Superman was one of the world’s first superheroes. He has paved the way for everyone that followed. Plenty of characters have powers that , at one point or another, have been a part of Superman’s arsenal. At the time of his debut, it was impossible for Superman to be overpowered because no one had ever seen a superhero before. The only limits to his powers were the imaginations of the writers that brought him to life. At the time, these writers made him superhuman, but he was still well within the realm of realism. Readers were satisfied because the character was still incredibly powerful for his time. Sure, he could jump over buildings and stop bullets. But his powers were believable.
Oh, how times have changed. Over the years, Superman’s power set has evolved to one that is sometimes ludicrous. No one can stop him (unless they have Kryptonite, that is). Few characters are anywhere near his level of sheer power. Kal-El can push planets and fly into the center of the Earth. The Man of Steel can time travel and stop bullets fired at point-blank range, and he’s just shy of being as fast as the Flash. In many ways, Kal-El is just too powerful. But for as many notable, OP abilities that the Last Son of Krypton has, he also has many that are completely unknown to readers. From the Super-Kiss to telepathy, Clark Kent has some strange skills. Without further adieu, here are ten of Superman’s overpowered abilities and ten powers readers didn’t even know he had.
20 UNKNOWN: ELECTRIC POWERS
There was a time in the '90s when, rather than being powered by the sun, Superman was powered by electricity and other forms of energy. At the time, writers wanted to breathe fresh air into the Man of Steel, so they replaced the classic trunks with a bright blue containment suit.
Kal’s typical power set was also substituted for a new one. Superman was suddenly intangible -- rather than bullets bouncing off of him, they went right through him. Clark could new generate electromagnetic fields and sue those and weapons and tools. He could even teleport! “Electric Blue Superman” is a controversial topic, but he had some fascinating powers.
19 OP: TIME TRAVEL
Superman and the Flash have a lot in common -- they’re both members of the Justice League, they both have super-speed and both heroes are very intelligent. The similarities don’t stop there, though. The Flash is notorious for using (and abusing) his ability to time travel, and the Man of Steel can also traverse the timestream.
For example, in 1978, when the two heroes raced in DC Comics Presents #1, they traveled so fast that they entered the timestream. Many fans also remember the classic Superman (1978) scene in which the Last Son of Krypton flew around the world and, subsequently, time-travelled.
18 UNKNOWN: ELECTROMAGNETIC VISION
Superman’s vision allows him to see on practically every spectrum, and Clark Kent’s super-vision extends to the electromagnetic spectrum. This power doesn’t have a long shelf life -- it seems likely that writers just gave it to Superman for a specific story, which is true of plenty of other superpowers. With electromagnetic vision, Superman has the useful ability to see radio waves, which allows him to trace broadcast signals.
With the evolution of technology, radio waves have become fairly antiquated, especially among comic book villains. It’s no wonder why this power has become obsolete, which is why most Superman fans don’t know about it.
17 OP: SUPER-SPEED FLIGHT
Superman can do everything at super-speed, and his flight is no exception. On Earth, his top speed is Mach 9350, or roughly 2000 miles per second. In the openness of outer space, Superman can even break light speed. He can fly fast enough to stop bullets fired at close range. Clark Kent could be considered the second-fastest man alive.
The Flash has beaten him in multiple races since their initial contest in 1967’s Superman #199. Recently, in The Flash #49, Clark even admits that Barry Allen is too fast for him. Still, Superman is freakishly fast and he uses that speed to his advantage.
16 UNKNOWN: TELEPATHY/HYPNOSIS
Superman is one of the most powerful characters in comics. So, giving him telepathy, hypnosis and mind control is just unfair. But writers have done it before. Superman’s genius-level intellect and Kryptonian brain allows him to access these mind-based powers. So, at some points in his history, Clark Kent has been able to read minds and telepathically communicate.
Kent has used his power for both good (hypnotically convincing criminals to turn themselves in) and less admirable reasons (mindwiping Lois Lane.) Thankfully, contemporary writers have realized that giving Superman the ability to read minds makes him way too overpowered, so, like Superman’s other lesser known abilities, it has been phased out of usage.
15 OP: ENDURANCE
Superman isn’t just amazingly strong. He’s also remarkably endurable; the man never gets tired. In a single day, he can go from fighting fires to preventing building collapses to battling Darkseid. Clark Kent can do these demanding tasks, and more, back-to-back and accomplish them just as effectively. The Man of Steel’s work is never done, and, luckily, Kal-El has the stamina to match his demanding lifestyle.
