superman biography wiki

Interior page from Superman #1 (2018) .

 as Superman in Man of Steel

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive… The Man of Steel fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way.

From his blue uniform to his flowing red cape to the "S" shield on his chest, Superman is one of the most immediately recognizable and beloved DC Super Heroes of all time. The Man of Steel is the ultimate symbol of truth, justice, and hope. He is the world's first Super Hero and a guiding light to all.

The tip of the spear in a revolution that would change the landscape of pop culture, Superman has spent the last eighty years redefining what it means to stand for truth, justice and the American way. The last survivor of the doomed planet Krypton, raised in the quiet heartland of Smallville, Kansas, Superman is as much a legend as he is a man: the gold standard of heroism, compassion and responsibility.

Though his powers make him god-like next to his human compatriots, Superman's story is not one of greed or conquest. Instead, he strives to represent the inherent goodness of the human spirit, and the capacity of every living thing to do right by their neighbors.

Character Facts

super strength, flight, invulnerability, super speed, heat vision, freeze breath, x-ray vision, superhuman hearing, healing factor

First Appearance:

ACTION COMICS #1 (1938)

Alias/Alter Ego:

Clark Kent, Kal-El

Base of Operations:

Occupation:

Related Characters

Superman (disambiguation)

• View history

Superman , also known as the Man of Steel, is one of the most powerful superheroes in the DC Universe . His abilities include incredible super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, freezing breath, flight, and heat-vision. Born as Kal-El on the dying planet Krypton , his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him in a rocket to the planet Earth where he would be the last surviving member of his race . His rocket was discovered by the kindly Jonathan and Martha Kent , who raised him as their son Clark Kent in the town of Smallville , Kansas . His upbringing provided him with strong moral values, and life-long friends Lana Lang and Pete Ross . In his secret identity he works as a reporter at the Daily Planet in the city of Metropolis . This is where he interacts with his love interest Lois Lane , and his co-workers Perry White and Jimmy Olsen . His greatest nemesis is the brilliant super-villain Lex Luthor . To preserve the memory of his home planet and provide him rest from his double-life and adventures, he maintains a Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole . Superman remains proud of his dual heritage, taking seriously the lessons of his birth-parents and his adopted parents. Although he is an alien to this world, he heavily values his humanity, and fights with conviction for truth, justice, and the American way. There are several other heroes inspired by or directly related to his legacy, including Superboy and Supergirl . He is also a member of the Justice League of America and the Legion of Super-Heroes .

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 , first appearing in Action Comics #1 . His supporting cast and his villains have had a lengthy publication history , making him one of the three most important characters at DC Comics including Batman and Wonder Woman .

• 1 Successors
• 2.1 The New 52 Multiverse
• 2.2 Dark Multiverse
• 2.3 52 Multiverse
• 2.4 Pre-Crisis Multiverse
• 2.5 Elseworlds
• 2.6 Alternate Timelines
• 2.7 Possible Futures
• 2.8 Miscellaneous
• 3 Other Media

The New 52 Multiverse

Dark Multiverse

52 Multiverse

Pre-Crisis Multiverse

Alternate Timelines

Possible Futures

Miscellaneous

Other Media

See Also: Superman Titles

• 1 Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• 2 Bruce Wayne (Earth -22)
• 3 Superman (Clark Kent)

Heroes Wiki

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Superman , known by his birth name Kal-El , also known as on Earth as Clark Kent , or Clark Joseph Kent , is one of the protagonists of the DC Universe. He is the titular main protagonist of the Superman franchise and one of the main protagonists of the Justice League franchise. He is considered to be one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe and is arguably the first major superhero.

Superman is an Kryptonian from the planet called Krypton. As a baby, he was sent to Earth in a spaceship by his scientist father Jor-El, moments before Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside, where he was discovered and adopted by a farming couple. He discovered his various superhuman powers and abilities at a young age, such as superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, invulnerability, heat vision, that allows him to shoot powerful laser beams from his eyes, X-Ray-vision, sense, hearing, longevity, breathing, and ability to fly at high supersonic speeds, his powers were derived from the yellow sun thanks to his solar energy absorption, which he now uses it to fight crime and benefit the humanity as Superman.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in 1933 and made his debut in Action Comics #1 (1938), since then he has appeared in many comics, TV shows, and movies and is widely recognized as one of the most iconic heroes of all time, and as the character who defined the superhero genre.

• 1 Personality
• 2.2 Abilities
• 2.3 Weaknesses
• 3.2 Television
• 3.3 Web Series
• 3.4 Video Games
• 3.5 Radio and Audio
• 3.6 Theatre and Live Performances
• 3.7 Motion Comics
• 6 External Links
• 7 Navigation

Personality [ ]

Superman is commonly thought of as the purest of all heroes due to his upstanding, highly ethical nature. Righteous, brave, and kind to a fault, he makes a point not to kill, will not resort to violence unless it is truly necessary, and there are only a handful of villains that he actually hates: Lex Luthor, Joker, Mongul, Darkseid, and Brainiac. Not only believing in his ideals, but he also embodies them, and devotes himself to spreading peace and happiness wherever he goes, he is almost universally loved and recognized as the symbol of hope.

