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[[File:Superman_Posing.jpg|frame|"This looks like a job for..."]]
{{quote|''[[Super Speed|Faster than a speeding bullet!]] [[Super Strength|More powerful than a locomotive!]] Able to leap tall buildings [[In a Single Bound|in a single bound!]] This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton! [[Sobriquet|The man of steel]] --(gong ring)-- Superman!''
|The opening to the [[Superman Theatrical Cartoons]]}}
The Last Son of Krypton. The Man of Steel. [[Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?|The Man of Tomorrow]]. The Big Blue Boy Scout. The [[Trope Codifier|iconic]] [[The Cape (trope)|Cape]]. The original [[Flying Brick]]. '''''[[Trope Codifier|The]]''''' [[Superhero]].
[[Older Than They Think|While not quite the first]] superhero, he is certainly the [[Trope Codifier]]. Has been published continuously by [[DC Comics]] [[Long Runner|for almost 80 years]]. He first appeared in ''[[Action Comics]]'' #1 (June, 1938).
On the technologically advanced planet of Krypton, scientist [[Ignored Expert|Jor-El]] discovers that his planet will soon be destroyed by natural disasters. No one will believe him, however, and in a desperate attempt to save what can be saved, Jor-El builds a small rocket vessel to carry his infant son, Kal-El, to a different planet -- Earth. Because Kryptonians physically resemble humans in every way, the boy can blend in without being seen as alien.
As Krypton explodes, baby Kal-El is sent to Earth without any knowledge of his real identity. He lands outside of the rural town of Smallville, a small town in Kansas (although [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?|it wasn't too clear originally]] -- see [[Wikipedia]] for a [[wikipedia:Smallville (comics)#Location|full list of canonical locations]]). The baby is adopted by [[Muggle Foster Parents|Jonathan and Martha Kent]], who name the boy Clark, give him a loving home and teach him right from wrong.
However, Clark turns out to be different from humans after all. Kryptonians had evolved to absorb and store solar energy. While on Krypton, which orbited a relatively low-heat Red Giant (or in some versions Red Dwarf) star, their physical abilities were about identical to humans. When exposed to the rays of Earth's much younger, brighter yellow Sun, Clark learns that the surplus of energy gives him incredible powers, which increase as he grows up. Deciding to use his power for good, Clark puts on some spandex (or indestructible Kryptonian uber-cloth, [[Depending on the Writer]]) and fights crime as [[Superman]]! (Or at first as [[Superboy]], in [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|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 helps him find disasters and emergencies that much sooner.
Naturally, the Clark Kent/Superman dichotomy has been explored a great deal and has changed over time (with Kent going from nervous, geeky klutz to sharp-witted [[Intrepid Reporter]], among other changes). In the [[Golden Age|Golden]] and [[Silver Age]], Clark Kent was little more than a facade for Superman. After ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'', this idea was reversed. Nowadays, [[Depending on the Writer]], either Clark Kent is the "real" person and Superman the façade, or both people are equally valid and natural aspects of his personality. Both sides also tend to be a lot more psychologically/emotionally vulnerable than you'd expect. Given his powers, and the usual [[Dumb Muscle|stereotypes]] about strength of his level, it would be easy to mistake him for a simplistic oaf; but Supes is actually quite a complex guy.
Aside from fighting crime, much of Clark's personal life is explored in relation to his supporting cast from the ''Daily Planet'', his hometown of Smallville, Kansas, and his beloved home city of [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?|Metropolis]]. Possibly the most famous supporting cast of any superhero, it consists of a large number of changing characters, the fixtures of which are: his doting parents Jonathan and Martha (aka "Ma and Pa") Kent, who continue to support and advise him throughout his adulthood (or [[Pre Crisis]], throughout his childhood and teen years, before dying shortly after Clark's high school graduation); his [[Da Editor|gruff, hot-tempered, long-suffering boss]], Perry White, who gladly accepts Clark's constant disappearances and eccentricities as long as he comes back with a headline story; his best friend (in both identities) [[Jimmy Olsen]], a young cub reporter/photographer with a wildly fluctuating age, the highest [[Weirdness Magnet]] rating in the DC universe and the unique gift of a signal watch he can use to call Superman anytime he gets into trouble; his short-tempered, stubborn teenager of a cousin Kara Zor-El alias [[Supergirl]], who also survived the death of their planet but arrived on Earth several decades later and has a hard time adapting to her new home and finding out what kind of woman and hero she wants to be; and most importantly, his sharp-tongued, recklessly determined go-getter of a reporting partner (and longstanding object of his affections) [[Lois Lane]], who was [[Loves My Alter Ego|desperately in love with Superman but who always dismissed the mild Clark Kent.]] However, she would eventually fall for Clark, not Superman, before learning they were the same person and marrying him.
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 Comic Books]].
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.
