Clark Kent (UE-43)

"After everything that I've done, you'd still try and save me? I've told you before. To me, everyone's worth saving."

- Mitch Anderson and Superman

Clark Kent, born as Kal-El, is the vigilante known as Superman.

Destruction of Krypton
Kal-El was born in around 1977 in Kryptonopolis on the planet Krypton to well-respected scientists Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. His birth was a significant event on the planet as it was the first natural birth in centuries due to their practice of genetically engineering their children.

Soon after his birth, Krypton's resources began to reach exhaustion and it began to destroy itself, which was only made worse when the planet fell into a state of war as a result. Realizing it was the only way to save their son, Jor-El and Lara placed Kal in a pod on a course for the planet Earth. They both intended to place Sunstone Crystals containing AI versions of themselves inside the pod to guide Kal upon reaching the planet, but Lara's was stolen by her ex-husband, Zeta-Rho, as revenge for leaving him.

Childhood
After entering Earth's atmosphere, the pod crash-landed on the Kent Farm in Smallville, Kansas as Martha and Jonathan Kent were travelling to church. They went to investigate the unknown object and were surprised to see a baby inside, who they soon adopted under the name, Clark Kent.

When Kent was four years old, his powers began to manifest as he was playing with a toy rocket ship, resulting in him throwing it through the Kent House. When he was six years old, his adoptive parents told him what they knew about his alien heritage. As he began attending elementary school, Kent met his favourite teacher, Lois Hannigan.

High School
As a teenager, Kent began to attend Smallville High School and soon befriended Kyle Cushing, Pete Ross, and Lana Lang, the latter of which he eventually began dating. During his time at the school, he also became the team manager of the Smallville Crows and a reporter for the school newspaper.

In the ninth grade, Kent asked his father if he could join the school baseball team, but he refused to allow it due to the possibility of him harming one of the other players. Kent showed up to the field regardless but went home at the last minute after realizing he only wanted to join to impress a girl. As a teenager, Kent also trained with his father on how to control his superhuman strength using a log in the Kent Farm storm cellar.

At some point, Kent, Ross, and Lang attended a Soul Asylum concert together. As they were driving home, the car went off-road after Ross fell asleep at the wheel, resulting in Lang passing out and Kent being forced to save them, though the car was destroyed. At some point after this, Kent and Lang broke up, resulting in him listening to a lot of music from REO Speedwagon as a coping mechanism.

Family Tragedy
Every year, Kent's mother would spend weeks planning what the family would donate to the Smallville Harvest Festival, which taught him the value in helping other. One year, the family were out hanging banners for the festival when Jonathan suddently died of a heart attack. Clark and Martha later attended his funeral service at Smallville Cemetery, though he soon ran off.

The following year, Kent was stuggling to discover his purpose on Earth, and so he began to use his powers to fight crime as a vigilante, concealing his identity using a ski-mask. In one incident, Kent used his superhuman strength and invulnerability to convince several men to return items to a store they were robbing. This resulted in a conversation with his mother, which ended with her giving him the Sunstone Crystal that was in his pod. Soon after, Kent said goodbye to his mother and left Smallville.

Training
The crystal eventually lead Kent to the Arctic, where it stopped glowing. He threw the crystal to the ground in frustration and began to walk away, at which point it began to glow again and form an ice structure which would later be named the Fortress of Solitude. Kent tried to run away from the structure but was buried in ice, only to use his heat vision to melt the snow above. He then noticed a large entrance, which he soon went into and saw the sunstone crystal floating atop a pedestal. He picked it up and inserted it into a crevice in the pedestal, at which point it showed an A.I. version of Jor-El who soon introduced himself to Kent as his father. Jor-El then taught Kent about his Kryptonian heritage and that his cells absorb the Sun's energy differently from humans, which is where he gets his powers from. Kent spent years training at the fortress through running at superhuman speeds through the snow before he finally began to fly for the first time, at which point he felt that he was ready to return home. Jor-El agreed with this, stating that he needed to return to discover why he wished to help humanity as their champion.

Returning Home
Kent then returned home to the Kent Farm, where he was greeted by Martha, who he told about his Kryptonian heritage and decision to become Earth's champion before returning the sunstone crystal to his pod and going to Sequoia to look for Lana Lang. However, he soon realized that she had moved on after seeing her kiss Kyle Cushing with a wedding ring on. He returned home and spoke to Martha about this, who attempted to cheer him up by telling him to follow her as she had something to show him. She then unlocked a box which contained a costume that she had created after having a dream about an adult Kent flying. He apologized for leaving so soon after Jonathan's death, but Martha told him that it was fine, as it was something he had to do. She then suggested that something was missing from the chest area, which was later solved by Kent adding the symbol of the House of El.

