Superman’s Lineage Is Proof That He Is A Literal God
As it turns out, Superman may have a very good reason for being one of the DC Universe's strongest heroes. A confrontation with a Kryptonian villain revealed the Man of Steel is descended from a literal god.
Since his debut, the Man of Steel has impressed the masses with his fantastic feats of strength. From the moment he entered the scene as a hero, citizens have stood in awe at the man who could leap tall buildings and stop a speeding bullet. As time's gone on, the abilities Superman has displayed have only gotten more impressive. From laser vision to freeze breath to interstellar travel, his powers have only grown with every new generation. Credit may be due to the hero's unique physiology, but Clark is far from the only Kryptonian in the DC Universe. And yet, Superman has found himself able to go toe to toe with forces that would dwarf some of the most powerful characters in comics.
One villain may have given an answer for why the Man of Steel is seemingly imbued with a power greater than most. In Superman: The Last God of Krypton by Walt Simonson, Greg Hildebrandt, and Tim Hildebrandt, a Kryptonian god named Cythonna awakens to find Krypton destroyed and seeks out the last remaining member of its civilization. She discovers Superman on Earth, and after a display of his power believes him to be a god like her. The two later have an altercation when Cynthonna realizes Clark is mortal, only growing more outraged when he tells her he belongs to the House of El. Cythonna tells Clark that the Els are actually the descendants of her greatest enemy, Rao, the Kryptonian sun god.
As it turns out, all Kryptonians are the descendants of the gods who used to inhabit Krypton, but Cythonna caused a war that caused them to embark on a mass exodus and leave their mortal children behind. Superman's powers have often been described by fans as "god-level" but this revelation puts that phrase into a brand-new context.
While this look at Clark's celestial heritage came from an Elseworlds story, it would certainly help explain why Superman is as powerful as he is. Fans already know that the inhabitants of Krypton gain powers when exposed to yellow sun rays, as seen with Clark, Kara, and even Krypto. But the father of Clark's house is Rao, the most powerful figure in the Kryptonian pantheon. Rather than his biology, the Man of Steel's steadily increasing levels of power could be credited to his divine bloodline and bathing himself in the rays that Rao is connected to. Perhaps Superman's trip to the solar system wasn't a last ditch effort to save him, but a matter predetermined by the gods of Krypton.