to the renamed "L-Corp", where Lena thanked Clark for his kind words about her in his article for the Daily Planet. Shortly after, at the D.E.O., Clark told Kara that he decided to stay in National City a little longer to spend time with her.[2]
Supergirl and Superman flying together in National City.
Over the next few days, Superman and Supergirl prevented various accidents and crimes together in National City but one night at her apartment, Clark told Kara that it was time for him to return to Metropolis, leaving her visibly upset. At this point, the news reported about a man who was about to jump off a bridge. Superman and Supergirl arrived at the site only to discover the man to be John Corben, who was now a kryptonite-powered cyborg called Metallo. He struck Kara with a kryptonite beam knocking her unconscious, but before he could kill her, Superman threw him off the bridge and brought Kara to the D.E.O. where he blamed J'onn for what happened with Metallo. The Martian said that only D.E.O. have access to the kryptonite, but a sample of their stock was stolen four months ago and they could not find it. After they listened to Cadmus' declaration of war on all aliens, Superman and J'onn went together to the Fortress of Solitude to find information about the metal that composes the cyborg's body so that Winn could make an anti-kryptonite device of the same metal for Clark and Kara. Meanwhile, the D.E.O. managed to locate Metallo but as Superman and Supergirl approached him, he told them there was another cyborg in Metropolis. They flew to the city and found Krypton Park completely destroyed.
Superman and Martian Manhunter defeat Gilcrist together.
A mournful Superman said he should have supposed to be there. After that, as the anti-kryptonite devices to counteract Metallos' kryptonite beams were completed, Superman returned to Metropolis to draw out the second Metallo and, while Supergirl and Alex fought with Corben in National City, he and the Martian Manhunter dealt with Dr. Gilcrist, the other cyborg, in Metropolis, successfully managing to overcome him together. This partnership restored the relationship between Clark and J'onn who,
Clark back in Metropolis.
in the evening of the same day, at the D.E.O., gave him the entire stock of kryptonite in his possession sealed in lead. Superman said goodbye to everyone and flew back to Metropolis, taking the kryptonite with him. After he arrived, Clark briefly chatted with Kara to tell her he already missed her before receiving a call from Perry White, who scolded him for being absent from work for so long.[24]
Daxamite invasion
During the Daxamite invasion, when they started to attack National City, Kara tried to call Clark for his help but she couldn't reach him at the Daily Planet or at the Fortress. She hoped he was making his way to the city or was already fighting the Daxamites on the streets.
Superman is poisoned with Silver Kryptonite.
Clark had actually gone to confront Rhea personally, but she had been prepared for him and poisoned him with silver kryptonite. This caused him to hallucinate that it wasn't the Daxamites invading but General Zod.[10] When Alex and Maggie Sawyer were about to fire the Positron Cannon at Rhea's spaceship, they were shocked when it was knocked out, unknowingly by heat vision. When Kara went to confront Rhea to convince her to stop as she had now lost, she was surprised by a new attacker. She looked up right to Clark who was staring down at her with a blank look on his face.[25]
Clark fighting against Kara under the influence of Silver Kryptonite.
Clark, under the influence of the silver kryptonite, believed that Kara was actually Zod and started to attack him with the intention to stop him once and for all. He was blind and deaf to all of Kara's words as they began to fight and took it to the streets of National City. Eventually, Kara was able to knock Clark out, however, the strain of the fight made her collapse in exhaustion. They were found by Alex who took them to the fortress to heal and recuperate.
Supergirl, Superman, and Alex at the Fortress of Solitude.
When Clark was freed from the silver kryptonite, he apologized to Kara and explained what happened. They decided to look into the fortress's records in order to find a weakness of the Daxamites and found an old custom that mirrored Trial by Combat.
Clark and Kara returned to the D.E.O. where they found that Winn and the rest of the agents had cleared out the Daxamites. Clark met Mon-El, who tried to assure him that he wasn't like the rest of the Daxamites attacking the city. Clark told Mon-El that if Kara was dating him, then he must be a nice guy. The cousins told everyone that they found a way to stop Rhea and went to immediately make contact with her. Clark then watched as Kara immediately challenged her to trial by combat. Mon-El was against it and asked why it had to be her and not Clark. Clark told him that Kara beat him which made her the official champion of Earth.
Clark and Kara meet with Cat Grant.
Clark and Kara then saw that the challenge was being publicized and went to Cat Grant to try and tone it down to avoid innocent people moving to watch it and get caught in the crossfire. They were then contacted by Lena and Lillian Luthor about a new weapon and went to L-Corp to meet with them. They found that the weapon was a device Lex had been building to infuse the atmosphere with kryptonite to make the planet uninhabitable for Kryptonians. Lena was able to modify it to release lead instead to make the Earth toxic to the Daxamites. However, Clark and Kara knew that meant that Mon-El would be forced to leave Earth or he would die.
With the stress of the challenge and the possibility of losing Mon-El, Kara asked Clark to train with her in order to help her prepare. He thought Kara was doing well though he could sense that something was still bothering her. She told him that she was starting to have everything she could want with her job, friends, being a superhero, and Mon-El and if she beat Rhea then she would keep all of that but she wasn't sure she could.
Superman watches as the Daxamites leaves Earth.
Clark told her that it was possible because she had earned all of that. He told Kara that every time he fought, he was fighting for Lois, and she should fight to keep what she held precious with her. He then told her it was time. When Rhea was fighting Kara, she called for her troops to attack the city, violating the rules, and Clark moved to stop as many of the Daxamites as he could. J'onn joined him in the streets, along with Mon-El and later M'gann M'orzz and her White Martian allies.
Clark comforts his cousin before returning to Metropolis.
Kara was then forced to activate the device to release the lead which caused the Daxamites to flee and killed Rhea. Mon-El was then forced to leave Earth through the use of his old spaceship. Before Clark left to go back to Metropolis, he went to Kara and told her that if he was in her position and had to choose between the Earth and Lois, he didn't think he could make that decision. He told her that she was stronger than he could ever be.[10]
Killing Zod
At some point in 2018, Superman had encountered General Zod again, however, this time, he didn't spare the rogue Kryptonian's life, likely finding himself in the position of being forced to kill his enemy.[26]
Saving Madagascar
Reportage of Superman saving Madagascar.
During the terraformation of the Earth at the hands of the Kryptonian witches known as the Children of Juru, Superman saved the epicenter of it, Madagascar, from the cataclysmic events which it provoked. His heroic deeds were followed with a live report.[27]
Visiting Argo City
After the battle against the Worldkillers, Clark decided to take a sabbatical from Earth to visit Argo City, leaving Kara in charge of the planet full-time.[28] He took Lois with him in order to share with the woman he loved the experience of "connecting with Kryptonian culture". They went together to the Jewel Mountains and attended several deliberations of the High Council.[3] Around this time, Lois became pregnant.[29]
Elseworlds
Back to Earth and visiting Earth-1
Clark and Lois share a kiss at the Kent Farm.
In his first free day after returning to Earth, Clark went to the Kent Farm where he was raised, taking Lois and Kara with him in order to do some repairs to the van and the barn as well as enjoy an afternoon together. There, Lois tried once more to convince him to let her write an article about their time on Argo City. Clark was skeptical because the public would then demand to know why Lois Lane was off-world with Superman, to which Lois replied that she would invent something because being the first woman who ever visited Krypton's remains is just something she "needed to write." She finally managed to convince him before going to the barn in order to pound some nails with a hammer.
Clark speaks to Kara about his time with Lois in Argo City.
After they remained alone, Clark and Kara shared beers and talked about how President Baker had fired her from the D.E.O. because she refused to reveal her identity after the situation with the Children of Liberty. He pointed out that he felt like he was being selfish for letting her protect Earth alone. Kara told him not to be, as she knew how having the experience to visit Argo with Lois was important to him. Hearing that, Clark tried to tell her about Lois's pregnancy but was interrupted by the arrival of Barry Allen and Oliver Queen, who explained to the three of them their situations of having switched powers and lives due to an unknown reason.
Superman comes to Earth-1 to fight A.M.A.Z.O..
Clark offered the two some time on his farm in order to reflect about what to do. However, a few hours later, Vibe came to the farm to tell them about A.M.A.Z.O.'s rampage on Earth-1's Central City and took them back with him along with Superman and Supergirl to join the fight. The team consecutively attacked and distracted A.M.A.Z.O. to keep it off-balance and prevent it from scanning their DNA to duplicate their powers. Superman then punched the robot deep into the ground, but it fought its way up to the surface, finally copying the four heroes' abilities and fleeing the scene.
The Flash, Superman, and Supergirl constraining A.M.A.Z.O..
Barry then had a plan, which involved Amazo chasing Oliver back to where they were. The robot, which now had a connection to the Speed Force, chased Oliver and was eventually intercepted by Kara's punch. The three superheroes then held and constrained A.M.A.Z.O. so that Barry could shoot it with a Kryptonite arrow containing a virus created by Cisco and Caitlin which wiped its CPU and caused it to implode and break into pieces. After A.M.A.Z.O. was dismantled and locked up piece by piece in a S.T.A.R. Labs vault, Clark told the others that he had come back to Metropolis in order to not leave their Earth (and Lois) defenseless in their absence. Then he took his leave from the heroes of Earth-1 and departed, but not before Sherloque asked him to bring an alimony check to one of his ex-wives, who is a resident of Earth-38.[3]
Fixing Earth-1's reality
Oliver and Barry, turned in a couple of criminal know as the "Trigger Twins" visits the Fortress of Solitude to ask Superman's help.
