Being Superman means having the power to stand up to almost any villain in the DC Universe. But what most people, and even the vast majority of his allies, don't know about him is that he's constantly holding back. Superman lives in constant fear of losing control of his powers and doing something horrible, even by accident.
That being said, there have been more than a few times that Superman has straight-up cut loose and let his true strength be shown. Sometimes it was intentional, other times it was a reflex response to the situation. Whatever the case, on those days he showed a much different side of himself that no one expected.
10 Breaking Green Lantern Constructs
Being a Green Lantern means having one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy on your finger. Green Lantern rings give their wearers significant powers and abilities, including the creation of constructs made from green energy.
Those constructs can take almost limitless forms, and be put to endless uses. Unfortunately, one of those uses isn't defeating Superman. The Man of Steel certainly knows how to flex his abilities, which has included breaking out of some of Green Lantern's best constructs.
9 Rewinding Time To Save Lois Lane
In 1978, Superman was released in theaters. Directed by Richard Donner, this was the first movie to star the late Christopher Reeve as the titular character. He would set the standard for every actor playing the role after him.
As he always does, Superman fell for Lois Lane. But when she died in an earthquake, he lost control and used his powers to fly around the world at a high speed until he rewound time enough to save her. It was an impressive, and utterly impossible, move.
8 Jamming Darkseid In The Source Wall
Surrounding the DC Multiverse is the Source Wall, a solid barrier separating it from the Source. In this case, the Source is not a series of mall-based electronics stores, though it would be kind of awesome if that's all that was out there. DC's Source is a limitless form of energy that created all life.
Anyone who tries to access the Source ends up trapped in the Source Wall. When Superman got tired of Darkseid being a jerk, he lost it, dragged him to the edge of reality, and shoved him into the Source Wall. He did eventually escape but it was still an impressive show of power on Superman's part.
7 Taking Highfather's Staff From The Source Wall
As big a feat as trapping someone in the Source Wall is, taking something from it is even more difficult. The Source Wall isn't known to give up what it takes easily. A wall designed to protect the Source should not be underestimated.
After being freed from the Source Wall, Darkseid was left without most of his powers. He and Desaad manipulated Superman into pulling Highfather's staff out of the wall. Darkseid could then use it to restore his powers but they knew Superman was the only one who could do the job.
6 Fighting Krona To Save The Universe
When things started going sideways for both the Marvel and DC universes, it turned out that the renegade Guardian Krona was to blame. His pursuit of the truth about the creation of everything was endangering the entire multiverse.
All of the heroes from both universes stepped up to fight him but Superman was the only one who could strike the final blow. With the help of Captain America's shield and Mjolnir, he closed the gap. Superman had to take things up a notch to win this fight.
5 Shoving Stars Around
Superman's powers come from the Yellow Sun that Earth orbits. If Earth was orbiting a Red Sun like Krypton did, he would have no more abilities than an average human.
Several times throughout the Golden and Silver Ages of DC Comics, Superman was put in the position of having to push stars around with his bare hands. These were extreme examples of his power as he seemed to move them with little or no effort.
4 Beating The Hulk Up
When the DC and Marvel Universes came into conflict during the Amalgam storyline, several similar heroes were pitted against each other. Flash and Quicksilver faced off. Aquaman and Namor fought. Thor and Shazam beat the crap out of each other.
Keeping in mind that this was before Sentry appeared and Silver Surfer was busy with Green Lantern, so Marvel did not have someone to face Superman. So Hulk stepped up and the angry green goliath gave the Man of Steel a run for his money but that didn't stop Superman from giving him an old-school whupping.
3 Holding A Black Hole In His Hands
Black holes are possibly the most stunning and powerful phenomenon in space. They are defined as a part of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape from it. That includes light, electromagnetic radiation, and pretty much anything else in the universe.
Superman, on the other hand, seems to be more powerful than a black hole. He can lift them, and even contained a small one in his hands at one point. It was an impressive feat, though it was also a chance for the hero to show off.
2 Leveling Metropolis In His Fight With Zod
The DCEU film Man of Steel has proven to be divisive among fans for a number of reasons. The least of those reasons was the fact that Superman seemed to be largely unconcerned with the impact of his actions on the world around him.
In his final battle against Zod, he and Superman absolutely demolished a surprisingly huge portion of Metropolis in the process. This was the result of Superman cutting loose to defeat the evil Kryptonian. Maybe he should have at least moved the fight venue to somewhere more appropriate.
1 Killing Zod To Protect Earth
The threat Zod posed to Earth in Man of Steel was huge, and Superman knew that. As such, Superman made an unthinkable decision that most film viewers still have problems reconciling. Superman straight up killed Zod.
This was yet another reason why people had problems with the movie. Disregarding that, it was still possibly his greatest display of power as Zod was as practically strong as him and Superman's equal. Killing Zod may not have been the right choice but Superman was also the only person who could have done it.