"People look to me to save them." "No, people look to you for hope. That's what Superman does. He inspires. You inspire me and the boys every day, and it's not because you can fly or because you're strong. It's because of your heart."
Clark Kent (born 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".
During Clark's life, he fell in love with his colleague, Lois Lane, befriended Lana Lang and Pete. Eventually, Clark was fired from the Daily Planet after it was bought by Morgan Edge After his adopted mother died and Clark found out that Jordan has powers, Clark and his family moved to Smallville, where he became the assistant coach at Smallville High School. Eventually, Clark discovered that Morgan was actually Tal-Rho, his maternal half-brother; who was using the Eradicator to transfer Kryptonian consciousness to the citizens of Smallville. With the help of John Henry Irons, Superman was able to stop Tal-Rho and lock him in a red sun cell.
"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 to Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van on the planet Krypton. He was Krypton's first natural birth in generations.[1] Knowing of their planet's ultimate fate, baby Kal was sent to Earth in a space pod by his loving parents in order to spare their son from Krypton's impending destruction. 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 (though Clark's powers didn't begin manifesting until he was four years old).[2] Clark grew to love his time in Smallville, stating that he thought he'd live there forever.[3] 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.[4]
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, the latter with whom he had a crush.[3] 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.[5]
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.[6] He also was a reporter for the school paper.[7]
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, but with the car completely destroyed. Eventually, Clark and Lana broke up.[3] According to Clark, in his first breakup, he "pretty much crawled into an REO Speedwagon rabbit hole".[5]
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.[3]
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.[5]
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 formed a fortress, which Clark later named the Fortress of Solitude. Upon entering, Clark met the artificial intelligence of his biological father, Jor-El.[4] 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 his parents to become the planet's 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, had moved on with their lives.
Martha gives Clark his supersuit.
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.[7]
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 favorite teacher from first grade. Just then Ron Troupe arrived to excitedly remark that Superman's arrival was his path to a Pulitzer, showing Jimmy's pictures of the hero.
Clark and Lois investigate the Atom-Man on the Daily Planet.
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 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.[7]
Sometime later, Clark introduced Lois to 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.[7] 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.[6] Clark proposed to Lois at the Fortress of Solitude and then they were married in Smallville.[3] 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.[7]
First wedding anniversary[]
Superman battling the robots in Tokyo.
On their first wedding anniversary, Clark presented Lois with flowers and Lois reminded him that he cannot miss the date they had that night. However, due to Lois' being stuck at work fixing the newspaper printer, she missed the date. The next day, Lois gave Clark chocolates and once again told him that he can't miss the date. However, Nuclear Man was attacking Sin City and Clark had to go stop him, missing the date again. The next day, Clark gave Lois roses and a breakfast burrito to make up for missing the date and they went to work. However, Lois had to go investigate Toyman and missed the date again. The day after, Clark and Lois talked about their missed dates and how they were going to have it that night, no matter what.
Clark was then kidnapped by Lobo and taken to Asteroid AM-DS17, but he escaped the situation. Clark then rushed back to Metropolis in time for their date, but unfortunately, the restaurant was closed. Upon hearing Lois mention that she wanted to try the Hawaiian pork, Clark flew her to Hawaii so that they could finally have their first wedding anniversary properly.[12]
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 2005, Clark and Lois conceived twin boys, Jonathan and Jordan Kent.[7] When they knew, they went to the farm to tell Martha. They boys were later born the following year in 2006.
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, Lois had a miscarriage.[13] 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.[3]
Meeting Oliver and John Diggle[]
"Come on, he's Superman. I've fought beside him. He's the best we have. Oliver would've said that. Hell, they all would have."
In late 2020, Clark was called by Sam Lane to stop the potential nuclear destruction of a power plant. He used his heat vision to close the crack but it was still not enough. Clark then created an iceberg with his breath and placed it in the plant to stabilize it. Later, he learned that these incidents were not the result of accidents.
Clark then returned to his house in Metropolis, where Lois told him that he missed Jordan's doctor's appointment and that Jonathan was about to become a starter in varsity football even though he was a freshman. After talking to his sons, 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 drank coffee with his family. When the boys went to school, he and Lois talked about whether to tell them the truth or not.
Lois and Clark at the Daily Planet.
Later, he went with Lois to the Daily Planet. There, they discovered that Morgan Edge had been firing employees, including Whit. Sam Foswell called Clark and warned 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.
Clark then attended Martha's funeral with his family. There, he met Cobb Branden and later saw Lana Lang and her family. While the adults went to chat at the Kent home, the kids went to the barn. When Jonathan and Jordan had an accident in the barn, Sarah Cushing warned Clark, who then saved them and called a doctor to see them. Afterwards, he had a conversation with Lois about Jon being empowered or not.
Clark reveals his identity to his sons.
The next morning, Clark and Lois went to the Smallville Bank to meet with Lana, who informed them that, due to Martha's helpfulness to the poorer people of Smallville, the bank had the right to possess the farm unless Clark and Lois buy it.
When Clark and Lois returned home, the twins confronted their parents and Clark revealed his origins. To prove his alter-ego, he lifted a truck over his head and hovered in mid-air. The twins felt that they have heard lies all of their lives. Lois then told Clark that she was going to write an article about Edge, but Clark did not agree.
The Stranger stops Superman.
Later, Superman investigated another nuclear facility and attacked a stranger in an exosuit. As the two battled, the stranger reveaeds that he knew practically everything about Kal-El and was only testing his capabilities. The stranger won the battle, stabbed Superman with a Kryptonite blade, and dropped him from the stratosphere, leaving him to die. At the last second, Superman recovered.