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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 [[Flying Brick|powers]] include [[Super Strength]], [[Super Speed]], [[Flight]], [[X-Ray Vision]], [[Eye Beams|Heat Vision]], [[Breath Weapon|Freeze Breath]], [[Nigh Invulnerability]], [[Super Senses]], and [[New Powers
On the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]], he and the series he stars in almost universally tends toward the idealistic side, being the iconic [[The Cape (trope)|Cape]].
Along with [[
'''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 [[Exactly What It Says
* ''World's Finest Comics'': Featured regular
* ''Superman/Batman'': The modern successor of ''World's Finest Comics''.
* ''[[Jimmy Olsen|Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen]]'': Probably the comic that truly shows the [[Silver Age]] in its purest, distilled form. In the [[Bronze Age|'70s]], [[Jack Kirby]] used the series to launch his [[New Gods|Fourth World]] metaseries.
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* ''Superboy''
* ''Adventure Comics'': Featured various Superboy or other Superman family member stories.
* ''DC Comics Presents'': Featured
* ''[[All
* ''[[Main/The Living Legends Of Superman|The Living Legends Of Superman]]'': An anthology of stories based on the premise on how future history would view Superman when he is gone.
* ''[[For the Man Who Has Everything]]''
* ''[[Whatever Happened to
* ''[[
* ''[[Superman for All Seasons]]''
* ''[[The Death of Superman]]''
* ''[[
* ''[[Superman: Red Son]]'': Baby Kal-El lands in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas.
* ''[[Superman
* ''[[Superman: Birthright]]'': The ''re''-revised origin, replacing ''The Man of Steel''.
* ''[[
* ''Up Up and Away'': Set immediately after ''[[
* The ''[[
* ''[[Superman Secret Origin]]'': The ''re''-re-revised origin, replacing ''Birthright'' - until [[New 52|DC rebooted its whole continuity again.]]
* ''Superman and the Men of Steel'': The ''re''-re-re-revised origin as of the [[New 52]] reboot. It once again decanonizes Clark's time as Superboy, having him take up heroics as a young adult, and starts him off as a [[Hero
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Superboy]]''
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Superman:
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Justice League (
* ''[[Legion of Super
* ''[[
* ''[[Young Justice (
* The [[
* The ''Superman'' and ''Superman vs. Atom Man'' [[Film Serial|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 IV:
*** ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' were very well received and are the reason most people are familiar with him. Both ''Superman III'' and ''[[So Bad
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'', a film released in March 2016, in which Henry Cavill reprised his role as Superman.
* ''[[Justice League (film)|Justice League]]'', the 2017 follow-up to ''Batman v Superman''.
* ''[[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
* ''[[Justice League:
* ''[[Superman
* ''[[Superman
* ''[[Justice League: Crisis
* ''[[All
* ''[[Superman
* ''[[
* ''[[It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman]]'', 1966 Broadway [[The Musical|musical]] which ran for less than 150 performances before closing, despite receiving several [[Tony Award]] nominations; in 1976 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] broadcast it as a TV special.
'''Video Games Starring the Character:'''
* There are several Superman games, which go back to the ''[[Superman (1979 video game)|Superman]]'' at the dawn of video gaming and range from [[The Problem with Licensed Games|mediocre to terrible]].
* ''[[Superman 64]]'' is considered one of the ''worst'' games of all time.
'''Other versions of the character:'''
* The [[The Adventures of Superman (radio)|1940's radio version]]
* The ''[[Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe|Just Imagine]]'' version of Superman
* The [[Tangent Comics]] version of Superman
* The [[Superman: Earth One|Earth One]] reimagining of Superman by [[J. Michael Straczynski]] and Shane Davis
* The 1930s version of the character, or more specifically of Clark Kent, seen in Tom
* The non-canonical not-a-Kryptonian namesake from ''[[Superman: Secret Identity]]''
* Super-Turtle, a [[Funny Animal]] turtle with Superman's powers, who appeared in various half-page humor strips in various [[Silver Age]] DC Comics.
* Super-Squirrel, Superman's [[Funny Animal]] counterpart on [[The DCU|Earth-C-Minus]]. The "Squirrel of Steel" is shown to be a member of his world's "JLA" (the "[[Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew
'''Essays Featuring the Character:'''
* ''[[w:Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex|Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex]]'' (1971) by [[Larry Niven]], exploring the ... ''difficulties'' ... inherent in Superman and Lois Lane consummating their relationship.
See also [[Supergirl]], his [[Distaff Counterpart]], and ''[[Krypto the Superdog (
Also worth mentioning: ''[[wikipedia:It's a Bird|It's a Bird...]]'' by Steven T. Seagle,
----
{{tropenamer}}
* [[Bizarro Universe]]
* [[Boxing Lessons for Superman]]
* [[The Cape (trope)]]
* [[Clark Kenting]]
* [[Clark Kent Outfit]]
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* [[Kryptonite Factor]]
* [[Kryptonite Is Everywhere]]
* [[Kryptonite
* [[Kryptonite Ring]]
* [[Phantom Zone]]
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*** [[Did Not Do the Research]] either, since lead essentially does not radiate. Poisonous as hell, but not radioactive. That's why it's good rad shielding.
