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Superman: Difference between revisions
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** Chloe Sullivan, from ''[[Smallville (TV)|Smallville]]'', is ''en route'' for this. Originally created because Clark needed an [[Intrepid Reporter]] friend, but putting Lois from the get-go would [[Genre Savvy|trigger everyone's sensors]]. DC Comics has since bought the rights to use her character, apparently just to prevent misuse from a third party; but now that they have her, <s> it's just a matter of time until she shows up in some comic</s> it's been announced officially at Comic-Con 2010 that plans are now in motion to officially bring her into the comics in Action Comics #893.
** ''[[Smallville (TV)|Smallville]]'''s Lionel Luthor, Lex's father, has been brought into continuity as well. Although Lex had obviously always had a father, albeit barely-glimpsed in flashbacks, in recent years his father has officially been referred to as "Lionel," and in ''Superman: Birthright'' he was depicted as having a beard and long hair just like on ''[[Smallville (TV)|Smallville]]''. Recently, he reappeared in the ''[[Blackest Night]]'' story arc to get revenge on Lex for murdering him.
** 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 (Comic Book)|Icon]], [[Astro City|the Samaritan,]] [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 (Animation)|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 (Manga)|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''.
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** 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 Universe]] catch phrase. Metropolitans no longer speak these words because they ''actually'' think the blue and red figure in the sky is a bird or a plane, but because those are their lines, and they get a kick out of performing them for the tourists.
* [[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 insignias are used for Superman/Batman crossovers.
* [[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.
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* [[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.)
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** The possibility of Superman having children with Lois Lane, or any other female human for that matter, some writters goes with the basic: DNA extruture being completely different from each other, imposible to make children; others goes with the [[Power of Love]] full stop, different species can't stop true love so children can be made, no problems. Or [[Take a Third Option]]: It ''becomes'' possible with the help of [[Sufficiently Advanced Science]].
* [[Depraved Kids' Show Host]]: The Prankster
* [[Determinator]]: Oooooooh, just
* [[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]]
* [[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
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* [[Evil Knockoff]]: Bizarro
* [[Evolutionary Levels]]: The first [[Canon]] [[Hand Wave|explanation]] for Superman's powers in ''Action Comics'' #1. His unnamed planet was centuries ahead of Earth on the evolutionary scale. Originally, he had been conceived as being the last post-human from the end of time, rather than an alien from another planet.
**
* [[Expansion Pack World]]
* [[Expy]]: Of [[Classical Mythology|Heracles/Hercules]].
* [[Eye Beams]]: Heat vision. Originally this was just his [[X-Ray Vision]] turned up full blast, but eventually the heat effect got its own name.
* [[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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* [[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.
* [[High Altitude Interrogation]]: Superman has, [[The Cape|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
** In [[The Movie]]... not so much.
* [[Hologram]]: Usually of Jor-El.
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* [[Just Whistle]]: Jimmy's wristwatch can summon Supes.
* [[Justice League of America]]
* [["Kick Me" Prank]]: [http://www.comicsninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Superman-kick-me.jpg This comic], along with a dose of [[Added Alliterative Appeal]].
* [[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.
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* [[Muggle Foster Parents]]: The Kents.
* [[My Dear Idiot]]: Lois Lane's use of "Smallville" for [[Superman|Clark Kent]] in some continuities goes from insulting to affectionate over the course of time.
* [[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!
* [[Name's the Same]]: Despite her name, Lois Lane is not going to be in [[Kiss Me Kate|the musical version of ''Taming of the Shrew'']].
* [[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 As the Plot Demands]]
* [[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-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]. Superman rarely enjoys such moments, but he has his moments. Superman explicitly tells Darkseid that he's going to enjoy finally ''not'' holding back in the final episode of ''JLU'', in a major [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].
{{quote| '''Superman''': That man [Batman] won't quit so long as he can draw breath. ''None'' of my teammates will. Me? I've got a ''different'' problem. I feel like I live in [[World of Cardboard Speech|a world made of
* [[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 pre-Crisis Superman) and helps him defeat the villian. In the end he realizes the incredible power the sword will give him and feels that it will make him an all powerful protector. He decides he doesn't want this power and throws it into space.
* [[Not Allowed to Grow Up]]: After decades of teenagerdom, [[Jack Kirby]] finally let Jimmy reach the age of 21, and he stayed an adult until the [[Crisis On Infinite Earths|Crisis reboot.]]
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* [[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 [[Infinite Crisis]].
* [[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.
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* [[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]]''.
* [[Raised By Natives]]: The Kents
* [[Reality Warper]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk
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* [[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.<br />
'''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
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* [[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-Crisis]] version of Terra-Man [[In Name Only|never left Earth and is an eco-terrorist)]]
* [[Spider Tank]]: A recurring [[Running Gag]] in Superman stories (including ''[[Superman Birthright]]'' and ''[[Superman Doomsday (Animation)|Superman Doomsday]]'') is Supes having to fight a giant robotic spider, due to [[Executive Meddling]] (by [[Jon Peters]]) on the never-made '90s Superman film.
* [[Spinoff Babies]]: Superboy, "Superbaby"
* [[Starfish Character]]: Comic fans had almost forgotten it, too.
* [[Stealth Mentor]]: Mr. Mxyzptlk, [[Depending On the Writer]].
* [[Story-Breaker Team-Up]]: Superman / Madman. Averted with ''Superman / Batman''.
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* [[Stock Superhero Day Jobs]]: "Mild Mannered Reporter for a great Metropolitan newspaper..."
** In an episode of ''[[Smallville (TV)|Smallville]]'', Tess Mercer points out that a Superhero might think twice about being a reporter, as their coworkers make a job out of REVEALING SECRETS, among other things. She says this in response to a character that's more or less read off the list of reasons why being a reporter is a Stock Superhero Day Job.
* [[Strong As They Need to Be]]: Supes' strenght seems to be all over the place sometimes, writers differentiated it by making scales of power between the other earths, in which the Superman from that universe isn't as strong as the Superman from the other one; ''[[Crisis On Infinite Earths]]'' came and mostly made the presence and worth of other earths useless, with this Supes was (in theory) given a consistent power level; still it's common to see writters making notes about how Superman ''can destroy Earth'' with his [[One-Hit Kill|strongest punch]] and run at the [[Super Speed|Speed of Light]], things that only the ridiculously overpowered Silver Age (Pre-Crisis) Superman could do.
* [[Superheroes Wear Capes]]
* [[Super-Hero Origin]]: There was this planet, see, and it exploded...
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* [[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 SilverAge/Pre-Crisis incarnation.
* [[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 (Film)|The 1978 movie]] got a good gag out of Superman trying to duck into a phone booth, only to find a booth-less kiosk. However, there is also another wrinkle to the legend: when reporters found themselves in the middle of a story, they would duck into the first phone booth and call the editor. Perfect alibi!
*** In ''[[Smallville (TV)|Smallville]]'', it makes sense again: the Daily Planet basement still has old-fashioned phonebooths from when the building was built. The booths are tucked away in a corner of the basement and the one exposed side is covered with stained glass. Granted, though, Clark only seems to use it at night when no one else is in the basement.
* [[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. Alternately, several sources have placed it in Delaware.
* [[Wife-Basher Basher]]: In the very first issue of his own comic in the 1930's, Superman deals with an abusive husband by brutally throwing the guy into a wall and beats
* [[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...
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