Clark went to the party to get his sons and realized that Jordan has powers. When Clark and the twins returned to the farm, Jordan revealed that he saved Jonathan from the falling steel. Clark talked to Jordan about his powers and advised him. Clark and Lois decide that they needed to stay in Smallville to raise the boys away from the hustle of Metropolis and to save the farm. The next day, they told Lana that they have decided to keep the farm.[3]
Clark and Lois were getting ready to go out to celebrate their wedding anniversary when Jordan commented on why they were celebrating just four days after their actual wedding day date. Clark then told Jonathan and Jordan about his first wedding anniversary. After he finished, he flew Lois to Hawaii.[12]
The next day, Clark decided 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 returned to his former home, Sam Lane arrived and gives an update about the new foe: the military had a way to track his ship when he actively uses it. Sam felt 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.
Superman vs Captain Luthor.
Superman then confronted the stranger in Mongolia. The stranger told him that he hated Superman for what happened to his world. The two fought, but when Superman gets the advantage, the stranger sent his ship to explode a nearby city. Superman was able to stop it by pushing the ship into space, as the stranger escaped.
Clark told Lois about the ordeal and his conversation with Sam. Clark also warned her about writing an article about Morgan Edge, especially when he owned the Daily Planet. She politely told him to mind his business. The next day, Clark took Jordan back to the Fortress to get the results and learned that Jordan's powers are sporadic and his half-human physiology cannot absorb enough energy for his son to equal Clark's levels. Clark argued with the Jor-El A.I., but the results do not change.
Clark at Cushing house.
Though the boys were upset for different reasons because of the results, Clark and Lois took them to the Cushing family barbecue anyway. Lana expressed to Clark that it was his job to get the family adjusted to small town life and asked him to stay and enjoy himself. However, Clark, who wanted to spend time with his family, was forced to leave because Sam summoned him. Superman fought an automaton in the stranger's armor. Afterwards, Superman learned that Sam has a secret stash of Kryptonite.
Superman takes the helmet from the armor.
Clark then went home where he saw Lois debating what to do about her article being re-written by Morgan in the Daily Planet. Early in the next morning, Clark met with his boys and apologized to them for having split priorities and asked for patience as he tried to manage fatherhood with heroics. He gave Jordan an ELT so that Clark could be called at any time Jordan needed his help. Clark also decided that the boys can both go to Smallville High School together, to the boys' delight. Later, Clark watched Jonathan practice football.[4]
Clark was painting his house with his family until he heard a sign of danger and flew away to help. He arrived in Guizhou, China and stopped the destruction of and repaired a major bridge that was collapsing. This caused the family to have a conversation about Clark's super-hearing. The next morning, Clark heard that Jordan was having trouble at school and appeard on the scene, making his kids angry that he was watching them. Later, Lana told Clark that Jordan was also playing football.
Superman vs David Fuglestad.
Clark then watched Jordan from the stands. Clark and Lois then confronted their sons. Jonathan defended Jordan and convinced 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 was equal in strength to Clark, much to his shock. Superman allowed his foe to escape as Sharon Powell needed him more. The next day, Clark allowed Jordan to play football, only if he could control his powers. Clark then became an assistant coach to Gaines through offering to work for free. By becoming an assistant coach, Clark could also watch over his sons.[6]
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.[8]
Planning Smallville's Harvest Festival[]
To free up some time for Smallville's seventy-second annual Harvest Festival for which the town was preparing, Clark spent the week working as Superman, saving ships and planes, most of which was reported on by the Daily Planet. He also spent time with his family, where they discussed the festival. Clark expressed his excitement on the upcoming festival; Lois added that she heard about the festival from Clark's dad when they began dating, though their sons weren't as impressed. Jonathan jokingly asked her if they were bedtime stories to help her sleep before going on to say he believed it sounds a lot more like people selling things. Clark reminded him that the festival was for people to share, for those who can and whoever needs it. Lois then told Jonathan to think of it as Smallville's version of 'Burning Man', to which Jonathan hopes excludes the fire and BO.
Clark played along but says that his late mother loved the festival too, recalling her entire weeks devoted to planning it every year while Lois said that this is how he learned about the value of helping out those in need and that he wasn't Superman simply due to his powers. In response, Clark kissed his wife's cheek, and assured 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, said it doesn't sound like much of a festival, causing Clark to try and convince them with the festival's good food, but Jonathan mentioned that his girlfriend is vegetarian. Lois says that she's glad Eliza is finally able to come visit them, and Clark made 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 revealed that he wished to remodel his late mother's bedroom into Lois's home office and donate Martha's belongings for the festival. Lois said that they belonged to his mom and that 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 conceded to his decision and proceeded to grab a small box belonging to his mom, though Clark lightly told her not to take it. Lois received a call from Chrissy Beppo and left for the Smallville Gazette, leaving him to continue packing his mother's belongings as he reminisced about his teenhood with her and early days as a 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 saw two stragglers, one them being Kyle, in the blaze and sneaked in to help them; Clark used his frost breath from afar, preventing a piece of burning wood from landing on the pair. At home with Lois, Clark told her that he was too late to save the festival donations, disheartening the two. He mentioned off-handedly that he saw Sharon nearby during the chaos, with her son notably absent; they speculated that she may have been looking for him, meaning that he might have caused the fire. Suspicious and confused, Lois decided to go and investigate the matter. Just then, their two sons arrived and Clark offered them pizza, though Jonathan says he wasn't hungry and left the kitchen. Jordan then told his parents that Jonathan's girlfriend had broken up with him earlier, to which Lois left to go and talk to him. Alone with Jordan, Clark mentioned 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 decided to not bother explaining and instead the two sit to eat.
Superman faces Derek Powell and Leslie Larr.
