Superman is one of DC’s faces, and easily their most iconic character. He’s the character who kick-started the superhero genre and is the standard by which all other heroes are measured. Superheroes, by the very nature of their comics being never-ending stories, are also champions of status quos. Superman, in particular, doesn’t change very often. Everyone has a mental picture of who Superman is, and that image hasn’t changed very much at all in the last several decades. Despite Superman himself not changing as a character, the world around the Man of Steel certainly has changed a lot. After all, the Golden Age Superman and the modern-day versions are the same character, but their mythos is entirely different.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Superheroes’ worlds are always evolving, even when the heroes themselves stay relatively the same. Superman has grown. Not because of new directions for his character, but because of sweeping creative ideas that took root in his world and grew into forests of stories. Today, we’re celebrating the seven most important creative decisions that redefined who Superman is and what he’s done. These are the ideas that elevated the Man of Tomorrow into more than he ever was before, and brought his mythos to the next level. Without further ado, let’s summarize Superman’s transformative ideas.
7) Expanding His Powerset
Let’s start with a basic but very important one. When people think of Superman today, they picture him flying or using his heat vision, but he didn’t always have those powers. When he debuted, Clark only had super strength, senses, and invulnerability. Over time, more and more powers were added or tweaked. His super-leaping became more controlled until it was flight, and his X-Ray vision produced heat that would evolve into heat vision as its own ability. Expanding Superman’s powers let writers tell new stories with him in new situations. This wasn’t a single idea, but a change in how they presented him over time. The planet-shaking, unstoppable juggernaut that we love today is only around today because he was allowed to move past how he started.
6) Introducing Kryptonite
Well-informed fans will tell you that Kryptonite first appeared in the Superman radio serial, but true nerds know that it was originally supposed to appear in the comics first in the unpublished story “Secret of the K-Metal.” With Superman being as powerful as he is, DC needed a way to hurt him without introducing countless villains who could match his power. Kryptonite lets anyone challenge the Man of Steel, opening the door for characters who would normally stand no chance against him to push Superman to his limit. It was a godsend for creative villains and situations. It’s become its own word for a reason, after all. Kryptonite changed the game in a really unique way.
5) History as Superboy
Originally, Superman started his career as an adult, but DC eventually began detailing his history as the teenage hero Superboy. This opened a whole new avenue for Superman stories, which, most importantly, let DC expand on the Kent family and Smallville. Ma and Pa Kent are probably the most important family in comics, and they were the main stars of Superboy’s adventures. Smallville, one of DC’s most iconic locations and the place that molded Clark into a hero, was only introduced during Superboy’s adventures. Superman wouldn’t be who he is today if Superboy hadn’t come first.
4) Fighting Ultra-Humanite
Early on, Superman fought gangsters and corrupt politicians, but that changed when the Man of Tomorrow met the Ultra-Humanite. He was Superman’s first true supervillain, wanting to take over the entire world. Just as importantly, he was Superman’s first repeated foe, setting the precedent that villains could and should make more than a single appearance. Ultra-Humanite tested Superman in a new way with mad science and true villainy. He broke the mold for all kinds of crazy characters to fight Superman, including Lex Luthor, who was very clearly designed as another take on Ultra-Humanite. Without Superman’s first villain setting the stage, who knows what comic book supervillains would look like?
3) The Evolution of Krypton
The desire to connect with his Kryptonian roots has been a staple of Superman’s stories ever since DC expanded on Krypton’s mythos. Originally, we didn’t know anything about Superman’s home planet, but it was slowly fleshed out as a technological wonder. Krypton has changed the most out of everything in Superman’s mythos over the years. Sometimes it’s an emotionally stunted techno-dystopia, and sometimes it’s a misguided paradise. Krypton has been many things, but it’s always been a place that Clark wishes to learn more about, and its culture has heavily influenced him. Krypton is a character all its own nowadays, and that added lore is exactly what makes it so interesting.
2) Introducing Supergirl
For a long time, Superman was the sole survivor of Krypton, but that all changed when Supergirl debuted. Kara has grown into one of DC’s most important characters, always stepping up when the chips are down and saving the day as only a Kryptonian can. Kara anchored Clark to his Kryptonian heritage more than ever, but most importantly, she opened the door for other Kryptonian survivors. She proved that other heroes and villains with Superman’s powers could work, and there have been dozens introduced since. Supergirl is impossibly important to Superman and DC as a whole, and her introduction kick-started a whole new era of storytelling.
1) Marrying Lois
Superman and Lois Lane have been DC’s greatest love story since Action Comics’ very first issue. They spent decades circling each other, but finally, the two tied the knot and showed everyone what true love looks like. Lois has been Superman’s number one supporting character ever since the beginning, and as a couple, they continued to help each other grow and save the world in all-new ways. Lois and Clark’s union is a symbol of hope for DC. These two remind us that we can all be happy and chase a better future as long as we have people who love us beside us. Their marriage was one of the biggest events in all of comics, and it will always be Superman’s biggest step forward.
What changes to Superman do you think were most important? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
