The origin of Superman and his superhuman powers have been a central narrative for

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

since his inception, with the story of the destruction of his home planet, his arrival on Earth and emergence as a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

evolving from Jerry Siegel's original story into a broad narrative architype over the course of Superman's literary history and as the character's scope continues to expand across comics, radio, television and film. The original story was written by Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, and published as a part of the character's first appearance in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). As more stories were published, more details about the original story were established. These stories explored individual details, such as the planet

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is of ...

, the source of Superman's powers and his relationships with supporting characters. Because continuity was looser during the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

and the Silver Age, many of these stories contradicted each other. As Superman was adapted into other media, his origin story has been frequently retold. These origin stories adhere to the basic framework created by Siegel and Shuster, with minor variations made to serve the plot or to appeal to contemporary audiences. Some of the details created for these adaptations influenced the origin story in the mainstream comic series. In more recent years, the origin story has been revamped in the comic books several times. In 1985,

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

published ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

'', which created the opportunity to definitively revise the history of the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green L ...

. Superman's origin was subsequently retold in the 1986

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

'' The Man of Steel'', written and drawn by John Byrne. The story was later removed from continuity ("retconned") and replaced with the '' Superman: Birthright'' limited series in 2003 and 2004, written by

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', '' Fantastic Four'' and ''Da ...

and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu, as Superman's official origin. After the '' Infinite Crisis'' limited series in 2005 and 2006, Superman's origin was revised yet again, unfolding throughout Superman's regular publications and the '' Superman: Secret Origin'' mini-series in 2009 and 2010.

Basic story

While the individual details vary, certain key elements have remained consistent in almost all retellings. Superman is born Kal-El on the

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

planet

. His parents, Jor-El and Lara become aware of Krypton's impending destruction and Jor-El begins constructing a

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, ...

to carry Kal-El to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

. During Krypton's last moments, Jor-El places young Kal-El in the spacecraft and launches it. Jor-El and Lara die as the spacecraft barely escapes Krypton's fate. The explosion transforms planetary debris into

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

, a radioactive substance that is lethal to superpowered (via Earth's yellow sun) Kryptonians. The spacecraft lands in the

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, where it is found by a passing motorist. Jonathan and Martha Kent

adopt Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

Kal-El and name him

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

. As Clark grows up on Earth, he and his adoptive parents discover that he has superhuman powers. The Kents teach Clark to use these powers responsibly to help others and fight crime. Clark keeps his powers secret in order to protect his family and friends, who might be endangered by his criminal enemies. In order to use his powers to help humanity, Clark creates the

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

of Superman. A number of elements are added to each identity to keep them distinct enough to prevent the casual observer from matching them. Superman wears a characteristic red and blue costume with a letter "S" emblem and a cape. Clark Kent takes to wearing glasses, styling his hair differently, changing his body language, significantly altering his voice, and wearing looser clothing and suits that hide his physique. Clark Kent moves to

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

and takes a job as a

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

at the ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

,'' where he meets his friends and co-workers,

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the '' Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and ha ...

and editor

Perry White Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the ''Daily Planet''. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and ...

. Superman becomes the subject of frequent headline stories written by Lois, and the two become romantically attracted to each other.

Common variations

Superman's public debut has differed throughout decades of publication. Originally, he first donned the costume and began fighting crime as an adult. Later, he was shown to have begun his heroic career as Superboy, changing his name to Superman after he grew up. The character's history as Superboy was retroactively erased from continuity in '' The Man of Steel'' retelling of the origin. In current continuity, Clark used his powers to aid others while still a youth, operating as "a rarely-glimpsed American myth – the mysterious 'Super-Boy'".

Influences

Superman's origin was influenced by the science fiction stories appearing in

pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

that Siegel and Shuster were fond of and by a variety of social and religious themes. Siegel and Shuster created multiple characters named Superman. The first was a villain with telepathic powers, published in the short story "

The Reign of the Superman "The Reign of the Superman" (January 1933) is a short story written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster. It was the writer/artist duo's first published use of the name ''Superman'', which they later applied to their archetypal fictio ...

". A later collaboration in 1934 with Russell Keaton has a Superman that is a meta-human sent back in time as an infant, where he is found and raised by Sam and Molly Kent. Yet another version, which was unpublished, was a crime fighter without any superhuman abilities, which Siegel and Shuster compare to another of their creations,

Slam Bradley Samuel Emerson "Slam" Bradley is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He is a private detective who exists in DC's main shared universe. The character concept was created by DC Comics founde ...

