Last edited by Tayswift; 03-02-2016 at 05:16 PM.
While not mentioned, those listed superheroes where members of a group known as the illuminati which included Namor and black Bolt who are both known to be pretty strong.
Given earth's governments unwillingness to tackle climate change, humanity doesn't seem to be that great either.
Not at all, really. But it's not an extreme situation where he's ridiculously smart or a "farm boy." To do what he does, he should be at least excellent in college level physics, psychology, anatomy, biology, ecology, microbio, astrobio, geology, chemistry, algebra, English comp, photography, and sociology. He should also be functional with a few different languages.
I think he's absolutely more intelligent and is a natural inventor. I do think there's something to the limits on his development on earth. That's legit, but I don't think it would put him in the same league as earth scientists. He'd be able to figure out everything they could. He'd be able to read the complete volumes Ray Palmer's or Doc Magnus' work in minutes if not seconds, memorize it, and completely understand it with the added benefit of his powers augmenting his already super intelligence. This is all assuming he'd have the inclination to do so, which I think he would given the Kryptonians' evolved inclinations towards science and how he's been historically shown experimenting and tinkering away partially as a hobby and partially to make life better for people.
YES! That is the point of the character! Now if they'd just give him human problems to deal with on the nth degree then we'd have the basis for challenging him and keeping him "interesting" and "relatable" for those who always complain he lacks those characteristics.
I also wonder how his relationships with other Kryptonians might possibly be made more interesting if they are smarter in the sciences. Clark might be looked at as a dunce for going native among these knuckle dragging sub-people known as "Earthlings".
A lot of best Superman stories, in my opinion, have always had to deal with his feelings, self-esteem/self worth, and his interpersonal relationships. This was the Sliver age, For the man who has everything, All Star, and (squeezed down to it's purest form) Superman: Secret Identity.
So with that in mind I think you might get just a little bit more out of the relationships Superman has with other Kryptonians. I mean the feeling of inadequacy one would get if you lived the first 3 decade of your life thinking one thing about your culture, and then being told you're doing it all "wrong" or something. Imagine what you could play with there.
There's also the idea of Kara aka Supergirl. In keeping with this line of logic she is smarter than Clark as far as the hyper-sciences go. Can you imagine Clark doing night torturing with his kid cousin? How does this guy deal with that? Clark love to learn but he's got a reasonable amount of human pride that he'll have to get over. He could also introduce her to creative writing and the arts, and she could become almost addicted to the fluidity of it (I interpreted maybe some hints of this in Final Crisis).
Surprisingly a lot of beneficial character and story possibility one could get from Clark not being a conventional genius.
The Illuminati aren't conventionally strong (most of them aren't). Their power comes from their influence, intelligence, and cold logic. Reed Richards is as revered as he is because of his intelligence on a cosmic scale. Like the Illuminati as a whole, his physical power means little to nothing in the face of his (and their) primary "powers" intelligence and influence.
Last edited by Superlad93; 03-02-2016 at 06:09 PM.
I just can't stand the notion that Superman watches atoms drift by, molecules form, galaxies spiral, and he has no understanding of what's going on. He is just constantly oblivious to all that information flooding his senses beyond any human capability. How could he just be average intelligence? He's just smarter, nobody has to teach him. He learns quicker and he figures out everything else.
Thats the beauty of Superboy and the Legion. And not just as inspiration. He can hang with the Legion of Superheroes because he is the Man of Tomorrow. The Future catches up to him. That's why Morrison has him writing book one in the history of Superhumans in All Star Superman. That's why time is meaningless, he can catch up or is already there!
At least, in modern comics, he doesn't need Emil Hamilton to know what going on in the Fortress of Solitude.
pre new 52 superman just build his own fortress
One my favorite Superman stories is in Miracle Man. When his s daughter is born, she can speak. That time in the womb, during labor, the baby processes information better than us.
In my imagination, 6 year old Clark goes to the symphony. Watches the musicians, studies the notes, picks up an instrument and is world class in seconds. All that stuff we take years to do, the Super kid does in seconds.