A few hours later, while in the Fortress of Solitude with Lois intent on preparing a barbecue, Clark was visited once more by Oliver, Barry and Cisco. Oliver and Barry explained to him that they were rendered powerless and were now a couple of criminals nicknamed the Trigger Twins, while Cisco was a mob boss, and Kara was held prisoner at S.T.A.R. Labs after their Earth's reality was reshaped for the second time by Doctor John Deegan who, using the Book of Destiny, has given to himself Superman's destiny, looks and powers, taking over the whole world and becoming a sort of dictator. Clark explained he had saw similar artifacts in the past and know how to deal with them, as they're activated with the power of the mind and everything they had to do is to find that book.
Hearing that, Cisco revealed to them that if is something important to him, probably "Superman" kept it in his vault inside the S.T.A.R. Labs, to which Clark and Lois exchanged a look of complicity saying he needed to go back to Earth-1.
Superman, Barry, Oliver and Cisco breached inside the S.T.A.R. Labs just in time to preventing Deegan to kill Kara and Alex Danvers, who had helped the Kryptonian to escape her cell.
Superman fixes reality.
Superman brutally fought his emulator for all Central City but, due to Deegan not caring about the civilians' safety, he managed to trick his opponent into saving a TV troup on an helicopter, tacking him by surprise, overpowering him and making him realize that on this Earth he is the villain, as other people saw Clark as "Bizarro". When Deegan was about to finish him, Supergirl use her heat vision, throwing the Doctor away and giving Superman the book in order to let him the time to fix reality, restoring Barry, Oliver and Kara to their former selves, however, before he finished to change back the city and his inhabitants, Deegan came back to his senses treating to snap the Flash's neck if Kara didn't stop what her cousin was doing. The Green arrow appears with a Kryptonite arrow but Barry told him not to do it as this is one of the Monitor's test. Pissed that Oliver didn't shot, Deegan threw Barry and clapped his hands strong enough for Superman to lose the book, allowing his impostor to take it and fly away.
As Deegan began trying to change reality for the third time, Supergirl and the Flash decided to run around the Earth in order to slow it down and get extra time to find him and stop them, however Clark revealed that he read in the Book of Destiny that if they'll try something similar they would have died; unwavering in their decision, the two chose to try it anyway, while Oliver goes to the Monitor in order to prevent their deaths. Superman searched for Deegan, finally finding him in the middle of a crowded street.
The heroes are victorious.
The Doctor then spawned a new A.M.A.Z.O. out of the Book to fight him, however Lois arrived from Earth-38 armed with the Solar hammer and leading a supporting team composed of Brainiac 5 and the Martian Manhunter. While Brainy handled A.M.A.Z.O. and J'onn protected the civilians, Superman and Lois attacked Deegan using the hammer, leading the Doctor to reach for the Book of Destiny sending a powerful shockwave that sent Lois several feet in the air in freefall just in the exact moment Flash and Supergirl managed to slow down the Earth's time. Green Arrow took the opportunity to throw an arrow at the Book of Destiny and destroying it turning the reality back to normal, as well as Deegan's body, although with a scarred face who look more like a skeleton. As soon as time began to flow again normally Superman reached for Lois, catching her just in time, while Brainy shut down A.M.A.Z.O. removing the robot's hard drive and completing the heroes victory.[29]
Proposal
Clark and Lois reveals to Kara that they're having a baby.
Back to Earth-38's Smallville, Kara complimented Clark for the amount of work he does on the Kent Farm in her absence, and he stated he simply wanted to make sure it was alright for "Ma". Clark then told Kara that she doesn't needed D.E.O. to be a heroine and that her bond with Alex will always allow her to watch her back and vice versa, he once more reminded her that he believed she's stronger than he could ever be and that's the reason why he's sure he was making the right thing. As a flabbergasted Kara asked him what does it mean, Lois reached them and told Clark to simply be direct, indirectly leading Kara to realize they're having a baby. After she happily congratulated them, Clark revealed to her their intention to move to Argo City until the child is born and maybe a little longer. Although she knew she will miss them, Kara was overjoyed to hear her cousin tell her that "the world doesn't need Superman if it has Supergirl" and that he felt it's safe to let its protection in her hands for a little while.
Superman proposes to Lois.
Back to the Fortress, while spending the evening with Lois, Clark absentmindedly burns the barbecue and, after Lois made him notice it he apologized telling her that he wanted that night to be perfect; after the woman asked why Clark fumbled awkwardly about wishing all of their nights together to be perfect forever, to which Lois smiled and reminded him once more to be direct. Then, with a single clench of his fist, Clark put a chunk of coal under enough pressure to turn it into a diamond, placed it on a ring, kneel and started to propose to Lois, who accept to marry and passionately kissed him even before he managed to finish his sentence.[29]
About nine months after he and Lois returned to Argo City, she gave birth to their son, Jonathan Kent.[12]
Anti-Monitor Crisis
Evacuating Earth-38
Lois and Clark in Argo City.
After the beginning of the Anti-Monitor Crisis Clark and Lois, who were enjoying their peaceful time with their son in Argo City, received a holographic message from Kara, warning them of the city's impending destruction by antimatter. They evacuated John to his pod with help from Alura Zor-El sending him en route to the Earth before the city perished. Despite seemingly being wiped away as well, the Kryptonian hero and his wife were actually saved by the Harbinger, who gathered the worlds’ greatest heroes under the Monitor's order, so Clark and Lois found themselves in the D.E.O. headquarters together with Oliver Queen, Mia Queen, Kate Kane and Harbinger herself.
Harbinger brings the heroes to the D.E.O.
There, he reunites with his cousin explaining that he couldn't manage to save her mother. Few moments later, the heroes were informed of the Anti-Monitor's threat to the multiverse existence; after the briefing, Clark and Lois told Kara that they couldn't find their son pod despite having sent it to Earth and Brainy started immediately into work to track it.
Oliver convinces Clark to stay in National City instead of going to Earth-16 to look for his son.
Right after this, the quantum towers buried underneath National City, rose above the surface, fending off the antimatter wave approaching the planet; then Harbinger brought at the D.E.O. Barry Allen, Sara Lance and Ray Palmer, explaining that the Anti-Monitor's army of shadow demons would have attacked the city in order for them to destroy said building and allow the antimatter to consume that universe too. In that moment, Brainy informed he had tracked Jonathan's pod to Earth-16, in the year 2046, and although Superman was ready to go rescue his son, Oliver convinced him to stay behind to protect National City, prompting Lois to go in his place together with Sara and Brainy.
Clark talks with Kara about his feelings for having thought he could retire.
Later, Clark open up with his cousin, confessing he felt stupid for having thought that he could simply retire from being a superhero and be happy with his wife and child, to which Kara hopefully reminded him that everything would end up fine as Krypton wasn't a place but a spirit that they could carry on.
Superman and Supergirl use their heat vision to solar charge the quantum tower.
Later, Superman joined the fight at the quantum towers, together with Supergirl, Batwoman, the Flash, Green Arrow, Mia and the Atom during the shadow demons' attack and, after it began to break down, he and his cousin used their heat vision to solar charge the tower's panels, but it simply slowed the wave down. Ultimately the shadow demons were too much, causing the antimatter to began destroy Earth-38, so the Monitor order their retreat and sent all of them to Earth-1 except for Oliver, who choose to stay behind and sacrifice himself to allow the evacuation of three billion of Earth-38's inhabitants.
Superman assist at Oliver's death.
On Earth-1, Clark is reunited with Lois and his son, just in time to assist Oliver's death after the Monitor returned his body to that world. Then, the Pariah appeared stating he had freed the Anti-Monitor and now everything is doomed.[12]
Looking for the Paragon of Truth
Clark, Lois and baby Jonathan during the Monitor's explanation.
After the Monitor informed everyone of the heroes that there are seven individuals known as Paragons, described as "beings of the purest will who can ultimately defeat the Anti-Monitor", two of them being Kara Danvers, the Paragon of Hope, and Sara Lance, the Paragon of Destiny, while other two being "the Bat of the future" as the Paragon of Courage and a Kryptonian who had suffer "more loss than any mortal man could endure" as the Paragon of Truth; Clark volunteered to look for the latter alongside his wife after leaving baby Jonathan in the care of Mick Rory from Earth-74.
Clark and Lois on Earth-75.
The couple first went to Earth-75 in order to verify if its Superman was the Paragon of Truth, however they received a message from Iris West-Allen informing them that Lex Luthor had stolen the Book of Destiny and was traveling the multiverse in search of every Supermen to get rid of all of them, having already succeeded in murdering the Superman of Earth-75, commenting they should speed-up their research before Lex managed to kill every single Superman in the multiverse.
Clark meets his Earth-167 counterpart.
Then, joined by Iris, Lois and Clark went to Earth-167's Smallville and met that universe's Clark Kent but, right after they informed him of the danger, all three of them are sent away by Lex, using the Book of Destiny.
Clark meets his Earth-96 counterpart.
Finally, the trio reached Earth-96 and met its Clark Kent, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet who has suffered the loss of all of the people he cared for in a terroristic attack at the newspaper, thus making him the Paragon of Truth; as the three explained the situation to him, he quickly changes into his Superman suit, getting quickly followed by Clark, stating his intention to help.