. They felt that a virtuous character originating from Earth to possess superhuman powers would make the character and stories seem less serious, inviting comparisons to humorous strongmen like

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar. Siegel has cited the John Carter of Mars stories by

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, ...

as an influence on the source of Superman's strength and leaping ability being the lesser

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

of a smaller planet.

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term ''genet ...

once remarked that Superman's origin had strong similarities to a story he had written and published early in his career, where a

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...

scientist sent his infant daughter into space to save her from their planet's destruction. Superman carries some similarities to Hugo Danner, the main character in the novel ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

'' by Philip Wylie. Danner's great strength comes from a serum injected into him by his father while still a fetus which gave him the proportional strength of an insect. The scientific explanation for the source of Superman's powers published in ''Action Comics'' #1 also compared Superman's great strength to an ant's ability to carry hundreds of times its own weight and a

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

's ability to leap great distances. Wylie later threatened to sue National Comics for

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and though ...

. Siegel signed an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a stateme ...

that claimed Superman was not influenced by ''Gladiator'', though he had reviewed the novel for his

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

''Science Fiction'' in 1932. Because Siegel and Shuster were both

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, some religious commentators and pop-culture scholars such as

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

Simcha Weinstein Simon Weinstein, known by his Hebrew name Simcha Weinstein ( he, שמחה וינשטיין), is an English author and a rabbi. In 2006, his first book, '' Up Up and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero'', ...

and British novelist Howard Jacobson suggest that Superman's creation was partly influenced by

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

and other Jewish elements. However, Siegel and Shuster claim that having Superman drop out of the sky just seemed like a good idea.

Publication history

Pre-''Crisis''

Superman's origin took more than twenty years to unfold into the narrative that is familiar today. During the

Golden Age of Comics The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...

(1935–1953), Krypton and the Kents were almost incidental, seldom being referred to in the comic book stories. The Superman mythology expanded during the

Silver Age of Comics The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an inte ...

(1953–1970) and was refined during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

(1970–1986).

Golden Age

Siegel created, and Shuster designed, the character Superman in 1934 and intended to sell the character as a daily newspaper comic strip. They told Superman's origin over the course of twelve strips, ten of which detailed the planet Krypton. In 1938, DC Comics published Superman's debut in ''Action Comics'' #1, Siegel and Shuster were required to cut the story down to thirteen pages, and so the origin story was reduced to a single page. The story described a scientist on an unnamed doomed planet placing his infant son into a hastily designed spaceship and launching it toward Earth. When the spaceship lands, a passing motorist finds it and turns the child over to a local orphanage, where the staff is astounded by the child's feats of strength. As the child matures, he discovers more of his abilities and decides to use them for the benefit of mankind as Superman. The last panel of this origin is captioned "A Scientific Explanation of Clark Kent's Amazing Strength", explaining he "had come from a planet whose inhabitants' physical structure was millions of years advanced of our own". Kent's strength is then compared with ants' and grasshoppers' abilities to lift many times their body weight and leap great distances. Starting on January 16, 1939, Siegel's original stories and Shuster's original art work appeared in a daily newspaper comic strip through the McClure Syndicate. The first days of the Superman daily newspaper strip retold the origin in greater detail, focusing on his departure from Krypton. In this retelling, the planet Krypton and Superman's biological parents, Jor-l and Lara, are called by name for the first time. The first issue of ''Superman'', published in 1939, also featured the origin story. Max Gaines had written to Siegel and Shuster and asked them to expand the origin sequence to two pages, and to include four pages that detailed how Clark Kent became a journalist as well as a full page feature that expanded on the scientific explanation for Superman's powers. In this issue, the passing motorists are revealed to be the Kents, who leave him at the local orphan asylum but later return to adopt him. The Kents teach Clark that he must keep his powers a secret but that he will someday use them to assist humanity. Clark becomes Superman after the Kents pass away and wins his job as a reporter for the ''Daily Star'' by delivering information he had gathered as Superman about a lynch mob at the

county jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...

