History Characters / SupermanAndSupportingCast

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[[folder:Supporting Characters]]
!LoisLane
[[quoteright:248:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lois_Lane_image_2911.jpg]]
Superman's earliest and most iconic love interest[[note]]In fact his earliest supporting character ''period'' - she made her debut in Action Comics #1, the very same issue Superman made his own debut in[[/note]], Lois Lane is a skilled and determined reporter for the ''Daily Planet''. Her typical subject of writing is Superman: she reports on his exploits and occasionally tries to puzzle out his real identity, but she's always foiled. She has a hidden crush on Superman, and less so on Clark Kent, creating a LoveTriangle out of two people, though she sometimes suspects that they're one and the same...
%% Note: This paragraph is deliberately copied and edited accordingly from the first paragraph of Vicki Vale's description on the Batman character sheet.
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* ActionGirl: The modern version. She got smarter, too.
* AlliterativeName: Her first and last name begin with the same letter: '''L'''.
* BettyAndVeronica: To Superman, except she and Lana were both The Veronica. More recently, Lana's Betty and Lois is Veronica, when there's a question of it at all (for example, ''{{Smallville}}'').
* BrainyBrunette[=/=]FieryRedhead: She has both the brains and the attitude and has been depicted as ''both'' over the years (though jet black hair is her most common look.)
* BunnyEarsLawyer: To a mild degree; a running gag throughout several of the media she's appeared in has her, despite her fame and success as a newspaper journalist, be absolutely terrible at spelling.
* CaptainErsatz: While Lois has been endlessly homaged and parodied, most people don't know that she herself was based off a 1930s movie character called Torchy.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Golden Age Lois was a lot more level-headed in early stories, occasionally getting herself out of trouble before Superman could do it. {{Chickification}} set in in the Silver Age, and then {{Xenafication}} set in later. Lois as she is now is actually quite accurate to the day-one character. [[LongRunners Day one was just a very long time ago.]]
* {{Chickification}}: The Silver Age incarnation. After the more intrepid Golden Age incarnation, conservative values influenced by UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode set in, so she went from being a somewhat bitter rival to Clark to being more focused on getting Superman to marry her.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: In the GoldenAge comics, Lois had a young niece named Susie Thompkins, whose shtick was getting into trouble by telling fibs. Susie's last appearance was in the mid-50s; a few years later, Lois' (unmarried) sole sibling Lucy Lane was introduced, and Susie was never seen again, save a few appearances in the "Mr. and Mrs. Superman" stories of TheSeventies. There, she's shown as the daughter of Earth-Two's married Lucy Lane Thompkins.
** Susie has reappeared in the [[Comicbook/{{New52}} comics, as of 2012]] - but Lucy still exists in this continuity, implying there might be a third Lane sister.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Silver-Age Lois and Lana, though not Lori.
* CosmicPlaything: As with Jimmy, some of the things Lois experienced happened because she was connected to Superman... and others just happened out of nowhere.
* DamselOutOfDistress: She provides the page image. This is a woman who gets caught by villains all the frickin' time, but only because she's GenreSavvy enough to know that if she does so, she'll not only get the scoop on the front page story, but also somehow survive to write it. And not just by getting rescued — if Superman doesn't know/is depowered/is busy, she'll pretend to fall in love with the drug lord who captured her, then blast herself out of their wedding, veil, gown, and all, with a {{Mook}}'s stolen machine gun.
** Even in the early days, Lois had quite the nerve. In some of the earliest Fleischer cartoons (now public domain) she pulls such stunts as trying to sabotage a getaway vehicle, climbing onto the back of a mechanical monster to see where it was going, blasting away with a submachine gun at would-be train robbers, and disguised herself as a Nazi to warn the American fleet of a U-boat threat(Well, it WAS the early forties).
* DerailingLoveInterests: If it is an [[AlternateUniverse Elseworld story]], you can bet this is what happens to Lois, that is [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse if she isn't just killed off.]]
* DistressBall: She's [[GoingForTheBigScoop followed her journalistic instincts]] into danger so frequently it's a miracle she ever survived before having the personal attentions of a PhysicalGod (aka Superman}}).
* FriendlyEnemy: Pre-Crisis, Lois and Lana were usually very good-natured about their love rivalry with each other.
* GenreSavvy: Lois knows Superman well enough that she can throw herself out of a window and be sure that he'll catch her. He even did it during Hush, while he was mind-controlled.
* GoingForTheBigScoop: Frequently. She is a reporter after all.
* HappilyMarried: To Clark Post-Crisis, Pre-New 52.
* HelloNurse
* HenpeckedHusband: What Superman becomes in some of the [[WhatIf Imaginary Stories]]. Whilst [[ValuesDissonance the writing is misdirected]], there is a tendency towards this in the post-crisis canonical stories.
* HotScoop
* InterspeciesRomance: With Clark/Superman. Clark is a Kryptonian and Lois is a human.
* IntrepidReporter: Much more intrepid in the Modern Age, but was also surprisingly intrepid in her Golden Age incarnation as well.
* LovesMyAlterEgo: A RunningGag during the Golden Age and - mainly - the Silver Age. In fact, her Silver Age's iteration currently provides the page image of this trope.
* MsFanservice
* NeverBeAHero: Unlike her fellow Superman supporting characters JimmyOlsen and Lana Lang, Lois never had a superhero identity that was unique to her; other characters besides her have also been "[[DistaffCounterpart Superwoman]]". (Jimmy has been 'Elastic Lad' and Lana was 'Insect Queen'.)
* OfficialCouple: With Superman Post-Crisis, Pre-New 52.
* PrettyInMink
* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: She's almost always introduced as a Pulitzer Prize recipient.
* TheRevealPromptsRomance: With Superman.
* TheRival: She considers Clark to be her rival as the Daily Planet's star reporter, which is especially apparent in the early Golden Age stories.
* SealedEvilInACan: [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Lois let these out quite often]], [[TookALevelInDumbass in spite of repeatedly being]] [[DontTouchItYouIdiot told not to]], [[AesopAmnesia even after all the other times she'd done it]].
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Lois in the Modern Age and for a good portion of the 1990's and the 2000's is in love with Clark not because he is Superman, but because he is a sweet, kind-hearted farmboy from Kansas.
* TooDumbToLive: If it wasn't for Superman, she would be dead since [[TheForties 1940]] [[GoingForTheBigScoop thanks to her fondness for snooping around way too much]]. Sometimes its shown that she takes those risks because she knows she has backup; she [[DamselOutOfDistress can handle herself just fine,]] but just lets herself get into these situations because a hostage can get the best details of what the criminals and supervillains are up to, and will always have Superman to back her up if/when she needs it.
* TransformationComic: Often rivaled the JimmyOlsen comics for this.
* {{Tsundere}}:
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Superman and[=/=]or Clark in several incarnations. Averted during most of the 1990's and the 2000's, however when they were together.
* VitriolicBestBuds: In those continuities were she ''doesn't'' know Clark Kent and Superman are the same (for instance the Christopher Reeve films or ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'') she is usually this to Clark, enjoying a very friendly workplace rivalry with him and chastising him for his timidity. In the ''very'' early GoldenAge her dislike for Clark was genuine but their relationship quickly evolved into this trope.
* WeakWilled: During the GoldenAge she was ''very'' frequently (and easily) hypnotised. Oddly this was much more a trait of the GoldenAge Lois who was assertive and had a very strong personality than the less feisty SilverAge version.
* WeirdnessMagnet: As much as Jimmy Olsen. Heck, look at the Trope image, then know she's been aged prematurely, forced to marry a ''gorilla'', and much, much more.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done, Daughter Gal]]: Lois had this relationship with her father Sam Post-Crisis. He wanted a son, badly.

