If DC does a company wide reboot...

[superduperman]

Inspired by a thread on the Batman forum:

Let's say that DC does another company wide reboot. I have two questions...

1) What age should Superman develop his powers?

2) When should he start his Super-career?

[manwhohaseverything]

1)Superman is born with powers
2)he becomes an urban legend as a kid, teen and into the adult hood. "the superman" would be seen as some crazy story. But, comes out as superman around 25 saving lois.
Edit-oh! Yeah! Superman smashes a car just for the heck of it while rescuing lois.

[jcl100]

1.) His physical abilities would be far greater than his size would suggest during his entire childhood, but not at actual superhuman levels until he gets into his teens. His ancillary abilities would gradually start to manifest at this time as well.

2.) Clark would use his abilities to help people in Smallville without stepping into the spotlight, and only make his first public appearance once he starts working at the Daily Planet.

So, basically the same approach Smallville took I guess.

[Jon Clark]

I'd go with the powers being there from day one, but then that is because I prefer the powers to be actual physical attributes. They aren't activated by our sun, maybe magnified but they are as natural as our own sight. Clark doesn't develop X-ray vision or super-hearing any more than you develop the ability to see colors or suddenly at puberty gain the ability to hear new sounds.

And his public debut should be something that makes sense for the character. If Smallville is a real small town, then there isn't a lot an 8 year old could do as a superhero. The bank isn't being robbed every other week. There aren't tornadoes to stop every year. Massive multi-alarm fires aren't common. So it isn't like Clark has a reason to reveal himself when that is his whole world. And as he grows older and realizes that he could help out there should be some tension between Clark wanting to go public and the Kents being torn over the risks. But I'd say Superboy might be possible in his later high school days. The caveat being that Smallville rarely has a reason to see Clark in costume and he can act more covertly there. To the general public Superboy has no discernable home base outside of Middle America.

[daBronzeBomma]

Hard not to feel a twinge of pride in this thread. Hopefully, this goes over better than my Batman one has so far.

1) Defensive powers are Kal's from birth. His overall invulnerability and solar regeneration manifest immediately upon the rocket opening.

Strength, speed, flight, sensory powers, and super-memory all gradually develop over the years at a rate that Jonathan and Martha can manage and conceal. Until puberty, where they explode and Clark has to join the Legion.

2) Clark debuts as a costumed and caped Superman at age 23, after a 10-year career as a costumed and cape-less Superboy (5 years part-time till age 18, then 5 years full-time till age 23). Basically the Legion is his training and superhero schooling where he makes all the rookie mistakes that he won't as an adult.

There's more, but that's the bare minimum.

[Sacred Knight]

1. Birth. Just manifesting as augmented strength at first and growing from there.
2. Not long after he finds out he's an alien, which to me should be somewhere around the 8-10 range. Super career being kind of a relative term though, as the things he does is more random good deeds around Smallville, bordering on the mischievous more often than not. But this would also be circa the time Imra, Rokk and Garth first visit Clark, where they'd begin to give him actual experience in using his powers more responsibly in a way Jonathan and Martha just can't, and actually take him to the future to go on adventures far more out in the open than he ever could in his then-present day Smallville.

[jackolover]

I’d say as a baby, Clark gets no sun and he doesn’t activate his powers until he is taken outside. Then only mildly - his eyes light up, his baby carriage breaks apart, that sort of thing, so his parents put him back inside, and close the curtains. They only take him out side once a year until he is close to school Age, then increase the outside excursions after they can talk him around what his powers do. School would have to be a nightmare, so his father would have had to train Clark to be a robot. Ignore pestering, and suppress all emotion. I don’t think there is anyway around that.

His public debut would have to be releasing all that suppressed emotion, so he can act in public, and have a personality. When he leaves school at 17 years old, and does a journalism course. I think he has to be able to practise flying in Secret, rescuing people while still in civilian clothes, and stopping disasters, like in Man of Steel.

He only starts thinking about a costume when he decides it’s time to stay and talk to the authorities, and interact with humans. Then he needs a brand.

Bendis should do an Ultimate Superman series.

[TheRay]

They aren't activated by our sun, maybe magnified but they are as natural as our own sight.

It’s not a huge deal because everyone from Krypton will have the same or similar powers regardless.

[TheRay]

1.) His physical abilities would be far greater than his size would suggest during his entire childhood, but not at actual superhuman levels until he gets into his teens.

Would he face any of his rogues or just petty, corrupt criminals?

[TheRay]

2)he becomes an urban legend as a kid, teen and into the adult hood. "the superman" would be seen as some crazy story.

He gets confused for Batman constantly. The public thinks Batman has superhuman powers and can shoot lasers, etc. While they view Superman as just some guy running around in tights.

[manwhohaseverything]

He gets confused for Batman constantly. The public thinks Batman has superhuman powers and can shoot lasers, etc. While they view Superman as just some guy running around in tights.

Nope! It has nothing to do with batman . Superman didn't want his vigilante activities to be outed,until lois got into trouble.


"no one can find superman"

[TheRay]

You seem to have completely forgotten what thread you’re in and missed the point entirely.

[manwhohaseverything]

You seem to have completely forgotten what thread you’re in and missed the point entirely.

Where did i?second question was when should he start his career?i said, As a kid. Superman was some sort of crazy urban legend. I didn't mean he's just a guy running around in tights. The guy used to wear police badge challenging authority. Reporters were actively trying to pursue him. Clark would squash any reports on "the superman".If reboot happen,i would put this bullet point origin back in. What does batman have anything to do with this?superman was perceived dangerous and people including lois were afraid of him.

[ngroove]

Inspired by a thread on the Batman forum:

Let's say that DC does another company wide reboot. I have two questions...

1) What age should Superman develop his powers?

2) When should he start his Super-career?

1) I presume Kryptonians gains the Super-Abilities once entering a place of lesser gravity, such as Earth, as I never truly remember high-flying action in Krypton itself, so, Clark gains powers once entering Earth.

2) Fifteen, so a SUPERBOY title in the traditional sense returns simultaneously with Superman and Action Comics.

[Otto Gruenwald]

Well I sure hope they don't. There's no reason they can't just do the Gardner Fox solution and make another Earth.

1. From birth.

2. As Superboy.