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"This looks like a job for..."
They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you: my only son.
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The mysterious stranger from the planet Krypton! The man of steel—Superman!
The best-known Super Hero of all time ( though not quite the first, he was certainly the Trope Codifier). Has been published continuously by DC Comics for over 70 years.
On the technologically advanced planet of Krypton, scientist Jor-El discovers that soon the planet will be destroyed. But when he brings news of the impending disaster to the government, no one will believe him. In a desperate attempt to save his family Jor-El uses the short amount of time they have left to build a rocket big enough enable his infant son, Kal-El to escape the planet.
The rocket escapes just as the planet explodes and carries the baby Kal-El to planet Earth, selected by Jor-El due to the physical resemblance between humans and Kryptonians, and thus Kal-El. He lands outside of the rural town of Smallville (originally located in either an unspecific rural part of the U.S. or on the east coast within driving distance of Metropolis, later specifically located in Kansas in recent versions of the origin) and is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent who teach him right from wrong.
Kryptonians had evolved to readily absorb and store solar energy. While on Krypton, which orbited a relatively low-heat Red Giant, their physical abilities were about identical to humans. When exposed to the rays of Earth's much younger, brighter yellow Sun, Kal-El, or Clark Kent now, learns that the surplus of energy gives him incredible powers, which increase as he grows up. Deciding to use his power for good, Clark put on some spandex and fight crime as Superman! (Or at first as Superboy, in the Silver Age version of his origin). When not fighting evil, he masquerades as a mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, The Daily Planet, which happens to help him find disasters and emergencies that much sooner.
One of the classic relationships was also formed between him and reporting partner, who was desperately in love with Superman but who always dismissed the mild Clark Kent.
Originally created by two sons of Jewish immigrants, who, after several tries, finally got him published in Action Comics #1, where he immediately took off; imitations of him pretty much created the Golden Age of Super Hero Comics.
This wasn't their first attempt at the character they had in mind. Ironically, he was intended as a villain with superior mental powers (also ironically looking a lot like Lex Luthor, Bald Of Evil and everything) but when that concept flopped they revisited the idea by exploring the real idea of a "Super"man and in collecting their ideas it formed the now famous "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive..." pitch.
One prototype Superman comic was written by Siegel and Schuster in 1936. It depicts Superman rescuing innocent hostages from kidnappers. This pre-dates Action Comics #1 by nearly three years.
His powers include Super Strength, Super Speed, Flight, X-Ray Vision, Heat Vision, Freezing Breath, Nigh Invulnerability, Super Senses, and possibly others, depending on the interpretation.
On the Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism, he almost universally tends toward the idealistic side, being the iconic Cape.
Along with Batman and Wonder Woman, he's one of the Big Three of The DCU. Perennial member of the Justice League Of America.
Notable Superman Comic Book Series:
- Action Comics: Anthology series for most of its run, starring Superman as the lead feature plus various backup characters.
- Superman: Superman's self-named series. Renamed Adventures of Superman between the Byrne reboot of the late 80s and the mid-2000s, when it resumed its original title and historic issue numbering (and a second Superman title created after the Byrne reboot was canceled).
- World's Finest Comics: Featured regular teamups with Batman.
- Superman/Batman: The modern successor of World's Finest Comics.
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen
- Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane
- Superboy
- Adventure Comics: Featured various Superboy or other Superman family member stories.
- All Star Superman: A recent comic series based on the Silver Age version of the character that strips away current continuity in favor of telling fresh but classic stories.
Notable Superman Comic Book Stories:
TV series starring the character:
TV series where he's part of an ensemble cast:
Movies starring the character:
- The Superman animated shorts from Fleischer Studios.
- The Superman and Superman vs. Atom Man serials, starring Kirk Alyn.
- Superman and the Mole Men, staring George Reeves and leading into The Adventures Of Superman.
- The franchise starring Christopher Reeve, consisting of Superman, Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Superman and Superman II were very well received and are the reason most people are familiar with him. Both Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace have their moments to enjoy.
- Superman Returns, a film supposedly in the same continuity but ignoring Superman III and IV, starring Brandon Routh. Opinions vary as to whether it was a return to form or an ill-advised misfire. Met with reasonable success, though not enough to warrant a sequel. Also finally gave us something other than Smallville to get our live Supes action.
Animated movies starring the character:
- Superman: Brainiac Attacks- Intended as a quick tie-in movie to Superman Returns and while the action good and story serviceable, the serious derailment of Lex Luthor made the film almost unwatchable and reception was very critical.
- Superman Doomsday- An adaptation of The Death Of Superman storyline. While partially criticized for the brainless violence, it was well received and a commercial success.
- Justice League The New Frontier- A Superman as he appeared in the transition between the Golden Age and the Silver Age of comics, featured alongside most of the other DC Comics heroes.
