Superman's power level

[elgaz]

You like marvel and dc...great. No one said it was that kind of debate. I used hulk and thor cause they're the only movie heroes who're in supes power range, not cause they're marvel.

I thought Superman and Sentry would be on an even par?

 

[elgaz]

....and passes out due to the kryptonite, falls to earth so hard he causes a crater, and ends up in a coma.

you make it sound like it was no big thing. there were clear consequences of him lifting a kryptonite laden NK.

Not to mention the obvious strain he was under while lifting it, it's not often you see Superman sweating.

In fairness, he had flown up above the clouds and basked in pure solar radiation for a short while to energise himself before lifting it.

 

[WildcatNC]

I thought Superman and Sentry would be on an even par?

They are, but so is Thor. Thats why I don't like Sentry though, he's to much of a direct rip off really. Sure Superman inspired a lot of other heroes, but at least TRY not to make it so obvious.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

I have to agree with those above who suggested for a very powerful Superman. I do not want to se him nerfed down as he was in '86. The gist of the character allows for great stories and battles at his most powerful.

I do not think that Lex Luthor (with a suit of course) should be physically battling him. I think his villains should be other alien beings such as Darkseid, Mongul, etc.

In addition, I would add I have problems with Kryptonite in the way it is used today. In Smallville (even though an else world it is an adaptation of Superman), it can be found ver easily to the point that I don't think Superman would be truly a threat to any villain. Make it extremely rare, if at all, and make it weaken him gradually like any slow acting poison or radiation would a normal person.

 

[Ajendo]

No luthor! I dont need to see his shiny dome in yet another supes movie.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

But only the Donnerverse version.

There are other incarnations out there. If the name alone is the problem they could call him Darius Dax

 

[afan]

It's the fact that Superman is power-full that makes him the most powerful super-hero...i.e. Flash may be faster, but he is not more powerful than Superman. Hulk may be stronger, but he is not more powerful, etc.
He doesn't need to be the best in any one or all areas, it's the combination of his powers that makes him numero uno.

 

[Lencho01]

People who understand and can write him correctly know that his power level is not an issue to making the character interesting. When people say they feel Superman is too powerful to write interesting stories with, they are actually making excuses for their own failures to handle the character. Superman could move planets but he couldn't change what is inside the hearts of men like Luthor or stop the evil heartless androids like Brainiac with just power alone. Superman's world is about morality and decisions. This is what makes him so interesting-that he is a moral, altruistic man in an ever more selfish and cruel world.

Lex Luthor, Brainiac or Mongul (here's some irony for you: Pre-Crisis Mongul was STRONGER than Superman, Post-Crisis they had about the same power) are not capable of challenging Superman?

I was once talking with someone about the common reason people say they don't like Superman because he's too powerful and isn't "relatable." It was in response to Whedon's comments on why DC films suck. You can read these about it...

http://www.slashfilm.com/joss-whedons-theory-on-why-dc-comic-book-movies-usually-suck/

http://screenrant.com/how-dc-comics-should-be-making-movies-kofi-5723/

He said this...

Yeah, I can definitely relate to Spider-Man, who's so nerdy that nobody likes him, yet who inexplicably has his pick of big-tittied girls who all want to sleep with him for some reason. That's so relatable. I think it happened to me last week.

I've said it before and I'll say it as often as I have to. The idea that Superman is not a relatable character is BS. He might not be especially relatable to teenagers, who might see more of themselves in Spider-Man or Batman (characters with a bad case of adolescent arrested development), but Superman is a character who relates more to the struggles of adults who have gone out to make their way in the world. Superman is what comes after you put down your silly "me against the world" mentality and adopt a less self-centered worldview.

When you lose a loved one, blaming yourself and bettering yourself out of guilt is Spider-Man. Feeling wronged and bettering yourself out of a need to lash out is Batman. Reflecting on the positive aspects of the one you loved and bettering yourself by emulating them is Superman.

And there's the very basic routine of how he conducts his life. Superman isn't a rich guy with a huge house and lots of cars. He's not a nerdy teenager who inexplicably has a dream job and lots of big-breasted female suitors. He goes to work. He has a good friend at the office, a boss with whom he shares an unspoken mutual respect, and a female coworker for whom he pines. His whole life is one of labors for the benefit of the world around him--not to sate personal guilt, get revenge, or anything silly like that--which is very much a working class thing.

