Clark

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Clark Kent 2
Alias(es)	Kal-El; Blue Hood; Superman 95 96 134
Species/Race	Kryptonian 127 134
Gender	Male 2
Age	18 during his identity crisis after learning his origins 8
Affiliation	Kent family; selected successor of the Green Lantern Corps 2 127
Occupation/Role	Superhero; Chloe Sullivan's reporter assistant 95 100
Status	Active 210
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background

Clark arrived on Earth as a Kryptonian infant sent away by his birth parents during Krypton's destruction. Jonathan and Martha Kent raised him as their eldest son alongside David; though David reached the Kents first, Clark's time traveling through space made him visibly older. 2 134 146

For most of his childhood, Clark hid abilities that separated him from other people, including superhuman strength and speed. Jonathan eventually revealed that Clark was an alien found during a meteor shower and that David was the Kents' biological child. Feeling betrayed and disconnected from the only family he knew, Clark fled the farm and attempted to drink away his distress. 6 7 8

Clark gradually chose to use his abilities to protect others rather than only conceal them. His early rescues included saving Lex Luthor from drowning and stopping a runaway bus before it struck a homeless man. 5 36

Appearance

Clark is described as tall, handsome, academically capable, and athletically gifted, though he is often overlooked by people around him. 95

• Early casual clothing includes jeans and a thick blue flannel shirt. 4
• His early Superman outfit consisted of a blue short-sleeved shirt and red cape. 134
• He later adopts a dark-blue, high-density Kryptonian battle suit built to endure combat damage. 134
• When using his Green Lantern Ring, he manifests a faintly glowing green suit; the color makes him uncomfortable because of his history with Kryptonite. 127
• During the period of the Wishing Stone's curse, he is blind and commonly wears sunglasses. 95 100

Personality

Clark is compassionate, protective, and reluctant to treat opponents as disposable. He intervenes to stop Gregg from killing David, insists that dangerous metahumans should be left to the law when possible, and worries about the harm David may cause while protecting him. 19 20 111

His strongest attachment is to his family. Discovering that he was adopted initially devastates him, but he ultimately defines Earth and the Kents as his home even after learning of Krypton's history and meeting Jor-El's hologram. 8 127 134

Clark frequently doubts himself: Cassandra's vision of a future conflict with David, Kara's prophecy, and his own loss of control under Red Kryptonite make him fear that he may become dangerous. 31 69 81 Red Kryptonite brings out an aggressive, arrogant side that sharply contrasts with his usual restraint. 79

Abilities & Skills

Kryptonian Physiology

Under a yellow sun, Clark possesses immense physical power, resilience, speed, and a capacity to grow stronger under pressure. 4 117

• Moves at superhuman speed, including reaching school ahead of the bus and intercepting opponents moving near the speed of sound. 4 20
• Demonstrates extreme durability by breaking hay-chopper blades with his arm and surviving impacts that would destroy ordinary vehicles. 6
• Can lift or halt heavy vehicles, including stopping a runaway bus with his bare hands. 36
• Flies through use of his bio-force field, first discovering the ability after dreaming of flying to Lana's house. 17 36
• Absorbs solar energy to recover from injury and exhaustion; sunlight restored him after severe depletion. 117 168
• Can endure space and severe Arctic conditions. 160

Super Senses and Heat Vision

Clark's senses and energy projection expand alongside his physical abilities.

• His altered vision can perceive people as X-ray-like skeletons and distinguish Kryptonite by its vivid green appearance. 23
• His super-hearing can reach across an entire continent. 134
• He projects destructive heat vision from his eyes, using it against Zod during their battle on the Moon. 135
• While blind, he develops an unexplained ability to go unnoticed even by people who know him, allowing him to move through Metropolis without recognition. 95

Green Lantern Ring

Clark is chosen by Abin Sur as a successor to a Green Lantern Ring and formally unlocks it by reciting the Lantern oath. 127

• Generates a willpower-based green suit around his body. 127
• Provides access to a database containing information on Krypton, the Green Lantern Corps, and cosmic civilizations. 127
• Enables cosmic communication, including contact with Jor-El during the battle with Mechanical Superman. 143
• Offers mental protection, but its psychic defense can be overwhelmed by the Psionic Pirate's enhanced powers. 160