*** The "lead radiation" aspect seems to have been retconned out (or at least not mentioned out loud). Daxamites' weakness now more resembles an exceptionally severe allergy to lead.
* [[Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex]]
* [[Superman Stays Out of Gotham]] (co-[[Trope Namer]] along with [[Batman
* [[Up, Up, and Away]]
* [[World of Cardboard Speech]]
* [[X-Ray Vision]]
----
{{franchisetropes}}
* [[Acid Trip Dimension]]: More than one.
* [[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.
*** Clark Kent's and Lois Lane's alliterative names may actually be the [[Trope Codifier|Trope Codifiers]] that started the trend of comic book characters (and sci-fi characters in general) being given alliterative names.
* [[All Just a Dream]]: The first issue after the [[The Death of Superman|Death and Return]]
* [[Alternate Continuity]]: Between the various media adaptations and the "[[Elseworld|Imaginary Stories]]", arguably more than any other fictional character.
* [[Amazon Admirer]]: Part of the reason that Superman / Clark Kent is attracted to [[Lois Lane]] is ''not'' that she's a damsel in distress, but because she is always brave and willing to find the truth in a story. Later incarnations also have Lois reveal that her dad, General Lane, ensured that she received martial arts training.
* [[Ambiguously Jewish]]: Superman's background story is a pastiche of [[Moses in the Bulrushes|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 was essentially Superman if he were a [[Nineties Anti-Hero]].
* [[
* [[Armor-Piercing Question]]: Lex Luthor [[And Then What?|asks Superman one]] in the [[Elseworld]] of ''Red Son.''
* [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever]]: Titano
* [[Badass]]: And I will fight anyone who disagrees. And they [[Made of Explodium|will explode]].
* [[Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad]]: Bizarro.
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* [[Bash Brothers]]: Superman and Batman. Also Superman and Supergirl, at least before the Crisis.
* [[Beat Still My Heart]]: A variation, in one story. See that trope page.
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Superman's one word response to being
{{quote|
** It's generally a good idea to keep this trope in mind when dealing with The Man of Steel. He may be the quintessential nice-guy, but he's also generally
* [[Big Good]]: Leader of the Justice League, on top of being the [[Captain Obvious|most powerful superhero of all time]].
* [[Bored
* [[Blessed
{{quote|
** This idea led to one of the most iconic Superman [[World of Cardboard Speech|speeches]], in the series finale of the ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' cartoon, where Superman is fighting Darkseid and declares:
{{quote|
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: Given how long running his series has been it's inevitable that this trope has come up a few times. Perhaps the most famous recent{{when}} event to feature this is during the ''[[Justice League of America]]'' [[O.M.A.C.|OMAC Project]]
* [[Brought to You
* [[Bus Full of Innocents]]
* [[Canon Immigrant]]
** Jimmy Olsen, Inspector Henderson, Perry White, Kryptonite and the name "Daily Planet" from ''[[The Adventures of Superman (
** Professor Pepperwinkle from the first TV show
** Mercy and Livewire from ''[[Superman:
** Ursa and Non from ''[[
** Chloe Sullivan, from ''[[
** ''[[
** His flight power comes from the Fleischer cartoons where it was introduced because the animators found it easier to depict than his original jumping power -- and far less silly-looking.
*** In fact, most of his powers beyond the core strength/indestructibility have been immigrants -- for instance, his heat vision grew out of the early Silver Age conception of his X-ray vision actually ''projecting'' X-rays -- which the writers then decided he could focus and use to burn things.
** Kryptonite comes from the 1940s-vintage radio program.
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: Arguably, the entire super hero genre. But, more strictly speaking, there's [[Shazam|Captain Marvel,]] [[Charlton Comics|Captain Atom,]] [[Supreme]], [[The Authority|Apollo,]] [[Wild CATS|Mister Majestic,]] [[Icon]], [[Astro City|the Samaritan,]] [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|the Silver Sentry,]] [[Mystery Men|Captain Amazing,]] [[X-Men|Gladiator,]] [[Squadron Supreme|Hyperion,]] [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|the Sentry,]] [[Irredeemable|the Plutonian,]] [[Doctor Slump|Suppaman,]] and (at least in regard to his origin<ref>in most other respects, Goku is based on [[Journey to the West|the Monkey King]]</ref>) [[Dragon Ball|Son Goku.]] It's usually taken as a given these days that any [[The Verse|"super hero universe"]] needs someone to fill the role of the top, most respected super hero in the world, and it's almost always an [[Expy]] of Superman. This creates some awkward situations when these companies fold, DC buys up their characters, and suddenly these Superman Expies are running around in the same universe as Superman himself (as has now happened to Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Icon, Mr. Majestic, and Apollo).
