Superman is not just the guy in a cape—he’s the first big hero. But after more than 80 years of new starts & mad worlds, there’s no one “real” type now. Some Supermen are brave, some are like gods, & some are just plain scary. Here are the 10 strongest types of Superman we know.
10. Golden Age Superman
When Superman first appeared on newsstands in 1938, he was not the godlike superhero we are familiar with. This early iteration—think Action Comics #1 days—was more of a super-athlete than a world-alterer. He leaped tall buildings, outran locomotives, and punched out goons, but couldn’t yet fly. And he had some pretty genuine limitations—tanks and artillery were still dangerous. Nevertheless, this was the Superman that began it all. He didn’t have to be all-powerful—being brave, bold, and different was revolutionary in its own right for the era.
9. New 52 Superman
When DC pushed the reset button in 2011 with the New 52, Superman received a serious overhaul. This one was younger, somewhat cockier, and initially less powerful. For instance, he couldn’t fly immediately and sustained more body damage than we had become accustomed to. But as the plotlines changed, so did he, acquiring new powers, such as a solar flare power that essentially made him a walking nuke. The New 52 Superman was an attempt at making Superman more down-to-earth and human, and by the final issues of his run, he was again one of the DC Universe’s most unstoppable forces.
8. Superman: The Animated Series
For many ’90s children, this was Superman. The cartoon version of the 1996–2000 Superman: The Animated Series found a perfect balance between old-school charm and new-school storytelling. He was strong enough to fight Darkseid and Brainiac, but he also wrestled with emotional depth and moral decision-making, which made him feel more realistic. The series didn’t turn his abilities up to 11 just for the sake of spectacle—he had boundaries, and that fragility made the wins more meaningful. It’s a take that still resonates in the present day and influenced how a generation of readers perceives the character.
7. Superman: Red Son
And here’s a crazy twist—what if Superman had crash-landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas? Red Son explores that very premise, and the outcome is an interesting reimagining of Kal-El as a symbol of communism instead of the American dream. Power-wise, he’s equally as powerful as the mainline Superman, but his philosophy is completely different. This iteration grapples with the weight of leadership under a totalitarian regime, demonstrating Superman’s morality is not so much about powers, but about the people who raise him.
6. Calvin Ellis (Earth-23)
Calvin Ellis stands out even within the huge wave of alternative Supermen. He’s the Earth-23 Superman—and the President of the United States. Yes, this version saves the world not once, but twice. Calvin retains the standard Kryptonian power set—flight, strength, heat vision—but he distinguishes himself through his intelligent mind and political acumen. He navigates alien invasions and policy crises equally well, so he’s a Superman who’s equal parts brawn and brains. He’s an ideal superhero combined with the practicality of real-world leadership.
5. Superman: The Dark Side
Ditch Smallville. In this Elseworlds story, baby Kal-El doesn’t fall in Kansas—he’s dropped on Apokolips, where he’s raised by none other than Darkseid. As you might expect, that alters everything. This Superman is raised as a weapon of mass destruction, devoted to tyranny rather than justice. He’s armored, lethal, and bereft of the moral guide we typically connect with the Man of Steel. It’s a chilling alternative that reveals just how perilous Superman would be were he raised to do evil rather than truth and justice.
4. Injustice Superman
When everything that Superman cares about is taken away due to a tragedy caused by the Joker, Superman snaps—hard. The Injustice narrative presents us with a Superman who forsakes his code of ethics and dictates a ruthless world order. Physically, he remains Superman, but mentally, he has become a full-blown authoritarian. This iteration has no qualms about killing and quiets dissension with frightful ease. What makes him so dominant is not his powers—it’s the loss of control. He turns into a tyrant with godlike power, arguably more terrifying than any villain.
3. Kingdom Come Superman
Grafted into a future where Superman has grown old but lost no pace, the Kingdom Come interpretation of Kal-El is one of the most intimidating versions. After years of soaking up the sun’s energy, he is nearly invulnerable. Kryptonite doesn’t even scratch him. This Superman is older and more serious, weighed down by the errors of his past, but stronger than ever. He’s the emblem of what Superman would be like if driven to the breaking point by a world that has lost its way.
2. Bizarro Superman
Bizarro is not your standard clone gone haywire. He’s a complete inversion of Superman, frequently shown with fire breath instead of ice, and ice vision rather than heat. He thinks in opposite ways—”bad is good” and “yes means no”—so he is completely unpredictable. And when energized by a blue sun, he becomes even more deranged, having the ability to bring new Bizarro versions of himself into existence. Though he’s not necessarily better than Superman in a traditional sense, his unpredictable personality, along with equal (and sometimes greater) powers, makes him a real wild card among Kryptonian heavy-hitters.
1. Superman X (Kell-El)
Holding the #1 position is a Superman from the Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon series—Superman X, alias Kell-El. Having been created in the 41st century from the DNA of Superman blended with Kryptonite, this individual is resistant to Kryptonite itself. He is a walking weapon. In addition to normal Kryptonian abilities, he can control energy, access primitive magic, and possess super senses far beyond those of Clark Kent. He is the most developed, most sophisticated version of Superman—a war-built super being capable of matching up against the universe’s greatest challenges.
Each of these Supermen has a different story to tell about who he is and what he stands for. Whether he’s an optimistic farm boy from Kansas or a future cosmic warrior, Superman adapts to the world around him. These 10 incarnations aren’t about brute force—they’re about different ideologies, fears, and aspirations. And that’s what keeps the Last Son of Krypton so endlessly compelling—regardless of the timeline, he’s still a representation of what we might be at our best. Or worse.