Superman (Post-Crisis)

"Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share -- I'll never stop fighting. Ever." ― Superman to Manchester Black

Summary

Superman is one of the most powerful beings on Earth and its greatest hero. Born to the illustrious House of El, Kal-El is one of the last surviving members of his race as his planet was destroyed not long after his birth. He was found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. Raised with high moral ideals, he uses his incredible strength, speed, flight and various other superpowers to fight evil and protect the innocent as a symbol of heroism and justice. In his civilian identity he is Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter working for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Superman is also a founding member of the Justice League of America and a charter member of the Legion of Superheroes in the 30th Century.

Powers and Stats

Tier: 4-B

Name: Kal-El, Clark Kent, Superman

Origin: DC Comics

Gender: Male

Age: 35-40 years old

Classification: Kryptonian, Founding Member of the Justice League

Powers and Abilities:

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Genius Intelligence, Stellar Radiation Absorption and Empowerment, Acrobatics (Can leap tall buildings and was shown to be highly agile), Flight, Enhanced Senses (Super Vision, Hearing, Smell, Touch and Taste. He can focus up to a sub-atomic and molecular level or widen to a planetary scale. Can hears across the planet and can identify heartbeats), Information Analysis (Can quickly analyze molecular and genetic information, electromagnetic makeups. Able to make quick calculations of his opponent and the environment), Heat Manipulation, Limited Radiation Manipulation and Limited Matter Manipulation via Heat Vision (His heat vision can match absolute zero, emit precise doses of microwaves to kill organic Nano-Machines, replace the effects of the sun, and agitate molecules to cause structures to shatter), Durability Negation (His heat vision works on a microscopic level), Non-Physical Interaction (His heat vision can hit intangible beings and counter molecular phasing), Limited Power Nullification (He can cut off external sources of power using heat vision), Self-Sustenance (Types 1 and 2), Super Breath and Ice Breath, Limited Intangibility and Invisibility (Can become intangible and turn invisibile via phasing), Afterimage Creation, Illusion Creation (Torquasm Vo can create illusions to provide a distraction), Aura (Generates a constant aura around himself to protect his clothes and avoid grime), Martial Arts and Pressure Point Strikes, Limited Sound Manipulation (Destroyed an illusion by shouting, should be able to replicate Supergirl's sonic scream), Limited Air Manipulation (Can generate and cancel tornadoes; Can draw air out of an area by creating updrafts), Purification (Type 3; Can utilise the life-force of the universe to cleanse and purify the form and spirit when using Torquasm-Rao and Torquasm-Vo), BFR (Utilised counter-vibrations to send a Phantom Planet outside the universe), Limited Electricity Manipulation (Can generate enormous amounts of static electricity), Limited Vibration Manipulation (Can thunderclap), Limited Empathic Manipulation (Calmed a creature down with a touch), Astral Projection (He taught it to his wife Lois), Regeneration (Mid-Low for combat applications, High-Low over time), Body Control (Can control autonomous body functions, allowing him to fool sensors), Absorption of Electromagnetic Energy (Absorbed energy from an EM gun; Getting shocked recharged his strength), Geothermal Energy (Learned to leech power from the earth around him), and other types of Energy, Energy Manipulation (He is also capable of converting biological energy into Solar Radiation), Limited Space-Time Manipulation (Capable of opening and closing holes in the fabric of spacetime), Capable with alien technology, Statistics Amplification (Can temporarily increase his powers by immersing himself within a yellow star. Under a blue sun his powers are boosted and he gains the ability to imbue others with his powers), Weapon Mastery (Proficient with weapons such swords and guns)

