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Superman, adopted name Kal-El and adopted name Clark Kent, is Earth's premiere superhero, the stalwart protector of Metropolis and a member of the Justice League.

The exact details of his early superhero career are unknown, but it safe to assume that it is the same as his New Earth counterpart.

Original timeline

Superman is one of the members of the Justice League that assist the Flash when he is captured by Professor Zoom and the Rogues. When Zoom places high-powered bombs on Flash and the Rogues to destroy Central City, the heroes take each one of the Rogues and separate each other to defuse the bombs at a safe distance. Superman takes Heatwave to a cliff and covers the bomb with his bare hands, easily containing the explosion. The other heroes are able to disable the bombs and save the Flash. Afterwards, Superman takes Zoom to prison.

Altered timeline

In an effort to save his mother's life, the Flash unknowingly changes reality, creating a new world in which his friends' lives, Superman included, are drastically different.

In this new world, Kal-El's rocket crashes directly in Metropolis, causing several deaths. The government takes custody of Kal-El and initiates Project Superman, a military project with the sole purpose of creating a super-soldier that could be used against America's enemies. Kal is designated as Subject One.

In the cold and harsh environment of the project's labs, Kal becomes a solitary and very thin man. The Flash, Cyborg and Batman infiltrate the labs and free Kal, asking for his help in stopping the war. Despite Kal's social awkwardness, Flash and Cyborg express hope that he can be a hero. Flash even calls him Superman. For the first time in years, Kal is exposed to Earth's yellow sun.

Unfortunately, U.S. soldiers attack the heroes in an attempt to reclaim Kal. In that moment, Superman unwittingly activates his heat vision and kills the soldiers. Shocked by his actions, Superman flies away.

Later, Superman goes to England and finds Cyborg about to be killed by Aquaman. Using his heat vision, Superman cuts Aquaman's right arm off and throws him away with his super-breath. Although Aquaman has been beaten, Superman can only watch as Cyborg dies before him. Superman is so sad he does not even attempt to escape an atomic explosion that destroys the entire world.

Fortunately, Flash is able to undo the changes he had done to the timeline, saving the world and allowing Superman to have a new, better life.

Powers

  • Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Kal-El possesses the same potential powers as an average Kryptonian. These include:
    • Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Kal-El's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. His biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and his bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
    • Heat Vision: Kal-El can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. He can vary the heat and area affected.
    • Super-Hearing: Kal-El's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
    • Enhanced Vision: Kal-El's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
      This umbrella ability includes the following:
      • Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Kal-El can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. He can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living thing.
      • Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
      • X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Kal-Els can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. He can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
      • Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
      • Infrared Vision: Kal-El can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
    • Flight: Kal-El is able to manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and achieve flight. This ranges from hovering to moving in any posture, in any direction.
    • Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Kal-El is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases.
    • Superhuman Stamina: Kal-El is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This based on his body converting yellow solar radiation directly to energy, but is limited by physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink, and sleep.
    • Superhuman Strength: Kal-El's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation interacting with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of his musculature. His strength is more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables him to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass.
    • Superhuman Speed: Kal-El is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to his perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time.
      This also confers:
    • Super-Breath: Kal-El is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
    • Longevity: Kal-El can live longer than regular humans, remaining at his prime as long as he was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.


Related

Footnotes


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Superman Family member
This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Superman, and a member of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Family members" category.

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This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

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