Man of Tomorrow
In around 2004, Kent moved to Metropolis and began searching for an apartment to rent but was interrupted when he spotted an out of control green car using his superhuman vision. He made his way to an alleyway where he took off his glasses and ripped open his suit to reveal his superhero costume before flying away to save the car which had flown off a nearby bridge. It almost hit a young boy below before being grabbed in mid-air and put down safely by Kent, who then gave the boy his cap back. The boy complimented him on his costume, with Kent responding with a thank you and that his mom made it for him. He then discretely changed back into civilian clothing in a phone booth before being approached by a bystander, who asked him if he saw the person who was flying. Kent feigned ignorance, asking questions about the man before the woman walked off, saying that someone at the Daily Planet has to hear about it.

Kent then looked up at the Daily Planet office and decided to get an interview for a job there with the editor-in-chief, Perry White. Perry initially rejected Kent's résumé due to a lack of experience, with Kent insisting that he had experience writing for his school paper, which only made Perry mock him. Despite this, Kent persisted and was eventually hired on the conditions of having no health insurance or overtime and picking up Perry's dry cleaning every Thursday. Perry then introduced Kent to his new co-worker, Lois Lane, who he followed until they encountered Ron Troupe, who was excited about Jimmy Olsen capturing the first photograph of Metropolis' new hero saving a boat from sinking at Hob's River.

Atom-Man
Kent noticed that Lane wasn't as excited as everyone else and asked her why, to which she responded that Metropolis has many systemic issues outside of rescue operations which are being ignored in favor of the new hero. She then showed him a case she was working on where an arsonist was attacking minority owned businesses and defacing them with SS symbols, which shocked Kent, who asked if he could help. They spent days calling and questioning victims, all while their investigation was being overshadowed by the hero saving around 60 fishermen from a sinking ship, until one of the suspects, Henry Miller, was arrested. They went to an office room where Kent complimented Lois on her journalism before telling her he had to go, but was interrupted by Lane asking him if he had a hot date, an idea which was soon dismissed by Kent. She then said that she could convince Perry to give him his own beat in something like local politics, but Kent declined, stating that he would rather be here. Lane then asked if it was for the story or the company, to which Kent responded by saying that he thinks that was a trick question before saying goodnight.

The next day, Kent asked Ron where Lane was and was told that she left to confront a suspect. He then used his x-ray vision to determine that it was Henry Miller, and so put on his costume and raced to the scene where he blocked an incoming flamethrower attack from Atom-Man which was directed towards Lois. He then used his frost breath to disable the flamethrower, at which point Miller threw two grenades in either direction, one towards a Caucasian family and another towards an Arab family. Kent soon realized his plan and so destroyed the inert grenade heading towards the Caucasian family with his heat vision before holding back the blast from the grenade directed towards the Arab family, which caused him to be knocked backwards through a store window. Lane then tazed Atom-Man into submission before asking the hero how he knew what was happening, with him responding that he has been reading her reports in the Daily Planet and that he has superhuman hearing. She then formally introduces herself before asking what his name is, suggesting "Mister Metropolis" and "Red and Blue Man". Kent then responds that he is sure she will come up with something before flying away. Lane is then asked who that was by a store owner, and she replies that it was "Superman".

Relationship with Lois Lane
Kent and Lane began dating for a couple of months before she eventually obtained an interview with Superman in which she asked him how long he had lived on Earth and where his pod crash-landed, but he avoided the latter question by saying that he speaks all languages and so people shouldn't assume that it was in the United States. The interview was then cut monetarily as Lois' mic malfunctioned and during the break Lane spoke with one of the producers who was convinced that Superman was into her. Superman used his superhuman hearing to eavesdrop on this conversation and found out that she was in love with his civilian persona and just hadn't told him yet. Lane then returned to the set after realizing Superman was listening and apologized for being unprofessional before reminding him that she still won't go easy on him.

Some time later, Kent took Lane to Smallville to meet Martha Kent and to tell her about his secret identity. Kent and Martha talked briefly about this before Kent led Lane to a field outside, where he took off his glasses and began to fly. They went back to Metropolis and continued their relationship until Kent took Lane to the Fortress of Solitude and proposed before flying up into the air while kissing. The pair got married in Smallville and later went on honeymoon where they discussed why he had kept his secret for so long, as he was saving it for her, and how he couldn't wait to tell A.I. Jor-El about his wedding, which he later did.

