Superman & Loishas come to an end, making it the perfect time to examine the most incredible displays of power that the titular hero was able to perform during his time in theArrowverseand beyond. Concluding with an astounding andheartbreaking rematch against Doomsday,the series spent much of its run humanizing Superman and bringing him down to Earth. Despite this, the hero did many impressive and unbelievable things, both in the series, and during his appearances in the now-defunct Arrowverse, that are worth looking back at.
Superman’s powers have been displayedin DC media through the years, and have generally remained fairly consistent. While the character was originally launched with some diminished abilities that were more superhuman than godlike in 1938, this quickly changed.The character, rather than leaping over tall buildings, was given the ability to fly in 1943, creating the version of the hero audiences now know and love.With incredible strength and willpower, Tyler Hoechlin’s iteration of the hero showed off his abilities in several memorable ways.
10Superman Makes A Big Entrance In His Debut By Rescuing A Plane
Supergirl Season 2, Episode 1
It is hard to overstate how big a deal it was when Superman first joined the Arrowverse in a supporting role onSupergirl. At the time,Supergirlwas one of thebest Arrowverse series, andseeing Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark joining the show in this incredible scene was so exciting.While it is often taken for granted, Superman’s ease and proficiency here in saving a plane from the sky calls to mind the iconic scene fromSuperman Returns, and is a great first sample of the Man of Steel’s powers.
Superman can do so much, and stopping a plane from falling from the sky is done with such casual zeal.He smiles through the task, taking something that is such an incredible act and turning it instead into a moment of bonding between himself and his cousin.In this, the new Superman launches fully formed, with the marvellous nature of his powers being secondary to the character’s wit and charm.
9Superman Plucks A Sinking Submarine From The Ocean
Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 1
Following his debut in aDC Arrowverse crossover, Superman boldly ups the ante in his own show. In the season 2 premiere, Superman’s superhuman hearing tracks a submarine mishap a great distance away, and he makes his way to it, resisting interference with his visions, overcoming all else. Eventually,the hero is able to make it through the adversity in his own body and rescue a sinking submarine from the ocean in the middle of a storm.
Seeing this be complicated by Clark’s own problems, whether physical, emotional, or related to his powers, was an important part ofSuperman & Lois.The character’s powers are incredible, and seeing them face up to the most difficult things in the world helps to enrich the story of the series.With a global outlook, and the ability to push past even his own limitations, Clark shows an expansion of his strength and will in this thrilling sequence.
8Superman Handily Resists His Own Powers Against Bizarro
Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 3
Bizarro’s entrance brings a foe into the universe with abilities that rival Clark’s own, long before thatvillain’s incredible twist. Coming from far away,Superman’s shadow self reflects his own abilities.At first, he is shown covered in a terrifying suit that hides his features, but as Superman fights back, Bizarro’s face is eventually revealed. This first clash does not provide a singular look at Superman’s abilities, but instead provides an amazing contrast between two different Supermen battling it out.
Superman’s strength and will are on full display here, andthe clash between the two figures shows the limits and outer reaches of their individual strengths.As Bizarro is slowly revealed, Superman’s power grows stronger, and his will grows harder. He fights back because he is the only one that will ever be able to go up against such a threat as this, even with allies like Steel alongside him.
7Superman Overcomes The Power Of Red Solar Light To Defeat Lex
Superman & Lois Season 4, Episode 6
Among thecreepiest uses of Kryptonite inSuperman & Lois, the series also examined powerful canonical weapons to Clark’s abilities.This is seen here, when Lex harnesses red sunlight in a number of streetlamps to rob Clark of his abilities.The fight, which it later turns out has been recorded by Lex to use against him, shows the brutal physical power and strength of Superman, and how it can be used to overcome even his weaknesses.
Cudlitz’s Luthor is a terrifying foe, and watching Superman stand up to him through different points in his own adversity, even coming back from death, is thrilling.With Superman driven to a breaking point, the hero is forced to confront his own demons,resisting the powers of red light, even as his sons are instructed to stay back. Pushing through is a big part of Superman’s strength, and nowhere is it shown better than here.
6Superman Takes Down Henry Miller With Restrained Ease
Superman & Lois Season 3, Episode 1
Superman faced a number of incredible foes throughout the run of his series, with some playing a greater threat than others.When Henry Miller attacked on the street in season 3, claiming to have powers just like Superman, the hero quickly showed that this was not actually the case. Seeing Superman walk through fire attested to the differences between the hero and villain, and led to Superman flying away with his foe, taking him elsewhere.
Despite Miller’s incredible new abilities, Superman is still able to set the parameters of the fight, forcing it away from the flow of traffic and people.Clark throws punches and the two barrel through buildings, with Superman showing tact and proficiency with his every move.This is not a difficult fight for Superman, who moves with astonishing speed and will, spending his energies here on assessing and understanding rather than genuinely fighting.
