57 Heroic Facts About Superman You Probably Didn't Know!

The letter 'S' means a lot to the fans of action comics around the world.

The first thing that comes to the mind of a DC fan is Superman, the most iconic superhero of all times from action comics. The letter is almost like a patriotic symbol for many Americans.

It represents Superman, who is recognized as a superhero who has gained popularity by making a mark in comics and cinema and being a living embodiment of mortality, truth, and justice that everyone, not just kids, looks up to.

The fact is that the 'S' logo printed on Superman’s costume does not mean Superman, but in fact, it stands for hero and hope. Also, if turned upside-down, it is believed to mean resurrection.

Superman gives hope to his world as well as ours by becoming that shining light that lightens up the dark universe through his presence and positivity. Clark Kent, our Superman, has an expansive history full of facts you probably didn't know about.

There is one interesting but sad fact about the actors who have played Superman which you might not know. Several of the actors who have portrayed the character of Superman in movies or TV series have been affected by what people call the Superman curse.

These actors have been affected by a series of related misfortunes. The list includes names like Bud Collyer, Lee Quigley, Christopher Reeve, and George Reeves.

The creator and original writer Jerry Siegel, and artist Joe Shuster sold the rights for the story of Superman in the year 1938 for a paltry sum of money. When both the men died, they were only receiving a pension from Warner Communications of around $20,000.

The list of Superman's powers is quite long, but the most noteworthy ones are the ability to fly, extreme strength, ability to breathe in space, and X-ray vision. Read on to know more facts about Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent.

If you are enjoying this article, be sure to also check out our Batman facts and Spiderman facts after you have finished reading!

What is Superman best known for?

Well, who in the whole world does not want to be like Superman? However, why do you think so many people are so crazy for Superman? What is Superman best known for? Let us check out some interesting facts to know the truth.

• The character of Superman was not introduced in comics until 1938. It was sold to DC Comics (Detective Comics) for just $130.
• The creators of Superman are writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Originally, Superman was to be released as a bald telepathic villain who was rough and aggressive.
• The creation of Superman’s character was inspired by famous historical heroes and, in fact, the most heroic heroes of all times, Hercules and Flash Gordon.
• Superman is best known for his strength, powers, and weapons. He possesses a tremendous amount of strength that could not be measured accurately even though it is not infinite.
• It's a fact that his body is indestructible, so he is also known as the Man of Steel.
• His ability to sense everything so particularly where he can hear feeble and faint sounds that can in no way be detected by normal humans, and the clear telescopic and microphonic visions Superman has that enable him to focus on far and distant objects and observe microscopic details of objects have been in talks ever since he was introduced as a DC hero.
• He is solar-powered, and his heat vision gives him the power to generate heat within objects, following a red glow from his own eyes.
• Superman’s cells hold so much solar radiation that Dracula once tried biting him but exploded instead.
• Superman can move, react and think at a speed greater than that of sound.
• Superman’s native planet is Krypton, which has serious kryptonite radiation that our mighty hero Superman is vulnerable to, along with magic.
• Exposure to kryptonite can have a wide variety of effects on the kryptonite exposed; all of it depends upon its color and present form.
• In one of the series, on being exposed to pink kryptonite, Superman started flirting with Jimmy Olsen. So, we can say that exposure to pink kryptonite made Superman change.
• On getting exposed to gold kryptonite, Superman may not get destroyed, but it may strip away his superpowers forever.
• After being exposed to green kryptonite, Superman turns weak. So, we can say that exposure to green kryptonite leads to great pain and weakness being caused to Superman.
• Also, an oxygen supply is required by Superman to survive in outer space. Though his lungs have the capability to fill with air before flying into outer space and this could help him to not breathe for hours, eventually, he must refill his oxygen to continue.
• What makes Superman so famous amongst people of all age groups is not just his superpowers but also his wisdom and maturity that he applies to make proper and wise use of his powers. His character is free from corruption and temptation.
• Superman is also the founding member of the Justice League of America.

