Clark Kent (UE-2)

"Even in the darkest times, hope cuts through. Hope is the light that lifts us out of darkness."

- Clark Kent to Lois Lane

Clark Kent, born Kal-El, was one of the few individuals that survived the destruction of Krypton. Kal-El was sent to Earth at a young age, where he was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent to become a reporter for (later editor-in-chief) of the Daily Planet. In secret, he operated as the vigilante known as Superman and was identified as the Paragon of Truth during the Crisis, before being written out of existence by Lex Luthor using the Book of Destiny.

Evacuation from Krypton
Kal-El was born in 1948 to Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van on the planet Krypton. Shortly after his birth, his father discovered that Krypton would explode within thirty days. He brought this information to the Kryptonian Science Council who debated on whether or not to evacuate the planet but eventually decided against it, believing Jor-El to be mistaken. They then accused him of insurrection but withdrew this accusation in exchange for a promise that he and his wife would not leave the planet.

Jor-El then began to construct a pod, made from holographic crystals that stored information from twenty-eight known galaxies and a shard of green kryptonite, in which he would place his son. He plotted a course for Earth, but his wife was uncomfortable with this action due to the planet being thousands of years behind in technological progress, with Jor-El countering that his powers and the information within the pod would keep him safe. Jor-El then placed Kal-El in the pod and said his final goodbye before sending it on its course moments before Krypton began to collapse.

Arrival on Earth
Kal-El's pod travelled across six galaxies in the span of three years, with messages from his father playing from the holographic crystals that formed the pod before eventually arriving in Earth's atmosphere which caused the pod to warp inward and crash to the surface. He landed in Smallville, Kansas which caused a tire to pop in Jonathan and Martha Kent's truck which was driving nearby. They got out to see what the cause was and found Kal-El and his pod. Martha, believing him to be a gift from God, wanted to adopt the child whereas Jonathan wanted to alert the authorities. During the discussion, the truck almost fell on Jonathan before Kal-El lifted it which likely saved his life. This made the couple fear what the government might do if they were alerted to his existence, and so they adopted him under the name, Clark Kent.

Daily Planet Attack
At some point, the Joker gassed the Daily Planet office in retaliation for the newspaper's perceived lack of coverage of him which killed his wife, Lois Lane, and countless of his friends and co-workers. This eventually led Clark to modify his suit to have a black and red crest instead of a yellow and red crest which symbolized his belief that hope would shine through the darkness.

Powers

 * Kryptonian Physiology: Kent's Kryptonian physiology granted him a variety of superpowers when exposed to the Yellow Sun of the Solar System.
 * Solar Energy Absorption: The yellow sun radiation was able to supercharge Kent's cells, allowing him to absorb said radiation and power himself.
 * Atmospheric Adaption: Kent did not require any need of oxygen to breathe in vacuum of space.
 * Flight: Kent had the ability to fly at an exceptional speed in the air.
 * Levitation: Kent could levitate in the air in a stationary pose for a period of time.
 * Heat Vision: Kent was able to generate and release a powerful blast of heat from his eyes that appeared in a red laser-like energy blast.
 * Invulnerability: Kent appeared to be invulnerable to most conventional weapons of Earth and Krypton.
 * Heat Resistance: Kent was able to survive exposure to magma with no injuries which was demonstrated when he was inside the San Andreas Fault.
 * Longevity: Like other Kryptonians, Kent could live over an extended period of time without significant signs of aging.
 * Superhuman Breath: Kent was able to freeze objects by breathing a strong gust of wind at a low temperature.
 * Superhuman Hearing: Kent could perceive sounds from miles away, requiring him to focus one sound at a time to truly comprehend the sound.
 * Superhuman Reflexes: Kent was able to perceive and respond to attacks much faster than the average person.
 * Superhuman Speed: Kent was capable of flying and run at an exceptional speed, exceeding the speed of sound and appearing as a blur to the naked eye.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Despite flying across the globe for an extended period of time, Kent did not seem to be exhausted at all and remain capable of achieving complex tasks.
 * Superhuman Strength: Kent possessed a tremendous strength and has the power to lift heavy vehicles with ease.
 * Superhuman Vision: Kent had enhanced eyesight and is able to see objects normal humans would not notice.
 * Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Kent was capable of seeing electromagnetic waves within his optical range.
 * Infrared Vision: To determine the temperature and locate heat signatures, Kent's eyes gave him the ability to see the infrared radiation.
 * Microscopic/Telescopic Vision: Kent can see insignificant objects from a great distance.
 * X-Ray Vision: Kent was able to see through almost any material except for lead.

Abilities

 * Hand-to-Hand Combat: As an experienced vigilante and hero of Earth, Kent gained years of combat practice and became a formidable combatant in the field.
 * Indomitable Will: Kent was able to remain determined in his mission as a hero even when his closed friends had been killed by the Joker.
 * Investigation: Kent was an exceptional investigator with him having been a reporter for and later the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet.
 * Multilingualism: Kent was able to fluently speak English, Russian and Italian.

Weaknesses

 * Kryptonite: Various forms of Kryptonite had negative effects on Kent.
 * Green Kryptonite: Kent was vulnerable to Green Kryptonite, with short exposure causing discomfort and a loss of his powers and prolonged exposure proving fatal.
 * Lead: Kent's X-ray vision could not see through lead.
 * Red Sun Energy: Since Kent's abilities were charged with Yellow Sun radiation, if he were to be exposed to a Red Sun, he would not be able to access his abilities.

Former Equipment

 * Superman Suits: Kent wore a series of protective suits when operating as Superman.
 * Glasses: Kent wore a pair of glasses to conceal his identity.