. The feature on Superman's powers asserts again that Kryptonians had evolved to physical perfection, but also reveals that because Earth is a smaller planet than Krypton, the lighter gravitational pull further enhanced Superman's strength. In 1945, '' More Fun Comics'' #101 introduced the concept of Superboy, establishing that Superman began his superhero career as a child. This issue showed Krypton in much greater detail than before, as a scientifically advanced world. Kryptonians did not appear to possess superhuman powers on Krypton but were aware that a Kryptonian on Earth would have them. In this story, Superman's biological parents were named Jor-El and Lara. Jor-El attempted to convince the Supreme Council that their world was doomed and that they must take action. The Council scoffed at Jor-El's warnings, so he returned home to save his family, if nobody else. But Jor-El was only able to save his son. For the tenth anniversary in 1948 of Superman's debut, ''Superman'' #53 retold the origin story, compiling and expanding upon previous versions, though the story does not acknowledge the adventures of Superboy. This story establishes the Kents as farmers and that "Clark" is a family name. Before Clark's adopted father dies, he tells Clark that he must use his powers to become a force for good. Clark's father calls Clark a "Super-Man", inspiring Clark to use the name. Superman discovered his alien origins for the first time in ''Superman'' #61. ''Action Comics'' #158 retold the origin again, this time acknowledging the adventures of Superboy.

Silver Age

After Mort Weisinger took over as editor of the Superboy comics in 1953, the mythology of Superman began growing, starting with the introduction of Superboy's pet Krypto the Superdog, the first survivor of Krypton in comics other than Kal-El himself. When Weisinger became editor of the entire Superman line in 1958, the Superman mythology began expanding even more rapidly. Producing over a hundred Superman stories a year, Weisinger aimed to introduce a new element to the character's mythology every six months. By this time, the basic elements of Superman's origin were in place, and Weisinger capitalized on it. Weisinger and his writers gave Superman history and family and constructed a world for readers to explore. Through flashbacks, imaginary stories and time travel, Superman comics in the Silver Age examined the implicit themes of Superman's origin as an orphan from another planet, while also providing explanations for many key story elements. In 1961, ''Superman'' #146 told the most complete version of the origin story to date, this time inserting references to other elements of the expanding Superman mythos, including Jor-El's warning to his brother

Zor-El Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A Kryptonian, he is the brother of Jor-El, husband of Alura, father of Supergirl, and paternal uncle of Superman. Traditional depictions of Zor-El in Golde ...

, father of Supergirl, about Krypton's fate and Krypto's launch into space.

Bronze Age

The stories published under Weisinger remained the basis for Superman's origin throughout the

. But by the time

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various tim ...

took over as the editor of the ''Superman'' in 1970, continuity had strayed from the broader outline established in the 1960s. Schwartz relied on writer

E. Nelson Bridwell Edward Nelson Bridwell (September 22, 1931 – January 23, 1987) was a writer for '' Mad'' magazine (writing the now-famous catchphrase, "What you mean...we?" in a 1958 parody of ''The Lone Ranger'' in Mad) and various comic books published by D ...

, an expert in the fine details of the Superman mythology, to help refine the character's history. Bridwell explained to readers that many stories were no longer in continuity because they contradicted others, stating that, "It was decided that the only thing to do was to throw out part of the tales and work the rest into a consistent whole". Superman's origin was retold during this time in ''The Amazing World of Superman (Metropolis Edition)'', which adhered to the origin previously established in the Silver Age.

Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC C ...

wrote ''Action Comics'' #500 (October 1979), which featured a history of the Superman canon as it existed at the time and was published in the

Dollar Comics Dollar Comics was a line of DC Comics comic book publications issued from 1977 to 1983 and revived in 2019. The 1977-1983 line included the titles '' The Superman Family'', ''House of Mystery'', '' G.I. Combat'', ''World's Finest Comics'', ''Batman ...

format. Jor-El's life, the destruction of Krypton and the launch of the rocket that carried Kal-El to Earth, are documented in ''The World of Krypton'' (vol. 1) limited series. ''Superman: The Secret Years'' tells the story of Clark Kent's college career in which Superboy leaves Smallville to attend college, and copes with problems that force his outlook to mature, ending with Superboy changing his heroic identity to Superman after defeating Lex Luthor's plot to destroy the world.

Post-''Crisis''

In the 1980s, editors at

felt that its characters and their history had become convoluted and confusing to casual readers. In 1985, DC published ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', which rewrote the history of the

. DC had been planning to revamp Superman for some time, and ''Crisis'' gave the company freedom to reset the character from the very beginning.