It is this inherent goodness and charisma that allowed him to become good friends with Batman and Wonder Woman , to the point where they form the Justice League . As well as charm the heart of his love interest, the cynical city-girl Lois Lane .

However, despite these virtues, he does suffer from his status as a "last son of Krypton "; his gifts as a constant reminder that he does not “naturally” belong to this world, he does wonder if his idealism might be unfounded in the modern world. Furthermore, seeing how lionized his image has become, Superman sometimes worries that he might not be able to fulfill the image the world has of him.

Also due to the fact that he is an ending of the Kryptonian species, Superman has occasionally suffered from loneliness despite his close kinmanship with humanity. The emergence of other survivors of Krypton like his cousin Supergirl did help remedy this to a extent.

Furthermore, Superman dreads the temptation that his sheer power offers to do whatever he wants, regardless what anyone else thinks, which drives Superman to defer to local authorities as much as he can. Regardless, Superman is still seen as the pinnacle of heroism and an example for everyone to follow.

Powers and Abilities [ ]

• Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Superman is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases. Superman is also highly invulnerable to human-made weapons. For example, a bullet or a knife cannot kill Superman. In the bullet's case, it will reflect off of his body. In the knife's case, it is most likely to shatter the knife's glass or bend the knife. Superman is immune to radiation and its effects. Surprisingly, Superman can pass through areas where normal creatures would succumb to acute radiation syndrome. He can simply detect radioactive substances, through his effects alone and without a Geiger counter. Although Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonian-level radiation, such as kryptonite and red sun radiation, he shows strong resistance to conventional radiation, such as ionizing radiation, which merely bounces off him or sticks to his skin without causing any real damage. Superman is able to survive and adapt to extremely high or low atmospheric pressure (without becoming disoriented or deprived of his normal breathing capacity), as well as high wind friction; this is accompanied by an innate immunity to vertigo and/or fear of heights. Superman's lungs acclimatize and breathe in all gaseous environments, whether hostile or deficient. Clark's lungs also filter out non-gaseous substances such as dust, asbestos and so on. He can breathe toxic gases instead of oxygen and survive air deficiencies in the mountains, in the air or on land, which are among the longest and most painful deaths the average man can suffer. Superman is unaffected by the various effects of rapid acceleration, including air resistance, inability to breathe, dynamic shock resulting from contact with objects at high speed, etc.
• Absolute Strength: Although the limit of his strength has not been clearly established, Superman can generate unlimited and unrivalled physical force, capable of confronting and even surpassing the strongest beings such as Darkseid and Doomsday with nothing more than the brute force of their physical blows. It does not matter how much weight Superman has to lift or move, because his body can emit an unlimited force capable of repelling an object of any mass. Thanks to this force, Superman can cover enormous distances in a single leap, unleash blows of unparalleled power, annihilate massive life forms in a single blow, cause destructive earthquakes by striking the ground, shatter planetary systems with his fists, create space-time anomalies or pass through them with his force, and so on. It should also be noted that he is immune to all powers that can manipulate, affect or deprive him of his strength. On one occasion, he struck so hard that reality itself was affected, bringing people back from the dead and dramatically altering the multiverse around him.
• Ballistic Heat Vision: Superman can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. He can vary the heat and area affected. In extreme situations, Superman can emit a massive flash of destructive energy in all directions from his entire body, but this will drain all his internal solar reserves enabling his powers, requiring a roughly 24 hour period to recharge.
• Supernatural Senses: Superman's senses of sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell are far more acute than those of normal humans. He can see thousands of kilometers with immense resolution and see/track things too fast for the natural eye, hear perfectly through dense walls and listen to the slightest vibration/noise from extremely distant places, even in deep space, smell anything over great distances down to individual molecules/atoms, taste the tiniest details to the point of distinguishing them on a molecular level, and feel the slightest vibration in the air, ground and water. Superman has even developed a sixth sense and various extra-sensory abilities, enabling him to perceive things that no ordinary sense can detect. Superman's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency. Also, this ability is his best when it comes to eavesdropping on a villain's plans. His hearing is also use for distress calls when people are in trouble or need him. Superman's sense of hearing is infinitely more acute than that of humans, thanks to the rays of the yellow sun. This allows him to hear anything over incredible distances, to hear things that are apparently too silent to be discernible, as well as to hear sounds over an insane range of frequencies, including infrasound, even through extremely thick and thick walls. He is even able to hear individual molecules/atoms and their movements, or even the supernatural/paranormal, including the activities of spirits or immaterial beings and creatures. This also enables him to obtain auditory information about the future or the past. On various occasions, Superman has demonstrated that his sense of smell is significantly enhanced to the point he can smell odors across the entire planet without any problem. Superman has a more acute sense of smell than humans, thanks to the rays of the yellow sun. This means he can smell anything over any distance, including space, as well as individual molecules/atoms.