How did Superman get his powers?

Superman, actually named Kal-El, was born to Jor-El and Lara on the planet Krypton from where he was sent to Earth because planet Krypton was on the verge of destruction.

• On his way to Earth, he crashed and was found by Jonathan and Martha, who raised him as Clark Kent, in Kansas, just like a normal human being.
• They taught him the virtues of hope, truth, and justice that inspired him to protect people. He worked as a journalist for the Daily Planet alongside his lover, Lois Lane.
• Even though he tried to escape the mean and dark qualities of the universe, he had an archenemy named Lex Luthor, a diabolical villain, who had hatred towards Superman because Superman made Lex Luthor bald.
• Superman’s history is interesting and full of fun facts. In the initial stage, Superman could not fly too long distances. Instead, he could just jump long distances like a samurai.
• As Earth had less gravity than Superman’s native planet, Krypton, and just like due to lesser gravity on the moon where astronauts can jump high on the moon, Superman could jump high on Earth in the same way.
• There are, of course, various adaptations and storylines today, but the basics remain more or less consistent with the initial storyline.

Was Superman born with his powers?

While coming to the Earth, Superman's starcraft crash-landed. When Jonathan and Martha found him, he was in a vessel, and so the Kents thought that the child was the unfortunate victim of a cruel experiment. They named him Clark Kent and raised him as their own son.

• Clark Kent also has a biological cousin Kara Zor-El, known by her adoptive name Linda Lee.
• When Superman was born, the baby had no superpowers. Later, his body started developing superhuman abilities as his body was Kryptonian.
• When Clark realized his powers and learned the virtues that the Kents taught him, he resolved to use his powers only for the good of humankind.
• He revealed the secret of his superpowers to his childhood friend named Lana Lang.
• Disguised in a different attire wearing the cape, Clark initially used his powers to secretly prevent disasters, but later, he was forced to use his mighty powers in public to prevent the crash of a NASA space-plane.
• As per various theories, Superman's powers are a result of him being born on another planet, Krypton. As the gravity on Krypton was stronger than that on the Earth, the inhabitants of Krypton were extremely strong.
• Moreover, Superman absorbs power from the light of Earth's sun, which is yellow in color as compared to the red sun of Krypton (Krypton is obviously from another solar system).
• Some of the most incredible powers that Superman possesses are the ability to fly, X-ray vision, extreme strength, and strong resolve.

Superman Movies

The movie franchise of Superman has been a tricky business. Superman’s movies have encompassed the very best and the very worst that the superhero action genre has to offer; it may be because Superman always topped the comic culture.

• 'Superman', 'Superman II', the Richard Donner version of 'Superman II', 'Superman III', 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace', 'Superman Returns', 'Man of Steel', 'Batman vs. Superman', and 'Justice League' are some of the movies starring Superman.
• One more interesting fact about Superman is that in the year 1945, the saying that art imitates life was proven true one more time.
• A Superman comic was about to be released wherein the scientists were successful in splitting an atom for the creation of an atomic bomb. The US government was forced to cover up the entire story as at the same time, the Manhattan Project was going on where real scientists were actually working on creating the atomic bomb in 1945 and were very close to success.

The Struggle Of Superman

The struggle of Superman has always been his identity and his want to be a human. His identity speaks all about his superpowers; he is all-powerful, a superhero.

• An average human would be grateful if they imbibe one of his many super qualities. However, all of this does not mean that Superman had no struggles and insecurities. He had a major identity crisis, which was his real struggle.
• His weakness is wanting to be a human and not being able to reveal his superhero identity. Many times he wanted to tell his friends his true identity. He wanted to show off his powers and abilities and wanted to love Lois Lane. Even though he loved her, he knew he couldn't tell her about his secret and had to struggle for a long time. He was also always afraid that his enemies might hurt her to get to him.
• His greatest enemy is himself and his urge to be a human because he was brought up in a human family, which is why he has feelings and emotions and hence, wants to be normal and live and love like an average human.

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