** To be fair, Icon and Superman had already met in ''Worlds Collide''.
* [[Catch Phrase]]: There have been many:
** Superman: "This looks like a job for Superman!" and "Up, up, and away!"
** Perry White: ''"Don't call me Chief!!!!'' and "Great Caesar's ghost!"
** "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" has been shown as an [[In
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: Way, way back when Supes was first created, he was far more rough and aggressive than his modern counterpart. While he was never as cold-blooded as the early Batman, the Superman of the 1930s had no problem using his strength to the fullest and never seemed to care that fatalities would presumably occur, although these were seldom shown explicitly on the page. This came to an end late in 1940, and ever since then, Supes has been the [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]
* [[Chest Insignia]]: The big S in a diamond shield, at first just standing for Superman, later explained as being the symbol of the house of El -- and that even later as the Kryptonian symbol/glyph for "Hope".
** [[Motif Merger]]: Chest
* [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]: Silver-Age Lois and Lana, though not Lori, Luma, or Lyla.
* [[Cloning Blues]]: Averted completely in the first (non-canon) ''Superman Red/Superman Blue'' story. When he accidentally clones himself, the two of them eliminate all evil and turn earth into a paradise, and restore Krypton. It even resolves the Lois/Lana [[Love Triangle]]! A later version of the story played the trope more straight.
** Bizarro. [[Pre
* [[Clone Degeneration]]: Bizarro
* [[Clothes Make the Legend]]: DC tried changing his costume a few times, but it didn't last long.
* [[Clothes Make the Superman]]: Double use - in the late 90s, DC tried to change his outfit to be lightning-themed and the suit gave him electricity-based powers (he was de-Kryptonian-powered at the time); that plan didn't go over well. Then he got his Kryptonian powers back, and his non-powered original suit back, showing that, [[Unpleasable Fanbase|even though the general public loves to make fun of the underwear-on-the-outside classic look]], '''it also loves the tights & cape so much that anyone who dares to drastically change the Big Blue
** After ''Flashpoint'' he's wearing an "[[Darker and Edgier]]
* [[Comic Book Time]]
* [[Complete Immortality]]: In many incarnations.
* [[Continuity Porn]]: Any story by E. Nelson Bridwell, proud and joyful [[The Bronze Age of Comic Books|Bronze Age]] King of the [[Promoted Fanboy
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: [[Lex Luthor]], since the Crisis.
** Also Morgan Edge, since the Crisis. (Before the Crisis, he was just a passably obnoxious executive.)
* [[Corrupt Politician]]: Not the norm, but [[Lex Luthor]] occasionally counts.
* [[Funny (
** And Pink Kryptonite. Lookin' pretty hot there, Jimmy.
* [[Curse Cut Short]]: One exchange between Superman and Brainiac in the Justice League cartoon:
{{quote|
'''Brainiac:''' Unfortunate... }}
* [[Da Editor]]: Perry White
* [[Death
* [[Depending
** 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.
** The possibility of Superman having children with Lois Lane, or any other female human for that matter, some
** Or the ''fourth'' option: [[Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex|sex with a Kryptonian is likely to ''kill'' a human woman]].
* [[Depraved Kids' Show Host]]: The Prankster
* [[Determinator]]: Oooooooh, just ''ask'' Supes to give up if you're a villain. Let's see how long you last afterwards.
* [[Devil in Disguise]]: In the comics from the early 90s, it was revealed that publisher Colin Thornton, who had hired Clark Kent away from ''The Daily Planet'' to serve as editor for ''Newstime'', was a mortal disguise used by the demon Lord Satanus.
* [[Doppelganger Attack]]: Riot
* [[Double Consciousness]]
* [[Dressed in Layers]]: Clark opening his shirt to reveal the Superman costume under his clothes is one of the iconic deceptions of the character.
* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: Superman wasn't a very nice person in quite a few older stories. In particular, this showed up a lot in ''Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane'' and ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.''
** Also, his powers were added over time and his costume was all over the map. He used to wear lace up
* [[Egocentric Team Naming]]: [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Team_Superman Team Superman] and [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Supermen_of_America_II The Supermen of America].
* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: Imperiex
* [[Elseworld]]: Pretty much began the practice in comics, in "Imaginary Stories".
* [[Entitled Bastard]]: Several of his enemies have no problem with begging for their lives after having tried to kill Supes.
** Really though, if you can't expect mercy from [[The Cape (trope)|Superman]], who can you expect it from?
* [[Enemy Civil War]]: Several. Often Bizarro World.
* [[
* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Ultraman ([[Ultraman|No, not
* [[Evil Knockoff]]: Bizarro
* [[Evolutionary Levels]]: The first [[Canon]] [[Hand Wave|explanation]] for Superman's powers in ''Action Comics'' #1. His then-unnamed planet was
**
* [[Expansion Pack World]]
* [[Expy]]: Of [[Classical Mythology|Heracles/Hercules]].
