Should Superman be the most powerful/unique Kryptonian?

[Ultiman]

As far as Man of Steel goes, Superman was head and shoulders above the others in the mastery of his powers. However, he was a farmboy going against skilled soldiers - something Zod himself points out. Faora took him to school in hand to hand combat, but even when Superman was facing them one on two, he still held his ground.

As for Zod's quick acclamation, he states at one point that he'd spent a lifetime learning to hone his senses and adapt to his surroundings as a soldier. He sort of mocks Clark with the "Where did you train? On a FARM?" comment. So I think its within the realm of belief that someone like Zod could master his powers quicker than Clark did.

As for the original question - yes, I think Superman should be the the most unique Kryptonian, even if he isn't the most powerful. Superman has the benefit of a lifetime of absorbing the sun's energy and has been raised with human values. That automatically makes him different than any Kryptonian that would show up on Earth. I think that Superman isn't a model just of what mankind aspires to reach - he's a model of what Krypton should aspire to reach as well.

[tabo61]

Yeah: I think he should be more powerful because he's been on Earth soaking up the sun all his life and special among Kryptonians because he was raised here, but I don't need "destiny" overload like we got in Smallville.

Yeah, I thought those conversations he was always having with Jor-el about destiny or whatever were becoming annoying after a while.

[devil leonx]

I don't think so. I really hate any interpretation where he's some sort of born 'chosen one', even to the extent in Post-Crisis where he was genetically engineered to be the only one that could leave Krypton. Yes, he's super by our standards, but he's still relying on his own natural talents. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that should make him 'special' compared to the other Kryptonians that he doesn't earn should be having two sets of parents giving their all for him.

That being said, I think he ends up special.

I think this is the best with Superman hes special because hes not , he was just raised by incredibly loving parents and he was just really decent in the best way possible. While I kind of like the idea of him being a chosen one or born better it might take away from superman.

[Burning Eyes]

Reply to OP.
I'm no sure I would have Superman be the most powerful being from Krypton (I think that honor should go to Doomsday), but I do believe that Superman should have the most experience and control over his abilities, along with the best understanding of how to use them on planet Earth.

[TeenWonder]

Purely physically speaking, I do not think that Superman should be physically superior to rest of the Kryptonians, but as said in the reply above I think he should have most control and experience in using them primarily since he was just a baby when he landed on Earth. Also I think that when fighting against Kryptonians Superman shouldn`t always win such as with Zod since Zod has military training so once he has gotten used to his powers the chances seem rather dim for Superman. However, he would find alternate ways to win.

I think Superman should be more of the most decent out of Kryptonians aka simply a good man who is willing to save everyone and help everyone.

[adkal]

The approach I had with regards to MoS in my alternative take was that his key advantages were:

- experience
- energy reserves

(but then I also tweaked things so he was a roaming journalist, too.. :P )

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I largely think Superman should be the only Kryptionian left but mainly because I think he's more compelling as literally the last of his race whose family and loved ones are all adopted earthlings.

If he's not the only Kryptonian though, he certainly doesn't need to be more powerful than them or have different powers as the thing that really sets him apart is his humanity. It's that bit of irony that really lies at the heart of what makes Superman who he is.

[Anarchist]

Kryptonian - alright.
Most powerful hero though? No, not with people like Captain Atom or Martian Manhutner around.

[HsssH]

Honestly I don't think that Superman being "most powerful" or anything of the sorts is very relevant to the character. He is best when he does what is right and stops the impossible for which he usually doesn't have to be strongest nor the fastest hero around.

[devil leonx]

I largely think Superman should be the only Kryptionian left but mainly because I think he's more compelling as literally the last of his race whose family and loved ones are all adopted earthlings.

If he's not the only Kryptonian though, he certainly doesn't need to be more powerful than them or have different powers as the thing that really sets him apart is his humanity. It's that bit of irony that really lies at the heart of what makes Superman who he is.

personally I think he should also just be the last of his race, well Kara is fine but Superman seems to not be a big deal when their are a bunch of Kryptonians around.What if he had a power that was unique to him and no other kryptonians had it? Though his will power I think is certainly special I want to say.

[Robotman]

Way back when I first saw the trailer for MoS I thought maybe they were going to make Kal the only Kryptonian who could fly as we saw Zod having to ape his way up the side of the building. I liked the idea that Superman was unique amongst his people. Even if it ment him being the only one who could fly.
But I understand the point that Superman's powers are not what make him special but his humanity and desire to help. He's a product of his Kryptonian and Earth parents who just so happen to be some of the best parents on their respective worlds. Superman's compassion is what sets him apart.

And I didn't think it was ridiculous that Zod was able to master his abilities so fast. Zod isn't just an average citizen. He's a genetically created warrior. Who knows what type of adaptability skills he posseses. I figured the only reason why Superman was able to go toe to toe with one of his world's best warriors is because Zod was still learning how to master his powers. If he had more time and exposure to earth's yellow sun he may have trashed Kal in a matter of seconds since I'm sure his fighting skills are light years ahead of anything Superman learned "on a farm!".

[stephens2177]

Couple ways he is special from other kryptonians
-time under a yellow sun,so more energy to use
-moral compass instilled from Kents
-time living with and training his powers
-fortress of solitude/kryptonian tech that he could use that's probably something random kryptonians wouldnt have

He "could" be seen as the batman of kryptonians,no difference physically at all,batman isn't any different than any other human,but for how he pushed himself physically and mentally to be as good as he is,same could be said for superman.

[Savage Savant]

Coyote2010 from the old cbr forums (I believe that was his name), gave IMO the best answer to this question. Basically, all other Kryptonians should have the same physical capabilities as Superman because then it comes down to a battle of wits/brains and that's how Superman wins. He's the son of Jor-El, arguably the most intelligent Kryptonian of his time & Superman has near infinite will. I believe those 2 aspects is what separates Clark from all other Kryptonians, everything else should be virtually identical.

[Slaughter]

Am I the only one who does find it weird how quickly escapees from the Phantom Zone get the full set of powers and ability to use them? Supes takes quite a while to repower when depowered, unless tossed into the sun or something like that, but adult newly-exposed kryptonians seem to get their powers back in like a week or so, max.

I liked World of New Krypton precisely because it showed why Superman is still Super in a world of Supermen. He should be miles ahead of the average kryptonian, with only elite fighters like Faora and Zod able to catch up to him. Superman should be to other kryptonians what Batman is to other humans.

[K. Jones]

On Earth, yeah, as it's white stars that charge him up so energetically. But in those scenarios where he's in a red sun environ like Kandor or time-travel Krypton or elsewhere, making him be "just one of the guys" is key because he is ostensibly "just one of the guys" even if he's not, and so you get to play that angle directly. He's not "The Chosen One" (which is why it always falls to him, the everyman, to save the universe!)

He's not Aquaman, though. Aquaman's the jam because he trumps other Atlanteans in his capabilities. Aquaman IS The Chosen One in his narrative. "Son, I've got a secret to tell you ... you're actually the prince of a magical kingdom, the most powerful Atlantean of them all."