That night, after dinner, Clark was approached by Jordan, who asked if he can leave early to meet Sarah before the festival. Clark asked his son about the nature of their friendship and if the festival is their date, to which Jordan timidly says it is. Clark became excited at the prospect and proudly held Jordan's shoulders, giving him his blessing and saying that this is exactly what he wanted with the festival. Jonathan walked by and dampened their spirits, making disparaging comments about the festival and even Smallville itself by extension. Clark sympathized with Jonathan concerning his recent break-up, though Jonathan was adamant that the break-up is unrelated and expressed 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 was 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 remarked that Smallville was his Kryptonite, and that he hated it, before asking Clark for permission to live with a friend in Metropolis instead. Clark immediately shut 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 gave Jordan permission to join his brother before once again recalling the year following his father's passing.
Clark and Lois at Martha's memorial.
With the Harvest Festival in full swing, Clark was 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 remembered the crystal key given to him by his mother, which inevitably led to him learning about his origins. Snapping himself back to reality, Clark left his room to join the rest of the town at the festival.[5]
Facing Captain Luthor[]
Clark tries to help Jordan control his powers and emotions.
Superman was called by Jordan to save him from Tag Harris, who had super speed. To stop the young man, Clark began searching for him and learned that he had been seen in Metropolis. Clark helped Jordan by hitting a log so he could control his anger. During Jordan's match, he and his son argued due to not being able to control his powers.
He found out from Lana that Sarah was missing and deduced it was Tag, so he quickly went to stop Tag to save Sarah until Sam and the military showed up to kill Tag, but Superman tried to save the young man, and resisted the Kryptonite released by Sam. After returning Sarah home, Superman became upset with Sam for trying to kill Tag. Clark told Lois that he was taking Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude, when Jordan's powers flare uncontrollably.[15]
The Jor-El A.I. told Clark that Jordan will feel pain until he learns to control his super hearing. Back at the Kent Farm, Clark said he'll help Jordan tomorrow, but that the kids need to go to bed, and then comforted Lois. At breakfast, Clark joined Lois, who had a record of Marcus Bridgewater. Clark revealed to Lois that they should tell the kids what's new in the Edge case. Lois doesn't like the idea, saying they need to know more first. Later, Clark guided Jordan on the best way to focus on a sound and adjust to everything else. While Lois went to Victoria May's to find "Marcus", Clark went to his trailer looking for evidence and was greeted at the entrance by an A.I., who calls him "Captain Luthor", shocking Clark.
Later, Clark and Lois wondered if "Marcus" is linked to Lex Luthor. They then followed the trucks carrying a portion of Edge's X-Kryptonite and a security team, also using Clark's augmented vision, but he needs to rescued the security team and dropped them off in the desert when he sees they are going to be attacked by "Marcus". When Lois and Clark questioned him, he blew up the truck's doors and took the X-Kryptonite, asking them to trust him, and that he needs to meet with Superman. Lois asked Clark to bring the X-Kryptonite container to the Department of Defense for fingerprints.
Superman confronted "Marcus", where he revealed to him that they need to prepare for something to come. Superman asked if he thinks Edge is the biggest danger, he says he's a part of it but then revealed he knew Kryptonese and himself as the Stranger. Superman tried to attack him but is weakened by artificial red sun energy. The Stranger then said that he's the real "Man of Steel" and attacked Superman with his hammer, but he was then run over by Jonathan and Jordan. Jonathan used the hammer to destroy the solar lights and Superman tries to kill him, but is stopped by Lois, who revealed that he is John Henry Irons' doppelgänger. Back at the Kent Farm, Lois and Clark decide to tell the boys everything that's going on.[9]
Superman and John Henry Irons at the military base.
Irons was apprehended by the DOD and interrogated to find answers on his secretive background. General Lane then informed Superman that he'd use Lieutenant Jason Trask to torture Irons for information if he couldn't force him to talk. During the interrogation, Superman heard Lois Lane's ELT go off and left the base to investigate. When Lane learned that Rosetti was accessing Project 7734, a secret operation to create Kryptonite-imbued weapons, he tried to convince the returning Superman to let his men apprehend Rosetti; Superman instead rushed to the location to confront the traitor.
Lois and Sam arrive as John is about to stab Superman.
Upon arriving, Superman told Irons to leave and began battling the empowered Rosetti, armed with an assortment of Kryptonite weapons. Despite Rosetti being unacquainted with his powers his Superman, he was able to overpower the hero until Irons returned and killed Rosetti, saving his life. Lane then reunited with Superman and noticed that he was already healing from his wounds.[13]
Clark bruised.
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.
Clark protects Jordan in the Fortress of Solitude.
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). When Jordan is healed, Clark hears the ELT and returns home as quickly as possible. Upon arriving, he discovers that Lois, Jon and Sam were attacked by people with Kryptonian powers, but who had already fled. So Sam calls the DOD to patrol the farm.[10]
Half-brothers[]
Tal-Rho reveals himself to Superman.
The ELT Emily Phan stole from Lois activated and Superman arrived in the desert and met with Morgan Edge, who was wearing a suit with a Kryptonian symbol on it and he has the ability to fly. Morgan laughed that he would not grant powers to others without having them also and attacked Superman. He falls hard and Morgan tells "his brother" that it is time for him to learn about his history and true identity.[10] He clarified that he came to Earth before Kal-El, and killed an aggressive rancher who discovered him. He disclosed to Clark that he intended to bring various Kryptonians, including Lara, back to life on Earth. Superman disclosed to him that he wasn't willing to forfeit Earth to do it, and Edge assaulted him, revealing to him that if Superman doesn't agree with his position, he will be "eradicated." Afterward, Clark uncovered Edge's arrangement to his family. Lois advised him to go to the Fortress and see if there's any reality to every last bit of it, and Clark left.