* [[Eye Beams]]: Heat vision. Originally this was just his [[X
* [[Face Heel Turn]]: In some continuities, Lex used to be a pretty nice guy and Clark's good friend, but it was a long time ago.
** More recently, there's Ruin, a.k.a.
* [[Fail O'Suckyname]]: One comic featured a retired villain called "The Molester," which he intended to mean "The Annoyance."
* [[The Fettered]]
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* [[Flanderization]]: Originally, Superman was something of a tough guy tackling (literally) wife beaters, war profiteers and abusive orphanages. By the end of the forties, however, he was the leading citizen of Metropolis, battling larger-than-life villains.
* [[Fleeting Demographic Rule]]
* [[Fling a Light Into
* [[Flying Brick]]: The original, and one of the few who can be excused.
* [[Flying Saucer]]: Brainiac's original spaceship. He replaced it with a skull-shaped one after his [[Skele
* [[For Great Justice]]: Truth, Justice, and the American way.
* [[Forgotten Trope]]: Few today know it, but Superman's iconic costume is based on one of the [https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/welsh-entertainer-harry-secombe-dressed-as-a-circus-news-photo/93252125 traditional outfits] worn by circus strongmen in the nineteenth and early 20th centuries -- right down to the cape (which they usually took off at the start of their acts).
* [[Fourth Wall Observer]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk
* [[Friendly Rival]]: Vartox, and [[Shazam|Captain Marvel.]] He's actually friends with both of them, but they end up fighting a lot anyway.
* [[Friend to All Living Things]]
* [[From a Single Cell]]: Several. Often Brainiac.
* [[From Nobody to Nightmare]]: Many second-rate Superman villains undergo this in ''[[Whatever Happened to
* [[Galactic Conqueror]]: Mongul
* [[The Glasses Come Off]]: Just when Clark does it, it's a different reason than the trope usually has.
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** [[Nerds Are Sexy|Speak for yourself.]]
* [[Good Is Not Dumb]]: Sometimes invoked, according to the writer.
* [[Good Is Old
* [[Going for
* [[Great Gazoo]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk.
* [[Green Rocks]]: Good ol' kryptonite, of course. Note that pre-''[[
** Well, from 1985 until 2005, this was true, kryptonite was only good for hurting Kryptonians (and, about as quickly as realistic radiation, humans). Until the ''[[Crisis
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]s: Children of Superman and Lois occasionally show up in Elseworlds stories, but the mainline comics have averted the idea by claiming it is biologically impossible.
* [[Happily Adopted]]: Clark is from outer space, but he and his folks are closer than blood.
* [[Heavyworlder]]: Superman's powers were, in many older stories including the entire [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] run, due in part to Krypton's heavier gravity.
* [[Heroic Dimples]]: Not ''cheek'' dimples, no, but Superman, the archetypal superhero, has almost always been depicted with a dimple in his chin since the 1940s.
* [[High Altitude Interrogation]]: Superman has, [[The Cape (trope)|surprisingly]], [[What the Hell, Hero?|has done this]]. On at least one occasion, he dropped a mook, used superspeed to catch him, and said, "Now, we can keep doing this until I get tired, or..."
* [[Hitler's Time Travel Exemption Act]]: [[Pre-Crisis]], Superman could visit the past by exceeding the speed of light, but it was physically impossible for him to change history.
** In [[The Movie]]... not so much.
* [[Hologram]]: Usually of Jor-El.
* [[Hollywood Cyborg]]: Metallo, as well as the Cyborg Superman
* [[Home Base]]: The Fortress of Solitude
* [[Hometown Nickname]]: Lois Lane's use of "Smallville" for [[Superman|Clark Kent]], which in some continuities goes from insulting to affectionate over the course of time.
* [[Hulk Speak]]: All Bizarros.
* [[Human Aliens]]
* [[Iconic Logo]]: The S-symbol, one of the most instantly recognizable symbols in the world in real life, as well as the actual logo used on his comic book, with block letters at a slant.
* [[Identity Impersonator]]: [[Identical Stranger|Lookalikes]], [[Hologram|holograms]], a friendly [[Shape Shifter]] or two; he used to have a fleet of Robots for just this but they [[Instant AI, Just Add Water|kept going sentient]] and [[Turned Against Their Masters|becoming villains]]
* [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness]]
* [[Incredible Shrinking Man]]: The Bottle City of Kandor. For that matter, Brainiac's shrink ray that put it in the bottle in the first place.
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* [[Interspecies Friendship]]: Most of Superman's friendships qualify, though not necessarily Clark Kent's.
* [[Intrepid Reporter]]: Clark Kent and Lois Lane, later Jimmy Olsen.
* [[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 (''[[
* [[Involuntary Shapeshifting]]: This was the most common effect of Red Kryptonite in [[The Silver Age of Comic Books]], with [[Re
* [[It Amused Me]]: The Prankster
* [[The Jailer]]: The Master Jailer
* [[Jerkass]]: All the supporting cast at the Daily Planet (Lois, Perry, even Jimmy during the 90's) has been this at one time or another.
