What is superman made of

Superman's powers were enhanced and added to from the s until the mid-eighties. His powers were explained as a result of two factors: the comparatively weaker gravity of Earth, and the intensity of Earth's yellow sun.

As such, Superman's powers were negated if he entered an environment similar to that of Krypton, such as the bottle city of Kandor, or if he was exposed to the solar energy of a red sun. In Silver Age stories, the powers and limitations of Superman were instantly possessed by any Kryptonians exposed to Earth or Earth-like conditions. Individuals from the planet Daxam , such as Mon-El , possessed identical powers, but were invulnerable to Kryptonite and highly susceptible to lead poisoning.

When the Superman character was revised by John Byrne shortly after Crisis on Infinite Earths , it was decided to place restrictions on his abilities. This was designed to make it easier for writers to come up with suitable challenges for the hero, and to eliminate or reduce those powers that had become too sensational or unbelievable for modern audiences.

Emphasis was placed on yellow sun energy as a source for the character's powers. Superman's origin story was altered so that his powers developed gradually as his body absorbed yellow sunlight, and stories such as the Final Night series depicted the character gradually losing his powers when deprived of the sun's energy.

When Superman's reserves of solar energy were depleted, as in Infinite Crisis or the Death of Superman story arcs, he required an extended period of time under a yellow sun, or some type of artificial solar enhancement in order to recharge.

Power Reduction Superman's strength was reduced to the point where he could still move tremendous amounts, but the character no longer had the ability to move planets.

His speed was also reduced so that he could not exceed the speed of light. While still capable of surviving a nuclear explosion, such events would severely weaken him. Superman's sight, stamina and breath powers were also similarly reduced, and the character was also shown as requiring an oxygen mask for prolonged travel in space or underwater. His mental abilities were also curtailed to the point where intelligent humans, like geniuses Lex Luthor or Batman , could possibly outsmart him.

The powers of super-ventriloquism and super-hypnosis were not generally used during this period, although it was never stated whether they had been eliminated or not. Tactile Telekinesis An attempt was made to explain Superman's ability to fly with large objects through the introduction of tactile telekinesis. Objects that Superman touched were enveloped by an invisible telekinetic field that allowed him to move them with the force of his will.

The ability also explained Superman's ability to fly. This power was the only ability originally duplicated in the Superboy clone, allowing him to emulate Superman's strength, speed, and flight capabilities, but none of his sensory powers. Over time, Superboy , or Kon-El as he came to be known, would eventually develop the same set of powers as the original. After Byrne's departure from the series, Superman's powers and abilities were once again increased over time.

He regained the ability to travel interstellar distances and to hold his breath for the amount of time required to make such journeys. His strength, speed, and sensory abilities were again increased, although not to Pre-Crisis levels. Superman's heat vision power has a variant use where he can project destructive heat energy from all over his body as a massive solar flare when an attack in all directions is needed. However, this use will drain Superman's internal solar energy reserves, leaving him powerless for the roughly 24 hour period necessary to recharge in a yellow sun environment.

The comparative weakness of the Superman character to his Pre-Crisis incarnation was definitively shown during Infinite Crisis. The Superboy-Prime character, endowed with nearly the same power levels as the Silver Age Superman, was capable of defeating large numbers of DC universe heroes, including the Teen Titans and many members of the Green Lantern Corps.

The Modern Era Superman and his Earth 2 counterpart were only able to defeat Superboy-Prime after plunging him through Krypton's red sun, thereby reducing his powers.

While Superman is frequently assumed to be the strongest hero in the DC universe, following the Byrne reboot, his strength tends to fluctuate depending on the amount of solar energy his cells have absorbed and the writer of the particular story. He has received a temporary boost in power after surviving a plunge into the Sun, and has had his powers depleted when deprived of such energy.

The limits of how much energy Superman can absorb, and by extension the maximum limits of his power, has never been stated. Additionally, because of the solar energy that empowers him, he has often been depicted as being potentially immortal, as well as having a different ageing process, as seen in the Grant Morrison written series set in the far future of the DC Universe, DC One Million.

Characters such as Captain Marvel , Wonder Woman , and Martian Manhunter have been described variously over time as equals, at least equal possibly superior , or, in the last case, even superior. It is important to note that while Superman is among the strongest DC heroes, there are many who match his strength, most notably Darkseid , Bizarro , Lobo , the Cyborg Superman , Eradicator , the original Mongul , General Zod and Black Adam , while Doomsday and Despero have occasionally been shown as stronger, the former being able to effortlessly stand his ground against the entire Justice League , [5] and the latter defeating Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and Power Girl at the same time.