''The Man of Steel''

In 1986, DC Comics hired writer and artist John Byrne, who had gained a reputation for re-energizing several

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

series, to write the relaunched ''

'' series and ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

''. In addition to Byrne, managing editor and inker

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

, writer

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

, artist Jerry Ordway and editor Andy Helfer recreated the Superman mythology from the ground up to appeal to modern audiences. This revamped origin was published in the six issue ''The Man of Steel'' limited series, written and pencilled by Byrne and inked by Giordano. ''The Man of Steel'' opened on

, vastly different from the planet developed in the Weisinger era, just before its destruction. Byrne felt that Krypton had been "'stuck' in a 1930s Buck Rogers-like art style for decades" and Giordano and publisher

Jenette Kahn Jenette Kahn (; born May 16, 1947) is an American comic book editor and executive. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as publisher, and five years later was promoted to president. In 1989, she stepped down as publisher and assumed the title of edito ...

agreed that he should redesign it. The people of Krypton were portrayed as living in a cold and heartless society. Though they were masters of science, they had repressed their emotions and passion for life. Superman learned of his alien heritage several years into his heroic career, but marginalized it in favor of his upbringing on Earth. Byrne's goal was to "pare away some of the barnacles that have attached themselves to the company's flagship title", and take Superman back to the basics. In this new continuity, the character was re-established as the last survivor of Krypton's destruction. ''Man of Steel'' also illustrated significant events in Superman's relationships, such as his first interview with

and his first encounter with Gotham City's

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...

was reinvented by Wolfman and portrayed as a corrupt business tycoon who hated Superman for exposing his unethical business practices. Superman's adoptive parents lived into his adulthood, providing hooks that Byrne felt made the character more human.

''Superman: Birthright''

In 2002, DC Comics Executive Editor

Dan DiDio Dan DiDio (; born October 13, 1959) is an American writer, editor, and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. From February 2010 until February 2020, he was the co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee. '' Wizar ...

asked writer

to reimagine Superman's origin, making the character relevant for the 21st century. After taking the assignment, Waid's goal was to present a definitive volume on Superman's origin that was familiar to longtime fans as well as casual readers who were more familiar with Superman through television and film adaptations than through comics. Starting in 2003, the new origin story was published in the twelve issue ''Superman: Birthright'' limited series, written by Waid and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu. During the early issues of the series, it was unclear if the story was intended to be the new origin of the mainstream Superman or the beginnings of a new universe, similar to Marvel's

Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *'' Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *'' The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilat ...

line. DC later confirmed that ''Birthright'' was the new official origin of Superman, and it was embedded into the Superman fiction in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #200. Krypton was redesigned again in ''Birthright'', portrayed as a society that used its advanced science and technology to make its planet into a paradise. Clark Kent respected his alien heritage and designed his Superman costume based on images of Kryptonian culture that were sent along with him in his spacecraft to Earth. ''Birthright'' establishes that

grew up in Smallville and was good friends with

. Inspired by the television series ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/G ...

'', Clark Kent's parents were portrayed as being similar to their television counterparts played by John Schneider and

Annette O'Toole Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in the television series ''Nash Bridges'', Beverly Marsh in the 1990 television mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's epic hor ...

''Superman: Secret Origin''

Following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' limited series, DC Universe continuity was revamped in a way that both kept and altered previous elements in canon, and Superman's origin was no exception. The first revelations of this revised origin came only in bits and pieces. In ''Action Comics Annual'' #10 (2007), Krypton is shown to have characteristics that resemble the version that appears in the

Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian ...

''Superman'' films. In ''Action Comics'' #850, a more complete recap was presented:

Krypto Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional superhero dog appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the character Superman. In most continuities, Krypto is Superman's pet dog, usually dep ...

appears on Krypton, Jor-El's frustrations with the Council, Clark's awareness about being adopted during grade school, a friendship with

when they are both teenagers, Clark wearing glasses in his teens, using his powers to help people while not in costume, and showing

trying to secure interviews with Superman and being friends with Clark. Finally, the

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He serv ...

/ Gary Frank ''

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" is a 2007 comic book DC Comics story arc written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, which features the character Superman and the return of the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" Legion of Super-Hero ...

'' arc revealed that Clark's membership in the

Legion of Super Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cen ...

when he is a teenager is now back in canon. A complete tale of Superman's new origin was told in the '' Superman: Secret Origin'' limited series written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank. Described as the "definitive" telling of the origin story of Superman, it features his life in

, his first adventures with the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

as Superboy, and his arrival in

all told from Clark Kent's point of view.

The New 52

In August 2011, DC Comics rebooted its continuity and launched a new line of comics after that year's '' Flashpoint'' event. While the new ''Superman'' series portrays Superman's current adventures, ''Action Comics'' began its run telling the story of Superman's early days in Metropolis. The story reintroduced many Golden Age concepts (Superman fighting political and social corruption, starting out with reduced powers, working at the ''Daily Star'' rather than the ''Daily Planet'') and removed several aspects reintroduced in ''Secret Origin'' (Clark Kent and Lex Luthor as childhood friends and his career as Superboy, though the Legion of Superheroes still played a part in Clark Kent's childhood). The story focuses on a young, social crusading Superman in a makeshift costume (shortly before acquiring the redesigned costume by

Jim Lee Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...