The Last Son of Krypton’s physical longevity is another unfair advantage he can claim over opponents. Villains can never hope to tire him out like Bane exhausted Batman in "Knightfall". Superman can go all day, which is another way that he just shy of being unstoppable.
14 UNKNOWN: TELEKINETIC VISION
In the past, Superman’s mind powers granted him more abilities than simple mind reading or hypnosis. Kal-El used to have the ability to move objects with his mind, too. Kent’s telekinesis is one of the most obscure powers the character has, though it has made its way to the big screen.
In Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, the Great Wall of China is destroyed. Superman, rather than rebuilding the historical site with his hands, uses his mind. Kal-El mentally moved the rubble with his mind to reassemble the wall. This skill sure would come in handy for cleaning up the ruins of battle scenes. Alas, Superman’s telekinetic vision is another lost power.
13 OP: GENIUS-LEVEL INTELLECT
Superman would be a boring character if he was a dumb brute. But giving the Man of Steel genius-level intellect is gratuitous. Like Barry Allen, Clark Kent can read at super-speed, which makes him one of the smartest people in the DC Universe. Writers also gave Kent an eidetic memory, which makes his brain just as powerful as his muscles.
Superman hasn’t always been a genius -- sometimes, he’s just good old Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet. In some continuities, though, Kent is amazingly intellectual. He’s invented the material for his super-suit and even attempted to cure cancer. At any given moment, Big Blue’s mind can be ranked among the most elite in the DCU.
12 UNKNOWN: SHAPE-SHIFTING
Like many of Superman’s powers, his long lost ability to shapeshift is a skill that, for many characters, is the core of their skill set. For Clark Kent, though, it was just another tool in an increasingly crowded tool box. At the time, Clark Kent could change his face and body at will to alter his appearance.
The most notable examples of Clark’s shape-shifting came in Superman #44 and Superman #45. First, Kent molded his face to change his looks. Then, he one-upped himself by changing his whole body. Superman’s shape-shifting has fallen by the wayside, but, once upon a time, he could alter his appearance with the best of them.
11 OP: X-RAY VISION
Strength comes in many different forms. While Superman’s X-Ray vision may not seem like a dangerous power, it is definitely useful in all facets of his job as a hero. Batman may be the World’s Greatest Detective, but thanks to Superman’s X-Ray vision, Clark Kent is no slouch. He can look through walls to see where criminals are hiding, and he can see through anything to find hidden bombs or weapons.
Additionally, Kal-El can use this power to find people that need his help, which is especially helpful when he’s dealing with burning buildings. For most of his history, Superman has used his X-Ray vision as another effective tool in his war on crime.
10 UNKNOWN: TELESCOPIC/MICROSCOPIC VISION
Superman’s eyes can do so much more than see through objects and fire beams of heat. Kal-El’s vision grants him a plethora of abilities. Clark Kent can see things at the smallest levels and he can also see planets and space with his naked eye. Not only can Kent see the planets; he even see what’s happening on them. With telescopic vision, Superman can keep on eye on galactic happenings without using any of the technology Batman and other Justice League members have to.
Superman’s microscopic vision has been all but forgotten, but he used it fairly often in comics in the '70s. With this power, Kent could see and analyze molecules and fingerprints, which augmented his abilities as a detective.
9 OP: SOLAR FLARE
Superman’s solar flare power may just be his most lethal weapon. This ability stems from Kal-El’S absorption of the radiation of Earth’s yellow sun over a number of years. The “Super Flare” is one of Superman’s newest abilities -- it was introduced in 2015’s Superman #38.
Then-Superman writer Geoff Johns gave Superman this new power, and, in the comics, explained that it’s an extension of Kal’s heat vision. Evidently, Clark can expel all of the solar radiation he has absorbed in one large burst. As a result, Superman is practically a walking small-scale nuclear bomb. It’s fair to argue that, with the Super Flare, Superman is both incredibly powerful and dangerous.
8 UNKNOWN: SUPER-SMELL
It’s fitting that Superman has a super sniffer. In fact, all of Superman’s senses are heightened but the others, like his sight and hearing, get more attention. However, Clark Kent’s sense of smell is just as useful as his X-Ray vision and super-hearing.