Earth-38 Superman vs Earth-96 Superman
In that moment Luthor appeared, using the Book of Destiny to force Earth-96 Clark into try to kill Earth-38 Clark, the two Supermen engage in a battle through the skies of Earth-96 Metropolis, until Lois managed to knock Lex out, and they were able to make Earth-96 Clark came back to his senses.
Clark's family and his Earth-96 counterpart on the Waverider.
Clark, Lois, Iris and Earth-96 Clark then returned to their base of operations, the Earth-74 Waverider, where Clark had his Earth-96 counterpart met his son, later after Kara went back from Earth-99 and expressed an hint of attraction for his counterpart, Clark quickly explained who he is without being too specific due to the imprisoned Lex Luthor's presence. Then, after Ray Palmer attempted to use a piece of technology to locate the other Paragons, they found out that Kate Kane was actually the Paragon of Courage.[30]
Superman at the briefing on the Waverider after finding the last Paragons.
On December 10, 2019, after with the assistance of Cisco Ramon the team managed to identify Barry Allen as the Paragon of Love, J'onn J'onzz as the Paragon of Honor and Ivy Town scientist Ryan Choi as the Paragon of Humanity, the heroes split: Ralph Dibny, Ray Palmer and Iris went to look for Choi, Diggle, Constantine and Mia visited Earth-666 in a last attempt to revive Oliver claiming his soul from Purgatory, while Clark, his Earth-96 counterpart, the Martian Manhunter and Sara, knowing that Earth-1 would have been the last reached by the antimatter wave, ventured the multiverse in order to save as much individuals as possible and take them to Earth-1.
Superman stands against the Anti-Monitor.
Despite their efforts however, all the Earths in the multiverse were eventually consumed and, after they returned to the Waverider, Harbinger mysteriously appeared on the bridge; being mind-controlled by the Anti-Monitor, she started to attack everyone of them, knocking them down with a single gesture and generating a massive antimatter wave that ultimately destroyed even Earth-1.
Superman moments before being destroyed by antimatter.
Then, the Monitor confronted his nemesis getting killed in the process but giving Pariah the time to teleport the Paragons to the Vanishing Point.
Superman, alongside the remaining heroes - Lois, Iris, Ralph, Diggle and Black Lightning - stand against the Anti-Monitor, being swept away by the antimatter wave and killed like everyone else in the multiverse.[32]
However he was restored one month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.[33]
New multiverse
As a result from the merging of Earth-38 with Earth-1 and Earth-TUD5, the timeline was slightly changed, resulting in Lois and Clark having two sons instead of one and 12 years sooner. It also resulted in Lex Luthor never being arrested by Superman, but rather being known worldwide as a beloved and respected humanitarian.[34]
Early life
"My most vivid memories are of the days when my life changed. I remember coming to this Earth, feeling the sun on my face for the first time. Hearing the voices of my parents. My mother called me their greatest surprise. And boy, there sure were lots of them. I remember loving Smallville... the people, the community, how the small things were the big things. And I thought I'd live there forever."
Kal-El was born on the planet Krypton and sent to Earth in a space pod following Krypton's destruction. He was followed by his cousin, Kara Zor-El, but she got stuck in the Phantom Zone and Kal arrived in Earth alone. Kal's pod crashed in Smallville, Kansas, where he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. The couple adopted him and named him "Clark Kent". Due to Clark's alien nature, he possessed unique powers and abilities that made raising him a challenge. Clark grew to love his time in Smallville, stating that he thought he'd live there forever.[35] When he was a kid, Clark would sit on the porch with his adoptive parents and ask a lot of questions about how to solve his problems.[36]
Young Clark.
In his youth, Clark attended Smallville High School, where he met his favorite teacher Lois Hannigan and met his friends Pete, Kyle Cushing and Lana Lang, with whom he had a crush.[35] Clark would also remember Martha excitedly planning for Smallville's annual Harvest Festival every year, watching her preparing with lists and spreadsheets and taking weeks planning what they would donate; through this, Clark learned the value of giving and help out others in need.[37]
When Clark was in the 9th grade, he wanted to try out for the school's baseball team but Jonathan didn't let him; despite Clark's asking multiple times, Jonathan still said no. Despite Jonathan's reservations, Clark still showed up on the field but one of the main reasons he wanted to try out wasn't there.[38] He also was a reporter for the school paper.[39]
Clark and Martha at Jonathan's funeral.
At some point, Clark attended a Soul Asylum concert with Lana and Pete. On their way back, Pete fell asleep while driving, causing the car to careen off the side of the road. Lana passed out and Clark managed to save them in time. When they all came to, they were unharmed, with the car completely destroyed. Eventually, Clark and Lana broke up.
When Martha was preparing for the year's Harvest Festival, Jonathan died due to a heart attack, which Clark would later attribute to his life being set on a new path. Clark couldn't stand to stay at Jonathan's funeral and ran off.[35]
Leaving Smallville and training
Teenage Clark as a vigilante.
"This - this is a place where you can learn away from the prying eyes of the world lessons about who you really are and why you were sent here. Sent here from where?." "You were born on the planet Krypton. Your true name is Kal, the last son from the house of El. Why am I so different?." "The Earth's sun. Your cells absorb its radiation in ways humans cannot creating nearly endless energy. Your skin, bones, muscles all capable of unimaginable power. Over time, I will teach you how to use that power, that speed, that strength. You will learn to do things you never thought possible on this Earth."
A year after Jonathan's death, Clark struggled with finding his purpose on Earth and began using his powers to help people in secret, concealing his identity by wearing a ski-mask.
Clark leaves Smallville.
One incident involved confronting several men as they were robbing a store and scaring them off with his strength and invulnerability. This led to a discussion with Martha, which ended with her giving him a crystal that was found with his ship. Clark soon left Smallville to find his destiny after saying goodbye to a tear-filled Martha.[37]
Clark enters the Fortress of Solitude for the first time.
The crystal eventually guided Clark to the middle of the Arctic, when it stopped glowing, he then threw it away out of frustration and turned to leave. However, the crystal sank into the ground and erupted into the Fortress of Solitude. Upon entering Clark met the artificial intelligence of his biological father, Jor-El.[36] He began training at the Fortress while learning about his heritage and origins.
Clark flying in the arctic.
Sometime later, Clark returned to Smallville, where he reunited with his mother, Martha. The two discussed about his revelations and she learned that Clark was a Kryptonian. Clark told her that he was sent to earth by Jor-El to become its champion, although not yet.
Clark finds out that Lana is getting married.
As he was looking through his high school yearbook, he decided to visit Lana Lang again. He found her outside Sequoia, where it was found that she found someone else since his time away. Crestfallen at this, Clark returned to his mother, Martha's house, where she sympathized with him. She told Clark that he had been gone for a long time and that Lana, like all others,
Martha gives Clark his supersuit.
had moved on with their lives. She then guided Clark to a wooden box, where several objects from Clark's childhood was kept and revealed a suit she designed following a dream of him flying. Clark gazed at the suit and mentioned his regret of leaving her after Jonathan's passing, although Martha said it was what he needed to do that the time, just like now; Martha urged Clark to go save the world as Clark analyzed the suit. Martha mentioned that the chest of the costume was bare, to which Clark later added the House of El's coat of arms.[39]
Early years as Superman
Clark makes his debut as Superman.
Clark later moved to Metropolis, where he began searching for apartments to rent. He was then alerted to a rogue car swerving across the road, causing Clark to make his first appearance to the world after saving the car from falling off of bridge and onto a young boy. As people found themselves awestruck by the hero, Clark discreetly changed in a phonebooth before a woman on her way to the scene mentioned that the Daily Planet should hear about the rescue.
Clark in his first supersuit.
Hear the mention of the newspaper, Clark stared up at the Daily Planet building and decided to get a job interview from the editor-in-chief, Perry White. Perry dismissed Clark's résumé, although Clark insisted that he had experience from high school. Clark was told by Perry that this was Metropolis, mockingly saying that he required cub reporters, not lost puppies. Despite this, Perry begrudgingly hired him after Clark pleaded for a chance, willing to do whatever he asked.
Clark meets Lois Lane.
Clark was shown around the Daily Planet before Perry handed him off to fellow journalist Lois Lane, who jokingly asked Clark if Lombard had told him to wear a tie. The two introduced themselves, to which Lois stated she had never met a Clark before, though Clark said he only knew one Lois, his favourite teacher from first-grade. Just than Ron Troupe arrived to excitedly remark that Superman's arrival was his path to a Pulitzer, showing Jimmy Olsen's pictures of the hero.
Clark noted that Lois wasn't as excited, prompting him to ask her if she thought heroes were a good thing; he was told that Metropolis has many systemic issues beyond simple rescues. Just then,
Clark and Lois investigate the Atom-Man on the Daily Planet.
Clark was shown a case Lois had been working on, an arsonist attacking and defacing minority-owned businesses with Nazi SS symbols. Clark was taken aback, having been unaware of this. Lois pointedly said that Superman's arrival had drowned out her coverage of the situation. Clark then offered to help.