), fending off the attacks of the Army and their consultant Dr. Lex Luthor, as well as contending with public fear resulting from his sudden appearance and defiance of the authorities. Kal-El's escape from Krypton was depicted in ''Action Comics'', vol. 2 #5. Krypton had built its society into a paradise. As Krypton begins to explode, Jor-El and Lara first consider escaping into the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...

with their son, but the portal to the zone is shattered by the convicts already there. Their last hope is to send Kal-El away in a prototype rocket, guided by Brainiac artificial intelligence to find planets with younger suns and weaker gravity. As the ship lands on Earth, the Kents are stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, lamenting Martha's miscarriage earlier that month. They rescue Kal-El from the ship before the government arrives. The Kents slip past them by presenting the baby as their own and offering instead the body of a deformed calf as the alien occupant. His adoptive parents die in car accident when he is young. Ultimately, Superman meets and battles the Collector of Worlds, saving the Earth and receiving the public's trust as the world's first Super-Hero.

''DC Universe: Rebirth''

Following the comic book crossover event '' Convergence'', it was revealed in the mini-series ''Superman: Lois and Clark'' that the pre-'' Flashpoint'' version of the character had survived the universal transition into the ''New 52'' and was living on the new DC Universe's Earth with his wife, the pre-''Flashpoint'' Lois Lane and their young son. After the indigenous ''New 52'' Superman was killed, the pre-''Flashpoint'' Superman became the DC Universe's primary version of the character once again. This brought the events of 2009's ''Secret Origin'' series back as the primary Superman's origin story once more. In 2017, the ''Superman'' and ''Action Comics'' titles crossed over for a story arc entitled ''Superman Reborn'', which re-characterized what occurred in the New 52. After ''Flashpoint'', the single consciousnesses of both Superman and Lois Lane were fractured in two by an unknown entity, explaining why the two incarnations were able to exist at the same time. Co-writer Dan Jurgens explained, "The events of ''Action'' #976 reset and reshape the entire Superman timeline. Where there had been two Superman, their realities have now been fused into one timeline with just one of them. And, yes, Clark and Lois are back at the ''Daily Planet''. Not only does everyone know they had a child; they were there shortly after Jon was born. The ''Daily Planet'' crew has known Jon his entire life". Flashbacks seen in that story indicate that the origin as depicted in the New 52 and in ''Superman: Secret Origin'' have been hybridized, with most of the characters' pre-''Flashpoint'' histories overwriting early New 52 stories. In 2019, the mini-series ''

Doomsday Clock The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...

'' made further alterations to the origin of Superman in the modern DC Universe. While an early issue explained that the deaths of Jonathan and Martha Kent occurred in an automobile accident when Clark was an adolescent (explaining their absence from the New 52), the conclusion of the story saw that alterations to the timeline made by Doctor Manhattan led to Clark becoming Superboy at an early age, allowing him to save his parents from their fatal collision and remain alive well into Clark's adulthood.

Other versions

In the DC Comics

Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The dif ...

, there are several versions of Superman originating from different parallel Earths. Most of these counterparts have subtle differences in their origins. Alterations to Superman's origin are also frequently used as the premises for ''

Elseworlds ''Elseworlds'' was the publication imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that took place outside the DC Universe canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that deviate from the established con ...

'' and imaginary stories published by DC Comics.

Parallel earths

Kal-L is the Superman of the pre-''Crisis''

Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth Two or Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between ...

. His origin adheres to the basic origin, but he arrives on Earth early in the twentieth century and becomes active as a superhero in 1938. On his version of Krypton, all Kryptonians had superhuman abilities on their home planet due to the planet's greater gravitational pull. Kal-L never had a career as Superboy. The origin stories that appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 and ''Superman'' #1 are attributed to Kal-L.

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an Alternative versions of Superman, alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in ''DC Comi ...

comes from the pre-''Crisis''

Earth-Prime Earth Prime (or Earth-Prime) is a term sometimes used in works of speculative fiction, most notably in DC Comics, involving parallel universes or a multiverse, and refers either to the universe containing "our" Earth, or to a parallel world wit ...

. On this Earth, Kal-El is teleported to Earth moments before the planet Krypton is destroyed when its sun went

supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or whe ...

. Because Earth-Prime's Krypton was consumed by its sun, Kryptonite never comes into existence in this universe.