Superman carrying the Eradicator.
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. Clark met with Edge to trick him into attracting the other Kryptonians. 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.[16]
Tal-Rho followed Clark to the fortress and put him in a trance where he kept reliving his memories. When Clark woke up, they fought and Tal destroyed Jor-El's hologram. Tal roughed up Superman and left to go confront Lois, Jonathan, and Jordan. Superman caught up with Tal and surrendered to him while stating to Lois that there's no other way. Superman then left with Tal-Rho to his fortress.[7]
Possessed by Zod[]
Clark is reunited with his family.
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 tried to resist Zod's control and temporarily managed to escape and summon his son, but he 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, Clark was able to resist Zod's hold into his mind, clearing him out and returning to normal and both he and Irons attempted to capture Tal-Rho, who went to the space and used his heat vision to merge himself with the Eradicator, absorbing the thousands of Kryptonian life forces. John later used an missile to "interrupt" him. Tal-Rho was captured and Clark returns to Kent Farm. Sam later told Clark and Lois that Leslie Larr is as yet in the breeze, however they're giving a valiant effort to discover her.[14]
Facing the Eradicator[]
Superman and Steel defeat Leslie.
Superman visited Tal to force him to give him the location of Leslie Larr, but he refused. Clark tried to bond with Irons as they discussed how they would find Leslie. However, when Larr attacked the DOD, Superman and Steel confronted her to capture her and managed to take her down. Superman and Steel bumped their fists in celebration. Clark talked to Sam about keeping Lois safe, Jordan and Jon and Clark and Lois considered that Irons should use Project 7734 in case Clark turns bad, even though Irons didn't want to harm his new friend, Clark asked him to that if that day comes, Irons must use it. Back at Kent farm, Lois and Clark are shouting at the children for playing hooky. The children hit the hay, and Clark and Lois begin snuggling. Later, Tal-Rho escapes from DOD, harming various soldiers as he does, and taking off before Superman can arrive. Superman shows up, then, at that point, scanned the planet for Tal.[17]
Superman and Steel against Eradicator and Leslie Larr.
When Tal-Rho came back to rescue Leslie Larr and appeared in Metropolis, Superman and John Irons went to face him. The two quickly realized that Tal somehow managed to eradicate four other people, giving them Kryptonian consciences. While Superman and Irons can catch Larr and the four Subjects, Tal-Rho figured out how to get away and captures Jordan and Superman searches the world for him.[18]
Superman returned and revealed to Lois that he can't discover or hear Jordan anywhere and he went off again searching for Jordan. Superman searched across the planet attempting to discover Jordan. He in the end flew up over the planet and simply shouted his name, trusting that Jordan will hear him and he does. Jordan told his father of his location and Clark eventually found him. Jordan told him that he had no clue about what happened him and unexpectedly is taken over by Zeta-Rho. Zeta-Rho and Superman battled while Zeta-Rho discoursed, however Jordan got through from time to time. Superman later returned to Smallville.
Superman and John fight Zeta-Rho and the Subjekts.
John Irons' A.I. detected some Kryptonian activity in the Shuster Mines. Superman and Irons went there and they found Zeta-Rho possessing Jordan's body along with the other soldiers who were eradicated. They began to battle the resurrected Defense Council. They figured out how to take out Jordan and John Henry speeds him away, getting him to Lois at the stable so they can utilize the gadget on him.
Clark continued to battle while Tal became more powerful. John Henry and Superman kept battling and eventually, they had a single shot to take out Tal. In one last push, John Henry hurled the hammer at Tal while Superman distracted him. John Henry then started falling to the ground, before being saved by Superman. When he came to, Tal told Superman that all he needed was a family.
The Kents see Natalie.
Clark was then interviewed by Chrissy and told the truth about Morgan Edge to the residents of Smallville. Clark then attended a barbecue held by the Cushings. After the barbecue, Clark went to the Fortress and gathered up the shards of the crystal which housed Jor-El's artificial intelligence. He then flew back to the Kent Farm, buried the shards next to a tree, and reflected on the impact Jor-El's A.I. had made on him. Later, a pod crash landed on the farm and John Henry's daughter Natalie came out from the it.[19]
The Inverse World[]
Having painful visions[]
Superman saves the submarine.
Clark would continue his normal life with his family and continue to be the assistant football coach. A few months later, Clark left Jon and Candice Pergande, Jon's girlfriend, at home, as he rushed off as Superman to save a sinking North Korean submarine. However, he would begin to have painful visions, but arrived in time to save the submarine and its passengers. Superman met with Sam's replacement, Mitch Anderson, who wanted him to join his team to protect only the United States, but he reluctantly refused due to giving his allegiance to the world.
Superman argues with Anderson.
Back at home, Clark and Lois argued over Jon's relationship with Candice. Later, Clark and Lois discussed their children, but he had his visions again, and rushed to the Shuster Mine to rescue the workers, though he would pass out, and two people with powers would save the civilians. Superman woke up and found out that Anderson created his own group of heroes whom he called Supermen of America, something that annoyed Clark, starting a rivalry between the two. Clark came home and talked to his children about his courtships. The family moved out to foster Irons and Natalie to live in their house while Clark again had visions of the mine.[20]
Superman sees Lara's AI.
Clark would continue with his visions and met with Tal to find out if he had something to do with the Eradicator, something he denied, and began to freak out due to losing control of his powers. Clark talks to Lois and Irons about his situation until he left to save a family from Phillip Karnowsky. In the fight, Superman got the upper hand until Phillip took Kryptonite-X and tried to kill him due to his falling with his visions, but Tag Harris and Anderson's Supermen arrived to save him. Superman confronted Anderson about using Tag as a soldier and recruited Jordan to free Tal and the trio went to Tal-Ro's fortress to learn more about the visions. There, Superman met the A.I. of his late mother.
