Warning: Spoilers for Action Comics #1080
Supermanmay seem invulnerable on a surface level, hence his Man of Steel moniker, but he still has his weaknesses. Power Girl just discovered a way to exploit a classic Kryptonian superpower, proving that it’s easier to defeat Superman than expected. If a villain were to uncover Power Girl’s smart new anti-Kryptonian strategy, then Superman could be in serious trouble.
Action Comics#1080 by Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe pits Superman and his allies against an army ofescaped Phantom Zone prisonersthat have spread across the galaxy. One of these evil Kryptonians, Faora Hu-Ul, battles Power Girl on New Thanagar and seems to have the upper hand. Then, Power Girl catches her off guard by whistling.
As it turns out, Power Girl whistles at a high enough frequency to inflict damage upon Faora and cause her to recoil in pain.Kryptonians' superhuman hearing has gone from an advantage to a debilitating weakness, and even Superman isn’t immune to this flaw.
Power Girl Confirms That Superman’s Enhanced Hearing Is Their Greatest Weakness
One of Superman’s Iconic Kryptonian Powers Has a Critical Flaw
Power Girl is a Kryptonian herself, so she has a deep understanding of the abilities that the members of her race possess. As such, she’s able to form her plan to unleash a shrill tone and activate Faora’s hearing. MostKryptonian powers- heat vision, durability, frost breath, and more - are indisputably beneficial and don’t have apparent consequences for the user. Super-hearing, on the other hand, can be perceived as a vulnerability.All it takes is a particularly high-pitched sound to knock a Kryptonian down for the count, as portrayed when Power Girl is able to capture Faora in a Phantom Zone projector after whistling.
It’s Official: Superman Just Lost His Closest Tie to Krypton
In a heartbreaking moment, Superman has been permanently exiled from the Bottle City of Kandor, severing his last remaining connection to Krypton.
Superman’s hearingis typically painted in a positive light. As he soars above Metropolis, he’s capable of hearing anything and everything across the planet. Years of practice have taught him to distinguish between different sounds and zero in on what he needs to hear, so he can alleviate natural disasters by following a rumbling in the ground or stop a villain when he hears civilians screaming.Still, as helpful as Superman’s hearing is, Power Girl has proven that it can just as easily be turned against him and weaponized.In fact, Superman’s hearing has caused him harm before.
As Powerful as Superman Is, Loud Noises Can Deal Major Damage to Him
Enhanced hearing is one of the fewpowers at Superman’s disposal that can become a weakness. InAction Comics#1058 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Rafa Sandoval, the caveat to this power is presented when Superman faces off against a dark version of himself who shares his abilities. In order to defeat his opponent, Superman tricks him into using his hearing, and the enemy is quickly overwhelmed by all the sounds as they hit him at once. The noise is enough to make his ears bleed, which proves how dangerous hearing can become if the noise reaches an excruciating level.
Superman’s superhuman hearing first debuted in 1939’sAction Comics#8 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Superman has used this power to take down other Kryptonians, but it’s also been used against him by former allies who are aware of how he operates. In theInjusticecontinuity, for instance,Black Canary holds her own against a villainous Supermanthanks to her sonic scream, channeling a frequency that bursts his eardrums. Meanwhile, within DC’s main continuity, Batman has followed Power Girl’s example by whistling when he knows Superman is listening.Anyone with knowledge of his hearing has the means to defeat Superman by generating sound- even if it’s just a whistle - which makes this one of his most dangerous flaw yet.
How Does Superman’s Hearing Rank Among Other Kryptonian Weaknesses?
Superman Can Conquer This Limitation by Training, But Is That Enough?
Superman’s enhanced hearing isone of several weaknessesthat he and his fellow Kryptonians contend with as a result of their unique alien physiology. Kryptonite is the most well-known, as it saps his energy and makes him vulnerable, but this element comes in variants beyond the standard green.Red Kryptonitecan transform a Kryptonian’s physical form in horrifying ways, while Gold Kryptonite can block off their powers entirely. Beyond Kryptonite, since Kryptonians charge their power from yellow sunlight, being under a red sun drains their power. Of these liabilities, super-hearing stands out for one key reason.
When Superman lets his guard down or faces a particularly loud metahuman like Black Canary, his hearing could become his undoing.
While Superman has yet to build up a tolerance for the aforementioned weaknesses he faces, he does have the capacity to overcome his hearing’s drawbacks. In the case of his dark doppelgänger, super-powered hearing hurts him because he isn’t used to it. Meanwhile,Superman has grown accustomed to hearing every sound on the Earth at all times and thus can avoid getting overwhelmed by noise in most cases.That advantage doesn’t mean he’s always invulnerable to this flaw in his biology, though. WhenSupermanlets his guard down or faces a particularly loud metahuman like Black Canary, his hearing could become his undoing.
Action Comics#1080is available now from DC Comics.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
