Superman

Superman, by Alex Ross

Superman is the fictional protagonist of several movies, comics and television shows. He is a superhero. Superman is the last son of Krypton, a distant planet much larger than Earth with a red sun. Raised by two Methodist Kansas farmers, Superman was blessed by his alien heritage with great powers. In his initial appearances, his power set consisted of being "faster than a speeding bullet", "more powerful than a locomotive", and "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Since then, his powers have been expanded to include incredible strength, super speed, flight, invulnerability, super breath, and various forms of superhuman senses (super-hearing; x-ray, heat, telescopic, and microscopic vision). He is severely weakened by green kryptonite, can be reduced to normal human levels of power by light from a red sun, and is vulnerable to magic. Superman was created by Jewish cartoonists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (a Canadian) in the 1930s, and is one of the first comic-book superheroes.

Superman is seen as a symbol of America, reflected in his red and blue costume and marketing material describing his mission as the protector of "truth, justice, and the American way". He lives a secret double life, posing as the "mild-mannered reporter" Clark Kent. He specifically works in the news media so he can more easily hear about and attend the scenes of crimes. In most continuities, Superman is romantically involved with Lois Lane, a fellow reporter. His best friend is teenage cub reporter, later photographer, Jimmy Olsen.