Kal-El (DC Extended Universe)

Kal-El


Alias(es)	Clark Kent Superman The Man of Steel Greenhorn Joe
Appeared in	Man of Steel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Justice League: Part One
Status	Alive
Actor	Henry Cavill

"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they'd reject me out of fear. I let my father die because I trusted him, Because he was convinced that I had to wait, that the world was not ready. What do you think?"

―Clark Kent ^[src]

Superman is the last son of Krypton. He was born Kal-El, and when his father, Jor-El, realized that his planet was doomed, he and his wife Lara sent Kal-El to Earth, where he would be found by Jonathan and Martha Kent and given the name Clark Kent. Using his powers he defends the good people of Metropolis from threats like criminals and more importantly, General Zod.

Biography

Man of Steel

"It's not an S, on my world it means hope."

―Superman^[src]

Kal-El was born on the distant planet Krypton to the scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara Lor-Van in the midst of a planet-wide war. Kal-El was a naturally-born child, which is outlawed on Krypton where all children are genetically engineered to become a more efficient being. When the planet was about to explode and to ensure their son's survival, his parents sent Kal-El away in a ship designed to carry him to safety away from the planet, sending him to Earth, where Jor-El knew of a scout ship sent prior where Kal-El would grow up with extraordinary abilities but look identical to the planet's natives. His ship landed undetected in Smallville, Kansas where he was found by a local farming couple, Jonathan Kent and his wife Martha. They took him in and illegally adopted him renaming him "Clark Kent".

When Clark was nine years old, his body began to change in a way that would define his life forever. To the shock of Jonathan and Martha, Clark began developing super powered abilities, the extent of which none of them knew. When Clark's super hearing and x-ray vision first developed and all the noises he could hear manifested at once, it was troublesome for the young Kryptonian to handle. He ran out of class and hid in a closet. Martha was called to school and helped Clark control his new abilities.

When Clark was thirteen years old, whilst travelling on a school bus with his class, the bus crashed into a river. With the bus overturned, Clark decided that he must use his abilities to save everybody on the bus and using his super strength pushed the bus to the safety of the river bank. Several children saw Clark do this Lana Lang and two bullies who relentlessly bullied Clark over the years, Whitney Fordham and Pete Ross. Pete's mother, Helen, confronted Martha and Jonathan about the unusual events that occur around Clark, but they defended their son claiming there was nothing special about him.

Jonathan finds Clark sitting on an old broken down truck gazing into the fields and tried to convince him that he had to hide his abilities from the world if he was to be safe because not everybody would be as understanding as they were, but Clark argued that he shouldn't hide if he can help people. Questioning his place in the world, Jonathan decided to reveal to Clark how he came to them. In the barn, under the floor, Jonathan revealed Clark's ship to him along with the House of El Command key confirming that Clark was an alien and came to them from the stars. Shocked and afraid, Clark asked if he could still pretend to be Jonathan's son who simply hugged his adoptive son and said he would always be his son. Jonathan said that Clark must, in time, find the reason he was sent to Earth.

A short while later, a group of kids lead by Kenny Braverman confronted Clark when he was waiting for his father while reading a book in his their family's pick-up truck. Ken dragged Clark out of the truck and pushed him to the ground to try and prove there was nothing special about the quiet young boy. Clark desperately wanted to hit the bully, but managed to stifle the urge by crushing the fencepost behind him. The group of bullies walked away when they realized Jonathan was a short distance away watching them with the owner of a shop; except for Pete who held his hand out to Clark to help him up. Clark admitted to his father that he wanted to hurt Ken, which Jonathan couldn't help but agree with; but explained it would accomplish nothing in the end and that one day Clark would change the world.

When Clark was seventeen years old, he was out with Jonathan and Martha, stuck in a traffic jam on a highway, when a tornado swept through the region. People began evacuating their vehicles with Jonathan telling Clark to get Martha to safety. Clark realised he could help people with his abilities but Jonathan told him to to not use them and to keep them secret. As Jonathan was helping other people, Clark came to help, taking a little girl to safety. In the ensuing chaos, Jonathan died filling Clark with guilt. Shortly after this traumatic episode, Clark heeded his fathers wishes and left Smallville on a quest to find the reason he was sent to Earth.

Clark found work on a fishing boat, soon encountering danger as an oil rig exploded. Clark took it upon himself to save the people that were caught in the flames. He then swam to shore and found a new job in a bar. While at work, Chrissy, a waitress, was getting harassed by a local to the bar, Ludlow. Clark stepped in only to have a beer thrown in his face. Clark was tempted to hit the trucker, but Chrissy persuaded him that it was not worth it. Ludlow continued to taunt Clark as he left and destroyed Ludlow's truck by putting several pieces of timber through the vehicle.

At the bar Clark overheard of a military site being set up in the Antarctic. He got a job working near to the site and carried Lois Lane's bags to her living quarters. Clark then went to investigate the artifact for himself, unaware the reporter was following him. Using his heat vision he melted his way through the ice down to a massive alien ship. As he wandered around the enormous ship he finds a port to which fits the Command key, but is attacked by the ship's automated defense system. He uses the key to give himself access to the system. He explored the ship, finding four pods, three containing long dead bodies and the other completely empty.

During Clark's exploration, Lois entered the ship and accidentally activated the defense system, getting injured in the process. Clark saved her by destroying the defense robot and cauterizing her wounds with his heat vision, revealing his existance to her before she passed out. Leaving her outside in an area she would be safe and found quickly by the military, Clark returns to the ship which automatically takes off for a remote area of Antarctica.