As days passed, Clark and Lois worked around the clock to hunt down the neo-Nazi arsonist, calling and questioning many of his victims, until Lois discovered that one of their suspects was recently arrested. Sitting in the office of the Daily Planet, Clark complimented Lois' journalism before telling her that he had to get going. Lois jokingly asked if he had a big date, though Clark dismissed the idea. Before Clark moved to leave, Lois offered to ask Perry to give him his own beat in something such as local politics, but Clark declined and wished to stay alongside her.
Superman saves Lois Lane.
Later, Clark asked Troupe where Lois was and learned that she left to confront one of their suspects, Henry Miller. Using his x-ray vision, Clark donned his suit and confronted Miller, deflecting his flamethrower before it could reach Lois and using his frost breath to render the weapon inert. Miller tried to defend his twisted ideals to Superman before tossing two grenades either direction toward a Caucasian and Arab family. Realising Miller's plan, Superman concluded that the grenade heading toward the Caucasian family was inert and destroyed it with heat vision before quickly sheltering the Arab family from the live grenade, causing Superman to be knocked through the store window from the blast. Miller was then tazed by Lois as Superman was applauded by the bystanders. As Lois approached Superman, she asked for his name, suggesting "Mister Metropolis" or "Red and Blue Man". Superman said she'll come up with something and left, leaving Lois to decide upon dubbing the hero as "Superman".
Clark and Lois began falling in love, and several months into them dating, Clark allowed himself to be interviewed by Lois as Superman. Lois questioned Superman about his childhood on Earth and the location in which he was raised. Superman coyly dodged the identifiable questions and told her that he learned many languages during his time on Earth as an attempt to connect with everyone. The interview then took a break and Lois left for a mic check, where Clark used his super-hearing to eavesdrop on Lois' conversation, overhearing her feelings toward both Superman and Clark. Lois mentioned that she was in love with Clark, although hadn't told him or anyone else yet. Lois returned to Superman and apologized for being unprofessional, although reminded him that she won't go easy on him with the questions.[39]
At some point, Superman defeated the Intergang psychotic inventor Thaddeus Killgrave.[40] Superman also avoided the attempts of Naxim Tork to capture him,[41] as Mitch noted that male Kryptonians have broad shoulders.[42] Eventually, Clark became infected with Kryptonite, so he went to the Fortress of Solitude to solve the problem and Jor-El's AI said the only way was to burn the kryptonite remnants in his system.[43]
Marrying Lois
Lois and Clark become engaged in the fortress.
Sometime later, Clark introduced Lois to his mother, Martha and prepared himself to reveal his secret identity as Superman to Lois. Martha told Clark that there will be no going back, but Clark said that was the case since the first time they met. Clark then led Lois outside into the field, where he revealed the truth to her.[39] When Lois caught Clark spying on her with his superhearing, she almost broke up with him, but Clark spent two weeks sending her flowers so she decided to get back in touch with him and rekindle the relationship since she was still in love.[38] Clark proposed to Lois at the Fortress of Solitude and then they were married in Smallville.[35] After the wedding, Clark and Lois went on a honeymoon. Clark said he knew why he had kept his secret for so long, as he was saving it for her, and that he couldn't wait to tell the A.I. of Jor-El about the wedding.[39]
Meeting Bruce Wayne
"You are holding the only shard of Kryptonite on the planet." "Why was this in a puddle in the Batcave?" "Safekeeping. Bruce was holding onto it for a friend."
Clark would meet and work alongside Bruce Wayne, coming to trust him to the point of handing him a piece of Kryptonite for safekeeping.[44]
Fatherhood
Lois and Clark discover they are going to have twins.
"Is everything okay?" "Yes, it's just more okay. Looks like you two are going to have twins." "What? Are you sure? Ooh, is that a--you know?" "Very, and I can't say for certain, but, yes, they do appear to be boys." "This is what I get for wanting a girl." "I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad twice all at once. Can you get me some water, please?"
In 2006, Clark and Lois conceived twin boys, Jonathan and Jordan Kent.[39] When they knew, they went to the farm to tell Martha. They boys were later born the following year in 2007.
About a year later, Clark and Lois had another pregnancy, this time being a girl. While planning to name the baby Natalie after Lois' grandmother, sadly there was a miscarriage.[45]
Jonathan was a happy, athletic kid, while Jordan had destructive outbursts and tantrums that were eventually diagnosed as social anxiety disorder. At some point, Clark took Jonathan to the Fortress of Solitude to see if he had superhuman abilities, but the Fortress tests said it was unlikely.[35]
Final battle against the Anti-Monitor
The heroes gets ready for the final battle against the Anti-Monitor.
The day after the new Earth was created, Clark had his old memories restored by J'onn and immediately went on Star City to join the final battle alongside Wild Dog, the Dreamer, Spartan, the Flash, White Canary, Martian Manhunter, Batwoman, Alex and his cousin, to stop the resurfaced Anti-Monitor from destroying everything once more.
Superman and Supergirl fight the giant Anti-Monitor.
During said battle, the villain enlarged himself and despite all of the two Kryptonians effort at hitting him with their heat vision he remained almost completely unfazed. After a while, the enraged cosmic entity grabbed Superman and began to crush him with his giant hand.
Superman shrunken.
However Ray Palmer shrunk him, allowing his escape and subsequently gave Supergirl a special bomb designed by him, Barry, Nash Wells and Ryan Choi to lock the Anti-Monitor in a perpetually shrinking state. After the villain's defeat, Ray restored Superman to full size.
Lois calls Superman while he's out.
Few hours later, while Superman was on patrol, Lois called him to inform him that he was needed in Metropolis to deal with an issue regarding their sons, shocking him as he had no memories of having more than one child.[34]
Memorial for Oliver Queen
The memorial for Oliver Queen.
Sometime later, Superman, together with the Flash, Supergirl, White Canary, Batwoman, Martian Manhunter and Black Lightning took part at a memorial for Oliver Queen at a S.T.A.R. Labs building, after which Barry proposed the others to officially create a pact between the seven of them in order to work side-by-side more often now that they live in the same universe, so that they would be able to prevent and face any future crisis.
The seven heroes at the round table.
Superman told the Flash that was a great idea and the others all agreed, then a giddy Barry revealed to the other heroes that he hasn’t even shown them the best part and took off the cloth covering a large round table with a crest that has a large star in its center around which there were eight chairs, each with their respective symbols and empty 8th left to honor Oliver's memory.
The seven heroes all smiled at one another once they have sat down sealing the birth of the new team.[34]
At some point, Clark recommended food from Kansas to Barry.[46]
Losses abound
With the Crisis over, Clark's memories adjusted to the Post-Crisis timeline, fully aware of and remembering his twin children and new history.
Superman is called by Sam Lane to stop the potential nuclear destruction of a power plant. He uses his heat vision to close the crack but it is still not enough, so he creates an iceberg with his breath and places it in the plant to stabilize it. Later, he learns that these dangers are not accidental.
Clark returns to his house in Metropolis, where Lois tells him that he has missed Jordan's doctor's appointment and that Jonathan is about to become a starter in varsity football though he is a freshman. After talking to his sons,
Lois and Clark at the Daily Planet.
Clark talks with his mother, who advises him on how to take care of his children and asks him to visit. The next morning, he drinks coffee with his family. When the boys go to school, he and Lois talk about whether to tell them the truth or not.
Later, he goes with Lois to the Daily Planet. There, they discover that Morgan Edge has been firing employees, like Whit. Sam Foswell calls Clark and warns him that he too was fired.
Clark at Martha's funeral.
Shortly after losing his job, Clark received a phone call indicating that his adoptive mother, Martha, had suffered a stroke. He then flew to Smallville. Halfway through, with his super hearing, Clark managed to hear Martha's last words, so he could stay in the town. When he arrived at the farm, Dr. Frye said that Martha had already died. Clark went into her room and cried under his mother's corpse.
He went to the funeral with his family. There, he met Cobb Branden and later Lana Lang and her family. While the adults are going to chat at the Kent home, the kids are going to the barn. When Jonathan and Jordan have an accident in the barn, Sarah Cushing warns Clark, who takes the bars off the boys and calls a doctor to see them. Afterwards, he has a conversation with Lois about Jon being empowered or not.
Clark reveals his identity to his sons.
The next morning, Clark and Lois go to the Smallville Bank to meet with Lana, who works there and informs them that, due to Martha's helpfulness to the poorer people of Smallville, the bank has the right to possess the farm unless Clark and Lois buy it.
When Clark and Lois return home, the twins confront their parents and Clark reveals his origins; to prove his alter-ego, he lifts a truck over his head as he flies. The twins feel that they have heard lies all of their lives. Lois tells Clark that she is going to write an article about Edge, but Clark doesn't agree.
The Stranger stops Superman.
Later, Superman investigates another nuclear facility and attacks a stranger in an exosuit. As the two battle, Luthor reveals that he knows practically everything about Kal-El and was only testing his capabilities. Luthor wins the battle, stabs Superman with a Kryptonite blade, and drops him from the stratosphere, leaving him to die. At the last second, Superman recovers.
Clark goes to the party to get his sons and realizes that Jordan has powers. When Clark and the twins get back to the farm, Jordan reveals that he saved Jonathan from the falling steel. Clark talks to Jordan about his powers and advises him. Clark and Lois decide that they need to stay in Smallville to raise the boys away from the hustle of Metropolis and to save the Farm. The next day, they tell Lana that they have decided to keep the farm.[35]
Moving to Smallville
Split priorities
Lois and Clark move to Smallville.