• Electromagnetic Vision: Superman can perceive the world around him based solely on magnetic and electrical energy patterns. He is also able to see the natural magnetic auras that surround living beings. Clark can see almost the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and can "tune" his vision to interpret different energy ranges. He can see radio waves (which include AM, FM and TV Frequencies), Radar, Infrared, Visible Light, Ultraviolet, X-Rays and Gamma Rays. He also has Night Vision, which enables him to see perfectly in the dark. Superman can also see the energy flowing through power lines and technological objects (he can tell whether they are active or not). He can determine whether a radio transmitter is on and sending signals. Superman can see through any volume of matter except lead. Superman's can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. He can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived - such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans - is unclear. this ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects. (Occasionally, Superman has used his lead limitation to his advantage: when the Joker tried to distract him claiming that had several hostages in lead-lined airtight coffins all over the city, the villain anticipated that Superman would spend hours frantically searching for them while he fled the city. However, all Superman had to do was to make a wide-angle sweep of the city from the air with his X-ray vision, which made all lead objects there instantly stand out as opaque objects. Thus Superman was able to search them quickly and had plenty of time to capture the Joker in his lead-lined truck, which was similarly easy to spot as a vehicle with an obvious overuse of lead.) Superman is able to perceive the far-infrared spectrum (i.e. heat signatures), enabling him to perceive variations in the temperature of objects and the environment. This ability is incredibly useful for observation purposes, as he is able to perceive the presence of heat from any living target. This power is the ability to see biological or artificial systems to detect infrared radiation. The terms thermal vision and thermal imaging are also commonly used in this context, as a body's infrared emissions are directly related to its temperature: hot objects emit more energy in the infrared spectrum than cold ones. Warmer objects emit more energy in the infrared spectrum than cooler ones. Cooler temperatures appear green or blue, while warmer temperatures appear yellow, dark pink or even red-orange-yellow.
• Supernatural Speed/Flight: Superman can manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and fly. This ranges from hovering to moving in any position, in any direction, which means he can travel faster than relativistic speed. It can move at a speed close to, equal to or greater than the speed of light. He can travel at a speed of 6175 - 1.0793e+7 km/h, exceeding hypersonic speed and reaching relativistic speed at its maximum. Superman has "immeasurable" speed. His speed cannot be measured because he can move beyond linear time. Since speed is equal to distance divided by time (S = D/T), if time is not defined, the speed formula cannot be applied. However, incommensurable speed is superior to infinite speed, which is defined as motion in zero time. The difference between the two is that Superman can travel at infinite speeds and everywhere instantaneously, whereas beings that can travel at immeasurable speeds and everywhere and always faster than instantaneously. Superman has infinite speed. He can cover any distance in "0" time, perceiving beings with finite speed as veritable statues, which only touch him if he lets them. But despite their speed, they remain bound to space and time.
• Supernatural Health: Superman is able to maintain intense, continuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This is because his body converts yellow solar radiation directly into energy, but is limited by his physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink and sleep. He can also hold his breath for an indefinite period. In the extreme case of Superman being injured, whether by an alien matching his own strength or by other events, he has the ability to heal almost instantly from moderate wounds, provided the process is not hindered by an external factor, e.g. Kryptonite. This "healing factor" is supplemented by his reserves of solar energy. As his healing factor works faster when he's close to the sun, he must continue to absorb solar energy to heal mortal wounds until the process is complete. The healing factor can keep him strong, healthy and young indefinitely, provided he remains under a yellow sun. Superman is physically, mentally, socially, spiritually and emotionally healthier than other superhumans. He has no physical flaws and is virtually immune to disorders, diseases, disabilities, etc. He can also take a great deal of damage before fainting or collapsing from the effects of illness, and has a superhuman metabolism. Overall, Clark's health is remarkably impressive.
• Supernatural Mobility: Superman is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to his perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid-flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time. Superman can run faster than anybody in the world, except for The Flash.
• Supernatural Breath: Superman is able to create hurricane-force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
• Freezing Breath: With this ability, Superman can release his breath as a freezing version of his vortex breath.
• Ballstic Scream: Superman can emit extremely powerful sound waves by inhaling deeply and then releasing them by screaming at the top of his lungs, a scream so powerful that it can destroy almost anything it comes into contact with and can be heard the world over (even by the most deaf), whether it's objects, buildings or people, it can also level entire cities, continents, countries and even shake entire planets. Its cry is also capable of jamming and disabling the most advanced electronic and computer equipment.
• Supernatural Mind: Superman's mind is insanely enhanced by yellow solar rays, enabling him to grasp an infinite amount of information unfolding at very high speed without missing any and retaining them all perfectly, this includes objects from living beings traveling at the speed of light or beyond, he is also able to track his own actions which are immeasurable, a fight with opponents who are gods, such as Doosmday, Darkseid, etc.... As well as performing numerous tasks simultaneously with extreme precision, while moving at very high speed. Once he was gifted with the infinite knowledge of the universe and it did not kill him, Superman managed to hang on and stay strong long enough for it to pass. Superman has also shown incredible intelligence and computational abilities; his mind works sharply and with extreme speed relative to earth-humans. His analytical powers are impressive — he is able to use his senses to read information directly from machines (and, with careful usage of his heat vision, he can even reprogram machines). Recently after he regained his powers in the "One Year Later" arc, his brain's intelligence has increased and it operates with much greater speed, procession, and analytical prowess, to the point he can recall things in such detail that he knows the ballistics of every shot by Bloodshot and the vector and mass of each and every one of Riot's bodies. He can see into one of the most advanced Kryptonian Sun Stone Battle Ships and watch energy patterns shift and change, trace command signals at light speed down branching, maze-like pathways whilst, at the same time, finding one small knot of circuitry.
• Telepathy: Rarely used though, Superman could read and talk to people through one's mind.
• Self-Sustenance: Superman does not need to eat and sleep so long as he is under the effects of yellow sun radiation. His body stores the energy necessary to negate eating and sleeping for an indefinite period. Superman does not need to eat or sleep as long as he is under the effect of the yellow sun's radiation. His body stores the energy necessary to not eat or sleep for an indefinite period. Nor does he need to cleanse or cleanse himself.