Weaknesses

• Kryptonite — Causes severe pain, weakness, and potentially death; Lana's green crystal necklace repeatedly incapacitates him. 4
• Red Kryptonite — Greatly increases his power while making him aggressive, arrogant, and reckless. 79
• Red-sun radiation — Drains his strength and can leave him unable to remain airborne. 143
• Psychic attacks — Clark has no innate defense against mental intrusion; even his Lantern Ring's protection was bypassed by the Psionic Pirate. 160
• Compassion — His refusal to endanger innocents or use lethal force makes him vulnerable to manipulation by enemies. 110

Equipment / Items

• Green Lantern Ring — A ring inherited from Abin Sur that unlocks a Lantern suit, cosmic information, and other willpower-based functions. 127
• Kryptonian battle suit — Dark-blue, high-density attire from Kryptonian technology, designed for combat durability. 134 146
• Sunglasses — Used during his blindness to conceal his condition and help preserve his civilian identity. 95

Relationships

• David Kent / the Transcendent — Younger adoptive brother and closest partner. They protect one another, but Clark also fears David's potential future darkness and objects to his lethal methods. 7 31 140
• Jonathan Kent — Adoptive father. Jonathan reveals Clark's alien origin and teaches him that hiding his powers does not mean ignoring people in danger. 7 14
• Martha Kent — Adoptive mother. Her reassurance helps Clark accept his ability to fly and his place in the Kent family. 17
• Jor-El — Biological father, encountered through a holographic projection. Jor-El reveals Clark's name, Kal-El, and answers his questions about Krypton. 134
• Lana Lang — Clark's longtime crush. Her Kryptonite necklace makes physical proximity painful, complicating his attempts to speak with her. 4
• Chloe Sullivan — Friend and investigative partner who brings Clark to Metropolis as her reporter assistant and supports his decision to become the Blue Hood. 42 95
• Lex Luthor — Initially saved by Clark from drowning and grateful enough to offer him a truck; later becomes obsessed with capturing and studying Superman. 5 101 104
• General Zod — Kryptonian commander who seeks to rebuild Krypton by using Earth's resources. Clark initially hopes for cooperation before opposing Zod's plan to terraform Earth. 135 136
• Kara Zor-El — Clark's cousin and another surviving Kryptonian. Clark empathizes with her grief over Krypton's destruction and hopes she will return after being deceived by H'el. 170 210
• Zod-El / Mechanical Superman — Clark's uncle, rebuilt and mentally altered by Brainiac into a mechanical servant. Clark asks David not to kill him despite their conflict. 143

Major Arcs

• Discovery of his origins — Jonathan and Martha reveal that Clark is an alien; Clark flees, devastated by the belief that he does not belong to the Kent family or Earth. 7 8
• Early rescues and Smallville metahumans — Clark saves Lex Luthor, assists against meteorite-created threats, and repeatedly struggles to use enough force without killing his opponents. 5 19 20
• Loss and restoration of powers — Green lightning associated with a meteorite strips Clark of his abilities; David later restores them to help save Jonathan. 47 62
• Red Kryptonite incident — A Red Kryptonite ring amplifies Clark's power and hostility until David defeats him and removes the ring. 79
• Becoming Superman — While blind, Clark operates in Metropolis as the Blue Hood before becoming publicly known as Superman after stopping criminals and rescuing a police officer. 95 96
• Luthor's capture and military imprisonment — Lex Luthor and General Sam Lane capture Clark for experimentation; David breaks into the base and extracts his weakened brother. 104 106
• Green Lantern succession — Abin Sur selects Clark and David as ring successors, exposing Clark to Krypton's colonial past and a wider cosmic crisis. 127
• Zod's invasion — Clark meets Jor-El, confronts General Zod, and fights to stop Earth from being terraformed into a replacement Krypton. 134 135 136
• Brainiac and Mechanical Superman — Clark faces Brainiac's invasion and discovers that Mechanical Superman is his uncle Zod-El, whose memories and body were remade by Brainiac. 142 143
• Kara's arrival — Clark investigates a meteor shower with David and finds Kara's Kryptonian spacecraft, gaining a living blood relative on Earth. 168 170

Notable Quotes

“I can't let you go and hurt anyone else.” 20

“Earth is also within the universe. If something happens to the universe, Earth cannot escape.” 127

“I will strive to become stronger and use this power to protect you.” 146

Trivia

• Lana unknowingly asks Clark whether he sees himself as “an ordinary person or a Superman” years before he adopts the Superman identity. 4 103
• Clark dislikes the color green because it reminds him of Kryptonite, making the Green Lantern uniform especially uncomfortable for him. 127
• He does not initially know that Kryptonians can recover from severe injury through solar absorption. 168