Monday, December 4, 2023

Character Analysis: Golden Age Superman

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 Backstory

Golden age Superman’s origin is pretty similar to later incarnations of himself. He’s an alien from the planet Krypton and was sent to Earth by his father Jor-el when Krypton was about to explode due to an internal imbalance with its core. According to supplementary material Superman was born on feb 29th 1916.


In the original versions of Golden Age Superman’s backstory he’s found in a field and taken to an orphanage. Later versions of the story retconned this to say he was found by the elderly couple Martha and John Kent, who secretly dropped him at the doorstep of an orphanage,and later came back later to adopt him. His human name being Clark Kent, while his original Kryptonian name was Kal-el.


Unlike many versions of Superman, his golden age counterpart didn’t become a hero until adulthood, having been inspired by the words of his parents as they passed away.


Additionally in the golden age of comics Superman was considered the “first” superhero and had no other predecessors in what eventually became the superhero community.


In order to facilitate his super hero persona Superman became a reporter at the Daily Star newspaper in the city of Metropolis. The logic being that his newspaper contacts would help him keep track of the criminal underworld and politics in Metropolis. As Clark Kent working at the Daily Star he typically adopted a more timid personality to avoid drawing attention.


Finally golden age Superman initially did not know about his alien origin as a Kryptonian. He discovered his kryptonian heritage as an adult, by traveling back in time to witness the destruction of Krypton firsthand.


Anyway It’s important to note that in the real world the golden age of comics was “splintered” into its own alternative timeline in the 1950s. Golden age heroes and stories from the 1930s-1950s were stated to have taken place on “Earth-2”, while stories involving new incarnations of Superman/Co between the 1950s-1980s(the Silver age) were stated to take place on “Earth 1”. Though the exact cut off for both eras is somewhat overlapped and ill defined. That said, the main differences are that in the golden age of Earth-2, Superman never became a child hero under the name Superboy, directly fought in WW2 and lived in a world where only the Justice Society existed. The Silver age Superman was Superboy in his youth, was a child during WW3, and was a member of the Justice League.


While working at the Daily Star Superman eventually developed a romance with its star female reporter Lois Lane, going on to reveal his identity to her and marry her in the late 1940s. 


Then after his marriage to Lois he eventually became the editor for the Daily Star. Some side material also states he had a Son with Lois, though we’ve never seen this child on screen before. 


Golden age Superman later played a major role in the first major DC crossover event, “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. In this event various heroes from parallel timelines were gathered by the “Monitor” to fight an ancient evil known as the “Anti Monitor”, who desired to destroy all parallel universes in the multiverse.


At the end of the crossover Golden age Superman himself delivered the final blow against the Anti-monitor.  However by that point all remaining timelines had either been destroyed or merged together into a single “new earth” timeline. Rather than being able to go to these new timelines, Earth-2 Superman, Lois, and two allies by the name Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor traveled to a paradise pocket universe dimension. This pocket dimension was located outside normal space-time, and allowed its inhabitants to look into the new universe as it progressed. Superman and co stayed here for years following COIE.


Unfortunately they grew dissatisfied with the direction the new timeline was headed in, a reference to the often maligned “dark age” of comics. Eventually Superman and co broke out of their pocket dimension and plotted to help Alexander Luthor alter reality to bring the original Earth-2 universe back into existence. Leading them into conflict with the “post-crises” incarnations of Superman and his allies.


After Post crises talked sense into him, Golden age Superman eventually fought to put an end to Alexander Luthor's plot. Eventually succeeding and proceeded to die in a fight against Superboy prime.


Golden age Superman’s final appearances were in the story “Blackest night” where his and Earth-2s’ Lois corpses are temporarily revived by black lanterns. Both also later returned breifly during the crossover event “Convergence” when a piece of the Earth-2 timeline was plucked from reality for that storyline.


Note: Earth-2 Superman can also technically be subdivided into another timeline variant of Superman. In some golden age stories Superman was stated to work at the Daily Planet rather than the Daily star and Perry white was his editor. This version of Earth was called “alternative Earth-2” or Earth-2-A for short. 


Also worth noting that Superman was fairly progressive even in his original incarnation. He very much preached racial and religious tolerance in an era where that wasn’t the norm, and was likely created as a subversion to backwards Nazi ideals that were prevalent at the time.


Abilities


Kryptonian physiology

Golden Age Superman’s powers work slightly differently than his modern counterparts. While he still has enhanced strength,durability, speed, and so on, the origins of his powers are unique compared to most modern interpretations. In the original continuity Kryptonians were described as having natural superstrength due to being millions of years more “physiologically advanced” than Earthlings and evolving to live under a much more intense gravitational pull on Krypton, relative to Earth. They were also stated to have their powers to a lesser extent even on Krypton.


This general concept of characters having enhanced strength/planets based on the gravity of their home planet relative to the gravity of other planets in the universe, was also used to explain the super powers of various other alien species, and humanoids.


Later stories then added on the idea that the solar rays and atmospheric differences between Earth and Krypton were also a factor in Superman’s increased Strength or powers on Earth. Though early stories actually implied that it was specifically growing under Krypton’s environment which granted certain Superpowers, not Earths. With one story explicitly even allowing a normal human to get kryptonian superpowers after living in a sealed mechanical environment that mimicked kryptonian conditions.


Even further down the line DC contradicted this by implying that Golden Age Superman does in fact intake yellow sun radiation. So it’s a bit inconsistent.


It should be stated that during the Golden Age, Superman initially started off much weaker than most incarnations of Superman, but his powers grew in power overtime. The explanation in universes was that alternative versions like Silver Age Superman got their powers sooner due to living on Krypton longer before coming to Earth(which played into the idea it was Krypton’s environment that granted powers). According to Golden age Superman, his strength peaked in his 30s.