''Elseworlds''

In '' Superman: Red Son'' Superman's ship was launched by descendants of

and Lois Luthor in Earth's far future. The ship, travelling backward through time, lands on a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

collective farm rather than in

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. Instead of fighting for "... truth, justice, and the American Way", Superman is described in Soviet propaganda broadcasts "... as the Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes th ...

, and the international expansion of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...

". In '' Superman: Speeding Bullets'' Kal-El is found by

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and Martha Wayne, who decide to adopt the baby and name him Bruce. After Thomas and Martha are gunned down by a mugger, Bruce reacts by burning the mugger with his heat vision and discovers his superpowers. Years later, he decides to create a secret identity for himself as the

and starts to brutally strike back at the criminals in Gotham City. In '' JLA: The Nail'' the Kents do not discover the spacecraft because their truck's tire was punctured by a nail. Kal-El is found and adopted by an

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churc ...

family and does not become Superman until much later. In the Tangent Comics reality, Superman's origin is completely different as an ordinary man finds himself evolving into something millions of years beyond human. '' Superman: True Brit'' is a humorous re-imagining of Superman in which the ship crashes in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. In '' Superman: Secret Identity'', a teenage boy named Clark Kent in the "real world", where Superman is nothing more than a comic book character, somehow develops super-human powers like those of his namesake. After a brief career as a mysterious, non-costumed "Superboy", Clark dons the fictional character's colors and continues to work in secret as "Superman".

In other media

Given Superman's cultural status as one of the most recognizable fictional characters ever created, he has been adapted into other forms numerous times. On first time outings, such as the premiere episode of a television series or a first feature film, the origin story is generally depicted.

Radio

His origin's first depiction outside of the source material was in the 1940 radio serial ''The Adventures of Superman''. In this version, after being sent off in the rocket ship from Krypton, a kind of Counter Earth on the other side of the Sun, by his father while still an infant, Superman matures during the flight and emerges full-grown as an adult when he lands on Earth. He is greeted by a man and a boy who give him the idea of disguising himself as Clark Kent, after which he looks for a job at the Daily Planet. Among other concepts and characters, the radio program introduced kryptonite into the Superman mythology. These fragments of radioactive debris from Superman's home planet were created to allow actor Bud Collyer the occasional time off from recording, as Superman periodically succumbed to the baleful rays and be absent for some episodes. Kryptonite was incorporated into Superman's origin in the comics in Superman #61, published in 1949.

Superman 1940s cartoons

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of ...

presented the origin in the first of the Superman animated cartoons. Titled simply "

", (also referred to as "The Mad Scientist"), the animated short begins with a brief prologue that introduces Krypton as an advanced civilization that had brought forth a race of supermen, whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection. When giant quakes threaten to destroy Krypton forever, one of the planet's leading scientists places his infant son in a rocket bound for Earth. A passing motorist finds the uninjured child and takes it to the local orphanage. As the child grows to maturity, he discovers his powers and eventually takes the identity of Clark Kent. Jor-El is not mentioned by name in this first cartoon and Clark's adoptive parents are not mentioned at all. The Fleischer cartoons were responsible for Superman being able to fly. When they started work on the series, Superman could only leap from place to place. But they deemed it as "silly looking" after seeing it animated and decided to have him fly instead.

''Superman'' film serial

The first chapter of the 1948 ''

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

, titled "Superman Comes to Earth", depicts Superman's origin in detail. In this version, Krypton is a rugged planet that is home to an advanced civilization of super men and women. As Krypton experiences a series of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and tidal waves, Jor-El calls an emergency session of the governing council to warn them of the planet's impending fate. Jor-El explains that Krypton is being pulled into the sun, which will lead to the planet's destruction in short period of time and urges the council to sponsor the construction of a fleet of spacecraft to carry the population of Krypton to Earth. The council votes against Jor-El's proposal, even as the tremors shake their session and grow in frequency. Jor-El returns home where he and his wife Lara send their infant son Kal-El to Earth in a model spacecraft that was intended to test the proposed larger spacecraft. On Earth, Eben and Martha Kent find Kal-El in the spacecraft and pull him from it before it explodes. The Kents decide to raise him as their own and name him Clark. Clark is shown learning about his abilities as he grows up, displaying great strength and speed, x-ray vision, super hearing and super durability. Once Clark is an adult, Eben explains how he and Martha found him and that Clark has a responsibility to use his powers wisely and justly in the interest of truth, tolerance and justice. They agree that the world needs him and that he must leave their farm and go where he is needed. Clark states that he will pursue a job that will keep him close to world events, so he can be aware of emergencies immediately. Martha gives Clark a uniform made from the blankets they found him in and he decides to take on the secret identity Superman. The Kents die shortly after this conversation and Clark moves to Metropolis. In later chapters, Clark applies for a job at the Daily Planet, and is hired after delivering a story on a mining accident from which Superman rescues Lois Lane.