* [[Jerk Jock]]: Steve Lombard, the resident sportswriter at the Daily Planet.
** Whitney Fordman, a character in Season One of ''[[
* [[Just a Machine]]: Often his attitude towards AI.
* [[Just Whistle]]: Jimmy's wristwatch can summon Supes.
* [[Justice League of America]]
* [["Kick Me" Prank]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120508085501/http://www.comicsninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Superman-kick-me.jpg This comic], along with a dose of [[
* [[Kneel Before Zod]]: The [[Trope Namer]]
* [[Krypto the Superdog]]
* [[Earthshattering Kaboom|Krypton
* [[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.
* [[Legion of Super
* [[Lex Luthor]]{{context|reason=Is this a trope?}}
* [[Lilliputians]]: People from the Bottle City of Kandor.
* [[Line
* [[Literal Split Personality]]: Comic fans [[Fanon Discontinuity|had almost forgotten it]], too.
* [[Loves My Alter Ego]]: Lois Lane (used to be the [[Trope Namer]]. While Lois is known for more than just that, she is the iconic example). At least, until the Post-Crisis era when she finally learned the truth.
* [[Mad Scientist]]: [[Lex Luthor]], back in the day. And back in [[The Golden Age of Comic Books]], there was the Ultra-Humanite.
* [[Mad Magazine]]:{{context|reason=Is this a trope?}} Has used a number of parody names over the years including ''Superduperman'', ''Stouperman'', and ''Lotis & Cluck''.
* [[Make Me Wanna Shout]]: Silver Banshee
* [[Master of Disguise]]: Jimmy Olsen, when he had his own book.
* [[
* [[The Messiah]]{{context}}
* [[Mind Screw]]: A story arc in ''Superman #307-309'' written by Gerry Conway was about Superman being tricked by Supergirl into thinking that they are actually Earth-born mutants (because Superman was being a [[Soapbox Sadie]] over potential ecological disasters).
* [[Mineral MacGuffin]]: Sunstone, the crystals Kryptonians used to grow buildings.
** And Kryptonite, of course.
* [[Minnesota Nice]]: Raised in Kansas, but the idea still applies. Supes is one of the [[The Messiah|nicest]] of all superheroes.
* [[Mix
* [[Modesty Bedsheet|Modesty Cape]]: [[Real Life]] example: This has become a staple for the actresses who play Lois. Margot Kidder originated the pose, followed by Teri Hatcher and Erica Durance.
* [[Moses in
* [[Muggle Foster Parents]]: The Kents.
* [[Mythology Gag]]: In at least two continuities, Superman turned evil -- one of of which involved serving [[Evil Overlord|almighty]] [[The Fourth World|Darkseid]]. Similarly, in at least three continuities -- one of which is the mainstream DCU -- Lex Luthor aspires to or becomes [[President Evil]].
** Much of the new ''Action Comics #1'' is this to the original. This is a young brash Superman who is more activist like the original, his costume isn't finalized, his powers are mostly limited to the ones he had in the original ''Action Comics'' #1 (though the new version already has his heat vision and x-rays so this might also be a nod to ''Smallville''), he even works for George Taylor at the ''Daily Star'' like he did in the original (they only changed the name to the ''Daily Planet'' because at the time there was an actual ''Daily Star'' and there were trademark concerns.)
** The 2013 film ''[[Man of Steel]]'' made a very subtle one -- it takes a bit of [[Fridge Brilliance]] to realize that Superman's iconic costume, other than his cape, is in fact the [[Underwear of Power|''underwear'']] for Kryptonian battle armor!
* [[
* [[Never Be a Hero]]: Nine times out of ten, when someone gets superpowers it's not a good thing.
* [[New Old Flame]]: Both Lana Lang and Lori Lemaris were introduced this way.
* [[New Powers
* [[Nice Guy]]
* [[Nice Hat]]: Nice Headband; A headband was the equivalent of a nice men's hat on [[Pre
* [[Nigh Invulnerability]]: Not ''very'' "nigh," actually.
* [[No Gravity for You]]: One classic story has a depowered Clark Kent using an [[Anti Gravity]] device to battle villains. It works because he knows how to fly and the [[Mook
* [[No
{{quote|
* [[No Man Should Have This Power]]: In "The Day the Cheering Stopped", Superman gets a magical sword which was apparently created at the dawn of time. It gives him incredible power (even for the pre-''Crisis'' Superman) and helps him defeat the
* [[Official Couple]]: Superman and Lois Lane.
* [[Old Retainer]]: In the Post-Crisis reboot, Superman eventually inherits his father's faithful robot servant Kelex.
* [[Only Known by Their Nickname]]: In some continuities, this is the origin of the name "Superman" -- it's a handle laid on him by Lois or Perry White for headlines and news stories, in lieu of a proper name.