"This is the worst time for someone like this to be showing up." "Right when you moved your family to Smallville and you promised your boys you'd be dad of the year?"
The next day, Clark decides to take Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude to verify his powers and teach him about Kryptonian history.
Clark and Jordan at the Fortress.
When Clark returns to his former home, Sam Lane arrives and gives an update about the new foe; the military has a way to track his ship when he actively uses it. Sam feels that Clark made a mistake by telling the boys about his secret identity. Sam expressed that it was Clark's job to help the world.
When the ship is in Mongolia, Superman confronts the stranger who tells him that he hates Superman for what happened to his world.
Superman vs Captain Luthor.
The two fight, but when Superman gets the advantage, Luthor sends his ship to explode a nearby city. Superman is able to stop it by pushing the ship into space, as Luthor escapes.
Clark tells Lois about the ordeal and his conversation with Sam. Clark also warns Lois about writing an article about Morgan Edge, especially when he owns the Daily Planet. She politely tells him to mind his business. The next day, Clark takes Jordan back to the Fortress to get the results and learns that Jordan's powers are sporadic and his half-human physiology cannot absorb enough energy for his son to equal Clark's levels. Clark argues with the Jor-El A.I., but the results do not change.
Clark at Cushing house.
Though the boys are upset for different reasons because of the results, Clark and Lois take them to the Cushing family barbecue anyway. Lana expresses to Clark that it is his job to get the family adjusted to small town life and asks to stay and enjoy himself. However, Clark, who wanted to spend time with his family, is forced to leave because Sam Lane summons him. Superman fights an automaton dressed as Luthor. Afterwards, Superman learns that Sam has a secret stash of Kryptonite.
Superman takes the helmet from the armor.
Clark goes home where he sees Lois, as she is debating what to do about her article being re-written by Morgan in the Daily Planet. Early in the morning, Clark meets with his boys and apologizes to them for having split priorities and asks for patience as he tries to manage fatherhood with heroics. He gives Jordan an ELT so that Clark can be called at any time Jordan needs his help; Clark also decides that the boys can both go to Smallville High School together, to the boys' delight. Later, Clark watches Jonathan practice football.[36]
Clark was painting his house with his family until he hears a sign of danger and flies away to help. He arrives in Guizhou; China and stopped the destruction of and repaired a major bridge that was collapsing. This causes the family to have a conversation about Clark's super-hearing. The next moorning, Clark heard that Jordan was having trouble at school so he showed up, making his kids angry that he was watching them. Later, Lana tells Clark that Jordan is playing football.
Superman vs David Fuglestad.
Clark watches him from the stands. Clark and Lois confront their sons; Jonathan defends Jordan and convinces Clark that Jordan should continue to play. At night, Lois used the signal device to summon Superman to a motel in New Carthage to defeat the hitman that attacked her. The two fight and the man is equal in strength to Clark, much to his shock. Superman allows his foe to escape as Sharon Powell needs him more. The next day, Clark permits Jordan to play football, if he can control his powers. Clark becomes an assistant coach, working for free and to watch the twins, with permission from Coach Gaines.[38]
Superman and Sam Lane.
Clark was present during a town hall meeting alongside Lois. He later helped Sam in the prison transfer of old enemy and Intergang affiliate Thaddeus Killgrave. However, members of Intergang broke Killgrave out, leading to Superman being led away thanks to his tracker. Superman was later alerted by Killgrave and confronted him, being attacked with a powerful sonic blaster. During the assault, Clark heard Jordan's ELT going off with his super-hearing, causing him to use a sonic clap to hastily knock out Killgrave and his Intergang co-conspirators. Clark then informed Sam of Killgrave's defeat and location, allowing him to be apprehended, as well as requesting emergency vehicles for the injured bystanders.
Superman carries Tag into the sky.
Soon after, Clark rushed to the source of the ELT's frequency and wrest an empowered Tag Harris off Jordan, taking him up into the planet's atmosphere to temporarily deprive Tag of oxygen and render him unconscious. Transferring custody of Tag to the DOD, Clark learned from Sam that Tag had become a meta-human due a combined mix of Jordan's heat vision and a yellow phosphorescence nearby, caused during the bonfire days prior.[40]
Planning Smallville's Harvest Festival
To free up some time for Smallville's seventy-second annual Harvest Festival the town was preparing for, Clark spends the week working as Superman, saving ships and planes, most of which was reported on by the Daily Planet. He spends time with his family, where they discuss the festival. Clark expresses his excitement on the upcoming festival; Lois adds that she heard about the festival from Clark's dad when they began dating, though their sons aren't as impressed. Jonathan jokingly asks her if they were bedtime stories to help her sleep before going on to say he believes it sounds a lot more like people selling things. Clark reminds him that the festival is for people to share, for those who can and whoever needs it; Lois tells Jonathan to think of it as Smallville's version of 'Burning Man', to which Jonathan hopes excludes the fire and BO.
Clark plays along but says that his late mother loved the festival too, recalling her entire weeks devoted to planning it every year while Lois says that this is how he learned about the value of helping out those in need and that he isn't Superman simply due to his powers. In response, Clark kisses his wife's cheek, and assures his sons that, when they see everyone come together and the sense of community, they'll see what the best of Smallville is. Jordan, however, says it doesn't sound like much of a festival, causing Clark to try and convince them with the festival's good food, but Jonathan mentions that his girlfriend is vegetarian. Lois says that she's glad Eliza is finally able to come visit them, and Clark makes one last attempt to excite the family on coming together for the festival.
Later in the day, Clark was at home with Lois when she asked what he's doing. He reveals that he wishes to remodel his late mother's bedroom into Lois's home office and donate Martha's things for the festival. Lois said that they belonged to his mom (and thus, they shouldn't get rid of them), but Clark stated that this is what Martha would've wanted; taking the opportunity of the encroaching festival to give them away. Lois concedes to his decision and proceeds to grab a small box belonging to his mom, though Clark lightly tells her not to take it. Lois receives a call from Chrissy Beppo and left for the Smallville Gazette, leaving him to continue packing his mother's belongings as he reminisces about his teenhood with her and early days as a nameless vigilante in Smallville.
Lois and Clark at Smallville Harvest Festival.
Afterwards, Clark was alerted to a fire in town, where he arrived to see the Smallville Fire Department, as well as Sharon Powell, at the scene. Using his x-ray vision, Clark sees two stragglers, one them being Kyle, in the blaze and sneaks in to help them; Clark uses his frost breath from afar, preventing a piece of burning wood from landing on the pair. At home with Lois, Clark tells her that he was too late to save the festival donations, disheartening the two. He mentions off-handedly that he saw Sharon nearby during the chaos, with her son notably absent; they speculate that she may have been looking for him, meaning that he might have caused the fire. Suspicious and confused, Lois decides to go and investigate the matter. Just then, their two sons arrive and Clark offers them pizza, though Jonathan says he isn't hungry and leaves the kitchen. Clark and Lois are told by Jordan that Jonathan's girlfriend had broken up with him earlier, to which Lois leaves to go and talk to him. Alone with Jordan, Clark mentions that break-ups are rough, and that he went through an REO Speedwagon phase during one such instance; Jordan questions the mention of REO Speedwagon, though Clark decides to not bother explaining and instead the two sit to eat.
Superman faces Derek Powell and Leslie Larr.
That night, after dinner, Clark is approached by Jordan, who asks if he can leave early to meet Sarah before the festival. Clark asks his son about the nature of their friendship and if the festival is their date, to which Jordan timidly says it is. Clark becomes excited at the prospect and proudly holds Jordan's shoulders, giving him his blessing and saying that this is exactly what he wanted with the festival. Jonathan walks by and dampens their spirits, making disparaging about the festival and even Smallville itself by extension. Clark sympathizes with Jonathan concerning his recent break-up, though Jonathan is adamant that the break-up is unrelated and expresses his wishes to move back to Metropolis, telling Clark about his recent shortcomings since moving. Clark promises that everything will work out, though Jonathan says he couldn't know that; Clark tells Jonathan he once felt the way he does. However, Jonathan is unable to see the comparison, due to Clark being a superhero, as well as his brother, who also has powers, saying that he is nothing like either of them. Jonathan remarks that Smallville is his Kryptonite, and that he hates it, before asking Clark for permission to live with a friend in Metropolis instead. Clark immediately shuts down the idea, causing Jonathan to say he might do it anyway, just as Jordan did with football, before asking Jordan to leave for the festival with him. Clark gives Jordan permission to join his brother before once again recalling the year following his father's passing.
Clark and Lois.
With the Harvest Festival in full swing, Clark is lost in thought, reminiscing about his childhood and recalling the fallout of an argument with his mom; she had admitted Clark was special and meant for things greater than Smallville. Clark remembers the crystal key given to him by his mother, which inevitably led to him learning about his origins. Snapping himself back to reality, Clark leaves his room to join the rest of the town at the festival.[37]
Clark tells Lois that he is taking Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude, when Jordan's powers flare uncontrollably.[47] The Jor-El A.I. tells Clark that Jordan will feel pain until he learns to control his super hearing.[48]
Clark protects Jordan in the Fortress of Solitude.
