Should Superman be noticeably stronger/more powerful than other Kryptonians?

[LordUltimus]

And if so, what should be the reasons in-universe (more exposure to yellow sunlight, more time to practice with powers, etc.)?

[HeroVladimir93]

And if so, what should be the reasons in-universe (more exposure to yellow sunlight, more time to practice with powers, etc.)?

Yes, those are pretty good reasons. Man of Steel offered a pretty good way to put Superman and other Kryptonians on the same level. Superman might have lived his whole life with powers but he barely had time to practice with them, while General Zod are trained soldiers who are suddenly forced to deal with powers they barely understand. While Zod is trained to master his senses and is an expert fighter, Superman has a greater understanding of his powers and is pretty good at improvising and both fighters are on even terms.

[Hypestyle]

Uhh... just how many other Kryptonians are alive now? Post-post-Rebirth and whatever else is going on. Dozens? Hundreds?

[Vordan]

I’d give him a slight edge in strength and speed due to being on Earth longer. But Zod or Faora should absolutely be able to kill him due to being trained soldiers who have much greater combat experience.

Uhh... just how many other Kryptonians are alive now? Post-post-Rebirth and whatever else is going on. Dozens? Hundreds?

Right now it’s: Clark, Kara, Jon, Zod, Faora, Lor-Zod. There’s a couple Kryptonian criminals in the PZ but those are the ones operating in the real world.

[Phoenixx9]

I agree with all the responses already posted.

I had heard a theory that Superman is a supurb physical specimen (6'3, 225) and that besides the longer time with yellow sun and using his powers, that his natural musculature is also more robust than many others. That was also applied to Power girl and why she is much stronger than her parallel version Supergirl.

[Francisco]

There shouldn't be other Kryptonians alive.

[Jon Clark]

For me it depends on just what his powers are supposed to be. Are they physical (actual tougher body tissue) or energy (bio-aura invulnerability, pseudo TK lifting).

If the power is more a matter of Kryptonian biology then Clark should be only as proportionally powerful as someone his size is on Krypton. So a guy like Non just out masses Superman.

If the power is energy based then I can see Superman's body having adapted better or having a better reserve of power to draw on.

But for me the main advantage is that Superman is simply better with his powers. Some Zoners might have more muscle. A rare few might find a trick Superman hasn't thought of. But by and large for all his military training Zod is used to thinking like a normal general. Saying he'd get an advantage in using his powers from his training is like saying an e-sports football champ placed in the body of your average NFL player would be a great player by default. It's one thing to know what super-speed can do, it's another thing to actually apply it. And being able to pinpoint the weakest spot of Kal's body doesn't mean you can coordinate your new reflexes to hit that exact point,

[marhawkman]

I agree with all the responses already posted.

I had heard a theory that Superman is a supurb physical specimen (6'3, 225) and that besides the longer time with yellow sun and using his powers, that his natural musculature is also more robust than many others. That was also applied to Power girl and why she is much stronger than her parallel version Supergirl.

Yeah, physical conditioning is still a thing even with Kryptonians. A Kryptonian who works out regularly will be stronger than one who doesn't.

[HeroVladimir93]

For me it depends on just what his powers are supposed to be. Are they physical (actual tougher body tissue) or energy (bio-aura invulnerability, pseudo TK lifting).

If the power is more a matter of Kryptonian biology then Clark should be only as proportionally powerful as someone his size is on Krypton. So a guy like Non just out masses Superman.

If the power is energy based then I can see Superman's body having adapted better or having a better reserve of power to draw on.

But for me the main advantage is that Superman is simply better with his powers. Some Zoners might have more muscle. A rare few might find a trick Superman hasn't thought of. But by and large for all his military training Zod is used to thinking like a normal general. Saying he'd get an advantage in using his powers from his training is like saying an e-sports football champ placed in the body of your average NFL player would be a great player by default. It's one thing to know what super-speed can do, it's another thing to actually apply it. And being able to pinpoint the weakest spot of Kal's body doesn't mean you can coordinate your new reflexes to hit that exact point,

In other words, experience is the deciding factor. Then again, just because Zod doesn't have the same years of experience Superman has doesn't mean he will go down that easily. Look at what happened in Man of Steel. That was the one time where viewers, by and large, saw what would happen if Superman fought someone that could match him in strength. Then Batman v Superman upped the ante with Doomsday and from that point forward, it was clear that Superman could no longer be taken for granted.