Resistance to Reality Warping (Resisted Mister Mxyzptlk's realm without physics, gravity, reality as well as fractured space-time. Mxyzptlk also attempted to erase Superman from all of reality and memory), Energy Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Mind Manipulation (Through Torquasm-Vo, a Kryptonian mental technique, Superman can access his own inner consciousness and astral plane to build up psychic blocks and fight off telepathic attacks), Fire Manipulation (Withstood Apokolips' fire), Illusions, Empathic Manipulation (Has nearly infinite willpower), Power Absorption (Resisted the Hollow Men from taking away his powers and energy), Transmutation (resisted several magical attempts of being transmuted into salt), Fear Manipulation (resisted a crystal that brings out the primal fear within someone), Radiation Manipulation (Regularly absorbs nuclear energy and higher-than-usual amounts of red solar energy, all of which contain high levels of radioactivity), Matter Manipulation (Survived sub-atomic destruction), Time Slow (Countered a temporal modulation field slowing him down), Time Stop (Broke out of full chrono-suspension), Existence Erasure (Can withstand Darkseid's Omega Beams), Possession (Neron couldn't possess him), Death Manipulation (Overcame death inducement and prevented his heart from being stopped), Acid Manipulation (Inhaled acid gas to protect others, and was unaffected by having liquid acid dumped on him), Electricity Manipulation (Unaffected by high levels of electricity), Magma Manipulation (Was unaffected by Lady Blaze's magma), Telekinesis (Forced his way through telekinesis), Deconstruction (Was unaffected by a disintegration beam), Corruption and Biological Manipulation (Overcame Skyhook's corrupting power), Pain Manipulation (Resisted Kalibak's Nerve Beam, which activates all its target's pain receptors). Limited resistance to Paralysis Inducement (With enough sunlight, Superman resisted paralysis beams)

Attack Potency: Solar System level (Can damage characters with his level of durability, such as Doomsday and Cyborg Superman. Threw a compressed solar system away from the Earth^[1])

Speed: Massively FTL+ (Comparable to Wonder Woman, and is swifter than Green Lanterns, Mon-El, and Karate Kid. Flew from Vega to Earth in a brief amount of time.^[2] Read through an entire library worth of books in seconds)

Lifting Strength: Stellar (Comparable to Lobo, and Mon-El, who pushed a White Dwarf star to another Solar System. Able to hold a black hole and a compressed solar system)

Striking Strength: Solar System Class

Durability: Solar System level (Contained a mini-black hole that was about to destroy the entire solar system.^[3] Took attacks from the Void Hound, which had previously destroyed ten star systems during a test-drive.^[4] He withstood an explosion at a point-blank range equivalent to 50 Keplar Supernovas while severely weakened by red sun radiation. Tanked multiple red solar radiation blasts from a Sun-Eater, which was capable of destroying entire suns and star systems^[5])

Stamina: Extremely High (Capable of engaging in constant physical activity and protracted battles as long as his solar reserves hold out)

Range: Standard melee range physically, Planetary with Heat Vision and shock waves (His punches can affect entire planets)

Standard Equipment: None notable

Optional Equipment: The Cosmic Armor (Received in one issue)

Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius (Superman is well-acquainted with highly advanced Kryptonian technology and has used it to build and maintain the Fortress of Solitude, memorized the design of the Miracle Machine, he can process information faster than a supercomputer, and has repeatedly outsmarted Lex Luthor. He is skilled in Torquasm Vo, a Kryptonian martial art. Good deductive and leadership skills. He has massive battle experience with all kinds of powerful beings, and is highly resourceful, with his quick thinking saving countless lives on numerous occasions)

Weaknesses: Kryptonite (various varieties, all with different effects on him), red stellar radiation (absorbing it instead of yellow stellar radiation will cause him to lose his powers), and magic. He will put himself in harm's way to protect innocents.

Feats:

Attack Potency:

Casually destroyed a few planetoids by flying through them^[6]

Speed:

Escaped a double black hole^[7]

Durability:

Survived a sun-eater's implosion which was powerful enough to knock him light-years away and back in time.^[8]
Survived being bombarded with the destructive force of a nova by Starbreaker.^[9]
Tanked the collision of Apokolips and New Genesis and was only briefly knocked out. It should be noted that Superman was star-sized at the time and that both planets were massively larger than any real planet.^[10]
Flew through a red sun^[11]
Able to withstand being in a localized gravity field that simulated the pull of a large black hole^[12]

Other feats:

Able to smash and move the moon.
Moved 1/3rd of the Earth.
Survived inside The Sun Eater who could consume stars.
Has pushed, pulled, and dragged the entire Earth.
Has defeated gods like Darkseid.
Repaired a hole in the cosmos.
Survived a blast with the force of several nuclear explosions.
Destroyed an army of imperfect Doomsday clones with his Heat Vision.
Turned the millwheels of the Mageddon
Warmed up the entire Earth with his Heat Vision.
Split an entire sea with his Heat Vision.
Superman Respect Thread
Superman Feats Timeline Project
Superman - Crisis to Crisis (This is a Respect thread that contains most of the post-crisis feats from 1985 to 2010)