!JimmyOlsen
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jimmy_Olsen_Image_4876.png]]
Superman's pal and Clark Kent's co-worker at the Daily Planet, Jimmy is a photographer/cub reporter working his way up the totem pole. He's impulsive, socially awkward, and prone to getting tied up by supervillains. Superman trusts Jimmy enough to give him a wristwatch that emits a supersonic alarm that only Supes can hear. Jimmy is sometimes portrayed in a relationship with Lucy Lane, Lois's younger sister. He had his own series, which was written and illustrated in the '70s by none other than JackKirby, and was notable for two things: introducing [[TheNewGods Darkseid]] and being [[MindScrew really flippin' weird]].
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* AmbiguouslyGay: A few times, and hilariously so in ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman''.
* AdaptiveArmor: His powers during "Countdown" were triggered only when he was in actual danger.
* {{Adorkable}}: Jimmy's outdated clothing, innocent demeanor, and extreme loyalty to Superman make him this.
* ActionHero: As Mr. Action.
* AttractiveBentGender: Jimmy looks pretty darn fetching as a woman, and in one story, a mobster falls for the disguised Jimmy.
* BadassNormal: Pre-Crisis, Jimmy did some pretty heroic things, mostly to avoid the inevitable debris of hanging around the planet's most powerful being, on top of providing exposés of crime rings for public viewing.
** Technically, this is mostly a case of DependingOnTheWriter; the Jimmy Olsen from ''Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen'' #1 is '''very''' different from the one that starred in ''[[MeaningfulRename Superman Family]]'' #222
** Sadly, ''post''-Crisis Jimmy stayed a [[StatusQuoIsGod complete and total putz until a few years ago]].
* BalefulPolymorph: Some of the forms Jimmy was turned into include:
** A werewolf (of the "really hairy man" type.)
** A giant turtle-man (in effect, a {{Kaiju}}).
*** Which becomes a MythologyGag when Olsen scored a TV job as "Turtle Boy".
** A human porcupine, with the ability to shoot quills!
** A RubberMan (see NeverBeAHero).
** A really, REALLY fat man.
* {{Bromance}}: With Superman.
** They ''tried'' to give him one with Robin back in the SilverAge.
* ButtMonkey: Poor Jimmy is a constant target of SuperDickery.
* CameraFiend: Some versions of Jimmy.
* CanonForeigner: Introduced in the radio show, though some claim an (unnamed) copy boy in an earlier Superman comic was supposed to be Jimmy.
* CaptainErsatz: Superman and Jimmy Olsen become ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' and ''Comicbook/{{Robin}}'' [[{{Expy}} Expies]] Nightwing and Flamebird in the bottled city of Kandor, allowing Jimmy to fight crime alongside a depowered Superman (since Kandor is under a red sun.)
* CloningBlues: The Newsboy Legion. Pre-[[CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]], they're [[UncannyFamilyResemblance the completely identical sons of]] [[ItRunsInTheFamily the original Newsboy Legion from]] TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, whose fathers made tiny clones of, [[WhatTheHellHero without their prior consent]]. Post-Crisis, their UncannyFamilyResemblance is explained by them being direct clones of their "fathers".
* CosmicPlaything: Jimmy didn't need to know Superman or even do anything extraordinary for things to *just happen* to him.
** FridgeBrilliance: That may be ''why'' he's Superman's best friend.
* DeusExitMachina: Quite a lot of stories had Superman doing something in space, or Jimmy's watch would be broken, or tampered with, or ''something'' would have happened to it.
* DisguisedInDrag: Jimmy does this [[http://www.tgfa.org/comics/jimmy_olsen/jimmy_olsen.htm pretty darned often]], to the point he may just be a WholesomeCrossdresser.
* [[HenpeckedHusband Henpecked Boyfriend]]: Lucy was as shrewish to Jimmy as Lois was to Superman.
* HeroicBystander:
** Jimmy rushed to Superman's aid when the hero was overcome by Kryptonite fire on his suit. A few burns were nothing when it came to saving his pal.
** In the early story "The Hunted Messenger", Jimmy rescues a deliveryman from two muggers.
* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Sidekick]]: Jimmy was frequently taken hostage to get to Superman, to the degree where he tried to [[DefiedTrope defy]] it once or twice.
* InnocentBlueEyes: Jimmy is a ([[DependingOnTheWriter sometimes]]) naive NiceGuy who, according to the DC sites, is blue-eyed.
* InstantFanClub: Jimmy had one, in some of the comics.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Superman is Kryptonian; Jimmy is a human. But that doesn't keep them from being fairly close.
* TheLoad: In [[TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks the silver age]], [[PostCrisis modern]] comics have managed to avert this to an extent, by making him a closer friend of Clark Kent's than Superman's.
* MadScientist: Often the cause of Jimmy's transformations.
* MasterOfDisguise: In the earlier stories, Jimmy could disguise himself so well that Perry, Lois, and even Superman had trouble recognizing him.
* NeverBeAHero: Because his role was always to be Superman's little buddy. However, unlike Lois, Jimmy did get to replay some of his superhero identities: in particular, he was Elastic Lad and Flamebird (sidekick to Superman under the identity of Nightwing, playing [[{{Expy}} expies]] of Batman and Robin.)
* ParentalSubstitute: Jimmy's father either died or disappeared (depending on the incarnation) sometime before they could really have a relationship. His bond with Superman is therefore partially this.
* PluckyComicRelief
* RedHeadedHero
* SuperDickery: The [[TropeNamer original site]] even has its own DrinkingGame for him!
** For anyone interested, there's only one rule; if Jimmy gets a super-power, take a shot.
* SuperpowerSillyPutty
* TransformationComic
* UnluckilyLucky: Even in his more competent iterations he's a world-class WeirdnessMagnet with a tendency to get into major trouble as a result. However, except for a few occasions, he always comes out with nary a scratch or even angst.
* WeirdnessMagnet: Holy ''crap''. The ''least'' weird thing Jimmy's done is get involved with TheNewGods.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Oh, he also disguised himself as a woman on occasion as part of a mission. Makes you wonder...
** Played, er, "straight" in ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', when asked if he's in disguise for a story, he simply replies, "Nope."
* WrittenSoundEffect: His signal watch's: ''Zee! Zee! Zee!''
* ZanyScheme: Jimmy either made one, or got involved in one.

