Question about Kryptonians and their Power-Levels

[Masterff]

Hello,

I have some questions:

1. I always thougt that the rule is that Kryptonians become stronger every year/month/week/day/hour under yellow sun.
This was proven as the older Versions of Kal El like the Kingdom Come Superman for example was stronger than the Superman of this Earth.
BUT!! this would also mean that Val Zod, General Zod etc. would ALWAYS have a big disadvantage toward Kal El, because he already has spend more than 30 Years on this Earth with yellow Sun.
In the Comics however they seem to reach such a power-level very fast.

2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superboy_(Kon-El)
Here under "Kryptonian Powers"
In the last paragraph its written about Kon El and Superman as boy ability to absorb sunlight.
This was discussed in this Issue
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/robin...n/4000-110048/

I dont understand it completely: Does this mean that Kal El as boy and Kon El werent/arent able to absorb sunlight fast and good enough because they were/are teenagers and didnt absorb sunlight and this will change when they grow up, like it did with Superman (Kal El)?

3.
Did they ever explain what makes some Kryptonians more powerful than others?
Is Size important, because then you can absorb more sunlight with your body or so?

[qwertyuiop1998]

I really think it is depending on.

For example: Mon-El during new krypton arc he seems at the same power level of superman. Or like your zod example etc

But in rebirth GL issues zod needs two suns amping him to superman-level

And aside from the time of yellow sunlight exposing. Superman himself power-levels also related to his emotions which been pointed by mongul,ruin,lex....etc,etc,etc

[Konja7]

It's complicated because there are different writers with different ideas about it.

Some think the amount of sunlight absorbed during all his life has an effect.

Others think the difference is just the physical difference of age (or that they absorb better the sunlight depending on their physical age). So, a strong adult would be stronger than a teenager, while a teenager will be stronger than a kid.

[qwertyuiop1998]

Others think the difference is just the physical difference of age (or that they absorb better the sunlight depending on their physical age). So, a strong adult would be stronger than a teenager, while a teenager will be stronger than a kid.

Talk about age differences. Did DC written anything can prove kryptonians will become more and more stronger with them age growing? From I can rememeber, Aside from mainstream or kindom come Supes would become more and more stronger with his age growing, But others like E2 superman on the contrary:He became weaker than before when he was old

[Zero Hunter]

In my head cannon at a certain point a Kryptonians cell just became so saturated they can't absorb anymore solar radiation so their strength hits a limit. It would also be why they start getting weaker the older they get because their cells can't store the power as well as when they are younger.

[Superlad93]

Looking at things over the span of Superman's entire publication, it seems like combination of a Kryptonian's solar energy AND their actual physicality/physical maturity. Puberty is also commonly seen to play a role. This seems to be the reason why when Clark lands on Earth as a baby it usually takes him till he's hit puberty before he starts flying and shooting out heat vision, but Zod steps out of the Phantom Zone, has not even a fraction of the same time spent under the sun, and yet he's able to go toe-to-toe with Clark and even duplicate some of his feats. The logical deciding factor must be that Zod is an adult.

Moreover, the physical body would have to play a part beyond just how much energy they have because Kryptonian animals outclass kryptonian humanoids in the same way that some animals outclass us. And example being that Krypto is always confirmed to have better hearing and sense of smell than Clark or any other Kryptonian humanoid.

But that's not to say level of solar radiation doesn't play a part. Kara is shown to be more powerful than Clark was as a young boy because of how much time she's had under the sun before she got to Earth, and multiple stories show that overtime Clark will only grow stronger under (or in) the sun with no apparent limit.

Ultimately there is no one true answer though.

[Jon Clark]

It's complicated because there are different writers with different ideas about it.

Some think the amount of sunlight absorbed during all his life has an effect.

Others think the difference is just the physical difference of age (or that they absorb better the sunlight depending on their physical age). So, a strong adult would be stronger than a teenager, while a teenager will be stronger than a kid.

It is largely down to the writer, especially since DC has taken a looser editorial policy. One writer might treat Superman's powers as having no upper limit except the amount of solar power on hand. So if Superman lay in the sun comatose for a year he's be more powerful than he's ever been since he has a year's worth of stored solar energy and hasn't used any of it performing super-feats. Another writer might have a nebulous upper limit where Superman in the same comatose state reaches his top level in say a week and after that simply stops absorbing power. DC will accept both versions as equally valid,

The nebulous upper limit take and the idea that Superman hasn't been storing power for his whole life (he uses some with every feat) is why Zod can emerge with no powers from the Zone and catch up faster. If Zod is more conservative of his powers, they are growing while Superman is expending power saving kittens from trees.

There also is something that still seems to apply from the Silver Age where power is proportional. A guy on Krypton who was in average shape will on average be less powerful than a guy on Krypton who was a professional athlete. If both arrive of Earth at the same time then then the athlete will have the same advantages but on a super-level. A Kryptonian lion would be more powerful than Krypto in the same way an Earthly lion would outclass your average Fido. It's not about age or surface area as much as it is about the physical enhancements being proportional. If person A bench presses 250 lbs and person B bench presses 500 lbs then if both are Kryptonians then person B still bench presses at least twice as much whether that is 500 times the weight of the Earth to 250 Earths or 2 cores of a black ole for B for every core of a black hole for A.

[marhawkman]

My take is that it has several aspects.

1: stored solar energy. It takes times for a Kryptonian's cells to fully charge. How long we don't really know. It'd only be a few years though. Also it seems that going from 0 to 25% is a lot faster than going from 90% to 100%.

2: physical ability. A burly Kryptonian like Non is gonna be stronger than someone less burly. A Kryptonian who exercises intensely will be more powerful than one who doesn't.