10 Superman misconceptions that refuse to die

Superman, Clark Kent, Kal-El, are all the names of a superhero that was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for the DC comics. The muscular superhero has appeared in comic books since 1938 and has an enduring and rich legacy. The character has been so popular that in every decade, there has been a new iteration about the character in movies, shows, and video games. While there are some common characteristics about Superman, like the fact that he comes from the doomed planet Krypton and was sent on Earth as a baby, there have been many other characteristics about the character that are seen as a given. However, with modern versions of the character, the popular understanding of the superhero also changes and leads to many misconceptions about him. Here are 10 such misconceptions about the superhero that are ingrained in popular culture and refuse to die.

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Lois Lane is the only love of Superman, he was the sole survivor of Krypton, and other misconceptions about Superman that don’t die even though it is not true

1. Kryptonite is his only weakness

Many fans of Superman continue to believe that the glowing green rock from his home planet is the only thing that can ironically kill him. And while the kryptonite does have a powerful effect upon Superman, it is not the only thing that can make him weak. Throughout comic books and other forms of media, the kryptonite has been used to threaten the caped superhero by mentioning that the rock can sap him of his strength or long exposure can even kill him. However, the superhero is also vulnerable to others things like being powered by magic. Therefore, someone like Black Adam can hang with him in a fight. Also, the Man of Steel is not immune to blunt force from other powerful beings like Doomsday and Darkseid. While the beloved superhero is undeniably powerful, he is not indestructible and there are ways to weaken him, apart from the dreaded kryptonite.

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2. He is the last survivor of Krpyton

Even if there are people who have not watched Superman in the form of movies or comic books, they would still know that the superhero comes from a planet called Krpyton and was the last survivor, before the planet got destroyed and Superman had to be sent to Earth. Many enthusiasts go deeper and they know that Superman was the son of the scientist Jor-El and he sent his son to Earth to grow up and become the greatest superhero. However, there is more to the story. In most of the stories surrounding the superhero, he is not the sole survivor of Krypton’s destruction. He is generally joined by his cousin, Kara Zor-El, who also has a similar backstory to Superman. Further, even other villain from Krypton like General Zod and his followers also make the move towards Earth as they were trapped in the Phantom Zone when Krypton exploded. During the early renditions, the superhero was also accompanied by Krypto, who is also a survivor from the planet.

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3. Lois Lane is his only romantic interest

Another misconception about Superman that needs to be cleared is regarding his romantic interests. While Lois Lane has been the ultimate romantic pairing with the superhero, there have been many modern iterations of the superhero, which have explored his love life more fully. Even though Lois Lane and Superman’s pairing is iconic and for a long period of time, Lois was the only one the superhero loved and cared for, there have been other versions of the superhero, where he has indulged in other relationships. In the teen drama Smallville, Superman has a crush on Lana Lang, who is his high school sweetheart. Further, during the DC’s reboot of their comics, a young Superman has a passionate romance with Wonder Woman, which echoed the Elseworlds story where the two become a pair after Lois dies at the hands of the Joker. Therefore, fans of the superhero will be surprised to know that Lois is not the only love of the superhero's life.

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4. Superman never kills

While other superheroes can have moments where they become violent and even kill their enemies, Superman is generally seen as the paragon of virtue amongst the canon of superheroes. As one of the first superheroes to have become widely famous, the superhero had the pressure upon him to be spotless and have a perfect character. In the early iterations of the character in comics and movies, he was seen as faultless and as the opposite of what villains or regular humans are. He was someone who didn’t have any vices or character flaws like other heroes did. This is also the reason why people in modern times feel like Superman is now dated and obsolete. However, the Man of Steel has killed before, even though it is unthinkable for his fans. In the Man of Steel movie, there was criticism when the superhero killed Zod in the climactic moments so that he could save a family. However, this is not the first time the superhero has killed Zod. In a story from the 1980s, the superhero has killed Zod and his followers before with the help of a kryptonite.