!Bibbo Bibbowski
A cynical, former boxer, turned bartender of the Ace of Clubs, who was inspired by Superman's example that everyone can make a difference. He donned a Superman T-shirt and patrolled the city, roughing up street punks and similar threats, but he isn't really considered a superhero.
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* GoodOldFisticuffs: The dude actually managed to land a punch on Superman's jaw, and made him stagger a bit.
* HiddenDepths
* IFightForTheStrongestSide: When {{Lobo}} had the upper hand in a fight against Superman, Bibbo cheered for him. He went back to cheering for Superman when he won.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* RetiredBadass

!Bill Henderson
The commissioner of the Metropolis Police. Originally ''Inspector'' Henderson, Bill was an occasionally-appearing supporting cast member in TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks who acted as Superman's liaison with the police. PostCrisis, he became the city commissioner. He was a mentor and close friend to Maggie Sawyer. His cousin, Mike Henderson, is the head of the Metropolis Metacrimes Division.
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* CanonImmigrant: From ''Radio/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' via [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman the George Reeves TV show]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

!Cat Grant
In the PostCrisis era, when Superman allowed more of his hidden qualities to show as Clark Kent, gossip columnist Cat Grant showed up as a rival for Clark's affections. A bit shallow and a shameless flirt, Cat became more serious after her son was murdered by Toyman. In the '00s, she's shown up again in her old job and is cast as a "cougar" having had surgery done to maintain her good looks. She shamelessly hits on the then married Clark in front of his wife. Clark believes she is reinventing herself to mask the pain of her loss.
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* {{Flanderization}}: She was introduced as sort of a GoodBadGirl BrokenBird. Someone who had a bit of an immoral past that she was trying to move beyond, and was looking for a good man like Clark Kent to be her anchor. Nowadays she's portrayed as a LovableSexManiac at best and just ReallyGetsAround at worst. It's been mentioned that this is a facade Cat is using because of the pain of losing her son so many years ago.
* LovesMyAlterEgo: Actually, she's only attracted to Clark, not Superman.
* HiddenDepths
** JerkassFacade
* IntrepidReporter: Not exactly to the degree as Lois Lane, but still.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: With Supergirl in Sterling Gates' last story arc.
* TheVamp: Tries to be this after she returned to the Daily Planet, though not in a whorish or vapid kind of way.

!Dan "Terrible" Turpin
A cop who was initially skeptical of Superman, fearing that he was making the police obsolete, though he eventually came around. He was the partner of Maggie Sawyer, and fell in love with her, but was heartbroken when she came out of the closet. Sadly, during FinalCrisis, {{Darkseid}} used him as his host body, seemingly killing him.
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* BadassNormal: His [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment]] was taking on Kalibak, son of Darkseid, with a machine gun, getting beaten within an inch of his life, and then giving the signal to channel all the electrical power in Metropolis straight into Kalibak, knocking him out ''and arresting him!''
* BrooklynRage
* {{Expy}}: In ''[[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries The Animated Series]]'', his appearance was based on his creator, JackKirby.
* NewGods: The series where he first appeared.
* NiceHat
* {{Retcon}}: A recent retcon claims that he is the grown-up version of "Brooklyn" from [[GoldenAge the Boy Commandos]] (another [[JackKirby Kirby]] tough guy character with a derby hat and a Brooklyn accent).

!Jor-El and Lara
Superman's birth parents on the planet Krypton. Jor-El was a wise scientist and member of Krypton's ruling council. Lara's job has varied over the years (an astronaut pre-Crisis, librarian post-Crisis), with stories from the 70s to the present showing Lara's a match for her husband's scientific skills. Convinced of their planet's impending doom, Jor-El devised a plan to save his people on a fleet of spaceships, but the council scoffed at his warnings and denied him funding. Left with only his prototype rocket, he and his wife Lara made the fateful decision to save their only child, Kal-El[[note]]and their dog Krypto, and their monkey Beppo...[[/note]], from Krypton's destruction. Jor-El and Lara perished with the rest of Krypton.
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* AgeLift: Originally, both were young, about the same age as Clark. The movies cast middle-aged actors due to RuleOfPerception (even if they both died as Kal-El was a baby, makes sense them being older than him in the present), and the comics [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100128001226/marvel_dc/images/f/f7/Superman_-_Secret_Origin_Vol_1_4.jpg follow suit at the times]].
* CassandraTruth
* DeathByOriginStory: Jor-El and Lara died, of course, when Krypton blew up.
* HappilyMarried
* IgnoredExpert: Jor-El is the former trope namer, in fact.
** Some versions subvert this by having Zod actually believing him and trying to take over krypton as to try to save it from it's destruction.
** Pre-Crisis (and apparently in a recent Supergirl origin version), Jor-El's brother Zor-El did believe his predictions, and (depending on continuity) eventually sent his own child Kara to Earth.
* PosthumousCharacter
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Though it seems Jor-El's the only one at the time of Krypton's destruction. Some tellings of the origin story alternately suggest Jor-El's findings aren't conclusive.
* VirtualGhost: Jor-El gets this treatment through recordings.

