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| Name: | Clark Joseph Kent [Earth Name] Kal-El [Kryptonian Name] |
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| Age: | 37 (see below)
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| Height:
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6 feet, 3 inches
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| Weight:
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225 pounds
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| Eyes:
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Blue
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| Hair: | Black | |
| Occupation: | Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter, columnist and Foreign Correspondent for the Daily Planet newspaper; adventurer as the superhero Superman, writer of four novels | |
| Known Relatives: | Jor-El [Kryptonian father, deceased] Lara [Kryptonian mother, deceased] Jonathan Kent [adoptive father] Martha Kent [adoptive mother] Lois Lane [wife] |
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| Marital Status:
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Married to Lois Lane
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| Group Affiliation:
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Justice League America | |
| Base of Operations:
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The city of Metropolis, U.S.A.
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| Current Address: | 1938 Sullivan Place, Metropolis [Clark's Previous Address: Apartment 3-D, 344 Clinton Street, Metropolis] [Lois' Previous Address: 55 Broome Street, Metropolis] |
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| Birthday: | Traditionally February 29. In Action Comics #655 (July 1990) a Smallville newspaper clipping shows Jonathan and Martha Kent had a child "on or about February 28th". |
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| Action Comics #1 (June 1938), The Man of Steel #1 [Post-"Crisis"/Modern series] (July 1986) | ||
The tiny rocket was found by a Kansas farming couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent. They found the infant within the rocket and, being childless, Martha persuaded Jonathan that they should adopt him. Named Clark Kent, the child grew up in Smallville, Kansas never knowing how his parents found him.
The Kents began realizing Clark's special abilities at age 8 when he was unhurt after being trampled by a bull. Clark demonstrated more abilities as he grew, even being able to fly at age 17.
The following year, after using his abilities to excel in a football game, Jonathan Kent revealed the remains of the rocket and how his adoptive parents had found him. Clark now understood his special powers came with responsibilities.
That night, Clark revealed his secret to his closest friend, Lana Lang. He also told her he would be leaving Smallville the following day. Thus at age 18, Clark Kent began to travel around the world to learn about his powers, become better educated, and secretly help people. Places he went to include India, the High Sierras, China, Bangkok, and Sudan.
After about four years Clark enrolled in the University of Metropolis and majored in journalism. Seven years after leaving Smallville, Clark witnessed an experimental NASA space plane about to crash. He saved the plane and there first met Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. It was Lois' newspaper account of the rescue that gave Clark the superhero name of Superman.
Although Clark managed to hide his identity during that incident, he realized he must adopt a superhero identity if he was to continue a public career of superheroics. With his parents' help Clark developed a superhero costume with a distinctive chest emblem. He also practiced mannerisms and began wearing glasses to distinguish Clark Kent's appearance from that of Superman.
Returning to Metropolis, Clark began his superhero career as Superman, and his journalism career at the Daily Planet by getting the first exclusive interview with Superman.
Superman's appearance began a new age of heroes, with other heroes like Batman (Bruce Wayne) in Gotham, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) in Coast City, and Flash (Barry Allen) in Central City appearing.
At age 28, Clark learned about his Kryptonian heritage from an electro-psionic recording created by Jor-El and stored in Clark's birthing matrix (i.e. rocketship). Learning of Krypton's fate, Clark was further determined to protect his adopted home planet, Earth.
Superman's superpowers include:
Clark can survive in outer space as long as he has a breathing apparatus, and doesn't lose too much solar energy. Without an air supply, Superman can last between an hour and ninety minutes in space, after taking a deep breath. Using his powers of flight and super-speed Clark can travel inter-planetary distances by himself. Interstellar distances require assistance e.g. a spaceship, teleportation belt.
When Clark's birthing matrix left Krypton, a fragment of kryptonite became embedded in the tail section. Villain Lex Luthor obtained this fragment and used part of it for a ringstone, to protect himself from Superman. After being exposed to it for a year, Luthor found the radiation destroyed his hand, and was killing his body through cancer, necessitating he obtain a prosthetic hand, and later a new cloned body.
Note: Another villain, Mr. Mxyzptlk, a Fifth Dimensional being who can use super-science that resembles 'magic' once created red kryptonite to temporarily remove Clark's powers. Without Mr. Mxyzptlk's powers, though, this 'red kryptonite' would be harmless to anyone, and is in no way connected to genuine green kryptonite. When Superman captured three criminals in a "pocket universe" he used gold kryptonite from that universe. Batman also created his own variant of red kryptonite which rendered Kryptonian skin transparent and caused Superman to overload with yellow sun radiation.