Clark was attacked by Reno Rosetti with synthetic kryptonite gas.[45]
When Clark went to stop a robbery on Mazatlán, Mexico, the thieves' ordinary bullets left him with bruises. It also seemed to affect his son, Jordan, who became infected by being around his father afterwards; exhibiting symptoms similar to a cold, though much more severe. It quickly became bad enough that Jordan began having trouble breathing; so Clark brought Jordan to the Fortress to be healed. As the A.I. of Jor-El told Clark, the kryptonite was causing Jordan's lungs to fill with fluid, but due to his system cooling the air he breathed (his freezing breath), the kryptonite was essentially gradually freezing his lungs. As Jor-El's A.I. explained, the only way to get the kryptonite out of Jordan's system would be to do as had been done with Clark in the past (burning it).[43]
Clark went to the Fortress of Solitude to talk to the Jor-El A.I. about the revelation that Tal-Rho is his maternal half-brother. As the two talked, Jor-El revealed that reversing the Eradicator was beyond his knowledge. However, Clark was able to ask his mother Lara after Lana Lang underwent the same procedure as Edge's Subjekts, resulting in Lara's consciousness being in her. Lara was able to find a way to reverse the process, though required immense energy to power it. While being chased by Edge's Subjekts, Superman grabbed the Eradicator and powered it with a solar flare, allowing it to return most of Edge's army back to normal. However, the aftermath of the flare caused Superman to lose power and fall near the Fortress with the Eradicator still in his possession.[49] Tal-Rho followed Clark to the fortress and put him in a trance where he kept reliving his memories. When Clark woke up, Tal destroyed Jor-El's hologram.[39]
When Tal-Rho was trying to break Superman in order to allow one of the many Kryptonian minds inside the Eradicator to merge with him, he revealed that General Zod was one of them. Superman eventually lost to Zod, allowing him control of his body. Zod went along with Tal-Rho's plans. He later fought John Henry Irons and told him of the inevitability of Earth's fate. However, thanks to John, Lois, and Clark's memories of Jonathan and Jordan Kent, Clark was able to resist Zod's hold into his mind, clearing him out and returning to normal.[50]
"Yeah, I understand, Mr. White. No, Mr. White. Yes, Mr. White. Yes, I will have my article on your desk lickety-split. Yes, sir, I know that no one says 'lickety-split' anymore. Although, you do still say 'Great Caesar's ghost,' which is a bit of a throwback. Yes, sir, I'm very aware that we're not talking about you. Yes, sir. Yes, I will have that to you. Hello?"
In Clark's civilian persona, he portrays a very meek and clumsy demeanor with an old-fashioned and mild-mannered attitude. His fake demeanor is so believable that it is hard to tell when he is genuinely clumsy, which he admits does happen on occasion.[2] This demeanor was developed as a means of ensuring that no one would suspect any connection between him and his alter-ego, Superman. Even the highly intelligent Lex Luthor is deceived by said, deeming it "ridiculous" even to think that someone like Clark could be Superman, as "he can't see past his glasses".[30]
Clark sees his job as a journalist as an extension of his responsibilities as Superman - bringing truth to the forefront and fighting for the little guy. He believes that everybody has the right to know what is going on in the world, regardless of who is involved. Other motivations for Clark's professional writing were his love for both the art and mysteries.
Being raised by two loving parents, Clark values family deeply - whether it's from his Kryptonian family or adoptive human family. He has a very tight bond with his biological cousin Kara and the two often turn to each other for advice and emotional support. He's a family man through and through - he has a strong and loving marriage with Lois and is a caring and attentive father to Jonathan and Jordan - especially the latter as his social anxiety means that he needs more assistance than Jonathan.
There have been times where traces of Clark's real personality are displayed; one example was when Lena accused him of suspecting her of being behind an explosion because she was a Luthor; which Clark confirms without the slightest hesitation.
"Superman, Champion of Earth, who faced off with Doomsday, apprehended General Zod, and went toe-to-toe with dozens of Lex Luthor's death traps, has finally met his match."
Clark is described by James to Kara as "everything you want him to be, and more"; he is kind, caring, brave, charismatic, selfless, has a sense of justice, honor and good morals, he is known by even beyond the planet Earth as the world's greatest superhero, with over a decade of experience battling human and extraterrestrial threats, he has a strong moral code and tries not to kill his enemies, although he is an alien to the planet Earth, he heavily values his humanity and fights with conviction for truth, justice and the American way, while still prizing his Kryptonian heritage, learning all he can regarding the culture via archives in his Fortress of Solitude, and becoming fluid in the common Kryptonian tongue. He is protective of his cousin Kara Danvers, as he asked James to keep an eye on her while he is off saving the world. As a matter of principle he does not drink alcohol shortly before flying despite being immune to intoxication, showing a strong dislike for alcohol.
According to James Olsen, Clark is very stubborn, while Kara notes he can be independent to the point of refusing help, he can also be cold to those he dislikes or distrusts, breaking through his mild-mannered reporter persona when interviewing Lena Luthor; due to his bad experiences with Lex Luthor, he can even be short-tempered to the point of being hostile when sufficiently provoked - when he and Kara were almost killed by the green Kryptonite-powered cyborg John Corben and learned that the D.E.O. had a spy from Project Cadmus who stole the Kryptonite from their organization, Clark yelled at J'onn for putting Kara's life in danger.
According to James, Clark doesn't work with the government because of their secret experiments on alien life, which has also caused him to distrust the government itself; this also extended to J'onn J'onzz, whom he originally had a good relationship with until the latter resolved to store Kryptonite in the D.E.O. as a contingency, which enraged Clark, thus; leading to the pair falling out, as Clark believed that the Kryptonite the D.E.O. had could fall into the wrong hands and would eventually be used against him or his cousin Kara; this fear of his proved to be correct, although the situation was resolved when all the D.E.O.'s Kryptonite was entrusted to him to destroy it, and J'onn and Clark's friendship was repaired.
Kara has jokingly described Clark as a "big nerd" because of his habit to give a name to all of their Kryptonian abilities and related phenomena, despite his success as a superhero, unlike most Kryptonians, Clark is polite, humble, modest and respectful, evidenced by the fact that he keeps his civilian identity a secret from the public and does not abuse his powers; as he lacks the arrogant and self-righteous traits that many of his people possessed, which ultimately led to their near-extinction, he also does not have a dislike for Daxamites, despite the fact they were invading National City, evidenced by the fact how he treated Mon-El - who was dating his cousin - warmly.
Although Clark values his humanity, he also accepts the fact that he is a Kryptonian and never will be human, something that his cousin, Kara was (initially) unable to accept.
Clark (under the persona of Superman) was once best friends with Lex Luthor, as the two initially tried to work together to repel the threat of alien invasions, but Lex's methods were far crueler than Clark's, although the latter tried hard to trust his friend, defending him against accusations of others and continuing to give him several chances to atone for his misdeeds; however, once Clark realized Lex's true nature - this ultimately resulted in a falling out between the two, while Clark (initially) only put an end to their partnership and did not attempt to put down or expose Lex and seemed to be reluctant to combat Lex, even after Lex himself declared war on him; due to believing that Superman's presence attracted the aliens, as Lex committed unspeakable crimes and even went as far as to cause an earthquake in California, any feelings of companionship that Clark had for Lex has vanished; due to Clark being furious that Lex would put innocent lives in danger for the explicit purpose of taking him down.
In fact, Clark and Lex's enmity eventually escalated to the point that their both considered the other to be their greatest enemy, although unlike Lex, Clark prioritised saving innocent lives instead of taking Lex down, despite this, he was determined to stop Lex, although Clark did not kill Lex after he eventually defeated him, he still did not hesitate to expose his crimes to the public to incarcerate Lex so he can do no more harm. As a result of Lex's actions; Clark has difficulty trusting most members of the Luthor family; however, his distrust is based out of logic, not prejudice.
Despite Clark's pride as a superhero, he is not above apologizing or admitting when he is wrong, like when he apologized to Lena for his initial distrust towards her, when he believed she was behind sabotaging the Venture; due to his bad experience with Lex, as Clark realized that he should have given Lena the benefit of the doubt, not just the because of her last name.
Despite Clark's brave demeanour, he is not completely fearless, as he is terrified that someday he may become exactly like the very threatens that he protects the citizens of Metropolis and overall the entire world from. Upon Clark learning about misdeeds of his evil doppelgänger, Kal-El of Earth-TUD22, he was horrified by the atrocities committed by the latter; Clark becomes even more terrified when he discovers that his doppelgänger was exactly like him; until he started killing innocent individuals, as he is afraid that someday he may become exactly like his evil doppelgänger.
Powers and abilities
Powers
"The Earth's sun. Your cells absorb its radiation in ways humans cannot; creating nearly endless energy. Your skin, bones, muscles; all capable of unimaginable power. Over time, I will teach you how to use that power. That speed; that strength. You will learn to do things you never thought possible on this Earth."