!Comicbook/LanaLang
Clark Kent's high-school girlfriend, with whom he still maintains a friendly relationship; Lana is one of the few people who knows that Clark is Superman. In TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, Lana frequently competed with Lois for Superman's affections, but these days they have a congenial friendship. At one point, she was married to Pete Ross, another one of Clark's childhood friends.
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* AlliterativeName
* BettyAndVeronica: Lana developed from being an Expy of Lois into being a rival to Lois for Superman's affections. Though this is retconned away PostCrisis.
* CaptainErsatz: Of Lois. She was originally introduced to be the nosey investigative love interest for a young Clark Kent.
* FieryRedhead: At times. Except when she got a RaceLift for Smallville.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend

!Lori Lemaris
Another of Clark Kent's ex-girlfriends. They broke up when she was revealed to actually be a mermaid, as she considered their differences too great, though she still holds a torch for him. She also knows Clark's secret.
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* AlliterativeName
* GodivaHair: [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Lori_Lemaris_%28Earth-One%29 As you can see here.]]
* GlamourFailure: She cannot maintain human form if she gets wet.
* OurMermaidsAreDifferent
* PsychicPowers
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: In this case, the unlucky childhood friend is ''Superman.''

!The Kandorians
Shrunken by Brainiac and imprisoned in a bottle, the Kryptonian city Kandor is eventually recovered by Superman. In TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, Kandor was stuck in this state with Superman able to go back and forth into the city but unable to re-enlarge them for a long time (since Brainiac's technology was not designed to work in reverse.) He finally managed to do it in 1979.

When reintroduced in 2009, Superman recovers Kandor and is able to re-enlarge it near his fortress. Humanity does not take kindly to the arrival of 100,000 people with superior technology and all of Superman's powers, so they pick up and leave to build a planet on the opposite side of Earth's orbit. General Zod and Superman joined them.

Unfortunately, Earth and New Krypton didn't get along so well and the two planets waged a war killing the vast majority of the recovered population while the rest had to be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by Superman himself. The original Kandor was Supergirl's birthplace.

!The Kents
Jonathan and Martha Kent (or John and Mary, depending on the version) were simple farmers who found a crashed spaceship by the side of the road; examining it, they found a baby alien inside. Raising him as their own (and naming him Clark after Martha's maiden name), they instilled in him their simple virtue and respect for all living things. Their status has varied from decade to decade. In TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks and TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, they both died before Clark became Superman; PostCrisis, they were both alive and well. Lately, Jonathan has passed away, leaving Martha and Clark behind. In The Comicbook/{{New 52}} Universe they both died before Clark became Superman once again.
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* {{Badass Normal}}: Some portrayals of Johnathan will have him as a veteran, and will cross the line into this.
* DeathByOriginStory: Originally they both died, marking the passage between Superboy and Superman.
** Averted in post-Crisis Superman, where both of them are alive in the main continuity.
*** Played straight again in the {{New52}}.
* {{Eagleland}}: A rare Type 1 example.
* {{Fangirl}}: Martha turns out is a fan of the original Green Lantern in the Post-Crisis continuity.
* GoodParents
* GrannyClassic: Martha is not a grandmother, but she certainly fits the image and personality; loving and supportive, loves to cook, and designed Clark's costume.
* HappilyMarried
* MuggleFosterParents
* {{Parental Substitute}}s: The UrExample in comics. While Kal-El would always have powers by virtue of being Kryptonian by birth, the comics stress repeatedly that it was the Kents' ''values'' that made Superman the hero he is. Lampshaded in the "Reign of the Supermen" series with regard to the JerkAss Superboy clone:
-->'''Jonathan Kent''': "No son of ours would act like that, powers or no!"
* {{Retcon}}: Saved by a couple of these. Originally they were largely anonymous characters but when Superman was retconned to have been Superboy during his childhood, they got plenty of character development and fans didn't want them DoomedByCanon. So in the Post Crisis reboot, Clark's parents find him much younger and are late middle aged in Superman's adult career (though Pa Kent did eventually die.)
* UpbringingMakesTheHero: It is a major theme in the Superman mythos how their upbringing of Clark, and the values they have instilled into him are instrumental in shaping him into who he is.

!Maggie Sawyer
Dan Turpin's partner. Like him, she feared Superman was making the police look bad, but eventually, she became a valuable ally. She came out of the closet. Sawyer eventually moved to Gotham City, where she became a captain in the GCPD and a sometimes-ally to Franchise/{{Batman}}.
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* ActionGirl
* BadassNormal
* LesbianJock: Which was rather impressive for a character to be when it was revealed in 1988.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: A good example of this was the time Superman's power's were increasing beyond his control leading to a series of accidents. When she arrived just as Superman was about to turn himself in, she cut him off and apologized "for arriving to late to help catch the bad guy" saying that she was "distracted because her friend was sick and needed help." Superman promised her friend would get that help.

!Perry White
Once a famous crusading reporter, Perry White is now the editor-in-chief of that great American newspaper, the ''Daily Planet''. A gruff, tough, cigar-chomping curmudgeon, White is nonetheless fair, brave, and honest, fostering close relationships with his employees. He plays a fatherly role to Lois and Clark, but finds Jimmy a constant annoyance.
* BerserkButton: As every employee of the ''Daily Planet'' can tell you, he ''hates'' being called "Chief".
* CanonImmigrant: The name "Perry White" was first used in [[Radio/TheAdventuresOfSuperman the radio show]].
* CatchPhrase: "Great Caesar's ghost!" and "Don't call me 'chief'!"
* DaEditor
* IntrepidReporter: In his youth.
* PointyHairedBoss: Sometimes.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

!Pete Ross
Clark's best friend in high-school. He married Lana Lang, but got divorced. He was Vice President for President Lex Luthor; after Luthor went rogue, Ross became President for a few months to finish Luthor's term, but did little of note in office. After his term--and marriage--ended, Ross retired back to Smallville to get away from all the drama and opened a barber shop.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Until recently, he was oblivious to Clark's secret. (Modern age)
* SecretSecretKeeper (Silver/Bronze Age)
* UnwittingPawn: He was pretty much just a tool for Luthor. Also, while President, he inadvertently funded Project 7734, the anti-Kryptonian conspiracy.

