Hal was also a Kryptonian. And he was Krypton's Superman.
In other words, he was the Superman among Supermen. Even among a group of Supermen, he was the strongest, capable of utterly crushing the others—a Superpower User among Supermen.
But in truth, he was a clone created by Kryptonians.
Some might find that strange. Given the way Kryptonians reproduced, wasn't everyone a clone?
Not quite. Though genetic editing was possible, every Kryptonian's genes were different. Stealing someone else's genes was illegal.
For example, if someone from the lower class stole the Great General's genes and injected them into their child, giving the child the Great General's combat prowess, how could the council possibly turn a blind eye once trouble arose?
So, after they began reproducing in this manner, descendants born from stolen genes came to be called clones.
Hal was a clone. But he had not been cloned from just one person—his body contained all of Krypton's strongest genes. Scientists, Great Generals, political leaders—every superior gene had been used in him.
Those genes underwent certain compound reactions, resulting in the strongest individual in Kryptonian history.
Of course, he did not know he was a clone, and he deeply despised clones, considering them thieves who stole genes.
In the comics, his identity varied, but he always had deep ties to Jor-El, Clark's biological father. He was either Jor-El's friend or adopted son.
He also deeply loved his homeworld, Krypton. In the comics, he escaped Krypton's destruction through a series of coincidences. After discovering that his homeworld had been destroyed, he devoted himself to rebuilding Krypton.
However, his method of rebuilding Krypton differed slightly from Zod's. Zod wanted to restore Krypton's population, while Hal wanted to restore Krypton's energy supply.
As mentioned before, Krypton's conditions as a planet were not especially good.