''Adventures of Superman''

The 1950s TV series '' Adventures of Superman'' explored Superman's origin in the first

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

, titled "Superman on Earth". The destruction of Krypton and Clark's upbringing by the Kents are largely identical to the version presented in the 1948 film serial. In this version, Clark decides to move to Metropolis after Eben dies. He is hired by the Daily Planet after getting an exclusive interview with a man rescued by Superman in his first public appearance.

''Superman: The Movie''

The origin presented in

's 1978 ''Superman'' film is considered to be the definitive origin story not only for Superman, but a template for origins stories in the super hero movie genre. The film keeps the classic components intact, but explores more of Clark's boyhood in Smallville. Much of the film's groundwork is laid during the film's first sequences on the planet Krypton, with actor

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

portraying Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El. In this film, Jonathan Kent dies but Martha survives to see her adopted son become Superman. ''Superman'' is divided into three basic sections, each with three distinct themes and visual styles. The first segment, set on Krypton, is meant to be typical of

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...

s, but also lays the groundwork for the

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

analogy that emerges in the relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El. The second segment, set in Smallville, is reminiscent of 1950s films, and its small-town atmosphere is meant to evoke a

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of the country's culture. Rockwell is most famous for the ...

painting. The third (and largest) segment was an attempt to present the superhero story with as much realism as possible (what Donner called "verisimilitude"), relying on traditional cinematic drama and using only subtle humor instead of a campy approach.Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz, DVD

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

, 2001,

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

''Lois & Clark''

In the 1990s television series ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', more inspiration was taken from Byrne's work on Man of Steel. Feeling it was a more relatable version of the story, the show's producers and main developer also kept around Superman's adoptive parents as regular cast members, giving the main protagonist people to confide in. The series pilot begins with Clark's arrival in Metropolis. Clark and his mother develop his uniform in a musical montage set against Bonnie Tyler's single " Holding Out for a Hero". Superman makes his public debut saving a

space station A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station ...

mission from sabotage by Lex Luthor, who is initially portrayed in his corporate tycoon incarnation. Clark's adoptive parents explain how they found him in a spacecraft in the second episode "Strange Visitor (From Another Planet)" and how they initially believed that he was part of an experiment when investigators ask them about

debris Debris (, ) is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, or, as in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier, etc. Depending on context, ''debris'' can refer to ...

from a Russian space station. Clark later learns that he is from Krypton after finding the spacecraft in the custody of the secret

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

Bureau 39. Clark questions why he was abandoned, but later learns of Krypton's destruction through a series of messages left for him by Jor-El in the episode "Foundling". The series explored more of the history and culture of Krypton in a

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vid ...

that spanned the final episodes of the third season and the first episodes of the fourth.

''Superman: The Animated Series''

'' Superman: The Animated Series'' premiered with a three-part episode titled " The Last Son of Krypton". The series creators felt that focusing on the alien civilization of Krypton in the premiere episode would help differentiate the series from their earlier work '' Batman: The Animated Series''. They intended to mirror the structure of the origin presented in the 1978 film, but they felt that it would seem stale unless they added some new dimension to it. This version's major difference is Brainiac's role in Krypton's destruction. Brainiac is portrayed as the

supercomputer A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second ( FLOPS) instead of million instructio ...

that monitors Krypton and advises the planetary council on scientific matters. He senses the imminent destruction of the planet, but denies it so he can avoid the council's order to organize the planet's evacuation and instead focus on saving himself. Brainiac reasons that the loss of the planet itself and all its living inhabitants is part of the natural order, but his own survival would ensure the preservation of Krypton's history and achievements. Because he goes against Brainiac and the Kryptonian Council, Jor-El becomes an outlaw in their eyes as he works to save his son. After the destruction of Krypton and Kal-El's arrival on Earth, Brainiac eventually becomes an enemy of Superman.