The Flash possesses the ability to travel at the speed of light, shunting his mass towards infinity, and enabling him to perform such feats as defeating a white martian with one punch, [7] or almost overcoming the Anti-Monitor singlehandedly. Kyle Rayner , inhabited by the benevolent symbiote " Ion ", was recently touted as the most powerful of Earth's superheroes. Maxima , has many powers such as telepathy and psi-bolts that have knocked out Orion, who is on equal footing to Superman, effortlessly.

She also possesses Matter Manipulation, Telekinesis, and possession abilities that would make her a threat to the entire Justice League. Maxima also can hold her own against Doomsday in strength and can increase her physicallity to infinite levels. Even things like super-kissing. Writers fleshing out the details of his Kryptonian power-set — does Superman sweat? Does he sleep? Plus, of course, there are the times a writer made up some weird factoid that served a particular story, then nobody ever used it again.

According to Superman Kryptonians are almost as bad at managing emotion as Vulcans. He's suspended upside down in mid-air. On Krypton, people mark every sixth birthday by a massive, stress-relieving crying jag. A subsequent backup story explained that Kryptonians were biologically incapable of expressing grief. The repressed emotion manifested as destructive poltergeist phenomena.

Finally one leader developed a treatment to relieve the stress with the every-six-years outburst of tears. That was probably a good call. This is less remarkable than it sounds.

Superman can stop his heart, appearing dead to any medical test, but he has to lie still. The evidence indicates he can stop his heart for at least several days. Eastern mystics can slow their heartbeat and enter a trance. Therefore logically Superman can do the same thing, only better and for longer. Prior to the Byrne reboot, green kryptonite had zero effect on humans or non-super Kryptonians.

The radioactive subatomic particles kryptonite gives off are so small and fast they pass through most living tissue without any effect. The plot of the issue concerns Metallo finding a way to slow the particles down to the point where they can destroy humans.

Too bad for Metallo that Batman and Lois Lane were around to stop him. But does it sap his invulnerability? If Superman were lying on the floor, paralyzed from green k, could Luthor or Toyman put a bullet in him? The concept that Clark is the real man, as well as greater emphasis on his earthly upbringing, is a deliberate reversal of the pre- Crisis version. Another significant aspect of Superman's reinvention is a reduced level of abilities, with powers such as time travel removed completely and other powers — notably his invulnerability and super-strength — vastly reduced.

The series also introduces the idea that Superman's invulnerability stems from his body's creating an "energy field" when exposed to solar radiation from Earth 's yellow sun. Man of Steel 3 depicts the first meeting between Superman and Batman. Superman attempts to take Batman into custody but realizes that Batman must operate outside the law. Other post- Crisis comics show that the relationship between the two is a trusting one, despite the unease each feels due to the differences in their methods: Superman relies on trust and strength to achieve his goals in cooperation with the law, while Batman operates outside the law, relying on fear and his intellect.

Man of Steel also reduces the emphasis on Superman's Kryptonian heritage. Previous comic books depicted a Superman not only aware of his heritage but also as versed in its language, culture, and other elements.

In Man of Steel 6, Superman first learns of his Kryptonian heritage as an adult when his birthing matrix generates a memory implant. While such Kryptonian technology is able to help bolster his knowledge, the revamped Superman is no longer a completely Kryptonian-educated man.

Both Superman and Doomsday are killed, taking each other down with their final blows. Funeral for a Friend follows The Death of Superman , chronicling Superman's funeral and examines other characters' reactions to the death of the hero. Next, DC published the Reign of the Supermen storyline, during which four different characters — a new Superboy, the cyborg Man of Tomorrow, the brutal Last Son of Krypton and Steel — are introduced as Superman, although none of them actually are.

A de-powered Kal-El later surfaces in a Kryptonian battle-suit near the end of Reign of the Supermen. After Steel and Linda Danvers destroy the battle-suit, Kal-El is revealed as the pilot, wearing a black costume with a silver 'S' shield and long hair. The cyborg allies with Mongul and destroys Coast City. After the Reign of the Supermen storyline, Lois and Clark are reunited.

When they eventually marry in the mids special Superman: The Wedding Album , it coincided with the marriage of the two characters in the television show. Birthright In , DC published an updated version of Superman's origin in the issue limited series Birthright. Written by Mark Waid, Birthright restores some of the pre- Crisis elements eliminated by John Byrne, including an emphasis on alien heritage.

The series was planned as an origin story meant to reconcile material published between Man of Steel and Birthright.

It introduces elements from Superman adaptations such as Superman: The Animated Series and the Smallville television series and brings several Silver Age and some Golden Age concepts back into continuity. Unlike the previous Man of Steel origin, Birthright doesn't eliminate most of the previous Superman stories told, even making references to Man of Steel itself. In Birthright , the "birthing matrix" is replaced by the more well-known rocketship, with Kal-El leaving Krypton as an infant rather than a fetus.