Lara's A.I. scanned Superman and asked him about the visions. However, Clark had another vision, but was able to recover and stop Tal from killing Jordan. The fight wass stopped by Lara, who revealed that the visions came from a apocalyptic event. Returning Tal to his cell, Superman spoke to him, having faith that he could be someone good. At night, Clark, Lois, and John were determined to investigate what is under the mines.[21]
Facing another version of himself[]
Superman fights the armored being from the mines.
When an armored being was able to escape the Shuster Mines, Superman and John Irons tried to stop him, during which time the being said "leave me alone" backwards. When Superman started receiving painful visions, his counterpart did too and flew away.[22]
Clark was at the Kent Farm talking to John Irons when his counterpart appeared. They faced each other and his pendant started to create energy around them, so John Irons used his hammer to dissipate it and the counterpart fled. Later, while talking to Lois, Clark had visions of his counterpart killing two of the Supermen of America, with Tag Harris being the sole survivor. Clark then flew to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and fought his counterpart again. John Irons attempted to help Superman with his hammer but was struck by the alternate Superman, who ran away again. John was later hospitalized because of this.[23]
Superman and Kal-El face off.
Superman visited Tag at the DOD hospital and asked for the pendant. Tag explained that he had to give the pendant to Anderson, as he had to follow the protocol. He then asked Anderson for the pendant, but he didn't want to give it as he suspected Superman was using it to get stronger. Superman was later called to AmerTek by Lois, who found the body of Kit Faulkner, one of Ally Allston's followers who was murdered by the bizarre Kal-El. When he tried to kill Ally, Superman stopped him, they had a brief fight that led them to the Shuster Mines and knocked him unconscious with a shard of X-Kryptonite. Superman took his counterpart to Tal-Rho's fortress, where Lara Lor-Van's hologram was able to give him the ability to speak coherently. Clark and Lois later went to Sarah Cushing's quinceañera, where Kyle admitted he made a huge mistake. When the Bizarre Kal-El woke up, he told Superman that he needed to kill Ally before she destroyed his world.[24]
Clark kept questioning his other self to find out more about the pendant, and believing Ally to be a dangerous threat, he agreed to make an alliance with him, but locked him up to prevent anything from happening.[25]
Betrayed by Mitch Anderson[]
Superman and Anderson argue at the funeral.
After informing Lois about how dangerous Ally is, Superman spoke to Anderson to warn him about the pendant, but they got into an argument again due to her framing him for letting his counterpart live. Superman attended the funeral of the two Supermen of America who died; Jessie Vance and the other soldier, and gave his condolences to Sandra Vance. She said that Jessie wanted to be a hero like him and Superman said that she had already saved his life. Angry over her daughter's death, Sandra blamed Anderson and questioned him about where her daughter's killer was, but he couldn't answer and she slapped him. Superman tried to comfort him, but Anderson blamed him for the deaths of the soldiers. Superman said that he knew where the other Superman was, but he couldn't stand in front of Sandra.
Superman is betrayed by the army.
He asked Anderson about the pendant, but then he heard an avalanche approaching a small village in Russia and went there to prevent it from being destroyed. With his heat vision and ice breath, he saved many people from being killed by a mountain of ice. Later, Clark found out that now Lois and Lucy got along a little better and that night he went to Jon's game, but had to leave because of a call from Anderson, and he found out it was a trap. Without his powers, Superman took down the military to get out, but Anderson betrayed him by throwing Kryptonite at him. Knocked out, he was imprisoned by the army to be taken to Tal Rho's cell.[25]
Bonding with Tal-Rho[]
Clark and Tal pretend to argue to join forces and escape Red Sun's cell.
Locked in, Clark woke up, and ran into Tal-Rho, who was happy to see his half-brother, and began arguing with Tal to try to escape by telling him about the situation with his counterpart. When Anderson showed up for questioning, Clark refused to give him any information. Clark told his half-brother about all the atrocities he did until Anderson appeared again with the same questions, but began to mistreat Tal, enraging Clark, who quickly revealed his counterpart's location. As the military left, Clark and Tal joined forces with an argument to trick the guards, knocking them out, deactivating the energy wave, acquiring their powers, and the two escaped.
Arriving at Tal-Rho's Fortress, Clark discovered that Tal's counterpart had a wife, and a good relationship with Clark's counterpart until the two fell out. The talk was interrupted when Anderson, with power thanks to the X-Kryptonite, appeared to kill the counterpart, and Clark fought against the military, but Tal received Kryptonite bullets so that his brother would not die, and Clark took Tal to the sun to get your energy back. Clark took Tal back to his cell and said goodbye to him, but now both half-brothers were on good terms. Soon, Clark learned that his counterpart was killed in battle, and that Anderson ended up on the run. He happily reunites with Lois and scolded Jonathan for using X-Kryptonite for football.[26]
Eventually, Ally, Anderson, and her followers tried to enter the Inverse World through a portal in the Shuster Mines, but she was stopped by Superman and trapped in the DOD.[27] Ally then escaped with Lucy's help and used Kal-El's armor to safely travel to the Inverse World. Superman then followed her through the portal.[28] In the Inverse World, Superman and Anderson joined Kal-El's family against Ally, and she managed to merge with her Inverse World counterpart. Later, Jon-El went to Earth-TUD25 to merge with his counterpart,[29]
Clark reveals his secret to Lana.
but was stopped by Clark who managed to escape the Inverse World. Clark then found out he had been away for a month, and in the meantime John Irons had become a hero and Lana won the election. After Lana was kidnapped by Jon's counterpart, Clark decided to tell her the truth about his secret identity.[30]
Superman and Tal-Rho at a volcano.