''Smallville''

The

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

''Smallville'' is a reimagining of the Superman mythology, starting from Clark Kent's teenage years. The series is named after Clark Kent's home town and focuses on the challenges he faces growing up in the rural midwest, while also discovering his super powers and the details of his alien origins. The series creators and cast specified that the series is about Clark Kent and not Superman, and that the character would not appear in costume or fly in the series. However, by series end, at least one of these rules was broken.''Smallville'' Season 10 Episode 21–22, "Finale" The series begins with the arrival of Kal-El's spacecraft in Smallville during a massive

meteor shower A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extr ...

that affects the rural town for years to come. Jonathan and Martha Kent find the child and adopt him with the help of Lionel Luthor. The Kents raise Clark and instruct him that he must not reveal his powers to anyone. Clark initially becomes friends with Lex Luthor, but Lex's obsession with learning Clark's secret drives them to become enemies. Clark is aware of his super-speed, super-strength and invulnerability in the series pilot. In subsequent episodes and seasons, he discovers other abilities, including X-ray vision, heat vision, super hearing and super breath. Clark has demonstrated his ability to fly while under Jor-El's control, but does not know how to use this ability at will. Details about the planet Krypton are revealed slowly over the course of the series. Clark learns of the planet and his alien origins from Dr. Virgil Swann. He later discovers that Jor-El had programmed his memory and will into the spacecraft that carried Clark to Earth. Through Jor-El, Clark learns that Zod's ambition to conquer Krypton led to the planet's destruction. Clark's journey is completed in the last episode of the series, when he dons the costume and becomes Superman to stop

Apokolips Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is co ...

from colliding with Earth.

''Superman Returns''

Director Bryan Singer felt that most people were familiar with Superman's origin and wanted to make ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...

'' as a semi-sequel to Richard Donner's ''

'', with the two films sharing the same origin story. The movie opens with a very brief summary of the origin story that reads, "On the doomed planet Krypton, a wise scientist placed his infant son into a spacecraft and launched him to Earth. Raised by a kind farmer and his wife, the boy grew up to become our greatest protector...Superman". Otherwise, the film portrays only a few scenes related to Superman's origin. The destruction of Krypton is seen before the opening credits, Lex Luthor invades the

Fortress of Solitude The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Ear ...

and views the recordings that Jor-El had sent to Earth with Kal-El, and Clark Kent discovers his ability to fly in a flashback. ''Superman Returns'' utilized footage of

as Jor-El, and nearly identical set design for Kryptonian structures as the 1978 film. Subtle similarities were also purposefully created, such as modeling the "new" Kent farmhouse after the "old" one, and having Eva Marie Saint's Martha Kent drive the same make and color of pickup truck as driven by the Kents in the original film. Certain scenes in the Kent farm also showed pictures of Brandon Routh's Clark Kent inserted into photos with Glenn Ford's Jonathan Kent.

''Man of Steel''

In 2010, Warner Bros announced that

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

, who had previously directed Batman's origin story in '' Batman Begins'', was to be the producer on a reboot of the Superman film franchise. Director

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...

stated that the film was to focus on Superman's early days and not be based on any particular comic book. For the most part, the film keeps classic elements intact but explores Clark's life before becoming Superman. Much like previous versions, Jonathan dies but Martha survives to see her son become Superman, however Jor-El also appears as a Kryptonian hologram, having secreted an

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...

based on his personality and appearance aboard Kal-El's ship in order to guide him into adulthood. '' Man of Steel'' reimagines Krypton as a technologically advanced but culturally stagnant society where natural conception is considered heretical and the citizenry are instead cloned and genetically engineered to fulfill predetermined roles in Kryptonian society based on material taken from an ancient genetic codex. Jor-El is the foremost member of the scientific caste who becomes disillusioned with Kryptonian dogma after he discovers the planet's core has been irreparably destabilized and conceives Kal-El with his wife Lara as Krypton's first natural birth in centuries before stealing the codex to infuse in Kal-El's genes and send him to Earth in the hope that a new Kryptonian civilization might one day be created to live in harmony with humanity. When Kal-El arrives at Earth, he is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark. When he reaches adulthood, Clark develops his abilities and becomes a drifter, saving people in secret. Later, Clark joins an investigation led by Lois Lane of a Kryptonian spaceship, where learns about his alien heritage. Lois, who had followed Clark into the ship, investigates Clark's life and decides to not to reveal his secret just as General Zod, an old friend of Jor-El and the former leader of Krypton's soldier caste, arrives at Earth having detected the reactivation of the ship. He is initially pleased at having found a fellow survivor but the two come to blows when Clark realizes Zod's genetic programming will drive him to create a new Krypton on Earth regardless of what will happen to humanity. During their final battle, Superman is forced to kill Zod to prevent him from killing civilians. Clark later decides to become a reporter alongside Lois at the ''Daily Planet'' in order to continue his superhero activities.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Origin Of Superman Superman storylines 1938 comics debuts