Superman

Superman is a famous comic book character, and is often known as the first modern superhero character. He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1932, while they were still in high school. He first appeared in Action Comics issue #1 in 1938. Later, he appeared in movies, television series, cartoons, commercials, video games, and radio shows. Superman is one of the most popular superheroes, he is also in the DC Comics. As a superhero he does not want to kill anyone. But he was forced to kill his nemesis general Zod as Zod was about to kill people. Like other characters in the DC Universe, there have been several alternative versions of Superman over the years. Several actors have played Superman in motion pictures and TV series including Bud Collyer, Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Tim Daly, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, Tyler Hoechlin and David Corenswet.
Superman's real life origins
Mr. Siegel imagined an evil villain who read minds and dreamed of conquering the world. He went by the name of the Superman. In the 1930s, Hitler, the infamous nazi villain from real life, was talking about getting rid of the Jews and communists. This was because he believed that Germans he called Aryans were supermen. Mr. Siegel, who was Jewish, found this disgusting. But one night, Mr. Siegel tossed and turned in his bed, and had a horrible time getting to sleep. When he awoke, Superman became the superman we know today, and the evil version disappeared.
Story
Superman was born on a planet called Krypton. His name was Kal-El. When his father, Jor-El, found out that their planet was going to explode, Jor-El sent his baby son to Earth in a spacecraft to save him. Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. They named him Clark Kent. The Kents raised him as their own son in a town called Smallville, Kansas in the United States. (There is a television series called Smallville about his time growing up there)
As he grows up, Clark finds out that he has special powers. He is almost invulnerable (most things cannot hurt him). He is strong enough to lift almost anything and he can fly. Superman can also run and move faster than a bullet. He has X-ray vision (he can see through walls, he is not able to see through lead), and heat vision (shooting heat from his eyes). He can freeze things with his frost breath and his super-breath (which allows him to blow super hard). He decides to use his special powers to fight crime and save people in danger. He wears a blue and red costume and cape to keep his alter ego (his real name) a secret. He saves the entire world many times.
Superman moves to a city called Metropolis, and becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet, a newspaper. He falls in love with another reporter, Lois Lane.
His weaknesses are radioactive rocks from his home planet that are called "kryptonite"; and magic. Sometimes his enemies use it to hurt him. Diffferent Kryptoinites have different effects on him, Blue Kryptonite makes people able to control him using hypnosis, green weakens his powers and slowly kills him, black makes him evil, and red has many different effects on him (each piece of red kryptonite affects him differently). There is also gold, white, and jewel kryptonite. Some of Superman's enemies use magic to hurt him.
Affiliations
Enemies
His most well known arch enemy is a bald (hairless), evil genius named Lex Luthor. He has other deadly enemies too. Bizarro is a failed duplicate of Superman. Darkseid is a very powerful enemy, and the ruler of the planet Apokolips. Doomsday is regarded as the first villain to kill Superman in physical combat, but he is later revived. Another enemy includes General Zod who comes from the same planet as Superman.
Teams
Superman also founded the Justice League of America alongside Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, and Martian Manhunter.
TV series
Live-action
Several live-action television shows have focused on Superman:
Smallville, which ran from 2001 to 2011, starred Tom Welling as a young Clark Kent as he grows up in his hometown, leading up to him becoming Superman as an adult
Tyler Hoechlin has played Superman in The CW's "Arrowverse" superhero-themed shows and later in Superman & Lois, a separate show which focuses on Clark/Superman's home life with his wife Lois and two sons Jonathan and Jordan
Cartoons
Superman has also been featured in many cartoon shows including:
Super Friends in the 1970s and 1980s
The DC Animated Universe in the 1990s and 2000s, which included shows such as:
Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000), with Tim Daly voicing Superman
Justice League (2001-2004) and its sequel Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006), with George Newbern voicing Superman
Justice League Action (2016-2018), with Jason J. Lewis voicing Superman
My Adventures with Superman (2023-present), an anime-inspired show with Jack Quaid voicing Clark Kent / Superman
Movies
Christopher Reeve played Clark Kent / Superman in Superman: The Movie which was released in 1978, This movie has been considered one of the best superhero movies of all time and spawned three direct sequels also starring Reeve, including Superman II and its director's cut Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Brandon Routh replaced Reeve in an "indirect" sequel, Superman Returns, which was released in 2006.
Henry Cavill played Clark Kent / Superman in the DC Extended Universe, which ran from 2013 to 2023. He played the character in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and its director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Black Adam, which was a cameo appearance.
David Corenswet will play Superman in the upcoming DC Universe movie series, starting with Superman: Legacy.
References
DC Comics adapted into movies
DC Comics superheroes
Comic books
Fictional characters introduced in the 1930s
Kryptonians
Justice League
Fictional American people