Abilities [ ]

• Combat Mastery: Born with the incredible powers and having been a superhero throughout his career, Superman has been a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having taken down these powerful villains he had faced throughout his time, his fighting style is mostly boxing, having delivered his powerful punches either ground or aerial in mid-air, he was trained by both Wildcat (in Boxing), and Mongul in the fighting arts. Superman has fought and learned from Wonder Woman. He has also learned more advanced martial arts techniques from Batman.
• Indomitable Nature: Superman has shown to have a powerful force of Will, completely free of evil or temptation. Having been raised by a kindly Kansas farmer and his wife, Superman was taught to protect life and help others. He is very optimistic and never gives up, even when things look bad. Superman has an indomitable nature; the property of being difficult, if not impossible, to defeat, subdue or overcome, possessing incredible strength and a personal form of invincibility linked to the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc., that makes him invincible and unsubduable to anyone who is able to exceed his own limits and extend his nature of being, whether as a whole or selectively by nature of being (characteristic, principles, aspects, etc.). Superman's innate indomitability makes him an unstoppable force of nature that binds him to that which makes him what he is, allowing him to live up to all that he is meant to be and all that he can become, regardless of the efforts of others to control him, for he is immune to any form of alteration or control over him in general.
• Leadership Mastery: Superman innately knows how to be a great leader, enabling him to effectively maintain order and morale. Superman has an intuitive mastery of associated leadership skills, speech and body language, expertly sending out all the right signals, giving him a major advantage in any social situation and enabling him to easily forge a fanatical level of trust and devotion in anyone who exercises these talents. Thanks to this ability, Clark has developed an incredibly charismatic personality, and is able to inspire and win others over to his beliefs. Over time, Superman has won the loyalty and devotion of humans, members of his team and even Batman (who initially saw him as a threat), changing anyone's opinions on anything, getting them to serve and follow him. Thanks to this ability, Superman obtains authority, rises to the top of any social hierarchy and occupies positions of leadership very quickly and easily, and performs feats such as always doing the right thing when it comes to administering, commanding, governing and directing.

Weaknesses [ ]