The Twins
Soon after, they discovered that Lane was pregnant after three pregnancy tests to confirm and later that they were having twins. They then travelled to the Kent Farm to show the ultrasound picture to Martha Kent.

The twins were born after twenty-seven hours of labor and would be named Jonathan and Jordan Kent after Kent's adoptive and biological fathers respectively.

According to Kent, Jonathan was easy to raise as he was always happy and smiling, although he did once shock them when playing outside after he threw a baseball at a tire on a rope which caused the rope to snap, suggesting he has inherited his father's superhuman strength. Jordan on the other hand, was more complicated as he was prone to throwing tantrums and having night terrors which was diagnosed as social anxiety disorder years later.

Kent would later take Jonathan to the Fortress of Solitude to test him for superhuman abilities, but they came back saying it was unlikely.

Superman's Adventures
During his superhero career, Superman would fight and defeat Thaddeus Killgrave.

Return to Normal
In fall 2020, Superman raced towards an explosion at Ace Chemical to put out a fire, assisted a space shuttle in launching and saved the residents of a town by prevent the collapse of a smoke stack after an earthquake, all of which was reported by the Daily Planet Network.

He also dealt with a nuclear meltdown at Oyster Creek, which unbeknownst to him was caused by "Captain Luthor" who was watching him through the lead walls.

He was later summoned by General Lane using an ELT device to prevent another nuclear meltdown caused by Captain Luthor at the Elison Nuclear Power Plant. He rushed to the sight so fast that he broke the sound barrier before landing inside. Using his x-ray vision, he discovered a crack in the reactor and used his heat vision to seal it, but this was not enough to stop the meltdown, and so he flew outside and used his freeze breath in the ocean to create a giant iceberg which he then lowered into the reactor which stopped the meltdown.

Powers

 * Kryptonian Physiology: Due to his Kryptonian physiology, Kent has a variety of superhuman powers when exposed to the energy of a yellow sun. Following a lifetime on Earth and extensive training and experience as a vigilante, Kent's physical abilities surpass that of all other Kryptonians, making him the most powerful being in his universe.
 * Solar Energy Absorption: Kent's body is able to absorb yellow solar radiation and covert it into energy, which in turn fuels his superhuman abilities. When exposed directly to the Sun, Kent's ability to absorb solar radiation is near limitless and can even restore his powers if they have been removed.
 * Enhanced Mental Capacity: Kent's mental abilities far surpass that of other lifeforms, as he is able to process information at incomprehensible speeds. He has used this ability to learn every language on Earth as well as how to speak backwards near instantaneously whilst on the Inverse World.
 * Flight: Kent is able to manipulate his gravitational field to levitate and fly at hypersonic speeds, allowing him to travel anywhere almost instantaneously.
 * Freeze Breath: Kent has a much larger lung capacity than humans and so can inhale large amounts of air to expel at superhuman speeds towards his enemies. He can use this ability to freeze objects to sub-zero temperatures or to breathe in noxious substances which would harm regular people.
 * Invulnerability: Kent is impervious to almost all forms of physical damage and so cannot typically be harmed unless special means are used.
 * Accelerated Healing Factor: Even when physically injured, Kent's body heals far more quickly than the average person's would and far more efficiently as the healing process does not leave scars. Likewise, Kent is also unable to put on weight due to how fast his body burns the calories.
 * Contaminant Immunity: Kent is immune to all diseases on Earth and so has never been sick a day in his life.
 * Self-Sustenance: Kent has far fewer physical needs than regular people and so is able to survive without food or sleep for extended periods of time. Likewise, he is able to travel into space without the use of specialist breathing equipment, even when his other powers are not working due to cellular damage.
 * Heat Vision: Kent can fire red energy beams from his eyes, the temperature of which he can adjust at will. He has used this ability to melt or weld together objects, to cauterize wounds, and to heat up beverages.
 * Solar Flare: Kent has the ability to expel massive amounts of solar energy from his body, though this comes at the cost of him losing his powers for days afterwards. When supercharged with energy after flying into the Sun, Kent was able to use this ability to forcibly separate his universe and the Inverse World without losing his powers afterwards.
 * Longevity: Kent ages at a far slower rate than humans and so still looks as he did in high school despite being middle-aged.
 * Sonic Scream: Kent has the ability to scream at incredibly high decibel volumes, meaning his voice can be heard for thousands of miles.
 * Superhuman Senses: Kent's senses are far beyond that of any creature on Earth, and so he can perceive almost anything in his environment when focusing on it.
 * Superhuman Hearing: Kent is able to perceive sounds from thousands of miles away when focusing on them. He often uses this ability to sense danger around the world or to detect when someone is lying from their heartbeat.
 * Superhuman Smell: Although he uses this power rarely by his own admission, Kent is able to smell things at a superhuman level. He used this to smell the scent of alcohol coming from Jonathan and the scent of cologne coming from Jordan from great distances.
 * Superhuman Vision: Kent's vision far surpasses that of any other being, as he is able to view the entire electromagnetic spectrum at will and differentiate between different forms of energy.
 * Telescopic Vision: Kent is able to see things from incredible distances and can zoom in on them if required.
 * Thermal Vision: Kent is able to see thermal energy, such as the heat signatures that living creatures give off.
 * X-Ray Vision: Kent is able to see through solid objects provided they are not covered in lead.
 * Superhuman Speed: Kent is able to move at speeds which far surpass that of any creature or machine on Earth. He is known to be able to run as fast as Mach 10 and is able to fly so fast that he can circle the planet several times in a second when supercharged with solar energy.
 * Superhuman Reflexes: Kent is able to perceive things much faster than the average person, allowing him to respond to incoming attacks at superhuman speeds.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Kent is able to run or fly for extended periods of time without showing any physical signs of exhaustion. He is even able to continue fighting when physically injured by green kryptonite or extreme force.
 * Superhuman Strength: Kent is able to lift extremely heavy objects with ease and can punch so hard that his attacks produce powerful shockwaves.
 * Thunderclap: Kent can produce a powerful shockwave capable of knocking people unconscious simply by clapping his hands.