Sometime later, Superman visited by his brother again, this time to destroy Ally's pendants. However, this would not be a solo effort like before, as Clark enlisted General Lane and John Irons for tech support and backup to ensure that Lara's calculations were correct and to prevent Ally from reclaiming the pendant. Tal asked Clark if he could apologize to Lois, bringing flowers and promising to her that he would never hurt his nephews again. After destroying Ally's pendant, Tal took off with the pendant before Ally could notice, leaving Superman and John Irons confused.[31]
Merging of the two worlds[]
Ally drains Superman's life force as he tries to protect Lois, Lucy, and Sam.
Clark was summoned by Lucy using the ELT, and when he arrived, Ally Allston was absorbing Sam Lane's life force. Clark tried to stop her but she absorbed his powers and ran away, Clark was then hospitalized.[32]
When he woke up, Lois was next to him. Without his powers, he decided to ask John Irons for help to take him to Tal-Rho's fortress to consult his mother and see what was happening. While Ally began to merge Earth and the Inverse World, people and objects from both worlds began to pass through the portals and merge. Clark and his family were then transported to Inverse World's El Farm.[2]
Superman tries to separate Ally Allston.
As Ally merged the worlds, people across Earth noticed that there was a second sun in the sky that was turning the skies red. Superman then recharged himself in the sun to regain his powers and stop Ally. While the process was extremely painful, his powers not only returned, but were supercharged beyond their normal abilities. When John Irons and Natalie Lane Irons tried to destroy the portals, Ally tried to kill them, but they were saved by Superman. They fought, and Ally tried to absorb his powers, but this overwhelmed her and caused her to split. Superman later managed to separate the worlds. Later, Clark takes Lois and the boys on an ocean adventure. Using a sun crystal, he created another fortress the entire family can visit.[33]
27 days after the defeat of Ally Allston, Clark continued to train Jordan in the new fortress, also with holographic version of his former rogues. After training, Clark told Jordan to come back to home, but the boy traveled to Kuala Lumpur instead to stop a crane from falling, but was unsuccessful as his heat vision just broke the crane in half, with Superman then showing up to prevent the situation from getting worse. A Dr. later called Lois to address her abnormality that appeared to be a pregnancy, surprising Clark. On Jordan and Jonathan's birthday, Clark and Lois made party, which Clark had to briefly leave in order to fight Henry Miller in Metropolis. After Superman's confrontation with the empowered Henry Miller, an unknown individual created sounds like screams, explosions and sirens, to mislead the hero and take Miller's body to an unknown location.[11]
Superman confronts Bruno Mannheim in his house.
When Clark and Lois went to question Judge Tara Reagan in Metropolis, the Intergang appeared in her office and stopped her before she could say anything. Superman then followed one of the Intergang members to Bruno Mannheim's house, the organization's leader, to confront him. Mannheim denied threatening Reagan or being the leader of Intergang, and claimed that he did more good for his community than the Kryptonian, as Superman only saved people from harm without trying to solve systemic problems. When Superman heard that the judge was about to commit suicide, Mannheim told him not to come back. While Lois was trying to save Reagan, Clark overheard her telling the judge that she had cancer. After the cops take Reagan away, a heartbroken Clark hugs Lois. After the Kent brothers returned home, Lois and Clark reveal that she had stage-three inflammatory breast cancer, leading the boys to embrace her.[34]
Superman was later assisted by Jordan on putting out a giant forest fire while also making sure people got out safely, but after Clark heard that Lois was having trouble, the boy was left to put the fire out on his own, although it was a false alarm. After Jordan told Clark that Emmitt Pergande, Candice's father punched Jon in the face and threatened Lois Lane; with a gun, causing Lois almost faint, Clark went to confront him in Victoria May's; which resulted; in Emmitt leaving town and Candice temporarly staying at the Kent Farm.[35]
In response to his questioning Lex coldly asked Clark if he thought about dying, before activating a handheld trigger that caused a flaming object to fall from the sky. When inspecting the smoldering crater, Clark was met with the form of his Inverse World counterpart which Lex had mutated into a beast. Clark looked upon his counterpart with pity, but Bizarro didn't seem to care, instead complying with Lex's orders to kill Clark. Bizarro then launched Clark across the sky, landing in the streets of Smallville. Clark told his family to stay back, sharing a look with Lois before charging at the monster and taking it away from his home.
Their fight took them to the outskirts of Metropolis, where Clark managed to momentarily weaken Bizarro by freezing him solid. He then attempted to end the battle by taking it into the city, spearing it on the top of the Daily Planet building and waiting for it to die. He then descended down to the streets, assuring the civilian onlookers that everything was fine. However, everything was not fine, as Bizarro resurrected on top of the building, tearing itself free and growing blade-like spines on its shoulders. Back for another round, Clark and Bizarro collided in midair with the latter overpowering the former and slamming the other into the metro system. Bizarro proceeded to chase Clark through the tunnels, beating him within an inch of his life and carrying him upwards into space.
Clark and Bizarro prepare to decide the victor of their epic battle
As Clark was carried by Bizarro, he heard the voice of Lois telling him to keep fighting, causing him to remember the fond moments he shared with his family. Those memories gave Clark the strength to break out of Bizarro's hold and he began to punch the beast across space and into the surface of the moon. Shaking the previous injuries and pain off two squared up and charged one another, ready to decide the victor of their battle.
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. This demeanor was developed as a means of ensuring that no one would suspect any connection between him and his alter-ego, Superman. Although Clark values his humanity, he also accepts the fact that he is a Kryptonian and never will be a true Earthling.