Kryptonian physiology: While born of a highly-evolved race, like any Kryptonian, Clark's physical capacities are normally no greater than a normal human of his conditioning. However, once properly charged, the energy surging throughout his being enables him to perform various superhuman feats. While generic for his race, having lived essentially his entire life with these abilities combined with a lifetime of experience and practice with them granted him far greater control and an equally greater levels of raw power compared to other Kryptonians. This was shown from his body's physique naturally maturing as he grew up into well-muscled and conditioned comparable to peak-level human athletes. Able to overpower several empowered Kryptonians at once alone, Clark's might made even Kara Danvers refer to him as "the most powerful man in the universe" and "basically a god" according to Lex Luthor. Overall, Clark stands as one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse.[30]
Enhanced mental capacity: Clark's mind is just as enhanced and efficient, surpassing most humans. His exceptional intellect works even at computational levels. It is extremely fast and sharp, giving him a perfect memory and recall. He can assimilate, perceive, comprehend, and calculate the mechanics of any and all information he experiences to its fullest in seconds. From this, he can learn lifetimes worth of knowledge and academics within days and no loss of information. He can also use the information to cross-correlate and multitask with no problems.
Extended longevity: Naturally, Clark's aging processes becomes extremely diluted compared to humans, allowing him to maintain his youth far longer than a normal human and by extension live equally longer. Despite being middle-aged by human standards, Clark still maintains the vitality, conditioning and physical appearance of a man in his prime. While empowered, Clark's longevity is incalculable, potentially even endless.
Solar energy absorption: Clark's enhanced powers are derived from a passive ability to absorb the energy spectrum of yellow sun radiation into his body, storing it up and metabolizing it so as to not constantly need exposure. Having been constantly exposed to yellow sunlight and maturing with it since infancy has allowed him to store up energy in far greater quantities and metabolize it with equal efficiency than other Kryptonians. Direct exposure to sunlight will also accelerate his recovery from any injuries he does manage to sustain. He can also drain solar energy stored in plants to recharge and heal himself.
Accelerated healing factor: Clark's augmented metabolism greatly enhances his recuperative powers, able to without treatment mend most damage far quicker and more efficiently than normal humans, with no lingering signs. Upon being struck by a Green Kryptonite beam and a series of punches by a cyborg, after few minutes he healed instantly He also burns calories just as fast, making him immune to weight gain.
Contaminant immunity: Clark has an immunity to all forms of disease and contaminants on Earth. However, despite being unable to be inebriated or intoxicated by drugs or alcohol from Earth, he still has a palette like anyone else, enjoying certain foods or drinks and disliking others.[24]
Super stamina: Clark can run, fight or fly without getting tired seemingly endlessly. Even when physically hurt in battle, he can continue his efforts with no tangible decline in his performance.
Clark is able to manipulate his own gravitational field to levitate himself in midair and generate such thrust to propel himself through the air at tremendous hyper-sonic speeds, even faster than he can travel by foot. As such, he is able to levitate and fly past Earth's atmosphere and near the planet's orbit.
Heat vision: Clark can generate, create and project bright blue or red energy beams of intense heat from both of his. Due to Clark's control over the beams, he has demonstrated being capable of burning through stone and welding metal, causing small explosions and fires concussive force to physically repelling or potentially damaging enemies with similar durability, making it useful in combat. It can also be focused to reflect of mirror surfaces. He often uses this power for more mundane purposes; such as heating heating up food or doing manual labor.
Solar Flare: Clark can immediately expel massive amounts of stored solar energy from his body. This attack is much more powerful then his regular heat vision, however it comes at cost, as Clark remains mostly powerless afterwards, and must recharge himself.
Invulnerability: While soft to the touch, the densest of Earth's matter can be shattered when struck upon his body while leaving him unscathed and painless. This durability has earned him the moniker of "Man of Steel" as he is seemingly impervious to injury. Due to his lifelong time in the young sun, Clark's durability is noticeably stronger than other Kryptonians, able to resist such challenges at greater levels. Clark's resilience also makes him virtually impervious to most harmful elements like crushing weights, electrical shocks, flames, and extreme temperatures.
Self-sustenance: Clark's physical needs are greatly reduced, if not completely removed, as he does not need to nutrients or sleep beyond personal enjoyment. This extends to him being able to survive in harsher environments such as outer space and underwater; able to withstand the conditions unprotected or even need of oxygen. This is a trait not shared by all Kryptonians.
Super senses: Clark's various immensely heightened, able to perceive virtually everything before him as well as allowing vast control to grant him selective perception and focus.
Electromagnetic spectrum vision: Clark can see well into and identify most of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the 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.
Microscopic vision: Clark has achieved the ability to see extremely small objects down to the atomic level, and magnify objects for his eyes to see.
Super hearing: Clark has super-sensitive ears able to hear virtually any sound around the planet, even through solid matter.
Super olfactory senses: Clark has an enhanced sense of smell, as he was able to tell that Jonathan had been drinking as the boy was approaching.
Telescopic vision: Clark is able to focus his vision to see great distances. He used this power to see Sam Lane driving to the farm from miles away.
Thermal vision: Clark is able to see the heat signatures radiated off of individuals. He used this power to detect the bodies of Jon and Jordan when they became buried under the metal beams in the barn.
X-ray vision: Clark is able to see through solid objects, as if they were naturally transparent.
Super speed: Clark is able to move at immense levels of speed, able to cover vast distances in seconds, even impressing the likes of Reverse Flash. His accelerated movements are not just about velocity, as he can move his body fast enough to catch a speeding bullet in his bare hands.
Accelerated perception: Clark's perception of the world through is accelerated speed lets him see everything in slowed motion; allowing him to move with precision and accuracy within very fast moments. It also allows him to process, calculate, and understand information at super speeds.
Super reflexes: Clark's reflexes are so fast, comparable to a speedster. He can respond to danger and events within seconds.
Clark's full strength is virtually incalculable. He supported the weight of a falling building while Kara stabilized the foundation. With a single clench of his fist, he was able to put a chunk of coal under enough pressure to turn it into a diamond.[29] Clark's strength is such that he can repel and knock out other empowered Kryptonians with little difficulty.
Super jumping: Known to "leap tall buildings in a single bound", Clark is able to jump tremendous heights and lengths off the ground from a stationary position without having to fly. To which, he will usually he jump upwards before shooting skyward with his flight.
Super breath: Clark's long capacity can exhale powerful gusts of air from his mouth. He can also drop the temperature of his breath to sub-zero levels, thereby able to freeze nearly anything instantly. Likewise, Clark can suck in gaseous substances, including those that would otherwise be harmful to humans. His lungs can also go for remarkably long periods of time inhaling and exhaling.
Thunderclap: When clapping his hands together, Clark can create a powerful shockwave. It can easily destroy glass, pushes objects away from him and disorients anyone nearby.[29]
Genius-level intellect/Expert tactician/Leader: Clark is a very advanced and methodical thinker. He has tactical and strategical ability to be able to contend with Lex Luthor, an infamous master manipulator and genius whose mental faculties are nearly unrivaled on Earth, and ultimately thwarting Lex's various crimes. Also, Clark can completely conceal his identity as Superman to others, using various subterfuges to perfectly appear as a normal and socially awkward man, so much so that even Lex himself found it ridiculous that Clark was Superman. He has great intuitive, able to quickly analyze the situation before him to understand the true nature before him and effectively adapt to the situation, most commonly seen from quickly determining the level of power needed to defeat his enemies without kill anyone causing the least collateral damage. Clark can inspire other individuals to be the best that they can be and sometimes inspire criminals to do the right thing without resorting to violence.
Expert investigator: As one of the best reporter of the Daily Planet, Clark is an exceptional investigator, as he follows every lead and rumor to discover the truth behind any story. He also uses his talents as an investigator to a great effect as a superhero, having solved many mysteries alongside Chloe and he was even skilled enough to be capable of exposing Lex Luthor's crimes to the public, which were so carefully coordinated and hidden that the whole world never even suspected Lex was a criminal.
Skilled engineer: Clark has displayed familiarity with Kryptonian technology, able to use and assemble a variety of tools to aid him.
Skilled driver: Clark is capable of driving the family truck.[35]
Multilingualism: In addition to his native language of Kryptonese, thanks to perfect recollective abilities, Clark is fluent in several human languages, including English, Spanish[43] and Cantonese, able to speak them at a native level. Clark claims in an interview with Lois Lane to have learned all human languages in an attempt to learn more about and connect to his adopted world.[39]
Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Clark is proven to be a highly skilled fighter, one of the deadliest in the entire multiverse. His combat skills are great enough to be able not only to fight on par against other very physically powerful experts, but also to defeat them single-handedly. He took down and imprisoned Maxima, a warrior queen of her planet, defeat Lex Luthor wearing his Lexosuit repeatedly, and even ultimately best Zod, a highly skilled Kryptonian general in both of their altercations, killing him in their final fight. He is able to effectively use his opponent's own momentum against them and can easily keep up with the highly proficient Martian Manhunter. His combat skills can even be still effectively used while he was in a physically or mentally weakened state, such as suffering Kryptonite poising and defeat super-powered cyborgs, or compete for a prolonged period against Supergirl while overwhelmed by rage-filled hallucinations.
Indomitable will/High tolerance for pain: Clark has a powerful spirit, free of corruption and temptation, having been raised by a kindly Kansas farmer and supported by his wife, he was taught to protect life and help others. He is very optimistic and never gives up, even when things look bad. Even when possessed by the consciousness of Zod, the love for his family allowed him to ultimately reject Zod's influence completely and expel the foe. Likewise, despite rarely feeling the sensation thanks to his powers, Clark has proven to possess an incredible tolerance for pain, famous for his courage in battle. Even when weakened by Green Kryptonite, he was able to resist and keep fighting Metallo.
