Bio: Superman is Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara of the planet
Krypton. He was rocketed to Earth as a baby when Krypton was obliterated
in a cataclysmic explosion that Jor-El had predicted. Kal-El landed on
Earth to be found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him
Clark and, fortunately for us, raised him to be a good citizen and a
heck of a nice guy.
Still, he is an alien, and a god-like one at that. Even though his
friends are mortal, his family is mortal, he was raised as a mortal and
spends most of his time living a mortal's life, Superman has been and
always will be an outsider.
Superman realizes he is out of place in this world, but he also realizes
he can help it. Rather than use his powers to impose his will on others,
he has chosen to be Earth's gentle guardian, pledging never to kill
anyone, or interfere in the free will of nations. Sometimes it's
difficult for him to remain detached, especially when he sees the
effects that bad policies have on the planet. Even as Superman there's
not much he can do about that, though as reporter Clark Kent he can
champion the fight of the little guy through his writing for the Daily
Planet. In some ways the good Clark does in print is just as meaningful
as any of Superman's heroic feats. Superman's not out to make a name for
himself, he's there to help people.
He rarely stays around for a "thank you", he simply does his job and
splits. Naturally, some people treat Superman with suspicion, as if
believing that a man this selfless and good must have an awful lot to
hide. Some people even fear him, dreading the day that Superman will
decide that humans are not fit to govern themselves, but he is. Of
course, it would never be in Superman's nature to do that, but, being a
rather elusive hero, some paranoid souls are inclined to think the
worst.
HIS POWERS AND LIMITATIONS
Superman can fly (very fast), has super strength, x-ray, telescopic and
heat vision, acute hearing, a computer-like mind (he can speak all Earth
languages and most alien ones) and near invulnerability. The power of
flight is the 'most visually dynamic of Superman's abilities. When he
takes off, he usually gives himself a boost with a running leap. Once
airborne, he can maneuver around skyscrapers with the agility of a
slalom racer and the speed of an SST. As great as these powers are,
however, he is not so god-like to be an unstoppable force. No turning
back time, breathing in space, or hyperactivating his molecules for a
fast jaunt between dimensions. When he does superhuman feats, he has to
put some sweat into it. Superman is not totally invulnerable, either. He
can bruise. He can bleed. He can conceivably die. It would take
something akin to a megaton bomb going off in his face, but it could
happen. Even a blast from a heavy artillery shell might knock him out
temporarily or place him in a comatose state.
There are also two other things that can give Superman a really bad
time. One of course is Kryptonite, a radioactive substance cast off by
the exploding planet Krypton. Usually seen in the form of a glowing
green crystalline rock, Kryptonite has a lethal effect on anyone from
Krypton. If exposed to it, Superman will instantly weaken, and prolonged
exposure to it will kill him. Needless to say, every hood on earth would
like to get their hands on a chunk of this stuff. Lead can shield
Superman from Kryptonite's effects, though this is somewhat of a mixed
blessing as lead is the one element that can also impair Superman's
x-ray vision. The other big thing Superman has no power over is magic.
In the Superman universe magic is a real force and the Man of Steel is
just as susceptible to mystic spells and curses as a normal human. This
makes a magic-working adversary like Mr.Mxyzptlk a potentially deadly
threat to our hero.
For jobs too dangerous for Superman to handle, he's constructed a series
of special exoskeleton supersuits which allow him to operate in
otherwise hazardous situations. Among them are a Spacesuit, which allows
him to breathe in space and fly at faster than light speed and an
Underwater Suit for prolonged periods on the ocean floor.
HIS ALTER EGO, CLARK KENT
Clark is a gutsy, hard-boiled crime reporter who openly competes with
Lois Lane for the Daily Planet's plum assignments. Clark's tough -- he
has to be to survive in the cutthroat world of print journalism. When
pursuing a lead, he's relentless, never taking no for an answer and
digging far beneath the surface in his quest for the truth. When it
comes to getting a jump on a story, nothing stands in his way,
especially Lois. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are not always friendly rivals
whose intense professional relationship sends sparks flying around the
Planet offices. Lois looks upon reporting as a thrilling career whereas
Clark looks on it as another extension of his duties as Superman. As a
reporter, Clark specializes in stories that expose the sins of society
and champion the cause of the common man. By contrast, Lois Lane
specializes in more sensational stories. Whereas Clark would check the
record of a political candidate, Lois would open his closet for
skeletons. Clark's stories get people thinking. Naturally that
infuriates Lex Luthor, who feels if anyone will tell the people of his
city how to think it will be him.