5Superman Overcomes Zod’s Mind Control
Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 12
Zod is one of the most powerful villains in Superman’s history, with talented performers likeMichael Shannon passing Zod adviceto future actors. The Kryptonian general has abilities and practices that rival Clark’s own, andseeing the two face off in this incredible metaphysical culmination shows off the Kryptonian powers that each of them hold.With Zod’s hold on Superman, Superman’s powers must strain against this internally rather than physically.
In facing off against Steel,as the Kryptonian minds become closer and closer to Clark, the hero’s humanity shines through, and he knows that he must resist.In this, the scene represents the powers of being human that Clark also possesses, differentiating him from the Kryptonians who seek to destroy. In this incredible, quiet sequence, Superman is able to push through and restore himself through his will and his human history.
4Superman Faces Bizarro With Incredible Strength
Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 4
Amid interdimensional interference, Clark’s mind leaps through Bizarro’s experience, and the hero rushes off to fight against the iconic foe during a confrontation that sees his abilities being pushed to their limits.Matched with a version of himself, the fight with Bizarro turns violent and big as Steel flies in to assist him.With brisk speed, and rushing through the sky, Clark gathers his strength, and high-speed punches are thrown as he and his opponent trade looks as tense and powerful as their punches.
This scene pushes the limits of superpowered battle,seeing Superman and Bizarro coursing across a dark and deserted landscape, doing everything they can to get the better of one another. Steel is beaten down and defeated, leaving only Superman to stand against the foe, which he does with proficiency and tact. In this tense battle, Superman proves once again why he is the greatest hero on Earth.
3Superman Impales Doomsday Above The City
Superman & Lois Season 3, Episode 13
Superman & Loisseason 3 sets up much of what would come in the show’s final episodes, with the introduction of Michael Cudlitz’sversion of Lex Luthorand the transformation of Bizarro into Doomsday. This iteration of the latter villain is one of the best and most terrifying versions yet seen on screen. With brutal strength and power,Lex sends Doomsday against Clark, and the two get into an enormous fight in the citywhere Superman’s powers and life are threatened.
For one of the few occasions, Clark is clearly pushed to the limit of his powers in this conflict. Despite this,he does not allow his family to come near, looking to protect them.This leads to a conflict in the sky, where the fight between Superman and Doomsday becomes thrilling. They venture from there into the depths of the ocean, where Doomsday becomes encased in ice. Using the environment alongside his powers, this incredible confrontation ends with Doomsday impaled on a skyscraper.
2Superman Finally Finishes Lex Luthor Once And For All
Superman & Lois Season 4, Episode 10
Superman faces so much in his final appearance, and so manySuperman & Loisstorylines are wrapped up. Seeing the character resist weapons as twisted as Kryptonite screws embedded in his body contributes to an incredible close. In the sky, Superman must use every single one of his abilities in his final battle against Lex Luthor in his warsuit.While Lex laments, yelling,“Why won’t you die!“Superman retaliates, pulling Kryptonite from his body with his bare hands.
“You will never hurt another person,“Superman says, before throwing a series of debilitating punches at Lex. With advanced technology to face off against, Superman and Lex fly at each other with unprecedented speed, finishing with an enormous punch from the Man of Steel that shatters Luthor’s armor. The conflict ends in the air dramatically, with Superman rushing to the Earth below to be with his family, contributing to a perfect and satisfying ending forSuperman & Lois.
1Superman Defeats Ally Allston/Parasite
Superman & Lois Season 2, Episode 15
The Arrowverse’s version of the popular Superman villain Parasite was a good adaptation that led to an excellent and dynamic showdown late in season 2. Fighting all the way out in space,the conflict between Superman and Paraiste becomes visually thrilling as Clark glows with power, flying through a rattling sky to collide with his foe.The villain’s powers are strong, but Superman’s force of will, along with his own power set, is stronger.
“Take some more,“Superman says, showing the impressive scale of his own abilities, as he allows Parasite to feed off of him. Even living with so much power speaks to the abilities of the Man of Steel, and how his base existence is at an unprecedented power level. Flying around the Earth at incredible speed, leaving streaks in the sky before setting right both the physical and the metaphysical, contributes to one of the greatest scenes in the entire series. With such outsized threats, the powers on display in the Arrowverse quickly become understood in powerful scenes like this one.
Supergirl
Cast
Supergirl made her first appearance in the comics in 1959’s Action Comics #252 and has gone on to become one of DC’s most popular characters. This TV series, which stars Melissa Benoist as Supergirl, first aired on CBS in 2015. It ran on that network for one season, before moving to the CW so it could become part of the Arrowverse - a collection of DC Comics shows that also includes Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, among others. Supergirl has been part of several crossover events between all the series.
Superman & Lois
Superman & Lois follows the Man of Steel, Clark Kent, and journalist Lois Lane as they navigate the strains of contemporary parenthood while confronting threats from supervillains and alien invaders, blending personal challenges with heroic responsibilities in this 2021 television series.