Weaknesses
High-frequencies: Since his hearing is far more sensitive than a normal human's, higher pitch noises (sonic screams, etc.) can disorient him and cause pain in his ears if he cannot drown them out, leaving him vulnerable in a fight. Enemies with sound-based powers, like Silver Banshee can potentially be powerful enough to cause Clark's ears to bleed.
Kryptonite: Like all Kryptonians, even while empowered, Clark is vulnerable to the exposure of Kryptonite, a radioactive mineral of his home planet Krypton. Depending on the nature of the said Kryptonite, it will cause a different adverse effect on him;
Green Kryptonite: Green Kryptonite not only physically hurts Clark, but also it weakens his resilience equal to a normal human. Likewise, injuries endured while still affected by Kryptonite will take noticeably longer to heal than normal. If exposed for too long, it will eventually kill him. However, due to a long lifetime of constant exposure to yellow solar radiation, Clark has developed a certain level of resilience to Green Kryptonite, able to resist larger amounts and for longer periods of time compared to most Kryptonians. When directly exposed to it by John Corben, despite being weakened, he still retained noticeable superhuman might and sent the cyborg flying several feet, unlike his cousin Kara, who is always powerless when exposed to Green Kryptonite.
Harun-El/Black Kryptonite: It is only poisonous in touch, but not really that dangerous in specific circumstances. However, if used to make an appropriate serum it could give Kryptonian-like superpowers to humans, duplicate a Kryptonian or even evolve them.
Red Kryptonite: If exposed to Red Kryptonite, it gradually destroys Clark's inhibitions and turns him into a corrupt version of himself. Left without morality, compassion, rationality or any cares whatsoever, Clark will become malevolent and prone to hostility and aggression, making him a danger to everyone around him.
Silver Kryptonite: If exposed to Silver Kryptonite, it will cause Clark to go in a deep and frightful hallucination where nothing from the outside world can stir him out of it until it leaves his system. When Rhea poisoned Clark with Silver Kryptonite, Clark was convinced that Supergirl was actually his greatest enemy, General Zod, who constantly taunted him until he was enraged.
Solar energy depletion: As Clark's enhanced powers are dependent on the stored energy in his body, usage of his powers will gradually drain him, rendering depowered and as vulnerable as a normal human. While his near-constant exposure to sunlight can keep his reserves fully-charged normally, if exerting the maximum output of his powers for too long, it will instantly drain him and take at least a day to recharge.
Blue sun energy: Clark is powerless when exposed to the energy of a blue sun; its radiation is also fatal to him and anyone else with a Y chromosome.
Red sun energy: Clark is powerless when exposed to the energy of a red sun.
Solar energy overload: If Clark absorbs too much solar energy; it will act as a poison and kill him.
Antimatter: Despite his invulnerability, he was swept away by a wave of antimatter.
Lead: Even with Clark's X-ray vision, he cannot see through lead.
Limited resilience: Resilient as Clark is, he is not absolutely impervious. Sufficient enough force from a foe of similar strength, extreme energy attacks, such as from the Reactron suit, and other such threats can be enough prove very painful and even harmful to his body. Continued harm from such assaults can potentially kill Clark.[8]
Myriad: Due to being raised on Earth since infancy, Clark's thought patterns are more human than other Kryptonians who spent a significant most of their lives on Krypton. This makes him susceptible to Myriad's mind control function, unlike his cousin and Non.
Sound-dampening tech: The D.E.O. designed frequencies to block super-hearing and cause Clark slight pain when trying to use it in areas protected by the technology.
Equipment
Original multiverse
Clark's iconic gesture of ripping open his shirt to reveal the "S" insignia on his chest while changing in his Superman persona.
Superman suit: Clark wears a protective suit as his super-hero alter-ego, Superman, to hide his identity from his enemies, when he goes out fighting crime. The suit is mostly blue, with a red belt, along with a red cape and boots, featuring a red and yellow House of El emblem on the chest;[2] though the original version also included a pair of leggings that resembled pants with underwear worn over them.[4] It's unknown what materials the suit is comprised of, however, it is just as durable as a Kryptonian. Clark notably is able to change into his suit in seconds with his speed, usually keeping it underneath his civilian clothing.[2]
Glasses: Clark wears a pair of horn-rimmed glasses in his civilian identity, likely lead based like Kara's in order to control his X-ray vision.
Items in the Fortress of Solitude: Over the course of his many adventures, Clark has recovered various artifacts mainly, but not exclusively, from Krypton, which he kept stored into his Fortress of Solitude. Many of them are dangerous and he maintain them locked up inside it,[25] while other he used for his heroic deeds to provide help to him or his allies.[29] So far, those items consists of;
Robots: Superman has many service robots, known as Kelex, who take care of the Fortress while he's not present and provide the visitors with information[6][21] if they're not considered intruders,[15] otherwise defending the sanctuary.[51]
Solar hammer: A mysterious warhammer that, whenever is activated, touched or comes in contact with a surface, generate a burst of light energy.[29]
Superman suit: Like in the original multiverse, Clark wears a protective suit as his super-hero alter-ego, Superman, to hide his identity from his enemies, when he goes out fighting crime. The suit is mostly blue, with a red belt, along with a red cape and boots, featuring a red and yellow House of El emblem on the chest. It's unknown what materials the suit is comprised of, however, it is just as durable as a Kryptonian. Clark notably is able to change into his suit in seconds with his speed, usually keeping it underneath his civilian clothing.[34]
Over the course of Clark's many adventures, he has recovered several artifacts mainly, but not exclusively, from Krypton, which he kept stored into his Fortress of Solitude. Many of them are dangerous and he maintain them locked up inside it,[53][54] while other he used for his heroic deeds to provide help to him or his allies.
Glasses: Like in the original multiverse, Clark wears a pair of horn-rimmed glasses in his civilian identity.
Former equipment
Vigilante suit: Before Clark became Superman, he wore a black suit with a ski mask in his vigilante activities.[37]
According to Kara, Clark loves mysteries, with his favorite mystery authors being Agatha Christie, Jim Thompson, and Dashiell Hammett. He states that growing up reading their books is half the reason he became a reporter.[55]
Kara was trapped in the Phantom Zone for 24 years after Krypton's destruction before arriving on Earth, where she had been living for 12 years by the start of the series. That would make Clark 36 years old at the start of the series and means he had been acting as Superman publicly for at least 12 years as of 2015.[1]
His seniority makes him the most experienced superhero in the known multiverse (aside from J'onn J'onzz, perhaps), eclipsing heroes that are known for their level of experience, such as Sara Lance and Oliver Queen.
However, in Batwoman, this record is challenged by Bruce Wayne, who has acted as Batman publicly for over 12 years, at least on Earth 1, much like Superman, although it is implied that he has acted for much longer.
During the song "Super Friend", Barry Allen did "a really good impression" of Superman according to Kara, despite the fact that the two had never met at the time.[57] Clark and Barry would eventually meet in "Elseworlds, Part 1".
According to James and Kara, Clark has previously worked with a vigilante with "tons of gadgets [and] lots of demons", hinting at Batman, a vigilante superhero known to often work with Superman.
Winn later went to clarify that he thinks the two of them more as "frenemies", further hinting at the likelihood that this is not only the Dark Knight, but that the pair also share a rivalry known throughout the comics, which peaked in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
As mentioned in "Midvale", Superman wore red underwear over his clothes at least until 2007. This is a reference to his classic suit.
This also references the TV series Smallville, which shows Clark having red underwear on his Superman outfit in the series finale when he became Superman, but he had it removed during the comic book series, which took place after the series ended.
It is hinted that at some point in the future, Clark fought Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash. In the episode "The Flash is Born", Eobard referred to Tony Woodward as a "Man of Steel", a term associated with Superman, stating he had encountered a similar enemy some time in his past. In "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3", Eobard explicitly mentioned to Kara that he has fought Clark.
It is also possible that Superman has met Rip Hunter; in the episode "Blood Ties", Rip remarked that he has seen "Men of Steel die", which is a reference to the classic The Death of Superman story.
The third season of Supergirl is the only season in which Superman didn't appear, though he was mentioned several times and a picture of him was shown on a news program.
In addition, he did not make his formal debut until Season 2 because he was only shown as a silhouette in Season 1.
Being known by most people as "Clark", the only two people known to call him by his Kryptonian name, "Kal", are his cousin Kara and his aunt, Alura.
Behind the scenes
Kal-El debuted in Action Comics #1 (June, 1938) by creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; his native universe of Earth-38 is named in honor of the year of this first appearance.
Supergirl marks Kal-El's eighth live-action television appearance; previously appearing in Adventures of Superman, I Love Lucy, The Adventures of Superboy, It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman, Superboy, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville.
According to James Olsen, Superman refers to the event of a Kryptonian being depleted of his powers as "Solar Flare". In Superman #38, part of The New 52, it is revealed that Superman's heat vision is a precursor to a power also called a "Super Flare", in which Superman release a large explosive force of his solar energy from his entire body, which leaves him depleted and the equivalent of a human for 24 hours.
Up until his first physical appearance in the second season, despite being physically seen only 5 times in the first season, Clark was mentioned in just about every episode so far. Additionally, Kara had online chats with him four times, suggesting that, even though Kara hid her powers for twelve years prior to the series, they still kept in touch with each other.
In the first season of Supergirl, most of Superman's appearances were rendered in CG animation and body doubles along with camera tricks to hide his face.
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