!Ron Troupe
Ron is introduced shortly before Superman's "death" and takes a reporting job during Clark's extended absence. He dates Lucy Lane and gets her pregnant leading to a story arc touching on the abortion issue; they were later married, but their relationship seems to have been {{Retcon}}ned away. Ron has been recast more recently as the Daily Planet's intellectual liberal opinion writer.

* {{Foil}}: To Steve Lombard, the Planet's sports writer. Ron is a quiet and introverted liberal, while Steve is a loud and outgoing conservative.
* StraightMan: He's arguably the most "normal" person on the Daily Planet.

!Steve Lombard
A former high school athlete and prankster, he became the Daily Planet's sports writer. He shamelessly flirts with Lois, Cat, and other beautiful women he meets. He enjoys picking on the more bookish Clark, which sometimes comes back and bites him in the ass if Clark is feeling mischievous with his superpowers.
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* CasanovaWannabe
* {{Foil}}: To Ron Troupe.
* JerkJock: A former one, now a jerk sports columnist.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Subverted when Clark's inner monologue talks about what lies beneath his tough guy exterior. Basically it's the exact same thing, only worse.
** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk
* MeaningfulName: Steve played football in high school, college, and, briefly, the pros; Vince Lombard''i'' is one of the most famous football coaches of all time.
* [[StrawCharacter Straw Conservative]]: Should be obvious just from the descriptions. Steve is written as though all the research done by the writers for the character's political positions is based on bumper stickers.

!Dirk Armstrong
A character that existed for a few years in the late nineties. A conservative columnist that was basically meant to be an {{Expy}} of RushLimbaugh, same political views, same build and general appearance. At first an annoying unsympathetic character.
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* BigEater: Frequently seem chomping down junk food, especially donuts.
* HiddenDepths: He is shown to have a blind daughter and his interactions with her help soften the audience and the other characters to Dirk.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: This character was clearly a RushLimbaugh expy. This was before other similar pundits reached widespread audiences. Though its a bit of a dated Expy. Rush has lost a lot of weight since then and audiences today would find Dirk's physique to be an exaggeration bordering on parody.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Mild version of this seemed to be what they were going for. Dirk is a fat doughnut chomping conservative loudmouth (less obnoxious and more informed than Steve Lombard) but really cares for his daughter, really believes what he's saying and generally praises Superman because of the Man of Steel's effectiveness as a crimefighter until Superman's electric powers kick in and Dirk briefly becomes critical as Superman's lack of control of his powers causes come property damage. As far as Dirk is concerned, he's just telling it like it is and while Superman is irritated with him, he acknowledges that Dirk has a point.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Other Heroes]]
!ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}
->'''AKA:''' Linda Lee Danvers / Kara Zor-El (pre-Crisis); Matrix (1st post-Crisis); Linda Danvers (2nd); Cir-El (3rd); Linda Lang / Kara Zor-El (4th)

Superman's cousin. In the Silver Age, her city split off from Krypton but was subsequently doomed leading her to be sent to earth where they knew she'd find Superman. After dying in ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, she was eventually reintroduced. This time, she left Krypton as a teenager at the same time Superman left, charged with protecting him. Her ship then got knocked off course, and by the time she arrived baby Kal-El was a full grown superhero. In between versions, there was a synthetic being who became a fire angel and adopted the same name. [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} You can find out more about all of this in her own article]].

!Alexander Luthor, Sr.
The greatest scientific genius of Earth-3, a world ruled by the villainous Ultraman and the rest of the Crime Syndicate. Luthor was inspired to become the world's first super-hero after seeing Ultraman defeated by his good counterparts, the Supermen of Earths-1 and -2. He was also shocked to learn that each of these heroes fought against their own evil versions of himself, Lex Luthor of Earth-1 and Alexei Luthor of Earth-2. Luthor married crusading reporter Lois Lane and together had a son, Alex Junior. Luthor and his wife died in the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, but not before they sent their son to safety in a rocket.

There is also a heroic Alexander Luthor in the Anti-Matter Universe. He also fights that world's Ultraman and Crime Syndicate (including Lois Lane, who in this world is the evil Superwoman) and is very similar to the Earth-3 Luthor except for an arrogant streak.
----
* {{Archenemy}}: Of the Crime Syndicate and Ultraman in particular.
* {{Badass}}: This is a man who makes a career out of fighting evil counterparts of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, all by himself, and who wins more often than not. For a minor character he is an immense badass.
** BadassBeard: Pre-Crisis
** BadassMoustache: Also Pre-Crisis
** BadassNormal: An unpowered human who fights all five members of the Crime Syndicate as his schtick.
* BaldOfAwesome: Both versions
* BeardOfEvil: [[InvertedTrope Inverted!]]
* BigGood: One Earth-3 and in the Antimatter universe, in much the same way that Superman is in the regular timeline.
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Had a giant "L" on his chest Pre-Crisis. [[spoiler:Not so much in the New 52.]]
* TheCape: Hilariously yes. Pre-Crisis Alexander Luthor was a genuinely heroic, humble guy, who was channeling our Superman for all that he was worth.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Averted Pre-Crisis. Alexander was well-known as a brilliant inventor and scientist.
* EnemyMine: With Ultraman in an attempt at saving their world from the Antimonitor.
* EvilTwin: Inverted-he's the good version of Lex Luthor
* FrickinLaserBeams: Pre-Crisis Alexander's raygun.
* GadgeteerGenius
* GoodIsDumb: Completely averted. Alexander may actually be the smartest version of Luthor out there, given his ability to outmanouvere not only the entire Crime Syndicate, but both his {{Evil Twin}}s.
* GuileHero: As a good counterpoint to Luthor this should be expected
* HappilyMarried: Pre-Crisis Alexander and Earth-3 Lois Lane
* IntangibleMan: Pre-Crisis Alexander had a supersuit that allowed him to turn intangible.
* MrViceGuy: As mentioned, Anti-Matter Luthor is unambiguously good, but very vain.
* NonActionGuy: Toyed with and subverted Pre-Crisis. Alexander is a terrible fighter and has an average physique but his technological prowess helped him fight the likes of Ultraman on an even footing.
* PoweredArmor: Anti-Matter Alexander Luthor (who is, truth be told, very similar to IronMan) features a version of our Luthor's purple and green battlesuit. Earth-3 Luthor never had the full suit but he did have a jetpack and raygun, as well as the ability to become an IntangibleMan.
* RedHeadedHero: Earth-3 Luthor is bald but has a red goatee.
* RetGone: The Crisis removed the original Alexander Luthor from history,and we have yet to see him return in the new Earth-3
* ScienceHero: In contrast to the usual MadScientist portrayal of Luthor, Alexander uses his scientific brilliance to defend his world from the Crime Syndicate.
* SuperIntelligence: And unlike Lex and Alexei, Alexander actually put that IQ to work for the good of his world.

