While most comic fans can rattle off the usual list of Superman‘s powers like super-strength, heat-vision, and freeze-breath fairly easily, some might be surprised to learn that those powers have changed quite a few times over the years, and really only stabilized following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event in the eighties.
While some of Superman’s power shifts or additions have been subtle or short-lived, some left the character completely changed and made news around the world in an ongoing effort to keep the long-running character fresh while also attempting to explain some of his god-like abilities in new ways, which we’ll be taking a closer look at today.
10 He Gained the Ability To Fly Thanks To The Max Fleischer Cartoons
When Superman in his heroic form was first introduced in the comics, he wasn’t quite as overpowered as later incarnations and could only do smaller-scale versions of his later abilities, like leaping tall buildings in a single bound instead of actually flying.
However, when Fleischer Studios created an iconic series of theatrical cartoons starring the Man of Steel, questions were raised about his leaping ability and DC allowed the studio to make him fly instead, which was replicated in the comics to become one of Superman’s most recognized abilities.
9 Writers Tested Out A Number Of Odd Forgotten Powers During The Pre-Crisis Era
Moving from giant leaps to flying was only one of the many changes made to Superman’s abilities during the Golden Age of DC Comics, as writers would routinely debut a new ability to test it out amongst readers, only for it to never be seen again.
One of the oddest short-lived powers was Superman’s ability to create a miniature duplicate of himself that shot out of his fingers and borrowed his powers. Superman even developed a minor form of telepathy in the 60s that enabled him to erase memories with a kiss, which was famously used on the big screen in Superman II.
8 A Tactile Telekinetic Aura Was Introduced To Explain His Strength While Flying
When Superman was relaunched with Man of Steel by John Byrne in the eighties following DC’s Crisis of Infinite Earths, his power levels were reduced to better fit alongside the other heroes and villains while new explanations for his abilities were also created.
While his Kryptonian physiology had always been responsible for his super-strength, his flight and ability to carry things while flying was given new reasoning as a tactile telekinetic aura that not only carried Superman but anything he was carrying as well. This power was replicated by Cadmus when creating the clone of Superman that would become Conner Kent/Superboy.
7 Superman Gained A Blue Energy Form That Forced Him To Wear A Containment Suit
Superman’s powers were dramatically altered in the 90s after he lost his powers only to have them return in a very different and unpredictable manner as he found his body transforming into an energy form that would dissipate without a new costume/containment suit.
With the new form came a wide range of new abilities that forced him to retrain himself, like using electromagnetism to stop bullets instead of his own body. He could also completely change into his human form as Clark Kent, though he lost his abilities. This change was short-lived and after a brief split as Superman Red and Superman Blue, he returned to his original power set.
6 The 853rd Century’s Superman Prime Could Bequeath Power To His Descendents
The DC One Million event introduced a time-traveling Justice League from the 853rd Century that teamed up with their modern-day counterparts to deal with old and new threats alike while waiting for the return of their hero, known as Superman Prime. The original Superman was revealed to be immortal and had spent years searching the universe developing his abilities.
Before he retired to his hidden fortress in the center of the Sun for 15 000 years, Superman Prime created the Superman Dynasty and bestowed a fraction of his abilities to his descendants to carry on in his place. When he emerged from the sun, he had a new golden form and further enhanced abilities due to the extreme solar exposure.
5 Superman Switched Powers With Batman During The “Super/Bat” Storyline
While it was only a temporary change, Superman/Batman explored what might happen if the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight traded abilities, which made Batman an incredibly powerful metahuman while Clark Kent was depowered.
Batman was quickly corrupted by his newfound power as he set himself on a new mission to eradicate crime from the planet. Kent armored himself in a specially-designed Batsuit and was able to help the Justice League stop Batman and end the curse to switch their abilities back to normal.
4 The New 52 Briefly Reintroduced Golden Age Abilities Like Super-Intelligence
When the DC Universe was rebooted by the Flashpoint event into the New 52 timeline, Superman was one of the characters that were most affected, and his story was told in two separate eras to explain his new origins while exploring his modern-day adventures.
Superman’s new origins re-introduced a number of Golden Age abilities like his super-intelligence while also restoring his previously overpowered power levels. New abilities were even tested and then abandoned as the character’s New 52 abilities were soon balanced out again.
3 Superman’s Super Flare Was A Devastating New Ability That Temporarily Depowered Him
Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. introduced the first new power to Superman’s arsenal in decades during the New 52 era, as he discovered his new ability while locked in battle with a powerful other-dimensional threat named Ulysses. Superman overcharged his heat-vision during the battle and create a powerfully devastating blast of energy that became known as the “Super-Flare.”
This new ability also temporarily depowered him for 24 hours until his body recharged. This Super-Flare power was later exploited and used to depower him permanently until an extreme exposure to Kryptonite slightly altered his powers before restoring him to normal.
2 Superman Became A Corrupted God Of Strength During Darkseid War
The Amazonian daughter of Darkseid known as Grail first appeared during the Darkseid War event to launch her war against the New Gods, which resulted in the deification of a few DC heroes like Batman, Flash, and Shazam, though Superman also received his own dark ascension. While struggling to survive on Apokolips due to his declining powers, he was thrown into a hellfire pit.
His teammate Lex Luthor hoped it would repower the Man of Steel. His plan worked, though Superman was flooded with dark energy to become a corrupted God of Strength that stranded Luthor on Apokolips. Wonder Woman was able to use her lasso to restore Superman from the corruption, and he ultimately expended the dark energy during a final battle with the Anti-Monitor.
1 The Anti-Life Equation Merged His Powers With Darkseid In Dark Nights: Death Metal
The Dark Nights: Death Metal event introduced a hellish new DC universe ruled by The Batman Who Laughs and his army of multiversal Batmen that included the Darkfather, a Batman with the powers of Darkseid. Darkfather exposed Superman to every known form of Kryptonite in the multiverse which killed his cells, allowing the Anti-Life Equation to take over.
It began to remake him in Darkseid’s image, beginning with his stone-like arm. Batman was able to stop the transformation with his Black Lantern ring, though Superman’s powers were given a Darkseid-infusion that altered his heat vision into Omega Effect blasts and increased his other powers before the universe was reborn.
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