Superman is the most iconic superhero of all time. Between his upstanding moral fortitude and his incredible awe-inspiring power, he exemplifies everything it means to be a superhero.
Over the course of his comic book history, Clark Kent has had many super-powered allies to join in his adventures. None more closely tied to him than the Superman Family. All of them with close personal ties to the hero, the Superman Family is one of the most formidable teams in all of comics. Here are the top ten most powerful members of the Superman Family.
10 10. Krypto
Krypto the super dog. Surviving Krypton and making his way to Earth, Krypto inherited many of the same abilities as his human/Kryptonian counterparts. A fan favorite character, Krypto has endured through a number of different interpretations, some of them extremely cartoonish and others as your average pet dog.
Although the power of the yellow sun's rays greatly enhances his strength, he remains at the bottom of this list because he is a dog, and his strength/ other abilities were scaled down because of his smaller stature.
9 9. Nightwing (Chris Kent)
Although his name is Chris Kent, Nightwing is actually the son of General Zod. Taking on the name of the famous Kryptonian vigilante, Chris Kent fights alongside his adoptive father, Superman.
Born in the Phantom Zone and being of Kryptonian lineage gives Chris an interesting set of powers, the most unique of which is his telekinesis. While he is not quite as strong as the average Kryptonian, he also has an immunity to Kryptonite.
8 8. Superboy (Jonathon Kent)
The son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, this version of Superboy is a character fans had been waiting for. His arrival was not disappointing. Some of his most exciting adventures are when he fights alongside Damian Wayne, the son of Batman aka Robin.
Although incredibly powerful, Jonathon's young age and small stature limit how much he can actually do. With his father's tutilage, Jonathon will no doubt be a great hero. He just hasn't reached total greatness quite yet.
7 7. Steel
John Henry Irons, aka Steel, is one of the many replacements for Superman that stepped forward after the hero's apparent demise. A brilliant weapons engineer, Irons designed a suit of armor that gave him flight and enhanced strength among various other built-in abilities.
In a more recent story, John's DNA was tampered with by Lex Luthor, and he become entirely composed of stainless steel. He now had enhanced strength and durability without the need of a suit. The effects were temporary, and Steel is back to doing what he does best with the help of his "Man of Steel" armor.
6 6. Superboy (Connor Kent)
When it appeared that Superman was dead, many people felt the need to find a replacement. Some even went as far as to try to clone his DNA. The attempts were successful, creating Conner Kent.
What makes Conner stand apart from other members of the Superman Family isn't just his origins, but also his "tactile telekinesis." Essentially, Connor doesn't have the powers of Kal-El despite what it looks like. Instead, he uses limited telekinetic ability to mimic enhanced strength, flight and invulnerability.
5 5. Superwoman (Lois Lane)
On a number of different occasions Clark's one true love, Lois Lane, has gained his abilities and taken on the mantle of Superwoman. Most notably among these was when Superman created the "Exo-Genes" formula, designed so that Lois could feel what he feels and experience a day in the life of Superman.
Although Lois is able to replicate Kal-El's abilities, presumably at the same power levels, due to the limited number of times she's been powered up, Lois doesn't quite make the top of the list.
4 4. Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Due to the ongoing tv show and recent movie rumors, Supergirl has gained quite the following over the past few years. This is for good reason. The biological cousin of Superman, Kara Zor-El has always been a standout character in DC comics.
Just like her cousin, Kara is powered by yellow sun radiation, giving her all the abilities of Superman. Longer exposure to the sun has at times shown the added effect of slowly increasing her abilities. This actually makes her, sometimes, stronger than Kal-El. Unfortunately, those effects are short-lived.
3 3. Power Girl
The Earth-Two counterpart of Supergirl, Power Girl has often found herself stuck in the mainstream universe our most beloved characters reside in. Going by the alter ego Karen Starr, this hero has always been a cult favorite among DC fans.
Although she has been through various incarnations in the comic books, most of them make Karen a very powerful character. Many times it appears that she is even more powerful than her counterpart, Kara.
2 2. Mon-El
Hailing from the planet Daxam, this characters true name is actually Lar Gand. Finding himself on Krypton shortly before the planet's destruction, Jor-El helped ensure his safe travel to Earth. Upon his arrival Lar suffered amnesia, forgetting everything he used to know. Upon meeting Kal-El, the two considered Lar's abilities as proof he was a long lost brother. So they named him Mon-El. "Mon" because his arrival landed on a Monday, and "El" because it is Superman's Kryptonian family name.
Imbued with all of the powers of Superman, Mon-El is no doubt one of his strongest allies. The only setback Mon-El faces is the fact that while Kryptonians are weakened by the rare element Kryptonite, Daxamites are weakened by lead, which Earth is rich with.
1 1. Superman
The boy scout himself. Superman is not only the strongest member of the Superman family, but also one of the strongest heroes in the DC universe. So much so that some enemies the entire Justice League couldn't defeat with Clark are easy practice for the patriotic hero.
Not only does he have all of the classic powers of Kryptonians, in recent years Kal-El has also gained a few additional ones. His most notable new power is the "superflare." An extension of his heat vision, Superman can now increase that power until it eventually results in a massive explosion of red solar energy. With all the god-like abilities he possesses, fans are happy knowing that such power couldn't be in better hands.