Does Superman HAVE TO have super intelligence?

[Tayswift]

Here is where I love Marvel: Reed Richards, Hank Pym, T'Challa, Tony Stark, they all get to be Super Geniuses because they are in a sense, Supermen. That old John Byrne rule of, "If it's all you do, you get to be the best at it", is way to narrow.

none of those guys are powerhouses like superman. t'challa, stark, and pym doesn't have superpowers while reed richards powers is super strech himself

Am I missing something with Kryptonians generally being thought of as super-smart? It's one thing to have an advanced society. But I've always seen it framed as simply a society much like that of humans at a later stage of development. Not with a greater biological capacity for learning. Kryptonians without a yellow sun never seemed Super-anything to me, just more advanced.

well they couldn't even save their own planet *shrug*

[ssupes]

none of those guys are powerhouses like superman. t'challa, stark, and pym doesn't have superpowers while reed richards powers is super strech himself

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.

well they couldn't even save their own planet *shrug*

Given earth's governments unwillingness to tackle climate change, humanity doesn't seem to be that great either.

[Agniwolf]

Given earth's governments unwillingness to tackle climate change, humanity doesn't seem to be that great either.

because this would go directly against the economy, and money is more important on the present than preserving life towards the future. like, live the today and let the future deal with the consequences

[Kuwagaton]

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.

[magha_regulus]

But would the intelligence be tied to the yellow sun or his Kryptonian evolution? Should he feel so much dumber after every super flare? Anyway, I prefer it's because of his Kryptonian genes. He's "potentially" more intelligent than most but he needs to develop and apply it. Given the relatively technical backwardness of Earth and minimal time he spends learning Kryptonian and other alien technology, he should be smart but not the smartest.

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.

[magha_regulus]

Absolutely Superman should have a Super Intellect. Morally and Physically Superman is to the extreme, why would his intelligence be any less. Especially when you take into account his Super Senses processing information at flash like speeds. He is an evolved being, Not just "Super Strong" Man. He's Superman! Anything a human does, he does to the nth degree.

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.

[magha_regulus]

I always thought it made more sense that Superman has a super-intellect, considering his family and the advanced society of Krypton. I know he didn't grow up on Krypton, but it's still part of his heritage in a lot of ways. Sure, it can be hard to write stories about Supes if you factor in his vast array of powers and add in super-intelligence. Though I would add his intelligence into his powers, rather than treating intelligence like a separate power. What I mean by that is have Superman conducting his experiments and exploring the universe but have his studies seem strange to everyone else. They can't understand why he's bothering with something or what his experiments are meant to uncover. Superman can perceive the universe in ways no one else really can. He can see the building blocks of the universe and how everything is connected. So his studies explore more abstract ideas about the universe rather than other things science is trying to tackle. Thus his super-intellect and his super senses are all tied together to help him gain a greater understanding of the universe around him. That's what he could pursue over other more seemingly practical applications of science. There are plenty of scientists already working on those things. He's trying to understand the things that only he can see or experience.

Makes perfect sense!

[ssupes]

because this would go directly against the economy, and money is more important on the present than preserving life towards the future. like, live the today and let the future deal with the consequences

So yes kryptonians aren't the only race who are somewhat short sighted when it comes to the future. Also I find it funny that even today Superman's origin can still give us lessons.

[Superlad93]

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.

[Tayswift]

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.

they aren't close to superman level of power

Given earth's governments unwillingness to tackle climate change, humanity doesn't seem to be that great either.

sure, but krypton was much more advanced that is the point of my post

[Superlad93]

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.

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.

[Johnny Thunders!]

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!

[Last Son of Krypton]

At least, in modern comics, he doesn't need Emil Hamilton to know what going on in the Fortress of Solitude.

[Tayswift]

pre new 52 superman just build his own fortress

[Johnny Thunders!]

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.