!The Eradicator
->'''AKA:''' David Connor

A creation from the Byrne era version of Krypton. It was a supercomputer created to preserve the purity of Kryptonian genetics and culture. It somehow ended up off world before the planets destruction only for Superman to find it while he was lost in space. Once awakened, it resumed its mandate trying to recreate Krypton on Earth, building the first PostCrisis Fortress Of Solitude and slowly exerting a mental influence on Superman to make him more [[StrawVulcan Kryptonian]]. Superman broke the control with Ma and Pa Kent's help and threw the Eradicator into the sun.

It came back as an energy being, then once again after Superman died, making a Superman-like body and carrying out a cold brutal version of his mission. Now the Eradicator is bonded with the mind of a then-dying scientist and the personality is effectively a hodgepodge of the human scientist and Kryptonian supercomputer, thankfully granting the creature a measure of empathy and making him one of Superman's allies.

* HeelFaceTurn: In TheDeathofSuperman. From villain to NinetiesAntiHero to just hero.

!Flamebird
->'''AKA:''' Thara Ak-Var

A citizen of Kandor and childhood friend of Supergirl. She is the host to the mysterious Flamebird entity, granting her pyrokinesis. She is Chris Kent's partner and girlfriend. The name "Flamebird" has also been used by an ancient Kryptonian hero, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl, and Bette Kane, a former member of the Batman family (she was Bat-Girl - with a dash - before Barbara Gordon was Batgirl - without a dash).

* ComboPlatterPowers: Thanks to the Flamebird entity, she has the option of using fire if she is stunned by kryptonite or red sunlight.
* ClingyJealousGirl: It doesn't help that Chris gets mobbed by fangirls for being so hot.
* CultureClash: Having grown up her whole life on Kandor, Chris helps her adjust to life on Earth.
* DefectorFromDecadence: She sides with Earth over the Kandorians.
* HeroicSacrifice: She cast herself into the dying sun to reignite it, but was seemingly vaporized in the process.
* LegacyCharacter
* ShoutOut: To Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force.
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: When the Flamebird decides to control her directly. It isn't ''evil'', but it doesn't have a problem with killing and has an even nastier temper than her.
* SuperpowerLottery
** EyeBeams
** FlyingBrick
** PlayingWithFire
** SuperBreath
** SuperSpeed
** SuperStrength

!Gangbuster
->'''AKA:''' Jose Delgado

A former teacher who put on a costume to protect his neighborhood from street gangs and other threats, hence his name. He dated Cat Grant, but they broke up, partially because he couldn't get along with her son, [[BrattyHalfPint Adam]].

* BadassNormal
* OverShadowedByAwesome: He found himself a little out of his depth in the CrisisCrossover ''Trinity'', but kept going and helped saved the day anyway, since his girlfriend was in danger.
* ThouShaltNotKill: He packs a lot of non-lethal weapons, like nunchaku and guns with rubber bullets.

!The Guardian
->'''AKA:''' Jim Harper

The original Guardian was a [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] crime fighter and policeman. The modern Jim Harper was one of the early successes of the Cadmus cloning project. Like the original Guardian, he fights with an armored outfit and shield similar to Captain America.

* CloningBlues

!Krypto the Super-Dog
Superman's dog from the planet Krypton, Jor-El sent Krypto to Earth in a rocket as a test flight before sending his son, but the rocket was slower and took longer to arrive. Has the same powers as Superman and is generally shown to have a human level of intelligence thought he is unable to speak. These days, he is Conner Kent's pet. Has his [[KryptoTheSuperDog own page.]]

* HistoricalRapSheet: In ''Franchise/{{Superman}} Family'' #165 we learn that Krypto accidentally caused the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire Great Chicago Fire]] of 1871. You can read it [[http://www.comicbooktidbits.com/Krypto%27s%20Time%20Trip.htm here]].
* SuperpowerLottery
** EyeBeams
** FlyingBrick
** SuperBreath
** SuperSpeed
** SuperStrength

!Mon-El / Valor / M'Onel
->'''AKA:''' Lar Gand / Bob Cobb / Jonathan Kent

Lar Gand is a Daxamite, a race with similar powers to Kryptonians, but with a weakness to lead instead of kryptonite. When he crash-landed on Earth, he had amnesia, so Clark nicknamed him "Mon-El", and treated him as his own brother. Unfortunately, he was exposed to lead, and as this is fatal, Clark cast him into the PhantomZone, where time has no meaning, to save him until a cure could be found. A thousand years later, the ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} provided this cure, allowing him join Earth's superheroes.

* ComingOfAgeStory: The "Man of Valor" subplot in the "New Krypton" storyline.
* ContinuityNod: The "New Krypton" storyline combined elements of his Preboot and Postboot character arcs.
* ContinuitySnarl: Like a lot of Superman characters, Mon-El was written out of existence with ''CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. He was reintroduced in an early-'90s CrisisCrossover without any connection to Superman. "New Krypton" (or more properly, the stories leading up to it) restored his first origin... but the '90s version still exists as an alternate-universe character somehow. And so does a ''third'' Mon-El from the Threeboot Legion of Super-Heroes. In short, his history is a mess.
* {{Expy}}: Mon-El was {{Retcon}}ed to fill the same role as Superboy in the Legion after ''CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' retconned the latter out of existence.
* FlyingBrick
* GodGuise: In the "Postboot" Legion continuity, he was worshipped as a god by many of the humanoid [[PlanetOfHats Planets of Hats]] he founded in the 20th century--which caused problems when word leaked that the Legion was freeing him from the Phantom Zone.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Daxamites tend to be xenophobic jerks.
* SealedGoodInACan
* StarSpangledSpandex
* SuperpowerLottery
** EyeBeams
** FlyingBrick
** SuperBreath
** SuperSpeed
** SuperStrength
* WeaksauceWeakness: Lead.

