Almost Every Superman Adaptation Ignores One of His Greatest Superpowers
Superman may be widely regarded as one of DC Comics' strongest heroes, but thanks to the Earth's yellow sun, he's also one of its most intelligent.
The Man of Steel is well-known for his incredible array of Kryptonian abilities, but one of Superman’s greatest powers is one that DC Comics adaptations often overlook. While Clark Kent is known as a highly-skilled investigative reporter, he’s typically still portrayed as more of an everyman character in terms of intelligence, especially next to characters like Batman or his archfoe Lex Luthor. But in reality, Superman is a super-genius whose brain really does match his well-established brawn.
Super-intelligence may not be Superman’s most famous power, but it’s not without precedent and has been displayed in a multitude of comic book series. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for most of Kal-El’s on-screen adaptations as most of Superman’s portrayals outside of comics rely more heavily on Clark Kent’s relatability as an everyman.
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All Star Superman plays the most heavily with the concept of Kal-El as a benevolent genius à la Marvel Comics’ Mister Fantastic. In his last days, Clark pulls off a number of scientific miracles, including creating a superpower formula for Lois Lane and chronicling his entire cellular structure all while forging miniature suns in his free time. While less frequently displayed, Superman’s genius does take root in-continuity as well. Not only did Clark invent a device that essentially replicated the MCU’s Blip, but in Action Comics #12 by Morrison, CAFU, and Brad Walker, Superman even reads every medical text ever published so that he can perform a life-saving surgery on Lois Lane. Clearly, Kal-El is no slouch when it comes to intellect, and yet most fans outside of the comics would never really know it.
Superman’s super intelligence makes total sense for the character. Like all Kryptonians, Clark gains his strength from the Earth’s yellow sun, but that same radiation also affects their intelligence, which is why the fan-favorite Krypto is so intelligent despite his canine status. Not only is Kal-El's brain strengthened by the sun, but he’s the biological child of Krypton’s greatest scientist - and Kryptonians as a culture were already inherently more intelligent than average humans. With Superman's notable genetics, it’s no wonder that he would be naturally gifted even without Earth’s sun, but this intelligence is practically never what fans see onscreen.
Despite this genius, modern adaptations far too frequently dumb Superman down either to make him more of an everyman character or to justify his various team-ups. After all, Superman being too powerful to be relatable is already a common criticism the character faces among the general audience. Most adaptations faithfully recreate his status as a hard-hitting reporter, but including the character’s astonishing scientific intellect in portrayals like the CW’s Superman and Lois or the already divisive DCEU would only add fuel to the overpowered argument. Plus, if Superman already has a highly advanced post-human intelligence, then Batman isn’t bringing as much to the table outside of gadgets when it comes to the World’s Finest.
Clark Kent is one of the world’s greatest heroes, but he's also one of its smartest. Although most modern portrayals of the Man of Steel steer clear of Kal-El’s genius in favor of an everyman approach, benevolent intelligence is a key part of the Superman character. And though there are many fans who might think super-intelligence just makes Superman even more overpowered, in reality, it simply reinforces how good DC Comics’ most iconic hero truly is.