Superman

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Superman 73 77
Alias(es)	Clark Kent; Kal-El; the Man of Steel 77 107
Species/Race	Kryptonian 107 184
Gender	Male 77
Affiliation	Justice League; Daily Planet 85 184
Occupation/Role	Reporter; protector of Metropolis and Earth 77 85
Status	Alive. He died fighting Doomsday, was later restored by Link, and resumed protecting the world 190 280 371.
First Appearance	Chapter 73, in rescue footage; first appears in person in Chapter 77 73 77.

Background and History

Clark Kent conceals his Kryptonian identity behind the manner of an awkward Daily Planet reporter. As Superman, he routinely protects Metropolis: his recorded rescues include a passenger plane, civilians trapped in a collapsing skyscraper, and a nuclear warhead destroyed in space. He later stops a crashing cargo plane and carries it to an unoccupied harbor area 73 77 85.

Link identifies Clark as Superman after touching him at the Daily Planet. During a subsequent interview, Link probes Clark’s belief that Superman will continue to use his power for good. Link then obtains Kryptonite; exposure to it causes Superman pain, drains his strength, and nearly sends him falling from the sky 85 88 92 93.

When a satellite breaks apart above Metropolis, Superman struggles to guide its largest fragment down without endangering the city. Link secretly strikes him with a Kryptonite beam, then publicly pulls him free of the falling wreckage. While Superman remains incapacitated, Link touches him and uses a sign-in system to acquire a Kryptonian physique and several of his powers. Superman does not know how Link caused his weakness or gained such strength 101 102 105 106 107.

Superman later confronts Link aboard the Justice League’s Watchtower. Link overpowers him with a combination of Kryptonian strength and Olympian divinity, defeats his Heat Vision, and incapacitates him with Zeus’s lightning. After Link takes control of the station, Superman risks an unstable escape to confront Doomsday, a monster made from General Zod’s remains 172 173 176 184.

Superman fights Doomsday through Metropolis while repeatedly diverting his attention to save civilians. Though he distrusts Link, he briefly fights alongside him against the monster. Exhausted and severely wounded, Superman expends all his remaining solar energy in a fatal attack on Doomsday. Link subsequently honors his sacrifice in public and claims the role of Earth’s guardian 187 189 190 195.

Link later restores Superman with the Time Stone, but Superman initially returns with so little solar energy that he is as weak as an ordinary man. He regains some strength before the final battle for Earth. By the time Link returns to Earth as a mortal, Superman is again stopping crimes, and the Justice League has resumed protecting the world 280 353 371.

Appearance

Superman wears a red-and-blue suit with a prominent S emblem on his chest. His civilian presentation is that of a tall young reporter in glasses, whose awkwardness helps conceal the power Link detects beneath it 85 86.

• Hero costume — Red-and-blue suit with a chest emblem 86 93.
• Civilian appearance — Black-rimmed glasses and, during Link’s first meeting with him, a plaid shirt 85.

Personality

Clark’s compassion shapes how he uses his power. He listens to the ordinary life of Metropolis as something worth protecting, and during disasters he prioritizes civilians even when doing so leaves him exposed. Link recognizes this commitment and deliberately exploits it 77 89 104 105.

He also takes responsibility for dangers connected to his Kryptonian past. On discovering Zod’s genetic code in Doomsday, Superman blames himself for leaving Zod’s body on Earth and insists on confronting the monster despite a potentially fatal escape from the Watchtower 184.

Abilities and Skills

Kryptonian Strength and Flight

Sunlight powers Superman’s Kryptonian body, enabling him to fly and exert immense physical force 86 93.

• Catches and carries aircraft, braces a collapsing skyscraper, and supports massive falling satellite wreckage 73 77 101.
• Can be overwhelmed when a disaster creates more simultaneous threats than he can address alone 101 102.
• Loses strength when Kryptonite disrupts his cells and drains his solar energy 92 105.

Super-Senses and Vision

Superman can distinguish distant sounds across Metropolis and scan through buildings while investigating a threat 77 93.

• Hears details ranging from the Daily Planet’s presses to individual conversations and heartbeats 77 88.
• Uses his vision to identify Kryptonian genetic code and Zod’s crest within Doomsday 184.
• Cannot see through the lead box Link uses to contain Kryptonite 93.

Heat Vision and Super Breath

Superman can project Heat Vision and use freezing Super Breath 173 189.

• His Heat Vision burns Doomsday, but the monster adapts after being injured 187.
• He uses freezing Super Breath to exploit a wound Link opens in Doomsday; Doomsday later absorbs the cold and releases it as part of an energy attack 189.

Relationships

• Link — First an unsettling acquaintance, then a public rescuer and temporary ally; Link secretly weakens Superman, copies his powers, defeats him at the Watchtower, and later restores him 85 105 107 172 189 280.
• Lois Lane — Fellow Daily Planet reporter and the woman he loves; she grieves at the site of his death 85 190 195.
• Batman / Bruce Wayne — Justice League teammate whose warnings initially inform Superman’s suspicions about Link; Batman later supports his decision to face Doomsday 77 184.
• Cyborg / Victor Stone — Justice League teammate who activates a dangerous, one-way escape protocol so Superman can reach Doomsday 184.
• Doomsday — Kryptonian-derived monster created using General Zod’s remains; Superman dies trying to stop it 184 187 190.

Notable Quotes

“That monster exists because of me. The blood of my fellow Kryptonian runs through it. No matter what, I have to end this myself. Even if it costs me my life.” 184