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Superman. Superman. Man of Steel. The Last Son of Krypton. Everyone has heard of him and everybody knows his talents such as super strength, flight, heat vision, etc.
Do you know all his canonical abilities? And the powers which he once had but no longer have? One of them has a super-disco sound. Just being clear.
Let’s look at what he’s capable of as well as what he used be able to accomplish but couldn’t do for a time, but this time he can!
FLIGHT
“You will be amazed that the man is able to fly,” the 1978 movie promises the audience, and they were true. Flying, more so than the superpower, is perhaps Clark’s most famous power which is why it’s odd that it wasn’t present at the beginning. However, Superman was not flying until a few years after his debut in 1938. In the beginning, Superman was able to only leap about one eighth-mile. That’s why there are the famous “leap high buildings in one bound” line.
Clark first appeared in 1940 during the Adventures of Superman radio show the reason being that the “WHOOSH” sound-effect sounded better than a “BOING” sound effect. The first time he flew was in the comics of Superman #10, 1941, but it was a mistake made by an artist not familiar with the comic. It wasn’t until the Fleischer Studios cartoons of 1941-1943 also showed Superman in flight (because it was much easier to draw a guy sitting in the sky rather than drawing him bouncing around) that comics were able to grant him the ability to fly for the rest of his life.
SUPER STRENGTH
The other superpower Superman is famous for is his strength. Super powerful. But how can he be so strong? Well, it all depends on the year.
In the beginning, Clark was strong enough to carry a car as shown on the iconic front cover of Action Comics #1. The strength of Clark grew gradually until by his Silver Age (1956-1970ish) he could move planets by hand. It made telling tales about him much more challenging, so DC severely reduced his power during the year 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.
His strength at present is dependent on the amount of sunlight radiation that’s been absorbed up in recent times (the source of his power). He’s not able to move objects, but he’s able to capture the space shuttle or plane and not even notice. There aren’t any DC characters that can consistently beat him using sheer muscles by itself (as opposed to the magic). Fighting with heavy hitters such as Shazam or Darkseid can go either way which would place him among the top characters of the DCU however not the only strongest.
INVULNERABILITY
Superman can withstand a nuclear explosion, so it’s true that he’s strong. He’s able to traverse the sky, and it’s healthy for his health. Hair isn’t even a threat and that’s why the man shaves it off by throwing his vision of heat off the mirror in his bathroom.
After the crisis, the man had a force field too, namely the bio-electric field that covered him and prevented his attire from being torn during fights or simply by the winds (but it allowed designers to make his cape, look cool, and worn when they wanted). This was also the reason he could grab an object that was much bigger in weight and mass than him as a plane for instance, and not let it fall or drag a person around at top speed without them being crushed. The field would be able to surround the object he was touching as well as protect it. This was known as “tactile Telekinesis” and is most commonly linked to Superboy (the Kong-El version) during the 90s. The TKK has since been retconned and Clark’s outfit remains due to the fact that it’s made of Krypton and Kryptonian material doesn’t cease to exist. (Kon is still sporting TKK somehow. Comics!)
Superman was not required to sleep, eat or breathe during the Silver Age, which meant that he could live indefinitely on the ocean as well as in space. (At at least, the one Bronze Age story references Kryptonian “nose gills” (see above) However, let’s keep it to the Bronze Age, shall we?) The story of Superman: The Animated Series Superman was not sufficiently powerful to require an outer spacesuit in order to get into the atmosphere of a planet However, nowadays Superman can stay in space throughout the duration he requires to, even though interplanetary travel isn’t efficient without a spaceship.
Superman might actually be so strong that he’s practically immortal. This idea has been discussed in a myriad of very sad stories over the many years.
SUPER SPEED
The Flash is the Fastest Man Alive, as Grant Gustin reminds us each Monday on CW. But is he able to beat Superman in an event?
Superman was the first to race in the Flash in 1967. He along with the various Flashes (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West) have continued the tradition of racing against one another frequently over the years, mostly to raise money or due to some fabricated plot from aliens. The results have not been definitive: typically, they are tied, or the person who wins is determined by a tiny margin and/or due to interference from outside.
Personally, I prefer to believe that it’s because the Flashes are a bit quicker than the Supers because, well this is their only thing. They can have it. However, even the fact that Superman has always been second to the finish line and the Flashes are able to achieve their speed through their Speed Force, the literal source of all speed within the DCU and they can move with the velocity of light. Second place is amazing.
HEAT VISION AND X-RAY
I’ve combined them because they were at first identical. Superman was a nebulous eyeball-related superhero at least from the beginning, however, the term “X-ray” began to pop up often. In the late ’40s, Superman was able to melt things using “the radiation of his X-ray vision” which is more akin to an obscure Marvel character that was from in the Atomic Age than a Superman capability.
The early ’60s saw the first signs of this and possibly because the dangers of X-rays were becoming more known (and due to the fact that Superman should be a partner, not a show that is radioactive) His heat vision and X-ray vision became two distinct aspects. “Look-through-stuff vision” could be a better description for the latter because there’s nothing radioactive in it (even even though it could be prevented by leads) It’s not harmful to the object he’s viewing and provides a more accurate image than X-rays could.
His heat vision of his is similar to lasers, though he has the ability to regulate the intensity. In the Silver Age, he could blast the earth in the event that he wanted to. It’s not as easy now (phew! ) However, he could still melt steel if he wants to like it. In addition, he can cause his eyes to turn bright and glowing without activating the zappy portion that is the part of heat which is an extremely effective way to intimidate.
TELESCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC vision
Superman is always capable of seeing things that are actually distant, as well as things that really are tiny. When he was in the Silver Age, this meant watching distant planets’ conversations as the creepy. Today, it’s more earthbound however, he’s still able to be able to see as far as the story demands him to, especially by using X-ray vision in order to ensure no obstructions are in the way. On the microscopical side, the man can clearly see matters at the molecular scale. This is useful if a villain has planted nanites in the bloodstream of a loved one this happens almost every Wednesday.
Superman can also detect things on spectrums that humans don’t typically, in the way the story demands such things as tech-based invisibility won’t work for Superman. In some stories, he is able to locate radio waves to their source, which is incredibly absurd and should be used more often, I believe.
SUPER HEARING
It’s not surprising that Superman also has excellent hearing! Similar to the powers of vision, however, the limits of Superman’s hearing are typical “whatever is most beneficial to the story.” If you ever fall out of the window or in an aircraft, you must contact him and Superman will be on the scene.
The senses of sight and hearing raise one to consider whether sensory abilities are enhanced which is…probably? Taste and touch aren’t incorporated into play frequently, but you can be sure that Superman can smell anything that you do not want him to smell.
So in this post we tried to explain all the superman powers but if we miss something, do let us know in the comments.