Super intelligence

Superman has super intelligence, and a photographic memory that lets him remember things spanning back to his infancy.This intelligence also allows Superman to read thousands of lines of written material in seconds, learn various scientific subjects like chemistry or invent things that go beyond current human knowledge.


Photographic memory


Information intake


General knowledge/inventions


Flight

While initially Golden Age Superman didn’t have the ability to fly, this ability was added to his repertoire after being introduced in the 1940s Superman radio show and 1940s animated shorts. Since then Superman has been able to fly at high velocities and even alter weather  patterns or create wind vacuums via the power of his flight. 


Wind/weather manipulation


Super Invulnerability

Superman can survive environments or attacks normal people would not be able to. This includes being able to hold his breath for hours or days underwater or in space. As well as being immune to most conventional poisons, toxins, radiation, atomic disruption and human diseases.


Hostile environments


Disease


Poisons and toxins


Radiation and atomic destruction



Telescopic and Microscopic vision

Superman can enhance his vision to see far away objects or zoom in them to see microscopic aspects similar to a compound microscope. He can also see objects or emissions on the electromagnetic spectrum outside the normal human range of eyesight.


Microscopic vision


Telescopic vision


EM vision


X-ray vision

Superman is able to see through walls and solid objects with “X-ray vision”. 


Though it’s noted that Superman can not use this vision to see through lead.


Superman can also lengthen the spectrum of light given off by his eyes with this vision to create light rays.


Additionally Superman's X-ray vision originally acted as a precursor to his “heat vision”. His X-ray vision has unnatural properties that could harm some alien species of planets, could kill harmful bacteria and could be intensified to produce heat.


Heat vision

Superman eventually developed outright “heat vision”, the ability to expel energy from his eyes as a laser ray.


Super hearing

Superman has a sense of superhuman hearing, which allows him to hear sounds from thousands of feet away. Superman can also hear frequencies normally outside of human range, like radio signals.


General hearing


Radio broadcasts


Super smell

Superman also has a sense of superhuman smell.


Super breath

Superman can suck in, compress and expel air with superhuman strength. Allowing him to knock around objects, and people with small windstorms. He can also do the reverse and inhale gasses or air with superhuman strength.


Exhaling


Inhaling


Ice Breath

The ability to expel super chilled air that can instantly freeze objects of people.


Super ventriloquism 

Superman can “throw” his voice, making it seem like other people or objects are talking or allowing people to hear him over long distances. Superman can also project his voice into radio signals.


Projecting into radios


Super voice

Superman can speak or yell with extreme force and decibels of sound. This allows him to shatter objects or carry his voice forward for miles. His loudest shout is over 1 million decibels.


Super Hypnosis

Superman can perform forms of mental hypnosis, allowing him to partially nullify mind control on others or influence the actions of his opponents.


Super muscle control

Superman has super control over his muscles, allowing him to mold his body into various other humanoid shapes.


Super Vibrations

Superman can vibrate himself or other objects at various speeds or frequencies to produce a variety of effects. Including making himself invisible, passing through walls/forcefields, altering the color of objects, or destroying solid material.


Super construction

Superman can combine his intelligence, photographic memory and superspeed to build almost anything within moments.


Mind control resistance

Superman has resistance to hypnosis and various forms of mind control. Granted in some cases he needs to struggle to do so.


Time traveling/dimensional travel

By running at high speeds Superman is able to break the “time barrier” and travel either backwards or forwards in time.


Though in many instances he has some limitations in regards to what he’s allowed to do in the past. Oftentimes he can’t remove objects from a given time period, is not able to significantly change the course of history or can only exist in an incorporeal form. Though this is inconsistent, as during one travel to the past he intended to relive his early career at the Daily Planet/Star.


In addition to time traveling Superman can also vibrate between separate dimensions. 


Dimensional tearing

In the comic Infinite Crisis golden age superman breaks out of a pocket universe outside space/time by literally punching through its walls back into normal reality.



Misc powers



Arsenal

Costume

Superman's costume is stated to be indestructible and was made using the blankets Superman was wrapped in as a child. He also has a suit


Cave fortress

Unlike the modern versions of Superman, golden age Superman’s fortress of solitude was located in the cliffside of a mountain. Superman uses it as a storage unit for various machines or artifacts he’s collected over the years.


Robots

Superman has various robot androids and machines he uses to protect mankind.


Feats

Strength


Speed


Endurance



Scaling


Experience


General Training


General criminals


General monsters


Team experience


World War 2 exploits


Misc villains


Major villains


Luthor


Post-golden age experience


Weaknesses

Like all versions of himself, golden age Superman is weak to kryptonite. Kryptonite are radioactive particles of the destroyed planet krypton and can weaken Superman with significant exposure.


That said Superman does have some resistance built up to it over time. He can often moderately use his powers in its presence. It’s also been specified that the kryptonite used against him “MUST” originate from the Earth-2 version of Krypton to work.


Additionally as solar rays are at least a component in Superman’s powers to “some degree”, altering the solar radiation around him can affect the usage of his powers.


This seemingly includes the common weaknesses various versions of Superman have to the solar radiation given off by red suns. As golden age Superman was stripped of his powers after flying through one in the Infinite Crisis comic series.

Granted this moment was written decades after the golden age ended and contradicts kryptonian’s of Earth-2 having powers even on Krypton, as even golden/silver age stories portrayed Krypton as having a red sun.


Finally it is stated that Superman has no natural defense against magic.
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