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'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.
Clark as Superman.
Clark is kind, caring, brave, charismatic, selfless, has a sense of justice and honor. With two decades 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.
Despite Clark's brave demeanor, he is not completely fearless. Upon Clark learning about his evil doppelgänger of Earth-TUD22; who looked and performed exactly like him; until the latter began committed several atrocities,[36] Clark became terrified that someday he may become exactly like his doppelgänger, or yet another one.
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."
Kryptonian Physiology: Normally, Clark's physical capabilities are no greater than a normal human of his conditioning. However, once his body is charged by the energy spectrum of a yellow sun, he possesses various superhuman attributes. As he continues to push his limits, he will continue to grow more powerful. While generic for his race, having lived nearly his entire life under a yellow sun and mastering his abilities, he possesses greater strength and control compared to other kryptonians. This was shown from his physique naturally becoming well-muscled and conditioned comparable to peak-level human athletes. Able to overpower several empowered Kryptonians at once alone, Clark stands as the most powerful being on Earth and one of the most powerful in the entire multiverse.
Enhanced Mental Capacity: Clark's mind is very advanced and efficient, surpassing most humans. It works at computational levels, able to process and prioritize a massive information input. So fast and sharp, he has 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. After traveling to the Inverse World, he quickly adjusted to its backwards speaking.
Extended Longevity: As a Kryptonian, Clark's lifespan is considerably longer than a normal human and likewise ages much slower. Despite being middle-aged by human standards, Clark is noted to still look as he did in high school. He also retains the vitality and conditioning of a man in his prime. While empowered, Clark's longevity is incalculable, potentially even endless.
Solar Energy Absorption: Clark's cellular structure allows him to absorb, store and metabolize the wavelength of yellow sun radiation to fuel all of his abilities. Direct exposure to sunlight will also accelerate his absorption rate. He can also drain solar energy stored in plants to recharge and heal himself. 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. He can even submerge himself into the sun itself to temporarily boost his powers just as vastly, reaching levels that cannot be forcibly drained by others.
Accelerated Healing Factor: Clark's enhanced metabolism grants him accelerated healing abilities, able to without treatment mend most damage far quicker and more efficiently than normal humans, with no lingering signs. After embedded with several shards of Kryptonite in his chest and collapsed from the injuries, he within seconds of having the shards removed made a full recovery. He also burns calories just as efficiently, making him immune to weight gain.
Contaminant Immunity: Clark has an immunity to all forms of illness, virus, disease, poison, toxin, or other exposures on Earth.
Superhuman 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.
Flight: Clark is able to manipulate his own gravitational field to levitate himself in midair and generate thrust to propel himself through the air at tremendous hyper-sonic speeds, even faster than he can travel by foot.
Heat Vision: Clark can project red energy beams from his eyes. With his control, he can regulate their capacities various feats. The heat can go between melting seamlessly though solid stone and wielded metal or simple manual labor like heating up food. They can focus to produce explosions or bounce off reflective surfaces. The intensity can also become massive to instead cause concussive force that repel and potentially damage targets of high durability or narrow for pinpoint accuracy.
Solar Flare:
Superman with his enhanced powers.
Clark can immediately expel massive amounts of stored solar energy from his body. This attack is much more powerful than his regular heat vision, however, using this renders himself mostly powerless and must recharge afterwards. However, this drawback can be bypassed if he is supercharged by the Sun, as he would be containing excess energy.
Invulnerability: While soft to the touch, Clark possesses extraordinary physical durability. This earned him the moniker of "Man of Steel" as he is practically impervious to injury and pain. His resilience also protects him from most harmful elements like crushing weights, energy attacks, and extreme temperatures. He can also survive harsh environments such as under water and out space unprotected. Due to his lifelong time in the young sun, Clark's durability is noticeably greater than other Kryptonians. Even compared to Tal-Rho, who could only get close to the sun while merged with the Eradicator, Clark could survive entering the sun while letting his cells recharged, although he was endured great pain during which.
Self-Sustenance: Clark's physical needs are greatly reduced, if not completely removed, as he does not need nutrients, or beyond personal enjoyment. Even without training and regardless of what unhealthy food he ingests, his physique remains powerful and at peak performance. Unlike most Kryptonians, Clark does not require air and retains this ability even when his cells were damaged.
Telepathy Immunity: Clark is immune to most forms of telepathic powers, including mind-reading and brainwashing.
Sonic Scream: Clark's vocal cords are equally powerful. Unaided, he can release a booming scream, able to be heard from thousands of miles away at once.[19]
Superhuman Breath: Thanks to his incredible lung capacity, Clark is also able to draw in large amounts of air and then expel it all to create gale and hurricane force winds. He can also chill his breath to freeze targets. His lungs can also go for remarkably long periods of time without needing air.
Superhuman Senses: Clark's senses are immensely heightened, able to perceive virtually everything around him as well as allowing vast control to grant him selective perception and focus. This likewise grants him greater dexterity, aim, and general efficiency of movement to all situations.
Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Clark can see well into the entire electromagnetic spectrum, able to interpret and differentiate between the various forms and types of energy in fields, rays, waves, signals and frequencies. This includes from electronic transmissions, radiations, ultraviolet, and cosmic essence. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods.
Infrared 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.
Microscopic Vision: Clark can see extremely small objects and images beyond subatomic level and improved his accuracy.
Night Vision: Clark can see clearly in the dark as if it was day.
Superhuman Hearing: Clark can hear and determine virtually any sound around the planet, even through solid matter, no matter how small and subtle or the distance. He could pick up danger like a robbery in Spain or a bridge that was about to break in China. His hearing is also so acute, he can determine when people are lying from their heartrate, perceive and distinguish the frequencies of radio waves, as well as determine an individual and their location by voice alone.