Videogames Starring the Character:
- There are several Superman games, which go stretch back to the dawn of video gaming range from mediocre to terrible. Superman 64 is considered one of the worst games of all time.
Other versions of the character:
See also Supergirl, his Distaff Counterpart, and Krypto The Superdog, a 2005 cartoon based of the adventures of his Kryptonian dog.
Tropes this character's series use:
- Alien Scrappy: Mr. Mxyzptlk, also The Unpronounceable. Even the other characters think he's an annoying little snit.
- Alliterative Name: Commonly alliterating the letter L; Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang, and so on.
- Clark Kent is not alliterative in writing but if said out loud uses the same k/hard-c phoneme.
- Alternate Continuity: Between the various media adaptations and the "Imaginary Stories", arguably more than any other fictional character.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Superman's background story is a pastiche of Moses and the immigrant Jewish experience, with a bit of Take That towards the Nazi idea of the Ubermensch.
- Anti Hero Substitute: During The Death Of Superman arc, Eradicator and Cyborg Superman were essentially Superman if he were a Nineties Anti Hero.
- Armor Piercing Question: Lex Luthor asks Superman one in the Elseworld of Red Son.
- Bad Ass: And I will fight anyone who disagrees. And they will explode.
- Beat Still, My Heart: A variation, in one story. See that trope page.
- Bored With Insanity: Mr. Mxyzptlk, in an Elseworld/"imaginary story".)
- Boring Invincible Hero: Most writers take pains to avert this trope, but Supes is hard to write unless Kryptonite Is Everywhere, and that gets old fast. Alan Moore was a master at finding compelling stories for him. The best Superman stories (Kingdom Come, among others) thus tend to be the ones that focus on the problems his powers can't fix. A perennial favorite is "Sure, you're invincible. But everyone else isn't." Also leads to...
- Blessed With Suck: Post Crisis, this is often how Superman views his own powers. While he is as strong as a god, he's also, well, strong as a god. His best writers have made him into quite a psychological thought-experiment: on the one hand, he's terrified to not lose self-control or someone (or many, many people) may die; on the other, he often hates himself for still being mortal enough to not be the god everyone wants him to be (such as when he can't save everyone who cries out for him - especially because he hears them... all of them).
- Brought To You By The Letter S
- Bus Full Of Innocents
- Canon Immigrant: Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Kryptonite from radio programs, Professor Pepperwinkle from the first TV show, Mercy and Livewire from Superman The Animated Series, Ursa and Non from Superman II.
- Catch Phrase: This looks like a job for Superman!" and "Up, up, and away!"
- Chest Insignia
- Clone Degeneration: Bizarro
- Clothes Make The Legend: DC tried changing his costume a few times, but it didn't last long.
- Comic Book Time
- Crowning Moment Of Funny: Yellow Lantern.
- Da Editor: Perry White
- Death By Origin Story: Ma and Pa Kent before the Continuity Reboot, most of Krypton's population in all versions.
- Depending On The Writer: Superman's powers (and the explanations for them), history, personality, status as Last Of His Kind, the society of Krypton, etc. vary quite a bit over the decades of his existence.
- Jimmy Olsen who, due to Comic Book Time and Ret Cons, repeatedly goes back and forth between being a journalist in his early twenties and a tag-along photographer in his mid teens fetching coffee.
- Depraved Kids Show Host: The Prankster
- Dork Age (Superman transforming into an electrical being, then splitting into Red and Blue Superman.)
- Double Consciousness
- Elseworld: Pretty much began the practice in comics, in "Imaginary Stories".
- Enemy Civil War: Several. Often Bizarro World.
- Evil Counterpart: Ultraman (No, not THAT one), Cyborg-Superman, and Superboy-Prime.
- Evil Knockoff: Bizarro
- Evolutionary Levels: The first Canon explanation for Superman's powers in Action Comics #1. Originally, he had been conceived as being the last post-human from the end of time, rather than an alien from another planet.
- This exact origin is brought back in the Superman: Red Son story but it is not revealed until the end. Superman in this series is ironically a distant descendant of Lex Luthor with the "L" suffix being a contraction of his name.
- Expansion Pack World
- Fiction 500: Lex Luthor since The Eighties.
- Going For The Big Scoop: Lois Lane, frequently.
- Fail O Suckyname: One comic featured a retired villain called "The Molester," which he intended to mean "The Annoyance."
- The Fettered
- Fling A Light Into The Future: Jor-El sent his son to Earth not just so he could live, but as a gift to help humanity.
- For Great Justice: Truth, Justice, and the American way.
- Fourth Wall Observer: Mr. Mxyzptlk
- From A Single Cell: Several. Often Brainiac.
- The Glasses Come Off
- Good Is Old Fashioned: A favorite jeer of antiheroes against him.