It has nothing to do with power level, either. Saying you identify with Spider-Man more because he's less powerful is like saying you identify with MJ more because Shaq is taller.

He later went on to say this when Snyder was announced as director...

http://ievolvedintothis.com/?p=104

With great power…

Superman has immense powers and an unerring moral compass. People often mistake this to mean that Superman has no problems. How can he, if he can do anything and he always knows what’s right? But consider it: Superman insists on using his powers consistently with what his moral compass tells him. That’s what makes him special.

When we fail to act according to what we know to be true, or act in spite of what we know to be false, the consequences can be devastating. Imagine what that’s like for Superman. His problem is never about whether or not he has enough power to do something. It’s that he has enough power to do anything. It’s a terrible responsibility that often gets glibly underestimated.

The Formula

Those problems are only made worse by people’s expectations of superhero stories. The formula goes like this: establish the character, explain his powers, and pit him against another character with similar powers. That’s superheroes in a nutshell, right?

The problem is that the formula is barely interesting in the first place. When you factor in Superman’s absolute physical superiority, you get a dramatically inert physical conflict. Superman’s always going to punch the bad guy out.

The trick is to find other ways to challenge him. Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II used romance to complicate Superman’s feeling of obligation towards humanity. That’s one strategy. Choosing complex villains is another.

 

[elgaz]

Very interesting quotes. And bang on the money too.

A storyline involving Brainiac would certainly be suitable if they're trying to find a villain who is more interesting than just a physical threat.

Brainiac is complex, hugely intelligent and has various means (only some of which are physical) of attacking Superman. He's a manipulator also. Tie in some kind of background where Brainiac is involved with the destruction of Krypton and you also have some kind of emotional resonance for Superman.

 

[afan]

The thing is de-powering Superman, does not preclude writers from exploring the "character" of Superman, or bar the inclusion of interesting adversaries.

 

[Lencho01]

True, but it generally feels that depowering him is just for the sake of writing action and whatnot. Not much about what his character is like.

 

[afan]

True, but it generally feels that depowering him is just for the sake of writing action and whatnot. Not much about what his character is like.

It's about both..........However having an all powerful Superman eliminates stories like "Panic in the Sky" an episode of the George Reeves TV series, which featured both a physical challenge to Superman and an exploration of his character.
It also features a collaboration between Superman and Earth science to remove the threat. Another facet of the character I prefer....(and I dare say de-powering him is the only way to make it possible) .....that Superman cannot prevent any and all crimes or disaster's both natural and man-made...That he is not looked at as the saviour of Earth by it's populace, but rather a valuable ally, and often it is only that collabortaion that wins the day..

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I thought Superman and Sentry would be on an even par?

Sentry doesn't have a movie or one being made, as far as I know.

 

[Lencho01]

It's about both..........However having an all powerful Superman eliminates stories like "Panic in the Sky" an episode of the George Reeves TV series, which featured both a physical challenge to Superman and an exploration of his character.
It also features a collaboration between Superman and Earth science to remove the threat.

I've never gotten that impression from reading discussions about his powers. It's usually about how much he can or cannot do and who's powerful enough to take him on physically. But, that's the general fanboy way of thinking. This discussion is interesting.

Anyhow, they could always leave it pretty open and not make it an issue if he's strong enough to do something like say in All-Star Superman. I don't think think anyone is really expecting to see him push planets around like they're nothing, though. But, seeing how this is a film for the masses as well as fanboys, I'm sure his strength will be made an issue somehow.

Do people really wonder about that? And I'm talking about the general audience. Did people think about Batman, Iron Man, Spidey, etc. not being able to win in the end? Whatever he faces, he's likely going to overcome it through brains and/or brawn.

 

[batman_1989_]

I want an all powerful Superman...think of the potential!!!Grant Morrison proved that a good writer can handle a demi-god..in his JLA run,he showed a Superman who had the power to move small planets

 

[Lead Cenobite]

It's about both..........However having an all powerful Superman eliminates stories like "Panic in the Sky" an episode of the George Reeves TV series, which featured both a physical challenge to Superman and an exploration of his character.
It also features a collaboration between Superman and Earth science to remove the threat. Another facet of the character I prefer....(and I dare say de-powering him is the only way to make it possible) .....that Superman cannot prevent any and all crimes or disaster's both natural and man-made...That he is not looked at as the saviour of Earth by it's populace, but rather a valuable ally, and often it is only that collabortaion that wins the day..