Superhuman Smell: Clark has an enhanced olfactory sense. With it, he can notice and distinguish distinct odors and scents, even from great distances. He can track a target by the smell, recognize someone as nervous by smelling adrenaline increase, even determine the chemicals on a person.
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.
X-Ray Vision: Clark can focus his vision past layers of matter to see through them, as if they were natural transparent.
Superhuman Speed: Clark is able to move and run immense levels of speed, able to cover global distances in seconds and catch a speeding bullet in his 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.
Superhuman Reflexes: Clark's speed extends to his reflexes as well. He can respond to danger and events within seconds, even against other superfast individuals.
Clark possesses tremendous physical strength, the exact limits of which are unknown, able to lift a massive submarine. Clark's strength is such that he can repel and knock out other empowered Kryptonians with little difficulty. The sheer might in his strikes can produce powerful shockwaves.
Superhuman Leaping: 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.
Thunderclap: When clapping his hands together, Clark can create a powerful shockwave. It can easily shatter glass, push objects away and disorient anyone nearby.
Genius-Level Intellect/Expert Tactician/Leader: Clark is a very advanced and methodical thinker. He has tactical and strategical ability 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. He can completely conceal his identity as Superman to others, using various subterfuges to perfectly appear as a normal and socially awkward man. He has great intuition, 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: One of the best reporters of the Daily Planet, Clark is an exceptional investigator. He has solved many mysteries alongside Chloe and he was even skilled enough to be capable of exposing Lex's crimes to the public, which were so carefully coordinated and hidden that the whole world never even suspected Lex was a criminal.
Skilled Driver: Clark is capable of driving the family truck.[3]
Skilled Engineer: Clark has displayed familiarity with Kryptonian technology, able to use and assemble a variety of tools to aid him.
Multilingualism: In addition to his native language of Kryptonese, thanks to perfect recollective abilities, Clark can fluently speak, read, and write in several human languages, including English, Spanish[10], Cantonese, Russian, and Korean, at a native level. Clark claims in an interview to have learned all human languages to learn more about and connect to his adopted world.[7]
Indomitable Will/High-Tolerance for Pain: Clark has a powerful spirit. Free of corruption and temptation, he is very optimistic and never gives up no matter how bad. When possessed by 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 or injured by Green Kryptonite, he was able to resist and keep fighting with still considerable efficiency.
Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant/Martial Artist: Clark is proven to be a highly skilled fighter, one of the mightiest 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 is able to effectively use his opponent's own momentum against them. His combat skills can even be still effectively used while he was in a physically or mentally weakened state, such as suffering Kryptonite poisoning. Even while depowered, Clark remains a strong combatant, able to singlehandedly defeat a squadron of trained US soldiers.
Weaknesses[]
Extreme Force: Resilient as Clark is, he is not absolutely impervious. Sufficient enough force from a foe of similar strength, extreme energy attacks and other such threats can prove painful and even harmful to his body.
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 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 affected by Kryptonite take noticeably longer to heal than normal. Prolonged exposure will 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 and in closer proximity. He also retains noticeable superhuman might compared to most Kryptonians who are always powerless when exposed to Green Kryptonite.
Solar Energy Depletion: When deprived of Yellow sunlight to empower him, Clark's abilities would slowly begin to fade, thus requiring Clark to recharge.
Red Sun Energy: Clark's powers are nullified when exposed to the energy of a red sun. However, due to his lifetime of exposure to yellow sunlight, his powers do not deplete instantly, but rather gradually declines.
Solar Energy Extraction: Should the solar energy in him be forcibly removed, it can cause extreme cellular damage to Clark. In addition to impairing his body to absorb more energy and leaving him visibly exhausted, it will take him weeks if not months for his body to recover and regain his powers.
Solar Energy Overload: If Clark absorbs too much solar energy; it will act as a poison and kill him. However, Clark's capacity to absorb and regulate the energy is so advanced compared to other Kryptonians, it is not easy to overload him.
Lead: Even with Clark's X-ray vision, he cannot see through lead.
Sound-Dampening Tech: Certain designed frequencies to block super hearing and cause Clark slight pain when trying to use it in areas protected by the technology.
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, while other he used for his heroic deeds to provide help to him or his allies.
Glasses: Clark wears a pair of horn-rimmed glasses in his civilian identity.
Superman suit.
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. 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.
Former equipment[]
Vigilante suit: Before Clark became Superman, he wore a black suit with a ski mask in his vigilante activities.[5]
The suit he wears when he first appears as Superman is similar to the suit that Superman (Earth-F) wears and is inspired by the suit seen in Fleischer's animated series from the 40s.
He is a fan of baseball. This was inspired by Tyler Hoechlin, the actor who plays him, who played baseball in college.
He is also a fan of wrestling.
He is the fifth live-action Superman to be a dad and the third one to have more than one child: the other two being his Earth-Prime and Earth-167 doppelgangers.
Though this is the first time that Lois and him being parents have been a focus of a show.
He was the first naturally conceived child on Krypton in generations, which was the same for the Superman from the DCEU.
His late adoptive farther Jonathan was the person who inspired him to become a journalist.
He is the first Superman in live-action or animation to have a biological sibling (who is not a clone of himself).
The pose that he makes after saving the green car after it drove off the bridge in his debut as Superman is a call back to the cover of Action comics #1 in which the character first appeared in.
He is the third live action Superman to face Doomsday and the second to fight one that had been created by a Lex Luthor, the first being the DC Extended UniverseSuperman.
Behind the scenes[]
Superman aka Clark Kent (born Kal-El) debuted in Action Comics #1 (June, 1938) by creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
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