* [[Our Mermaids Are Different]]: Lori Lemaris
* [[Outdated Outfit]]: Jimmy and his
* [[Papa Wolf]]: Clark is generally a nice guy but threaten Kara or Chris and you will be lucky to leave with just a few broken bones.
* [[The Paragon]]: Depending on the continuity.
* [[Perma
* [[Photographic Memory]]: He possessed this along with super-fast thinking in [[The Silver Age of Comic Books]] and [[The Bronze Age of Comic Books]], and regained these abilities post
* [[Phrase Catcher]]: "Look, up in the sky!"
* [[Pillars of Moral Character]] {{context}}
* [[Polar Bears and Penguins]]: The location of the Fortress of Solitude, somewhere up north.
* [[Powered Armor]]: Ruin. And sometimes Luthor.
* [[Power Creep, Power Seep]]: Especially during [[The Silver Age of Comic Books]], when he could fly many times faster than light, move planets by pushing on them, and survive the interior of a supernova.
** In his first comic book appearances, Superman ''couldn't fly''. That helps to illustrate just how far the power creep has gotten...
* [[Powers
* [[President Evil]]: Lex Luthor, from 2000 till roughly 2004. Arguably, one of the most iconic and interesting character developments that Lex Luthor has gone through over the years.
** The idea of Lex becoming President of the United States was reused in ''[[Superman: Red Son]]''. It has also been hinted several times that this will also happen in the future of ''[[
* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Lois, at least in some of the silver age covers.
* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]: Toyman
* [[Psychic Powers]]: In the past "Psionic Superman" was one common explanation for Superman's [[Required Secondary Powers]]. He doesn't have super strength, he just lifts things with his mind and needs to touch them to use it (hence why he doesn't just rip his "handle" off whenever he carries something), "x-ray" vision is clairvoyance, "superhearing" is clairaudience, "heat vision" is pyrokinesis, and so on. This is the only ability of his clone in ''[[The Death of Superman]]'', and was very strongly hinted at in John Byrne's post-''Crisis'' reboot of the Superman mythos.
* [[Raised
* [[Reality Warper]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk
* [[The Reveal Prompts Romance]]: With Lois Lane.
* [[Retcon]]: Many. That trope's page lists eight separate issues on which the character's history has changed, and some of those have gone back and forth more than once. And that's just counting retcons, not changes to the status quo going forward.
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: Uh, oh. You've just pressed Superman's rare [[Berserk Button]].
* [[Rival Turned Evil]]: Conduit
* [[Robot Master]]: Toyman
* [[Robot Me]]: The Superman robots
* [[Rogues Gallery]]: Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Brainiac, Bizarro, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Metallo, Toyman, Mongul, the Parasite, General Zod, etc.
* [[Romantic Runner
* [[Samaritan Syndrome]]
* [[Scout Out]]: One Justice League comic involved a situation where the heroes had to tie something off with a rope. Superman effortlessly makes an impressive knot. Someone compliments him on it, and he says, "Well, I was in the Boy Scouts," earning the comment, "Of ''course'' you were..."
** ''Justice League Animated'' for some reason explicitly says the opposite :
{{quote|'''The Flash:''' So you're not a Boy Scout after all.
'''Superman:''' Never made it past my first merit badge.}}
* [[Secret Identity]]
* [[Secret Identity Change Trick]]
* [[Secret Secret Keeper]]: [[Pre
** Lori also figured out his identity long before telling him she knew; she's telepathic, after all.
* [[Shock and Awe]]: Livewire
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]
* [[Sidekick]]: Jimmy Olsen straddles the line between sidekick and plain supporting cast member.
** When [[Jack Kirby|Kirby]] was writing him, Jimmy got his ''own'' sidekicks, the Newsboy Legion.
* [[Smart People Play Chess]]: Lex Luthor.
* [[Space Pirate]]: Amalak. Also Terra-Man.
* [[Space Western]]: As well as being a [[Space Pirate]], Terra-Man is also a literal, time-displaced [[Space Western|Space Cowboy.]] Complete with an alien flying horse. (The [[Post
* [[Spider Tank]]: A recurring [[Running Gag]] in Superman stories (including ''[[Superman: Birthright]]'' and ''[[Superman
* [[Spinoff Babies]]: Superboy, "Superbaby"
* [[Stealth Mentor]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk, [[Depending on the Writer]].
* [[Story-Breaker Team-Up]]: Superman / Madman. Averted with ''Superman / Batman''.
* [[Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred]]: Some dark heroes tried to get Superman to do this to discredit his idealism.
* [[Superboy]]
* [[Super Family Team]]: With Supergirl (his cousin), Superboy (his clone) and Steel (a friend).
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* [[Superhero]]
* [[Stock Superhero Day Jobs]]: "Mild Mannered Reporter for a great Metropolitan newspaper..."