• Green : It can weaken Superman both physically and mentally. Short term exposure will leave Superman weakened while long term exposure will kill him. This is also every Kryptonian's weaknesses. However, Superman can resist Green Kryptonite, but it will be hard, due to the fact that it is rare and that it can weaken him strongly.
• Red : It can have various different effects on a Kryptonian. It can make Superman a completely different person. However, psychologically. It can make his personality have traits of a villain and have thoughts relating to evil stuff. This will also make Superman lose his social conscience and inhibitions. It even once turned his head like an ant's.
• Blue : It can rob Superman of his powers and make him vulnerable at anything.
• Black : It can separate Superman from both his Kryptonian and Human side. Other versions can corrupt him to become evil or separate his good and evil halves.
• Gold : The Pre-Crisis version can give Superman permanent wounds or scars that cannot ever be healed and it can also cause him to lose his powers and abilities forever. Post-Crisis, Gold Kryptonite will temporarily negate his powers so long as he is near it but his powers will return when he is away from it.
• Kryptonians : On the rare occasions where he has battled other Kryptonians, they seem more easily able to harm one another as well. A noticeable observation is that other Kryptonians appear to develop superhuman abilities immediately upon entering a yellow star system, whereas it took Kal-El many years living under a yellow sun for his powers to develop (This may be because he arrived on Earth as a toddler. Had he been an adult or perhaps adolescent his powers would likely have manifested themselves much more readily).
• Ionizing Radiation Absorbing Materials: Although Superman's X-Ray Vision is at first sight very powerful and impressive, it is unable to penetrate and see through surfaces and walls made of metals and materials reinforced or entirely made of Zinc (only Low-Energy Photons) - Lead - Gold - Osmium - Iridium - Platinum - Rhenium - Tungsten or Uranium.
• Chi : Lex Luthor and Question argued that, because of Superman's solar-based powers, planetary based esoteric and vital forces could have an opposite effect on him. Luthor posited that concentrated doses of such energies could severely cripple Superman and become fatal, and he attempted to exploit this weakness with the Science Spire, which tapped into Metropolis' Earth energies, or chi, in this case.
• Red Sun : When exposed to the same red solar radiation as Krypton's red sun Rao, it causes Superman to lose his powers within a large amount of exposure until the exposure to yellow sunlight will reverse this effect.
• Solar Energy Exhaustion : Though not as common, much like with a Red Sun, as the yellow solar radiation stored within his body acts as fuel for his powers, Superman's powers can grow weaker to the point where he may not be able to use them if he continuously uses his powers without having enough time to replenish the yellow solar energy reserves within his body, especially if he doesn't have any direct contact to yellow sunlight.
• Magic : Superman's biomatrix is his most powerful asset, but the strength of this field is also its greatest weakness. Its permeability to certain wavelengths makes Superman vulnerable to certain radiations, particularly magical energies whose chaotic electromagnetic or extra-dimensional signatures disrupt this force-field. Superman's vulnerability to magic varies depending upon the special effects of the magic. No magic seems to be able to directly destroy him unless it comes from a semi-divine or divine source. He can be injured and worn down by magical entities. Magic can have powerful and unpredictable effects on Superman and his magical enemies have often proven to be the most dangerous. Recently, Superman has learned more about magic with the help of Zatanna and he is able to counter almost every spell. Magic has unknown effects on him. He was able to survive when he had a magical sword in the chest and a magical arrow in his back. It was during a fight against four Elder Gods. A fight that Superman won. He was able to withstand a magical blast that managed to knockout the entire JLA and both Wonder Woman (magic being) and Zauriel (Angel). He went after the enemy in question and stopped him.
• Fatal Injuries : While Superman is extremely powerful, fatal injuries can kill Superman-like any other human as he is mortal. Doomsday inflicted fatal injuries on the Man of Steel and he was unable to recover. Other heavy hitters can kill Superman such as Darkseid, Despero, Black Adam, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, amongst others.
• Physical Limitations : Superman is a formidable opponent and one of the most powerful superheroes on the Justice League. However, there are weights he cannot lift and enemies he can't outrun. When facing enemies more powerful than himself, Superman calls the Justice League for help.
• High Pitched Noises : Because of his super hearing, Superman's ears are extra-sensitive to extreme noises.
• Phantom Zoners : Phantom Zoners, being aliens, can hurt him to varying extents depending on the alien.
• Psionics: Another hitch to Superman and other Kryptonian's abilities is his interaction with psychic influences, i.e. mind control, telekinesis, possession and the like. An exceptionally powerful mentalist can manipulate the minds of even the strongest of Kryptonians or Daxamites due to their relatively weak defenses against telepathic intrusion, while at the same time a skilled telekinetic can also bypass their usually high levels of imperiousness by affecting them at a molecular-subatomic level. However, after he was nearly mind-controlled by Maxwell Lord to attack Wonder Woman, he spent some time training with the Martian Manhunter to overcome this weakness, with the result that he was later able to throw off Arion's attempt to take control of him in a similar matter.

Portrayals [ ]

