DC Comics has created hundreds of memorable superheroes and villains, but even for those in the world that are completely oblivious to the world of comics, it’s pretty hard to not know about Superman. Superman is a character who doesn’t over-complicate things and comes in a pure package of polished ideals and an almost stereotypical portrayal of what a superhero should look like. Superman is also a character who’s been around for much longer than other DC characters.
This gives the Man of Steel a greater level of notoriety, but it also means that more time has passed for the superhero to change and evolve since his inception. Superman is still largely the same as how he was envisioned and his morals haven’t been compromised, but he has gone through clear changes that reflect the ebbs and flows of the comics industry and the unwavering optimism of the character.
15 He Can Fly Now
One of the primary skills that Superman now uses and takes for granted is his ability to fly around the world at ease. It’s considered to be the bare minimum for Superman now, but upon his creation in the ‘30s, the hero only had “enhanced leaping,” not actual flight. It wasn’t until the Silver Age of Comics came in where Superman got the much-needed flight upgrade to grab audience’s interest.
14 His Relationship With His Powers And The Sun Has Changed
Superman's powers were set for the most part during the Golden and Silver Age of Comics, but Post-Crisis saw Superman's origins being tweaked in ways that affected how the character operates. It was changed so that Superman's skills are linked to the yellow sun's energy, wherein they will grow stronger the more that his body absorbs, but can also get weaker, too.
13 He Helped Found The Justice League And Beyond
Superman’s story is based on him being an outsider and he has a difficult adjustment period when he first arrives on Earth. Over time, he not only finds a community, but he’s able to help spearhead it and help encourage others in a productive way. Superman goes on to help found the Justice League, but Batman Beyond goes on to show that he’s still a member of the Justice League Unlimited and taken up the mantle of leader since he’s the one that extends an offer to Terry McGinnis.
12 He’s Died And Come Back To Life
A major difficulty with the Superman character is to create compelling stakes and tension around the villains that he faces. Superman appears to be invincible a lot of the time, but audiences learned this wasn’t the case with the iconic “Death of Superman” story arc. Fans learned that Superman can absolutely die and that the means to bring him back to life are not always an easy process.
11 He Gains Super Vision Powers
Upon Superman's genesis in the '30s, his powers were limited to just enhanced versions of typical human skills. The '70s gave Superman a wealth of new abilities, like many super skills associated with his vision. X-Ray vision and heat vision, as well as enhanced sight (to a microscopic level), all soon become new helpful skills for Superman.
10 His Suit Has Changed And Evolved
Superman’s blue, red, and yellow suit is iconic and it’s just as much a symbol of hope as he is. Despite this, the character’s outfit has changed in various ways over the years, both in subtle and more drastic cases. Batman Beyond, for instance, shows that he’s progressed to a sleek black-and-grey design. There have also been incidents like Electric Blue Superman, which take his costume to even further extremes.
9 He Develops A Tremendous Healing Factor
Initially, Superman's strength was so severe that no one was really able to land a punch on him in the first place, let alone harm him. As villains got more proficient, the comics gave Superman a healing factor to help him out. One of the most extreme examples of this is when he's able to regenerate his body from a mere skeleton in the events of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
8 There Are Many Supermen, Not Just Him
Superman seemed like one of a kind when he first debuted, but the comics have slowly introduced comparable Kryptonians and other versions of the character who have stepped up during Superman’s absence. In fact, the whole “Death of Superman” storyline sees a handful of Superman substitutes all rise to the forefront with hopes of becoming the new main Superman, to various degrees of success. However, even after Superman Prime’s return, there are still plenty of other versions that remain out in the wild.
7 He’s Gotten Married And Had A Child
Superman may be an alien from planet Krypton, but it’s a beautiful sight to see him slowly soften up to Earth and its customs. Clark Kent is able to fully immerse himself in a grounded existence and over time he doesn’t just marry Lois Lane, but they have a child together, Jonathan Samuel Kent, which begins a whole new chapter in Superman’s life and ties him to Earth in a whole new way.
6 He Lives For A Million Years And Becomes A Literal God
Grant Morrison’s DC One Million is an outrageous premise for a miniseries. It catapults DC’s universe to the 853rd century to examine how the world of superheroics has changed in close to a million years. It’s a fascinating study, but one of the biggest revelations to come out of it is that Superman has gone on to live in the sun’s core, which has turned him into an immortal golden entity who’s powerful on a whole other level.