Superman has all the abilities of a bomb-sniffing dog, and then some. He can identify the chemicals/substances in any object merely by taking a whiff. What other hero can say that? Sure, being able to push planets and freeze fires gets all the glory. But Kal-El’s use of his nose to fight crime is nothing to sniff at.
7 OP: HEAT VISION
Superman’s heat vision is the power that pushes him from amazingly strong to unbeatable. Without the beams that shoot from his eyes, one could argue that Superman would only be truly effective in close quarters. The heat vision allows Superman to strike from a distance. As if the Man of Steel needed more ways to defeat villains….
Whether it’s cutting through steel or heating up last night’s leftovers, these beams of extreme heat, like Kal’s strength, also act as a very useful tool. Kent can use them to cut through the hardest objects/surfaces or heat up anything he pleases.
6 UNKNOWN: SUPER-KISS
Superman’s powers aren’t always used for crime fighting; his abilities have been used in a variety of ways, especially when Lois Lane is involved. Clark has used X-Ray vision to look at things he shouldn't have and his power set extends to his personal life in other ways, too. Multiple times in Superman’s history, Clark’s kiss has mind-wiped the receiving party. In Superman II, Clark used this power to purposely erase Lois Lane’s memory, which is a morally dubious use of his power.
Kal has also unintentionally wiped Lois’ mind with a kiss. The super-kiss is a power that may be gone, but it should never be completely forgotten.
5 OP: ARCTIC BREATH
Just as Superman can fire beams from his eyes, he can also freeze objects with his breath. Some fans have tried to theorize where this power comes from and the best guess is that Clark’s external strength also applies to his organs. As a result, his lungs/chest is strong enough that he can control the pressure at which he breathes. By doing so, when he exhales, he can manipulate the molecules of air and force them to freeze.
Like Kent’s other powers, arctic breath doubles as a weapon and a tool. For example, Superman can freeze his opponents or their weapons. Kent can also use his breath to put out fires. Either way, arctic breath is another powerful member of Superman’s arsenal.
4 UNKNOWN: SUPER-VENTRILOQUISM
If being a superhero doesn’t work out, Superman could be a top-notch ventriloquist. Or maybe Clark Kent has a solid post-Daily Planet plan on his hands. In all seriousness, Superman used to have the power of super-mimicry. Clark could perfectly reproduce any sound and/or voice. Alternatively, Kal could manipulate how people heard the sound of his voice -- he could make them believe it was coming from somewhere, or even someone, else.
Ventriloquism pales in comparison to Superman’s other abilities but, back in the day, it had its uses. Superman’s mimicry is one of the many powers that was retconned Post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths", which is why many fans don’t know about it.
3 OP: SUPER-STRENGTH
When he debuted, Superman was notably stronger than the average man. Over the years, that power has risen to incredible and, occasionally, ridiculous heights. The Man of Steel can bend that alloy with his bare hands. Clark Kent can carry planes over his head. The Man of Tomorrow can stiff arm buses and trains, and he can bench press buildings. For Superman, these are small feats compared to some of his other demonstrations of power.
Kal-El can move the Earth’s tectonic plates and he can push planets. Overall, Superman’s strength is unrivalled by other heroes and his power knows no bounds.
2 UNKNOWN: UNIVERSAL TRANSLATION
Superman began as a farm boy from Smallville but, throughout the years, Clark Kent has transcended his role as an American hero. Kent now fights for justice both internationally and universally. Many heroes are limited by the language barrier, but Superman has no such hindrance. He can learn, understand and speak any language. This ability is often linked to his aforementioned genius-level intellect.
Oddly enough, Superman’s translation capabilities are an underused part of his power set. Though the Justice League ventures increasingly into space, Clark is rarely shown speaking native alien languages. As a result, despite the usefulness of universal translation, many fans don’t realize that Superman possesses it.
1 OP: INVULNERABILITY
Excluding Kryptonite, Superman is practically invincible. He’s always been bulletproof. For the Man of Steel, knives are equivalent to feathers. Whatever you throw at the Last Son of Krypton, he can take it. As a result, he’s pretty much unbeatable when matched up with any villain (with some exceptions, of course).
Superman’s invulnerability also makes him overpowered when it comes to problem solving, too. The man can withstand any extreme environment. He can handle the heat at the center of the Earth, the vacuum of space and most other dangerous circumstances. Kal-El’s general ability to survive anything can sap the suspense out of his stories. So, it's fair to argue that his endurance makes him one of the most overpowered heroes in comics.