The nitty gritty of Superman's biology

[Ascended]

I think it would higher than captain america. Anyways, in man of steel snyder also attributed his invulnerability to the atmosphere of earth. Clark has all kinds of problems growing up like breathing problems, eyesight problems and hearing problems. It's great.

I liked that Snyder basically took "yellow sunlight" and spun it in terms that make a little more sense and were a little more topical. It also flowed well with Krypton's background in the film and the climate change warning that was the moral of that part of the story.

Basically, compared to Krypton earth's too healthy a planet and Clark couldn't cope with it. It's the kind of twist I really appreciate in adaptations.

The other kryptonIans wouldn't be able to match up to clark in that area.

That's always a sticking point for me. How do you get Zod at a place where he can really be a credible threat to Clark, when Zod hasn't spent nearly as much time under the same conditions? How is Supergirl supposed to keep up with Clark? It raises questions that don't have an immediate, satisfying answer, and it only gets worse the more powerful Clark is. And since I like a stupid strong Superman......

It could be fanwanked that whatever means were used to strip away his powers in the past have *also* left him 'weak as a kitten,' by Kryptonian standards, and if they'd gone on for months or years, he would have recovered somewhat to 'normal Kryptonian levels' of un-solar-enhanced slightly superhuman strength and toughness.

So the 'Krypton's high gravity made him strong' explanation could be squared with the 'red sun makes him only human-strong' circle, by having the stripping of the extra boost from the yellow sun radiation *also* making him temporarily weak and disoriented.

That's not a bad idea at all, actually.

[Lightning Rider]

Yeah I like Sutekh's fix.

Another possible explanation is that Superman didn't actually grow up on Krypton, so while he has inherited a superior adaptive framework, he never had to deal with Krypton's gravity and thus has a less developed baseline strength.

Actually, the more I think about it, the yellow sunlight might actually cause a relatively weakened "depowered" state. Now narratively I'm not trying to make Superman weaker than all other Kryptonians, but if we treat yellow sunlight like a magical steroid, then Superman is kind of like someone who never worked out unless he was using it. After working out with it for years, he's going to have the edge in strength over people doing regular workouts. But take it away and have him stop "working out" at all (with Earth's gravity is the equivalent of not working out period), and the people who kept up their regular workouts will be stronger. Hope that makes sense.

[Ascended]

Makes sense, and it might be a viable way to handle it.

And I have a pretty big bias as well. I don't have any interest in Clark being a regular guy. So of course I'd want a powerless Superman to still be beyond human. Subconsciously (and maybe a little consciously) I very well just be looking for things that keep the guy Super. Even if it's "only" a Golden Age level of Super.

I mean, really, we're talking about a flying alien with laser eyes who gets strong when he gets a tan. None of this makes any real sense.

[stargazer01]

if Clark can sleep, I'd be very scared to sleep with him.. he could kick me and kill me!

Seriously, can he sleep and have dreams? I guess so. And does he need to eat regular food?

[Vordan]

if Clark can sleep, I'd be very scared to sleep with him.. he could kick me and kill me!

Seriously, can he sleep and have dreams? I guess so. And does he need to eat regular food?

He can sleep, he was shown nearly falling unconscious from a lack of sleep during Tomasi’s run.

[Ascended]

if Clark can sleep, I'd be very scared to sleep with him.. he could kick me and kill me!

Seriously, can he sleep and have dreams? I guess so. And does he need to eat regular food?

Yes he can sleep, and does dream. This was actually a talking point back in the....Dominus story, I think? Clark *can* sleep, but technically he doesn't *have* to. He can survive without it. But if he goes long enough without it.....well, he starts to get a little mentally sloppy, just like anyone else would. And taken to a big enough extreme.....could, eventually, become more problematic. It's best for his mental health if he takes a nap now and then.

Whether he needs to eat or not is debatable. We've seen him go incredibly long periods of time without eating and he seems to get just about everything his body needs from solar radiation. But we've also seen him get hungry. So I guess eating is like sleeping? He doesn't really have to but prefers to.

He also used to eat some really weird crap back in the day. Minerals and metals and just about anything you could imagine. Dude had a strange diet. I wish that would make a comeback.

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah, in the early bronze age (and probably earlier) that's basically how it was described to the letter. That state of unrest is problematic outside of physical fatigue.

[Ascended]

Yeah, in the early bronze age (and probably earlier) that's basically how it was described to the letter. That state of unrest is problematic outside of physical fatigue.

My understanding of this character is built on many years of reading from all eras. I am thorough in my literary analysis.

If I applied this much effort to school I'd have a 4.0 GPA.

(hope that doesn't sound like bragging, because that would be dumb of me to brag about. I just try to be honest with myself about what's actually on the page)

[stargazer01]

Yes he can sleep, and does dream. This was actually a talking point back in the....Dominus story, I think? Clark *can* sleep, but technically he doesn't *have* to. He can survive without it. But if he goes long enough without it.....well, he starts to get a little mentally sloppy, just like anyone else would. And taken to a big enough extreme.....could, eventually, become more problematic. It's best for his mental health if he takes a nap now and then.

Whether he needs to eat or not is debatable. We've seen him go incredibly long periods of time without eating and he seems to get just about everything his body needs from solar radiation. But we've also seen him get hungry. So I guess eating is like sleeping? He doesn't really have to but prefers to.

He also used to eat some really weird crap back in the day. Minerals and metals and just about anything you could imagine. Dude had a strange diet. I wish that would make a comeback.

I like this explanation. It makes Clark seem more human and real if he also has physiological and emotional needs like us.

I also like the idea that he could eat other stuff we human can't. It's fun and quirky.