** In an episode of ''[[
* [[Strong
* [[Superheroes Wear Capes]]
* [[Super
** ''[[All
{{quote|
* [[Superhero Trophy Shelf]]: ''Not'' the [[Trope Codifier]] (that's probably the Trophy Room in [[The Phantom (
* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space|Superman Can Breathe In Space]]: In some continuities, like the DCAU, he requires an oxygen supply; in most, he just ''awesomes'' away the need to breathe. It's sometimes handwaved as being able to hold his breath a ''really'' long time.
* [[Super Senses]]
* [[Super Strength]]: And how. 200 quintillion tons? [http://i26.tinypic.com/vep5wg.jpg Superman only needs one arm for that.] Bear in mind that in that story he was overpowered by solar radiation and that's supposed to be based on his
* [[Superpower Lottery]]: No matter how much some want to balance him out.
* [[The Syndicate]]: Intergang.
* [[Terra Deforming]]: One Silver Age comic shows the Fortress of Solitude surrounded by buildings, because future humans have intentionally melted the polar ice caps in order to colonize the Arctic. Superman is upset by this, not because of the catastrophic effect on the environment, but because he doesn't have privacy anymore.
* [[Thematic Rogues Gallery]]: The [[Phantom Zone]] criminals.
* [[Theme Initials]]: "L.L."
* [[Thememobile]]: The Super-Mobile, used during situations where he is [[Brought Down to Normal]] to compensate for his lack of superpowers.
* [[They Do]]: Clark and Lois, after several ''decades''
* [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]
** And when his alternate self violates this rule in the DCAU, [[Beware the Superman|be]] ''[[Beware the Superman|afraid]]''.
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* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Beef bourguignon with ketchup. Lois introduced Clark to beef bourguignon. The ketchup was his addition.
* [[Tranquil Fury]]: Very rare but used in some of his more memorable stories. Used against an Authority-Expy group in "What's Wrong with Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" with disturbing effect.
* [[Tribute to Fido]]: The miniseries ''A Superman for All Seasons'', by [[Jeph Loeb]] and Tim Sale, gave teenaged Clark Kent a dog named Shelby, after Sale's own dog. It was a two
* [[True Companions]]: The Daily Planet staff.
* [[Tsundere]]: Lois Lane is a type B towards Clark.
* [[Upbringing Makes the Hero]]: His childhood on a farm gave him his connection to humanity and values.
* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]: Lana Lang.
* [[Underwear of Power]]: Well, yeah. It's ''Superman.''
* [[Villainesses Want Heroes]]: [[Hot Amazon]] Maxima thinks Superman would make a good baby daddy.
* [[Voodoo Shark]]: Superman needs to change into his costume, so he has to duck away for a second...into a phone booth?
** It made more sense when phone booths were walled off boxes you couldn't look inside, rather than tiny glass bubbles around a phone [[Technology Marches On|that don't exist any more anyway]]. [[Superman (
*** In ''[[
* [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?]]: Both Smallville (see above) and Metropolis -- though the "Big Apricot" is almost universally on the East Coast somewhere, and 90% of writers make it a [[Captain Ersatz]] of New York City. In the Fleischer cartoons, in fact, it was specifically stated that Clark & co. lived in ''Manhattan''; it was a plot point in the "Electric Earthquake" short.
** Eventually, it was settled that Smallville's location would be in rural Kansas. As for Metropolis, it's often hinted that it's at the bottom of upstate New York, somewhere on the state's small coastline. The story in which Earth-Prime's Superboy first appeared, right before the Crisis, explicitly described Earth-Prime!Manhattan as having overgrown and overrun the location of Metropolis, suggesting the two locations are adjacent but not identical. Alternately, several other sources have placed it in Delaware. And one briefly-canonical source put it on Great Egg Harbor Bay in New Jersey, a few miles southwest of Atlantic City.
* [[Wife
* [[Will Not Tell a Lie]]: Superman himself, mostly. Except for those related to his [[Secret Identity]].
** And not even then. It isn't ''technically'' a lie if he says his name is Kal-El when asked, after all...
* [[Wolverine Publicity]]
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk goes back to [[Another Dimension|his own dimension]] if tricked into saying his name backwards, though [[Post
* [[Wonder Child]]
* [[Wrong Parachute Gag]]: In #176, which explains how Superman decided on his ideal location for his Fortress of Solitude, he's on a flight over the arctic as Clark Kent when the plane suffers engine troubles. Almost immediately, everyone went for the parachutes, but Clark, who was inspecting the packs with his x-ray vision, notices a ripped parachute and switches it with his good one. Luckily for Clark, nobody notices the [[Human Aliens]] dropping like a stone in the arctic night.
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{{reflist}}
{{IGN Top 100 Heroes}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:The Kiddie Ride]]
[[Category:Better Than It Sounds/Comic Books]]
[[Category:New 52]]
[[Category:DC Comics Characters]]
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[[Category:The DCU]]
[[Category:The Great Depression]]
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