• Mayo Kaan since 1973 and until his very death in 2002 claimed to be original model for Superman in comics since 1936, however many , including Joe Shuster's sister Jean, who personally saw him draw, deny those claims .
• In the Fleischer Studio animated Superman shorts, he was drawn after Karol Krauser and voiced by Bud Collyer, definitive voice actor of Superman since 1940's The Adventures of Superman and in every cartoon since then and until his death in 1969.
• In the Superman serials and Atom Man vs. Superman , he was portrayed by the late Kirk Alyn.
• Reeves also played the character in the TV series, Adventures of Superman .
• In Richard Donner's Superman films, he was portrayed by the late Christopher Reeve, as Jeff East played the character as a teenager.
• Routh would go on to play another version of Superman in the Arrowverse .
• One of Joe Shuster's pen names was Reuths (an angram of his last name)
• Baldwin reprised his voice for the character in DC Universe Online .
• In Justice League: The New Frontier , he was voiced by Kyle MacLachlan, who is best well known for playing Dale Cooper in the Twin Peaks series.
• In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths , he was voiced by Mark Harmon, who plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS .
• In All-Star Superman , he was voiced by James Denton.
• In the DC Extended Universe , he is portrayed by Henry Cavill, who also played Napoleon Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and plays Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's The Witcher . In Shazam , he was portrayed by Ryan Handley, and in Peacemaker , he was portrayed by Brad Abramenko.
• In Superman: Unbound , he was voiced by Matt Bomer.
• In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , he was voiced by Mark Valley.
• In Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox , he was voiced by Sam Daly.
• In The Lego Movie series, he was voiced by Channing Tatum, who also played Duke in the G.I. Joe films and voiced Joaquín Mondragon in The Book of Life and Migo in Smallfoot .
• In Justice League War , he was voiced by Alan Tudyk, who also played Dutch in Transformers: Dark of the Moon , voiced K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , Alistair Krei in Big Hero 6 , Ludo in Star Vs. the Forces of Evil , and Heihei in Moana .
• In the DC Animated Universe , he is currently voiced by Jerry O'Connell after Sam Daly and Alan Tudyk, with O'Connell voicing him in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis onward.
• In DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon , he was voiced by Kenichi Suzumura .
• In Teen Titans Go! To the Movies , he was voiced by Nicholas Cage, who also played Ben Gates in the National Treasure series, Ghost Rider in the titular film and its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance , and Balthazar Blake in The Sorcerer's Apprentice , and voiced Noir Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . In The Flash (2023), Nicholas Cage finally played his live action version from Superman Lives! a cancelled movie project.
• In Superman: Red Son , he was voiced by Jason Isaacs, who also played Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery .
• In Superman: Man of Tomorrow , he will voiced by Darren Criss.
• In Injustice , he was voiced by Justin Hartley, who also played Green Arrow in Smallville and Adam Newman in The Young and the Restless .
• In the animated film DC League of Super-Pets , he is voiced by John Krasinski, also played Jim Halpert in The Office , Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , 7723 in Next Gen and also voiced Owen Huntington in Animal Crackers .
• In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen Part One , he is voiced by Chandler Riggs, who also portrayed Carl Grimes in AMC's The Walking Dead .
• In the upcoming movie Superman (2025), he will be portrayed by David Corenswet . The film will be set in the new DCU (DC Universe) multimedia franchise produced by James Gunn .

Television [ ]

• Collyer also voiced the character in radio.
• In The New Adventures of Superman , he was voiced by the late Bob Hastings, who voiced the character in The Adventures of Superboy segments.
• In the unaired pilot for The Adventures of Superboy , he was portrayed by Johnny Rockwell.
• In the Super Friends animated series', he was voiced by the late Danny Dark.
• In It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman TV special, he was portrayed by David Wilson.
• In the 1980s Superman animated series, he was voiced by Beau Weaver.
• In the Superboy TV series, he was portrayed by John Newton, Gerald Christopher and Ron Ely.
• In Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation , he was voiced by Maurice LaMarche .
• In Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman , he was portrayed by Dean Cain.
• Daly also voiced the character in the The Batman/Superman Movie , Superman: Shadow of Apokolips (videogame), Superman: Brainiac Attacks , Superman/Batman films, and Justice League: Doom .
• Newbern also voices the character in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam , Justice League vs. the Fatal Five , DC Universe Online and the Injustice series.
• Welling reprised his role as the character in the Arrowverse event, Crisis on Infinite Earths .
• In Krypto the Superdog , he was voiced Michael Daingerfield , who also voiced Sesshōmaru in InuYasha: The Final Act , and Gintoki Sakata in GinTama° .
• In Legion of Super Heroes , he was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal , who also voices Spider-Man in Marvel's Spider-Man , Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto , Ben Tennyson in Ben 10: Alien Force , Ben 10: Ultimate Alien , and Ben 10: Omniverse , Joseph Oda in The Evil Within, Cecil Harvey in Final Fantasy IV , Simon in Gurren Lagann , Johnny in Final Fantasy VII Remake , Suzaku Kururugi in Code Geass , Marth in Fire Emblem , Shinra Kishitani in Durarara!! , and Neil in Camp Camp .
• In Batman: Black and White , he was voiced by Joseph May, who voices Thomas the Tank Engine .
• North also voices the character in Lego short films and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League .
• In DC Super Friends , he was voiced by David Kaye, who also voiced James Gordon in Batman: Arkham City , and Sesshōmaru in InuYasha and Yashahime .
• In Batman: The Brave and the Bold he was voiced by Roger Rose.
• In Superman of Tokyo , he was voiced by Blair Underwood and Jeff Bennett. Bennett also voiced Johnny Bravo in the titular series and Dexter's Dad in Dexter's Laboratory .
• In Super Best Friends Forever , he was voiced by Keith Ferguson .
• In the Arrowverse , he is portrayed by Tyler Hoechlin , who also played Derek Hale in MTV's Teen Wolf , as Kevin Caliber played the character originally as a silhouette. Daniel DiMaggio originally played the character as young Kal-El in the episode "For the Girl Who Has Everything", as Dylan Kingwell and Lennix James played the character younger.
• In the 2015 version of DC Super Friends , he was voiced by Matthew Mercer , who also voices Kiritsugu Emiya in Fate , Sinbad in Magi , Levi Ackerman in Attack on Titan , Aikurō Mikisugi in Kill la Kill , Chrom in Fire Emblem , Jotaro Kujo in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure , Yamato in Naruto: Shippuden , Trafalgar D. Water Law in One Piece , and Kagaya Ubuyashiki in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba .
• In Justice League Action , he was voiced by Jason J. Lewis.
• In DC Super Hero Girls , he was voiced by Max Mittelman .
• In Harley Quinn , he is voiced by James Wolk.
• In My Adventures with Superman , he is voiced by Jack Quaid, who portrays Hughie Campbell in The Boys and voiced Bradward Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Web Series [ ]

• In Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles , he was voiced by Benjamin Bratt , who also voiced the character in the Justice League: Gods and Monsters animated film.