Clark now possesses the ability to see a living being's " aura", Superman's identity has more facets than just Clark vs. Superman, instead his identities represent different aspects of his personality. He often finds himself being the odd man out. Superman is also quiet, but rather than being seemingly harmless like Clark, he is a formidable force, tearing robot assault helicopters from the sky and dropping a drug lord's private yacht into his pool.

Kal-L wants to recreate the universe, which he believes is corrupt, making aspects of Earth-Two predominant, rather than those of Earth-One. He believes this will also save the dying Lois Lane of Earth Alexander Luthor builds a machine which re-creates Earth-2, transporting Kal-L and Lois there where Lois revives briefly before collapsing and dying.

The two Supermen team up to confront Luthor and Superboy-Prime, whose plan to restore the Multiverse will kill billions of people. The pair willingly deplete their powers as they drag Superboy-Prime into Rao, Krypton's red sun, and use the last of their strength to defeat him on Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern planet.

Fatally wounded in the battle, Kal-L dies in his cousin Power Girl's arms. He and Lois are buried next to the deceased Superboy. In his attempt to escape reality, his assault on the barrier wall of the paradise dimension alters history, causing revisions of events to occur, including the Birthright origin.

Alexander Luthor, Jr. Alexander indicates that Superman's early years are once more similar to the Silver Age and Birthright origins. During the publication of the Infinite Crisis limited series, the majority of DC Comics' superhero line advanced one year. One year later, Superman remains powerless, and Supergirl defends Metropolis. Unburdened by his responsibility to the world, Clark Kent has re-solidified his reputation as a star reporter.

Lex Luthor's reputation is damaged irreparably, partially due to Clark's writing, and his fortune and power dwindle. Under attack, Clark's powers gradually return, and he returns to action. He finds that his sensory powers are enhanced, as are his computational abilities and memory. Clark Kent Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman. Kent, as opposed to Superman, is traditionally presented as behaving in a more introverted or mild manner compared to his superheroic self.

John Byrne's Man of Steel revamp drops many traditional aspects of Clark Kent in favour of giving him a more aggressive and extroverted personality, including making Kent a top football player in high school and a successful author. Subsequent revamps have restored the more mild-mannered Clark Kent that is traditionally associated with the character. Clark is a reporter at the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet , which allows him to keep track of events in which he might be able to help.

Fellow reporter Lois Lane is often the object of Clark's affection; Lois's affection for Superman and rejection of Clark are a recurring theme in Superman comics, television, and movies. Clark is who I am. Various methods for keeping his Superman's identity secret over the years include his using "super-hypnosis", subliminally causing people to not make the connection, compressing his spine as Clark Kent to become shorter, and studying the Meisner acting technique to switch seamlessly between personas.

Furthermore, since Superman goes into public unmasked, most people assume that he has no other identity. As long as he does not let on that he has another life, there is no real reason to look for a secret identity. Even Batman commended him on this disguise. Modern comic book stories show that to the average observer, Superman is the greatest hero in the world and a larger-than-life figure. When first confronted by evidence that Clark Kent is Superman, Lex Luthor dismisses it, saying, "No one with the power of Superman would be living as a normal man.

Although nowhere near as cold-blooded as the early Batman , the Superman featured in the comics of the s and s is not squeamish about tossing evildoers around in such a manner that fatalities would logically be almost inevitable although seldom or never shown on the page.

His actions were more socially conscious, such as declaring war on reckless drivers, fighting against the mistreatment of prisoners or tearing down insufficient housing so that the government would be forced to build new homes.

By the end of , however, editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct for his characters to follow, and the writers moved toward Superman's better known " Boy Scout " persona. His adoptive human parents, the Kents, imbue young Clark Kent with a strong sense of purpose, morality and compassion. The Glasses. Eyeglasses, as every school bully knows, are the mark of a wimp. As in, "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, wouldja? Long before, the silent movie comedian Harold Lloyd played a weakling in thick glasses who usually ended up — by the film's climax — performing some superhuman feat, such as climbing the outside of a skyscraper, or winning a war single-handedly.

Who does that remind you of? The Costume. So why do superheroes wear tights and a cape? Superman's costume probably goes back to circus performers: the acrobats, strong men, trapeze artists and human cannonballs who were the superheroes of the pre-comic book world.

That look was first adopted by Alex Raymond for his futuristic hero Flash Gordon in , and then by Lee Falk for the Phantom, a comic-strip hero non-super in The following year, it appeared on Superman — and then on every other super-person. The Powers. Superman's amazing abilities set him apart from any previous pop hero. But even here, there was precedent. The Shadow, who had the ability to "cloud men's minds," had appeared in print in and on radio in The pulp hero Doc Savage, "the man of bronze" was not literally super like the Man of Steel, but very close to it; he also had a "fortress of solitude" in the arctic.