!Nightwing
->'''AKA:''' Chris Kent / Lor-Zod

A little boy that Clark and Lois found and adopted. He has developed into a true hero in his own right. Aside from taking their names from the same ancient Kryptonian hero, Chris has no connection with Franchise/{{Batman}}'s former protege, Dick Grayson, the original Robin who adopted the Nightwing name after hearing the stories of said Kryptonian hero from Superman. Later, he becomes the host of the mysterious Nightwing entity, granting him powers over darkness and allowing him to truly be Flamebird's partner.

* AbusiveParents: His biological parents, ''not'' Lois and Clark.
* {{Bishonen}}
* BlessedWithSuck: While his PlotRelevantAgeUp was quite useful, he now has to wear a device to keep himself from ''continuing to age'' or else he will turn into an old man in a matter of days.
* ChickMagnet: As an adult, to his girlfriend's chagrin.
* ComboPlatterPowers: He has tackle telekinesis, darkness manipulation, and Kryptonian powers.
* HeroicSacrifice: On two ocassions, he allowed himself to be trapped in the PhantomZone to prevent General Zod from escaping.
* LegacyCharacter: The Nightwing persona is used by Dick Grayson, who got it from Superman, who got it from Kryptonian legends.
* LikesOlderWomen: Well, he's still chronologically a boy and seeing an adult (Thara).
* LukeIAmYourFather: He is General Zod and Ursa's son.
* PowerLimiter: He used to wear a red sunlight-emitting watch, to help him practice controlling his powers and doing things the old fashioned way.
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: He became an adult due to the strange effects of the PhantomZone.
* SealedGoodInACan: Both he and the Nightwing entity were trapped in the PhantomZone for a while.
* {{Spiritual Successor}} / {{Canon Immigrant}} / {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}: Chris Kent first appeared a year or two after SupermanReturns in which Superman was revealed to have a 5 year old son. Chris was about the same age when first introduced and had a similar hairdo but had a different origin.
* SuperpowerLottery
** CastingAShadow
** EyeBeams
** FlyingBrick
** LivingShadow
** MindOverMatter
** SuperBreath
** SuperSpeed
** SuperStrength
* YoureNotMyFather: He considers Lois and Clark to be his real parents, since they raised him with kindness and understanding, while Zod and Ursa are total douches and only care about the strong. He insisted that he be addressed as Chris, and not Lor-Zod.

!PowerGirl
->'''AKA:''' Karen Starr / Kara Zor-L of Earth-2

Superman's cousin on Earth 2, who eventually joined the Justice Society. After Crisis, there was no Earth 2, and Power Girl's origins and powers were endlessly retooled. Joining the modern Justice Society before InfiniteCrisis, the new Crisis revealed that Power Girl is still Superman's cousin from Earth 2 (the Pre-Crisis Earth 2) restoring her memories and stabilizing her powers. [[PowerGirl You can find out more about her in her own article]].She is also MostCommonSuperpower incarnate.

!{{Steel}}
->'''AKA:''' John Henry Irons

A former weapons engineer who became disenchanted with his work and fled to Metropolis, taking a new identity and a new job as a construction worker where he fell after trying to rescue a coworker and was himself rescued by Superman. After Superman died, he got involved with a gang war where one side was using the same {{BFG}}s he designed. In order to fight them, her fashioned a suit of PoweredArmor giving him flight, super strength, Rivet guns, and a hammer for good measure. He even took up Superman's "S" in order to honor the hero who saved his life, and was quickly given the term "The Man of Steel" to differentiate him from the other three heroes using Superman's name at the time (Irons himself never ''claimed'' to be Superman). When Superman returned, he gave him the name '''Steel'''. After Superman's return, Irons moved back to Washington DC to reunite with his family, but was attacked by armored goons sent by his former employers. Steel rebuilt his armor, though he removed the "S" shield as he felt he didn't quite deserve to wear it, especially given that he might have to go outside the law to fight his old employers.

Even without the suit, Irons is a big buff individual with strength to match his brains.

* BadassNormal
* DropTheHammer
* GeniusBruiser
* PoweredArmor
* ScaryBlackMan: Irons is usually depicted as being just as tall, if not taller than, Superman himself.
* ShoutOut: Like his name suggests, he's based on folk hero John Henry.
** His physical appearance was originally based on Shaquille O'Neal.

!ComicBook/{{Superboy}} II
->'''AKA:''' Conner Kent / Kon-El

A clone with powers adapted from limited scientific understanding of Superman's genome. Meant to be a replacement when Superman was thought dead, Superboy was liberated from his pod before he could finish growing, leaving him a teenager. His power is tactile telekinesis: telekinetic influence over anything he touches, which allows him to simulate Superman's superstrength, flight and invulnerability but also lets him manipulate objects simply by touching them. Eventually, he started developing Superman's other abilities, and learned that he is only half-Kryptonian, and the human half of his DNA came from ''Luthor''. [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} You can find out more about him in his own article.]]

!Vartox
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Vartox_690.jpg]]
->'''AKA:''' Vernon O'Valeron

The mighty defender of the distant planet Valeron. Vartox occasionally crosses paths with The Man Of Steel. Most of the time, they are friends, though they usually end up fighting because Vartox is brainwashed, trying to steal Clark's girlfriend, or some other reason.

Recently, after the rest of his race was rendered sterile by a villain's "[[SterilityPlague contraceptive bomb]]", he tried to seduce PowerGirl in order to [[OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace breed the next generation and save his people from extinction]]. She found him repulsive, but instead worked with him to cure his people's sterility.