[Jon Clark]

In other words, experience is the deciding factor. Then again, just because Zod doesn't have the same years of experience Superman has doesn't mean he will go down that easily. Look at what happened in Man of Steel. That was the one time where viewers, by and large, saw what would happen if Superman fought someone that could match him in strength. Then Batman v Superman upped the ante with Doomsday and from that point forward, it was clear that Superman could no longer be taken for granted.

I think the learning curve on the powers should be longer than it was in MOS (or most comics). And I don't expect Zod to go down fast, but rather for Superman to need to be more subtle in the use of his powers. Zod can use his powers more destructively because A) he doesn't care about damage in most cases and B) he really has trouble with controlling the level of strength.

[adrikito]

Yes, he should be stronger than other kryptonians because during years he fought against a lot of Earth/Space/Multiverse villains..

One normal kryptonian under yellow sun can´t defeat him..

[magha_regulus]

Yes he should. As problematic as Tarzan and the Jungle book are, I do think Superman shares some similar themes to them when looked at from the point of view of the Kryptonians. He's basically living in what must seem like a neanderthal society to them. Hes smarter than all the humans because of being a more evolved being, but he didn't have the benefit of full Kryptonian socialization and education. Earth has consistently been protrayed as "savage" and "primitive" to the Kryptonians. Maybe there's something about him being raised on earth that makes him more raw and rugged than most other kryptonians. Perhaps he fights dirtier than kryptonians do (except for Zod and his family who in my mind represent a throwback to Krypton's more barabrous age justified firstly by the theft of Kandor and the destruction of the planet itself.)

There are also the points about Superman being on earth longer and having had training with the LOSH making him more skilled in the use of his powers and more powerful in general.

[Lvenger]

I recall during the New Krypton era that Superman knocked out that blonde haired Kryptonian military guy, Gor I think, in a single blow as well as knocked around Non and overpowered half a dozen Kryptonian soldiers trying to restrain him during War of the Supermen. So at least when Kryptonians were a dime a dozen, Supes had the edge in experience as well as overall power.

[Ascended]

I think it shouldn't be a matter of Clark having more raw power, but more skill.

Superman's the biggest, most powerful hero on earth but his foes are often just as powerful as he is, if not more so. I feel that Clark being more powerful than other Kryptonians goes against the grain and makes their conflict a matter of who can punch harder, when it should be who is smarter, more determined, and more clever.

The difference should be experience and application of ability. Clark's had his powers longer than any other Kryptonian and should know how to use them in ways no one else has thought of, with a higher degree of control and sensitivity. It should be more intuitive for Clark than it is for the others; he's spent his life with his powers while everyone else has recently got them.

And I think Clark's powers completely change what combat is like. With most people, you throw them, they hit the ground. You knock them into a wall, they bounce off. They can be hurt by their surroundings. Physics are totally different for people who can fly (negating any effect of a throw) and are largely invulnerable (negating the impact of hitting the wall). And Clark's spent his whole life with these particular physics. It should be second nature to him. Zod and the others? They're used to fighting as mere mortals where the rules are different, and even if they've had their powers for a few years, that doesn't change a lifetime of training and all the habits and instinct that imparts. So Zod and co. should fight "wrong" with their powers, relying on elements that don't totally affect fully-powered Kryptonians. Clark doesn't have that limitation and knows how to get the most out of his abilities. Zod and the rest know how to throw a combo of blows and aim for nerve strikes and all that, which makes them very dangerous, but Clark's natural skill with his powers help even the odds.

So really, I guess it's that Clark should be trickier and more creative, while everyone else is just blunt, brute force with little to no finesse.

[Superlad93]

I'm a fan of the Byrne-style power creep due to time under the sun, so in that sense yeah I'd say he should be fairly stronger and faster, but it shouldn't actually be that noticeable to anyone that's not Kryptonian level. But like others here, I think it's the skill and ingenuity with the powers, and him having to put them through so many different situations that gives him the edge.

For example, I doubt Zod knows that Kryptonians can see in 4D, absorb anti-sun, shoot out free super powers under a blue sun, see the closest thing to a soul, and eventually build up a tolerance to Omega beams. Clark has been in so many situations and pushed his powers beyond their limits so many times that there's a reason why it makes sense that he'll eventually become a golden god in the sun while.