Video Games [ ]

• In Superman: The Man of Steel , he was voiced by Jeff Kramer.
• In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe , he was voiced by Christopher Corey Smith, who also voiced Rufus in the Street Fighter series.
• In the Lego Batman video game series, Lego Dimensions and Lego DC Super-Villains , he was voiced by Travis Willingham , who also voiced Reggie Rowe in Infamous: Second Son , Guile in Street Fighter , Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist , Thor in various Marvel media, and Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic Boom .

Radio and Audio [ ]

• Holiday also played the character in It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman Broadway musical.
• In Superman Lives! , he was voiced by Stuart Milligan.
• In DC Comics Super Heroes , he was voiced by David Earl Waterman
• In The Never-Ending Battle , he was voiced by James Konicek.

Theatre and Live Performances [ ]

• In 1940, Broadway actor Ray Middleton played the character on July 3 for "Superman Day".
• In It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman , he was portrayed by Jack Cassidy alongside the late Bob Holiday.
• In Holy Musical B@man! , he was portrayed by Brian Holden.

Motion Comics [ ]

• In Superman: Red Son , he was voiced by David Lodge , who voiced Jiraiya in the Naruto series.
• Superman was shown drinking alcohol and smoking.
• Clark was a vegetarian at one point in his life but in the Superman series, he does eat meat.
• Clark's favorite movie is To Kill a Mockingbird .
• The aura that Superman's body generates is the same that protects his body from damage, prevents grime and dirt from clinging long to his flesh to keep him perpetually clean. Aura was established only in John Byrne continuity in 1986 The Man of Steel mini-series and it only affected skintight part of the suit (and as long as Superman had enough sun energy to sustain it) so his cape would get teared up fairly quickly during that era (1986 - 2003). Before 1986 Superman was wearing suit made from invulnerable (as long as it was under yellow sun, just like anything and anyone from Krypton) Kryptonian materials because otherwise any costume would tear pretty quickly. After 2003 Birthright reboot his costume was once again made from Kryptonian material including cape and could only be damaged after kryptonite exposure, red sun energy or heat vision of a Kryptonian. While aura still presented which enables Superman to move people at any speed without damaging them (as seen in Birthright #1) it is not clear if it still protects clothing from being damaged like before. When Post-Crisis Superman (i.e The Man of Steel/Birthright/Secret Origin Superman) somehow ended on new52 Earth (aka Earth-0/Earth-52) his black suit was said to be made from experimental durable polymer to endure the damage to it (it was only cut by magical blade later on), it is not clear how he made his Rebirth suit but in Brian Michael Bendis run it was revealed suit was indeed from Kryptonian materials which Lois would wear to protect herself during space voyage with Jor-El and her son Jon. In the end Superman will return to red trunks suit but with metallic cuffs which will be teared up multiple times, cape and skintight part.
• Superman is the best selling comic book character with over 600 million copies sold, with Batman coming in second with 460 million and Spider-Man coming in third with 378 million. In the 1950s Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel was selling better, which is why DC Comics sued them and later on took it's writer Otto Binder as the main writer for Superman during Silver Age (50's-60's) period, along with returned Jerry Siegel.
• Superman has many connections to the biblical figure, Jesus . They were both born from godlike families, they were both sent to earth with the purpose of being its savior, and they both died and came back to life.
• His Kryptonian name translates to "Star Child".
• Superman does not consider his actions as a superhero to be vigilantism, something which he considers beneath him. Iconically, His New 52 counterpart resorts to what could be considered traditional vigilantism after losing his powers for a time.
• His Silhouette is an icon of Heroes Wiki.

External Links [ ]

• Superman on the Pure Good Wiki
• Superman on the DC Database Wiki
• Superman on the Superman Wiki
• Superman on the Wikipedia

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Mariko Toda
• 2 Yoshi Toranaga
• 3 King Baldwin IV

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero. An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero. An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.

• Richard Donner
• Jerry Siegel
• Joe Shuster
• Christopher Reeve
• Margot Kidder
• Gene Hackman
• 681 User reviews
• 175 Critic reviews
• 82 Metascore
• 19 wins & 23 nominations total

• Perry White

• Eve Teschmacher

• General Zod

• Young Clark Kent

• Jimmy Olsen

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia To obtain the musculature to convincingly play Superman, Christopher Reeve underwent a bodybuilding regime supervised by David Prowse , the man who played Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.
• Goofs (at around 44 mins) When Jor-El introduces himself in the Fortress of Solitude, he explains that by this time, he will have been dead for thousands of Earth years. Yet during his teaching during Kal's journey to Earth from Krypton (at around 21 mins), Jor-El refers to Einstein's theory of relativity, which wasn't formulated until long after the destruction of Krypton.