* AchillesHeel: His energy can be siphoned off.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Pre-Crisis, his strength, speed, vision, hearing, etc were all superior to Superman's. Post-Crisis, they are roughly equal.
* BadassMoustache
* BoisterousBruiser
* CarpetOfVirility
* CasanovaWannabe: Post-Crisis.
* ChivalrousPervert
* {{Expy}}: Of the Creator/SeanConnery character from Film/{{Zardoz}}.
* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: While trying to woo Power Girl, he clarifies that he's not looking for love. His wife died and she can never be replaced.
* FriendlyRival
* HotBlooded
* IdiotHero: However, despite his bluntness and lack of common sense, he is a GeniusBruiser and an [[GadgeteerGenius expert when it comes to science and engineering]].
* InvincibleHero
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Deep down, he is a true hero.
* LargeHam
* LightningBruiser: Especially Pre-Crisis, where his strength and speed are greater than Superman's.
* LovableSexManiac
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Like being able to manipulate matter at a subatomic level, being able to turn intangible, etc.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He's been battling evil ever since Superman was a little tot.
* PornStache
* RatedMForManly
* RefugeInAudacity
* StoryBreakerPower
* SuperEmpowering: Can transfer a portion of his energy to others, temporarily giving them his powers.
* SuperpowerLottery: He periodically discovers new "Hyper Powers".
** AnIcePerson
** [[PureEnergy Energy Blasts]]
** FlyingBrick
** [[SuperSpeed Hyper Speed]]
** [[SuperStrength Hyper Strength]]
** [[SuperSenses Hyper Senses]]
** [[SuperBreath Hyper Breath]]
** MindOverMatter
** NighInvulnerable: Has no KryptoniteFactor and can shrug off magic attacks.
** PlayingWithFire
** PsychicPowers: They are possibly the source of his other abilities.
** XRayVision: That can see through lead.
* SupremeChef
* ThirdPersonPerson: Lampshaded by Power Girl, who thought it was annoying.
* UnderwearOfPower: He [[FanDisservice doesn't shave his legs]].
* WorldsStrongestMan
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other versions of Superman]]

Superman has been imagined in a number of different incarnations over the years. Here are the notable ones.

!Franchise/{{Superman}} of Earth-2
->'''AKA:''' Clark Kent / Kal-L of Earth-2

The original Man of Steel himself, Kal-L was a reserve member of the JusticeSocietyOfAmerica. When the Multiverse was destroyed in the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths, he and Earth-2's Lois Lane survived in a pocket dimension with Earth-3's Alexander Luthor, Jr. and Earth-Prime's Superboy but were forgotten by his teammates because of the CosmicRetcon. Years later, in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', he returned, only to be killed by Superboy-Prime. Kal-L had the same powers as "our" Superman, but many details of his life were different: his parents were named John and Mary (not Jonathan and Martha); his cousin was PowerGirl (not ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}); his base of operations was the Secret Citadel near Metropolis (not the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica); and he worked at the Daily Star (not the Daily Planet), where he became editor-in-chief after George Taylor's (not Perry White's) retirement.

* AlternateUniverse: The original continuity
* BadassGrandpa: He fits the age,though isn't a grandfather. However, he still stopped [[OmnicidalManiac the Anti-Monitor]]
* ContinuitySnarl: His past was removed from the timeline, along with his universe.
* CosmicRetcon: One of the most high-profile victims. His universe suffered a RetGone, yet he survived. No wonder he went along with [[ManipulativeBastard Alex Luthor Jr.]]'s plan.
* TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks: Where his stories draw from.
* HappilyMarried: To Lois, decades before mainstream Superman did it. This being a more traditional couple, she actually did change her name to "Lois Kent" and they were featured together in the ''Superman Family'' backup. His behavior during ''InfiniteCrisis'' stemmed from him coping with her dying.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Superman-2 was initially on board with Superboy-Prime and Alex Luthor but eventually realized they were wrong and fought them to the death.
* {{Retcon}}: How he came into existence in the first place. During UsefulNotes/TheInterregnum the original versions of Franchise/GreenLantern, and TheFlash simply disappeared and were replaced with new versions who were explicitly not of the same continuity, yet Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and WonderWoman had remained active. This version of Superman was introduced to officially be the character those early adventures were about. The creation of Earth-2 itself springs from a Flash story.

!Superman of Earth-22
Originally introduced in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' as a possible future for the current Superman, retcons have since placed him in his own continuity on Earth-22 where the ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' storyline now canonically takes place. After losing touch with humanity, he left for years, returning from self imposed exile when the new generation of heroes had finally gotten completely out of control. However, his solutions only made the situation worse. Recently in a JusticeSocietyOfAmerica story, this Superman was pulled to New Earth at the moment of nuclear detonation. Believing all he loved was dead, he opted for a new beginning with the JSA.

* BadassGrandpa
* KryptoniteFactor: Removed, explained as having absorbed too much sunlight to be affected anymore. He's also more powerful than the current New Earth Superman.
* SecondComing: His return from his self-imposed exile in the first book of ''Kingdom Come'' was seen as that at first to Norman [=McCay=], but [[spoiler:the visions he has seen indicate that Superman's return would catalyze the coming doom of the metahuman battle, not avert it]]. The whole series drew heavily on Biblical prophecy for imagery.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To the Earth-2 Superman in the sense that he is an older Superman and is a member of the Justice Society as Earth-2 Superman was on his world. He also seemed to bond with PowerGirl as they both needed family.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: During his ComicBook/KingdomCome phase. His solution to the DarkerAndEdgier generation was rehabilitation or imprisonment with rehabilitation. This had the effect of consolidating power and escalating conflict, though this is not solely Superman's fault.

!Superman of Earth-30
A version of Superman introduced in ''SupermanRedSon''. He landed in Russia instead of America becoming a Russian operative at the beginning of the ColdWar era and later the ruler of most of the globe. His continuity is now preserved as an official continuity of one of the 52 earths.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: He successfully spread his revolution peacefully across the globe simply by running the "best" government, till the end when Luthor was able to finally make the U.S. a viable alternative.

!Superman Kon-El
Connor Kent from a possible future. He has been seen more than once. In this future, the ComicBook/TeenTitans become the JusticeLeague and the ends justify the means. Conner is shown to have pretty much all of Superman's powers and his tactile telekinesis is more developed.


!Kal Kent
One of Superman's descendents operating in the 853rd century who has visited the past once and was included in the All Star Superman series. Basically like Superman but even more powerful having a fifth dimensional ancestor.

[[/folder]]
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