- Great Gazoo: Mr. Mxyzptlk
- Green Rocks: Good ol' kryptonite, of course. Note that pre-Smallville, it was really only good for Kryptonian-killing, so it wasn't Green Rocks by that trope's definition.
- Heavyworlder: Superman's powers were, in many older stories including the entire Silver Age run, due in part to Krypton's heavier gravity.
- Hologram: Usually of Jor-El.
- Hulk Speak: All Bizarros
- Human Aliens
- Iconic Logo: The S-symbol, as well as the acutual logo used on his comic book, with block letters at a slant.
- Identity Impersonator: Lookalikes, holograms, a friendly Shape Shifter or two; he used to have a fleet of Robots for just this but they kept going sentient and becoming villains
- Intrepid Reporter: Clark Kent and Lois Lane, later Jimmy Olsen
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: This was the most common effect of Red Kryptonite in the Silver Age, with Re Power being a close second. Jimmy Olsen was also put through many, many transformations both in the Superman titles and his own.
- Jerk Jock: Steve Lombard
- Just Whistle: Jimmy's wristwatch can summon Supes.
- Lantern Jaw Of Justice: the Trope Codifier.
- Last Of His Kind: One of the classic examples, although the degree to which it actually applies varies over time.
- Lilliputians: People from the Bottle City of Kandor
- Loves My Alter Ego: Ex Trope Namer
- Loves My Alter Ego: Lois Lane
- Master Of Disguise: Jimmy Olsen, when he had his own book.
- Mes A Crowd: This is how Bizarro populated Bizarro World.
- Mix-And-Match Man: The Conner Kent version of Superboy
- Muggle Foster Parents: The Kents
- Never Be A Hero: Nine times out of ten, when someone gets superpowers it's not a good thing.
- New Powers As The Plot Demands
- No Holds Barred Beatdown. Superman rarely enjoys such moments, but he has his moments. Superman explicitly tells Darkseid that he's going to enjoy finally not holding back in the final episode of JLU, in a major Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
Superman: That man [Batman] won't quit so long as he can draw breath. None of my teammates will. Me? I've got a different problem. I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard. Always taking care not to break something, to break some one. Never allowing myself to lose control, even for a moment. Someone could die. But you can take it, can't you, big man? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose, and show you just how powerful I really am. [Lets loose with a punch that distorts with a sonic boom and sends Darkseid flying... real far.]
- Opposite Sex Clone: Bizarro versions of Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and others
- Outdated Outfit: Jimmy and his bowtie and jacket.
- The Paragon: Depending on the continuity.
- Phrase Catcher: "Look, up in the sky!"
- Power Creep Power Seep: Especially during the Silver Age, when he could fly many times faster than light, move planets by pushing on them, and survive the interior of a supernova.
- Raised By Natives: The Kents
- Reality Warper: Mr. Mxyzptlk
- Robot Me: The Superman robots
- Rogues Gallery: Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Brainiac, Bizarro, Mr Mxyzptlk, Metallo, Toyman, Mongul, the Parasite, etc.
- Samaritan Syndrome
- Secret Identity
- Secret Identity Change Trick
- Seven Year Rule
- Shut Up Hannibal
- Sidekick: Jimmy Olsen straddles the line between sidekick and plain supporting cast member.
- Smart People Play Chess: Lex Luthor.
- Spinoff Babies: Superboy, "Superbaby"
- Star Fish Character: Comic fans had almost forgotten it too
- Stealth Mentor: Mr. Mxyzptlk, Depending On The Writer.
- Super Dickery
- Super Hero
- Superheroes Wear Capes
- Super Hero Origin
- Superman Can Breathe In Space: In some continuities, he requires an oxygen supply; in most, he just awesomes away the need to breathe.
- Super Senses
- Superpower Lottery
- Thematic Rogues Gallery: The Phantom Zone criminals.
- Theme Initials: "L.L."
- Thou Shalt Not Kill
- To Be Lawful Or Good: In the first Christopher Reeve Superman film, Superman is given a Sadistic Choice by Lex Luthor. He destroys the missile headed for Hackensack, New Jersey, saving millions and keeping his promise, but in doing so is forced to let Lois Lane die. Superman ends up breaking Krytonian law by using time travel to save her.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Beef bourguignon with ketchup, at least in the '70s comics.
- Underwear Of Power: Well, yeah. It's Superman.
- Wall Banger: Superman at World's End, a craptastic comic that culminates in Superman facing twin clones of Hitler while carrying a BFG.
- Will Not Tell A Lie: Superman himself, mostly. Except for those related to his Secret Identity.
- Wolverine Publicity
- Weaksauce Weakness: Mr. Mxyzptlk goes back to his own dimension if tricked into saying his name backwards, though Post Crisis this is a self-imposed weakness.
- Wonder Child
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