Despite being one of the Planet's best-known reporters, Clark takes
pains to stay out of the spotlight. As Superman and as Clark, he is
modest by nature, plus he doesn't want anyone making any sort of
connection between Clark and Superman. He can't help it if Superman is
publicly known to millions, but he does what he can to give Clark a low
profile. In fact, apart from Perry, Lois and Jimmy, many of the other
Planet staffers only know Clark Kent as a byline on an article. Asked to
pick him out of a crowd, a number of them couldn't, which is just what
Clark wants. In order to function as Superman, our hero needs Clark to
be his invisible eyes and ears.
Unfortunately the aggressive but elusive Clark doesn't rate very highly
with Lois Lane. Before Clark showed up, Lois was the Planet's undisputed
ace reporter. Now Lois finds herself frequently butting heads with Kent
for the prize stories. it's not that Lois minds a little competition now
and then. In fact, most times she finds men who can keep up with her to
be intriguing. That's not the case with Kent, though. In Lois' mind,
she's seen his type a hundred times before. Talented, yes. A go-getter,
absolutely, A decent guy and respectable co-worker, sure. Exciting, no.
No way.
Lois has always been attracted to dangerous, mysterious men, and while
she thinks Clark will make a great catch for some lucky girl, he's not
for her, The irony of this is not lost on Clark. He's the most powerful,
mysterious man on the face of the planet and yet because of his
responsibility as Superman to the people of Earth, he's not ready to
share that secret with anyone, although with Lois it's awfully tempting.
The fact is he's crazy about her. Beyond the physical attraction, she's
quick-witted, imaginative and courageous, one of the few people who can
always surprise him. In short, Lois makes Superman feel human. And he
likes it.
Clark lives in a modest one bedroom bachelor's apartment a few minutes
walk from the Planet. To all appearances it's nothing fancy, but inside
his closet is a hidden room which contains his Superman uniforms. His
special Supersuits and various Superman-related mementos are kept at his
Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic.
SUPERMAN EVENTS
Recently, Superman was brainwashed by Darkseid, and was commanded to
destroy Earth, beginning with Metropolis. With the help of Lois Lane, he
was able to snap out of his brainwashing, but not before Supergirl got
hurt. Superman defeated Darkseid, but did not kill him. The Earth, and
Metropolis, can no longer completely trust the Man Of Steel, as well as
Supergirl. But thanks to the Daily Planet and their friends, Superman
and Supergirl are earning back the trust of the world one day at a time.
Superman is even alive in Batman Beyond's time, more than 40 years in
the future. Thanks to his Kryptonian DNA and his solar battery like
body, he is able to age much slower than the average human being, giving
him an added edge in his fight against crime. In the future he leads the
futuristic JLU, short for Justice League Unlimited. JLU is a futuristic
version of the JLA, or Justice League America.
Bio (Cartoon Network): When a terrible explosion destroyed the
planet Krypton, the only survivor was the infant Kal-El. Sent to Earth
by his parents moments before Krypton's destruction, Kal-El was
discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent after his space capsule crashed
just outside Smallville, USA. Renamed Clark by the compassionate Kents,
the young Superman received an ordinary upbringing but quickly learned
that he was no ordinary guy. He discovered that the Earth's yellow sun
imbued him with amazing powers. In testament to the Kents' good
parenting, Clark decided to use his abilities for the good of all
Earthlings. Upon moving to the big city of Metropolis, Clark became an
ace crime reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper. When disguised as
this alter ego, Superman ferrets out wrongdoings through his
journalistic exploits.
But as Superman, he is a champion for all humankind. Superman has sworn
never to kill his enemies or to interfere with international disputes.
While he always fights for justice, Superman remains somewhat detached
from his fellow men. He is, and always will be, an alien from another
planet, forever the outsider. Superman has numerous abilities. He can
fly. He has super strength and super speed. He has X-ray vision (but he
can't see through lead). He also has advanced mental capabilities,
allowing him to process complex equations and learn countless languages.
Superman is virtually invulnerable, but even his powers have
limitations. He can be bruised or knocked out. He can't breathe in space
or underwater. And if pitted against a piece of radioactive Kryptonite,
Superman can even die.
Check out Superman in Justice
League. |