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

Kryptonian Physiology: Superman's cellular structure is much more dense, resilient, and biologically more effective than human tissue. He does not possess superhuman strength levels despite his enhanced cellular ability without his cellular structure charged with yellow solar energy. Without such charging, his physical capabilities are identical to a human of his height and weight who engages in regular physical activity. As an alien, he possesses several organs whose functions are not yet disclosed or understood but are believed to be part of or the source of his bio-matrix force field and reclamation aura. Superman's body also stores energy actively within his bio-cellular matrix as an energy pattern that is linked to his body's electromagnetic field. This energy powers most of his electromagnetic capabilities such as flight, heat vision and other "sight"-based abilities while supplementing his physical abilities to superhuman levels.
- Solar Radiation Absorption: As a Kryptonian, his cells function like a super battery, hyper metabolizing specific wavelengths of radiation as fuel to enable living functions and/or superhuman abilities. Different wavelengths of radiation have different effects on Superman's physiology and well being, but his cells cannot absorb or utilize all types of radiation. The wavelength of his home solar system's red sun enables his body to function on an identical level of a healthy human while the Earth's solar radiation in both its raw and filtered state through the Earth's atmosphere acts as fuel to enable all of his powers. Every time Superman uses any of his superhuman abilities, his body expends absorbed sunlight and he is capable of utilizing any of them to various degrees through controlled circumstances. The solar-based radiation of a foreign blue star proved to increase his known abilities under a yellow sun to a higher degree and enabled additional powers. The existence and constant exposure to proven "healthy" radiation sources are not required for him to live and utilize his powers, but prolonged periods without exposure to them and/or utilizing his powers will require Kal-El to recharge in order to live and continue using his powers.
Heat Vision: Can accurately target things smaller than human beings from orbit, narrow or wide-beam, heat intensity can be greater than the core of the sun, can modulate it to deliver different frequencies and types to best effect his opponent after analyzing them with his sensory powers, can generate enough power to move entire planets.
Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: He can see into all of the EM Spectrum. Superman can see and identify radio/television and all broadcast/transmitted frequencies, allowing him to avoid detection through radar or satellite monitoring methods.
Telescopic Vision: The ability to focus his vision to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics.
Microscopic Vision: The ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the subatomic level.
X-Ray Vision: The ability to see through anything except lead. Since it is passive, this ability would not generate harmful radiation in the same manner as a focused projection of hard X-rays.
Thermal Vision: The ability to see through the heat tracks left by a living being or object.
Freeze Breath: He can flash freeze opponents with his Super Breath to restrain them.
Invisibility/Intangibility: Superman can manipulate his atoms to phase through attacks and turn invisible.
Infinite Mass Punch: Superman vibrates his body and travels under light speed, so his punch can hit with the force of a white dwarf star.
Torquasm-Vo: A Kryptonian psychic discipline that involves the control of one's consciousness, and allows two practitioners to mentally battle one another.

Notes:

After extensive discussions over the years, it has been decided that the most reliable rating for this version of Superman is 4-B. Any feats higher than that have been deemed to be outliers, have canonicity issues, be unreliable, or subject to standard extremely inconsistent superhero comicbook power-scaling.
The description used in the Sun Eater explosion is almost certainly referring to the difference between a supernova's initial neutrino burst (which carries 99% of the supernova's energy), and the radiation, which escapes after.
The feat involving Apokolips and New Genesis colliding into Superman was evaluated and deemed inappropriate to use. There are several reasons for this:
- Superman only withstood an extremely small portion of the actual collision.
- There are multiple inconsistencies regarding the sizes of Apokolips and New Genesis in different comicbook stories, which makes it hard to determine which version that should be used.
- Superman's own size was automatically massively increased by Boom Tube technology.
- Given the sizes of New Genesis and Apokolips, they would have collided at faster than light speeds, which makes it impossible to calculate the kinetic energy involved.
- The entire "Death of the New Gods" storyline has been considered to be of dubious canonicity.
For debunk explanations of other supposed Superman feats beyond a 4-B scale, please click here.