I believe there was some reference to kryptonite being in the asteroid, which is the reason it weakened him enough for the impact to give him amnesia.

 

[Alientraveller]

Forgive me if this idea might've been brought up before, but I think it would be good if Superman starts the film with his classic powers of flight, speed, superstrength, bullet bouncing and enhanced senses. Zod and Faora keep pushing Superman to the point he discovers the true depths of these powers (I'd imagine this Superman is early enough in his career to not have a reason to break the sound barrier before.)

Even as a child, I found Superman's x-ray and heat vision and cooling breath a bit random. It'd be neat to emphasise Superman's abilities to see infrared light and microscopic detail alongside x-ray vision to make it feel less random. I think heat vision and freeze breath could be something Superman discovers during the course of the movie as he has summon more strength to fight the villains. I'd love it if the sound effects guys gave this sense Superman is charging and absorbing more solar rays to power himself (gosh I'm making Supes sound more and more like Solarman, ha just found there is a Wikipedia article for such a character).

 

[GreenKToo]

I wouldnt care if they didnt show superbreath.

 

[Alien Anal]

I dont see why we cant just have it so his powers are ever increasing. Like the poster above me.. he gets pushed into discovering how powerful he can be.. maybe that scares him?... anyway

I would love to the a Superman that could eventually become like the All-Star one but i highly doubt we will ever see that in live action.

 

[Godzilla2014]

Ideally, I think his power level should be somewhere around that of Superman: The Animated Series. That would be powerful enough to be Superman, but not so powerful that no challenge should last more than a few seconds, if that. One thing that I do not want to see again is Superman being vulnerable only to Kryptonite. That got so annoying in the past five movies. Superman has other weaknesses too, you know.

I am interested in the idea that his powers evolve, and that might be interesting to see in film. My idea is that he starts off with his powers from ACTION COMICS # 1, and then his other classic powers emerge and his existing powers are augmented as his power level reaches maturity.

 

[DE LA LUNA]

Forgive me if this idea might've been brought up before, but I think it would be good if Superman starts the film with his classic powers of flight, speed, superstrength, bullet bouncing and enhanced senses. Zod and Faora keep pushing Superman to the point he discovers the true depths of these powers (I'd imagine this Superman is early enough in his career to not have a reason to break the sound barrier before.)

Even as a child, I found Superman's x-ray and heat vision and cooling breath a bit random. It'd be neat to emphasise Superman's abilities to see infrared light and microscopic detail alongside x-ray vision to make it feel less random. I think heat vision and freeze breath could be something Superman discovers during the course of the movie as he has summon more strength to fight the villains. I'd love it if the sound effects guys gave this sense Superman is charging and absorbing more solar rays to power himself (gosh I'm making Supes sound more and more like Solarman, ha just found there is a Wikipedia article for such a character).

Sounds interesting.

 

[DarthAlani]

Ideally, I think his power level should be somewhere around that of Superman: The Animated Series. That would be powerful enough to be Superman, but not so powerful that no challenge should last more than a few seconds, if that. One thing that I do not want to see again is Superman being vulnerable only to Kryptonite. That got so annoying in the past five movies. Superman has other weaknesses too, you know.

I am interested in the idea that his powers evolve, and that might be interesting to see in film. My idea is that he starts off with his powers from ACTION COMICS # 1, and then his other classic powers emerge and his existing powers are augmented as his power level reaches maturity.

Terrible idea, Animated Superman was far to weak

 

[elgaz]

Sentry doesn't have a movie or one being made, as far as I know.

I meant in terms of power levels compared to the other superheroes in their respective Marvel/DC universes.

 

[BigThor]

Terrible idea, Animated Superman was far to weak

Supes wasn't weak at all in JLU, he was pretty powerful in his fight with Captain Marvel.

I think that would be a great power level for a live action Superman, because he's powerful enough to make you go "oh ****" while still having to struggle every now and then.

 

[BigA]

I just hope Supes gets a chance to let loose like this. We need to see those "Oh *****" moments.

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