Abilities

 * Genius-Level Intellect: Kent is an exceptionally intelligent individual due to his superhuman mental processing. He has been able to outsmart geniuses such as Thaddeus Killgrave and learn countless human and alien languages during his time as Superman.
 * Engineering: Kent has shown some level of competence at engineering when it comes to Kryptonian technology, being able to figure out how various objects work when humans were incapable of doing so.
 * Investigation: Kent is an expert investigator due to his extensive experience as a reporter for the Daily Planet.
 * Leadership: Kent is a talented leader and as such has been able to effectively organize the defense of the entire planet on more than one occasion.
 * Multilingualism: In an attempt to further connect with the people of Earth, Kent has supposedly learned every human language and has been shown to fluently speak Cantonese, English, Korean, Kryptonese, Russian, and Spanish. He was also able to speak English backwards whilst on the Inverse World.
 * Indomitable Will: Kent has an extremely powerful will and is therefore essentially morally incorruptible. Even when being possessed by General Zod, he was able to successfully reject and expel his consciousness due to the love he has for his family.
 * Peak Physical Condition: Kent is in peak physical condition due to his superhuman abilities not allowing him to gain weight. Even when compared to other Kryptonians, Kent is so fit that he is able to fight and defeat powerful foes such as Tal-Rho.
 * Hand-to-Hand Combat: Kent is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and as such is able to fight and defeat almost any foe. He was even able to fight John Henry Irons whilst he was wearing his war suit, which is specifically designed to counteract Kent's abilities.

Weaknesses

 * -|Current Weaknesses
 * High-Frequencies: Kent is vulnerable to high-pitched noises, as shown when Thaddeus Killgrave fired a sonic blaster at him.
 * Green Kryptonite: Kent is susceptible to green kryptonite as it is the only substance which can penetrate his skin. After being exposed to it for long enough, Kent will get sick and eventually die.
 * Lead: Kent is able to see through every object except for lead.
 * Red Sun Energy: Kent will be exponentially weakened and eventually become powerless if exposed to red solar energy, as it will override the yellow solar energy in his cells.
 * Solar Energy Depletion: As Kent's superhuman powers come from exposure to yellow solar energy, he will become powerless if no longer exposed or if the solar energy in his cells is somehow depleted.
 * -|Former Weaknesses
 * Inter-Dimensional Kinesthesis: Three months after the defeat of Tal-Rho, Kent began experiencing visions of destruction due to Bizarro's presence in his universe.

Current Equipment

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

Former Equipment

 * Vigilante Suit: Kent wore a black suit with a ski mask whilst operating as "Ski Mask Guy".