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5. Superman and Batman can’t stand each other

As the two most memorable and iconic superheroes that have been in the public perception since many decades, Superman and Batman have often been pitted against each other. Though there is no big rivalry between the DC comics stars. Even though the movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, propagated this enmity as they were manipulated by Lex Luthor and were presented as having two different worldviews, the reality is quite different. In the majority of stories featuring the two, they share a common goal of justice and protection and are the founding members of the Justice League. The two have teamed up on many occasions and think of each other as allies and friends. While they both do show some difference over their method of pursuing justice, the two share a warm relationship that has the same goal of protecting people.

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6. He’s the most powerful DC hero

The fact that people consider Superman to be the strongest DC hero might be because the Man of Steel has been around for a long time and was one of the first superheroes to become widely popular. Further, there have been many stories in pop culture media and comics that depict this fact. However, there are other superheroes that have a lot more power than the famous superhero. Interestingly, even in the Justice League, there are a lot of heroes who hold immense power. For example, Green Lantern is only limited because of his willpower and there have been moments where he has shown his incredible might. Plus, in the modern times, there have been superheroes that draw on other sources of power apart from brute strength like Spectre. While Superman might be incredible powerful, he has a traditional sense of power and the new crop of heroes are much more powerful because they draw power from other sources.

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7. Superman is always optimistic

Another point that draws on the superhero's character is the fact that he is always happy and optimistic. Because the Man of Steel belongs to an earlier generation of superheroes that were uncomplicated and were more righteous than the average human, they were always shown to be positive and exemplary. In the famous first Superman movie, Christopher Reeve is always seen smiling after taking down a villain and everything ends on a positive note. However, modern versions have changed this perception. In Man of Steel, the hero was shown as a deeply troubled man who is struggling to find his identity. Many people were even annoyed because they couldn’t imagine the hero as being traumatized. However, there have been many stories in comics that portray the Man of Steel as being burdened by his duties of being Earth’s protector and also grappling with his personal life. Modern iterations have changed the one-dimensional way in which the hero is viewed.

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8. He’s always a newspaper reporter

Another misconception about the superhero is that his only job as Clark Kent is to be a newspaper reporter. The image of Superman changing from his reporter’s clothes into his superhero attire is so well-known that it is difficult to imagine the hero in another profession. Clark Kent is always portrayed as a humble reporter working in The Daily Planet and pining for Lois Lane, while also saving himself from the wrath of his editor Perry White. And while the profession fits him perfectly—as he uses his journalistic snooping to find where crime is happening and save the people—it is not the only job he does. During the 1980s, he was a TV reporter, which was done to make the character more modern and relevant. In DC’s New 52 reboot, Clark became a blogger as online journalism took over print. In Kingdom Come, an older Clark is seen leaving journalism to become a farmer. Therefore, with the many different versions of the superhero over the decades, there have been changes in his professional role as well.

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9. Lois Lane doesn’t know that Clark Kent is Superman

One of the defining traits of early superheroes is the fact that they hide their heroic identity from people and live a life as a commoner, while also saving the people as a superhero. While there have been stories where Lois Lane is unable to figure out that the man whom she works with, Clark Kent, is also the superhero she is so obsessed about, there have also been changes in that notion. In Man of Steel, Lois knew from the beginning that Clark was an alien and other modern iterations have also shown Lois being aware of Clark's identity. While comics have still continued to keep that mystery factor alive, other forms of media have tried to change that narrative. Therefore, the popular misconception that Clark Kent’s identity has always stayed hidden from Lois Lane, is incorrect.

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10. There’s only one kind of kryptonite

Another misconception regarding the kryptonite is that it only occurs as the famous glowing and green rock that can take away all of the superhero's strength. However, that is not true. While the green rock is the most well-known version and is commonly depicted as such, there are variations to the kryptonite as well. There are a bunch of kryptonites and all of them have different effects on Superman and other Kryptonians that come into contact with them. For example, there is a red kryptonite as well, which causes erratic behavior and the cure for it lies in the blue kryptonite. A black kryptonite splits a Kryptonian into a good and evil version of themselves and a silver one can result in altered perceptions and extreme hunger. Therefore, there have been other versions of the kryptonite as well that many fans of the superhero might not know.