Miss Teschmacher : It's too good to be true. He's 6' 4", has black hair, blue eyes, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, and tells the truth.

Lex Luthor : Miss Teschmacher, some people can read "War and Peace" and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.

Miss Teschmacher : Lex, what has chewing gum got to do with the secrets of the universe?

• Crazy credits Next Year: "Superman II"
• Some added dialogue when Jor-El is talking with the council.
• The council calls an "Executioner" to hunt and kill Jor-El to keep the rocket from launching.
• Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn 's speaking cameos on the train.
• Little girl sees Clark running faster than train, parents call her Lois Lane.
• In the kitchen Martha Kent takes out a box of Cheerios.
• After rescuing Air Force One Superman returns to Fortress of Solitude and has a conversation with his father.
• In Metropolis when the news of Superman comes out, Clark is a spectator. A stranger (played by an uncredited Richard Donner ) comments "that'll be the day when a man can fly"; Clark grins.
• While trying to get Luthor's lair Superman goes through machine guns, flame throwers, ice machines with Luthor taunting on loudspeaker.
• The sequence with the Girl Scouts.
• Connections Edited into Superman II (1980)
• Soundtracks Can You Read My Mind Music by John Williams Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse Performed by Margot Kidder

User reviews 681

• Dec 20, 2016
• Which characters were adapted from the Superman comic books?
• What is Miss Teschmacher's relationship to Lex Luthor? Is she his girlfriend? If so, why does he not call her by her first name? Does she work for him?
• Why did a supposedly super-advanced civilization like the Kryptonians not realize their planet was mere hours from total destruction?
• December 15, 1978 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Superman: The Movie
• Range Road 264, Blackie, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (The Kents' farm, coordinates: 50.675111, -113.558333)
• Dovemead Films
• Film Export A.G.
• International Film Production
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $55,000,000 (estimated)
• $134,478,449
• Dec 17, 1978
• $300,478,449

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 23 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Superman's Biography (Pre-Crisis)

• View history

This page is Superman's biography from the comic books continuity which ended in 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths .

• 1 Early Life

Early Life [ ]

A baby Kal-El is rocketed to Earth from Krypton.

The baby displays his superpowers in his orphanage.

Baby Kal-El (originally Kal-L) was born to Jor-El (originally Jor-L) and Lara (originally Lora) on the planet Krypton . Shortly after his birth, his father placed him in a space-ship model he had constructed, as he had run out of time to build a full-size ship to carry the whole family off the planet. The ship was launched, and traveled through interstellar space towards Earth. (" The Origin of Superman ")

His rocket landed in rural Smallville . There, he was found by Martha and Jonathan Kent (originally Mary and unnamed adoptive father), who soon took him to the orphanage. In the orphanage, the baby performed amazing feats of strength, frightening the staff. When the Kents returned the next day to adopt him, the staff were only too happy to be rid of the uncontrollable baby. The kents named him Clark, after Martha's family, the Clarks. (" The Origin of Superman ")

The Kents soon discovered the amazing powers their adoptive son had. He was seemingly invulnerable, faster than a locomotive, and able to leap amazing distances. (" The Origin of Superman ")

As Clark approached adulthood, Martha grew ill and died, and Jonathan soon after. On his death bed, Jonathan made Clark swear to use his powers for good. Clark soon adopted the identity of Superman, to make good on his promise to his father. (" The Origin of Superman ")

Adulthood [ ]

Superman visited his new Fortress of Solitude for the first time. There, Batman played a prank on him. (" The Super-Key to Fort Superman ")

Superman's first encounter with Brainiac.

When Clark Kent and Lois Lane accompanied a new space rocket to cover its maiden voyage, Brainiac appeared and attacked. Superman slipped out of the rocket, and engaged Brainiac, but was confounded by his high-tech weapons and forcefields. Brainiac shrunk Metropolis and added it to his collection of shrunken cities. Superman rescued Metropolis, as well as Kandor , a surviving Kryptonian city. Superman added it to his fortress, pledging to one day enlarge it. (" The Super-Duel in Space ")

Jimmy Olsen , having been granted three magical wishes, used them in an attempt to repay Superman for his heroics. One of his wishes lead to the creation of a Supergirl , who failed to be very helpful to Superman and ended up sacrificing herself to save his life. (" The Girl of Steel ")

Superman meets his cousin, Kara, for the first time.

Superman met his cousin, Kara Zor-El , who had crash-landed outside Metropolis. She told him the story of how she survived Krypton's destruction. She became the new Supergirl, and Superman put her into the Midvale Orphanage , where she would live under the name Linda Lee. (" The Supergirl from Krypton ")

• 1 Pink Kryptonite
• 2 Superman's Powers and Abilities