An interactive projection of Jor-El appears and greets Clark. Jor-El informed him of his true name Kal-El, his people's history on Krypton and its downfall thanks to Zod. Jor-El shows him technology on the ship, including the Genesis Chamber; a technology Kryptonians used to procreate. Jor-El then showed Clark their family crest, the symbol of "Hope" for the Kryptonian people and Kal's unique nature as the first naturally born child of Krypton in generations, a being who can choose his own purpose. Jor-El finally gives him a suit he had the ship create for Kal-El before imploring his son to keep pushing his limits to be a symbol of hope for the people of Earth.

Clark then began testing his powers, trying many times to fly before taking off and soaring high into orbit of Earth.

Clark returned home to Smallville and greeted his mother with a hug. He explained to her the travels he went on and that he found the answers he was looking for. Meanwhile, Lois was investigating her mysterious saviour and eventually found her way to the farm with questions about Clark, leading her to the cemetery where Jonathan was buried. Clark found her at the cemetery where he revealed the reason he died to protect Clark from the world, convincing her to not publish a story revealing him to the world as Clark Kent.

Whilst in the farm house General Zod, the Kryptonian Military leader from his home world his father had told him about, arrived on Earth with his army and sent a message to the world to hand over Kal-El or suffer the consequences. Realising his existence on Earth was no longer a secret and that he couldn't put people in harm's way after a discussion with Father Leone, Smallville's priest, Clark decided to hand himself over to the military in his new suit in order to protect his mother. Flying outside a military base he knew was imprisoning Lois, he confronted the base's military leader General Swanwick and his army, offering to hand himself over into their custody in exchange for Lois' freedom. Clark attempted to assure the military he only wanted to help and posed no threat to humanity. Unfortunately the military had orders to hand him over Zod, who sent his second in command Faora-Ul to collect Clark and Lois, whom Zod specifically requested join them on his ship, Black Zero. On route to the ship, Clark slipped Lois his House of El Command Key as Faora acquired a respirator for Lois so she could process the Kryptonian environment on the ship.

Aboard Black Zero, Clark came face to face with Zod, but started to cough up blood and struggle to breath as Black Zero's life support systems were replicating Krypton's atmosphere, an enviroment he had never known. The effect left Clark virtually powerless so Zod could subject him to mental probing. Zod learned all about Kal's life and showed him plans to destroy the human race to resurrect Krypton with the genetic Codex of the Kryptonian race that his birth father Jor-El had stole and sent with Kal to Earth. Clark broke free from the probing to see Zod standing above him, explaining his remorse for killing Jor-El, but declaring there was nothing that could stop him from resurrecting Krypton. Jax-Ur took some of Clark's blood and ran tests on it which would later reveal that the Codex that Zod was searching for had been embedded in Kal-El's genetic structure, making him a living repository of the Kryptonian race. Lois however, had brought Jor-El's AI aboard Black Zero and it helped her escape using an escape pod before changing the atmosphere for Clark to regain some strength to break free. Punching a hole in the ship for sun rays to get through, Clark regained full strength and had final words with Jor-El, who encouraged him that he could save humanity. Clark then raced after Lois in the falling escape pod, catching her just before the pod exploded in a corn field.

Realizing that Zod most likely knew his ship was located in Smallville, Clark flew off quickly to his family's farm. Upon his arrival, he found Zod and a group of soldiers threatening his mother to locate the Codex. Enraged Clark picked Zod up and flew him through several grain silos and repeatedly punching the General's helmet, damaging it. Their fight led them to Smallville's Main Street, where Zod's soldiers rescued him. Clark was forced to battle two Kryptonians sent as a diversion, managing to hold his own with the veteran warriors. Clark also managed to save some of the US military personnel led by Colonel Hardy. The Kryptonians eventually withdrew after a devastating battle. Recognizing Superman's contribution to protecting them, Colonel Hardy allowed Clark to leave by citing him as an ally. Clark flew to his family's farm to check on his mother who was unharmed and was reunited with Lois, who was told by Jor-El that they could use Clark's ship to open a focused black hole which would send the Kryptonians to the Phantom Zone.

Clark delivered his ship to the military and flew to the Indian Ocean, where Zod had deployed a World Engine to terraform Earth and make it into a new Krypton. After some struggle, Clark was able to fly through the gravity beam the ship was emitting, destroying it while also knocking himself unconscious. After regaining conciousness, Clark flew to Metropolis to find Zod attacking the military with the scout ship that Clark had found. After damaging the ship and entering it, Clark ignored Zod's pleas to spare the ship, stating that Krypton had had its chance. Unleashing his heat vision, he damaged the ship causing it to crash into the city.

The military unit led by Colonel Hardy and Lois fell under attack from Faora, who disabled most of the crew before the Colonel managed to crash into Black Zero. Lois was thrown from the ship as it crashed and Clark caught her before trying to fly away from the singularity caused by his ship colliding with Black Zero. He placed Lois beside Perry White, Steve Lombard and Jenny Jurwich and in a moment of adrenaline, Lois kissed Clark who reciprocated before flying off to confront Zod. Having mastered the ability to fly, Zod engaged Clark in a battle that almost destroyed what was left of Metropolis. The two then crash-landed in Metropolis Central Station where Zod unleashed his heat vision upon an innocent civilian family. Clark grappled Zod trying to divert his heat vision away, even pleading with the other Kryptonian before having no choice but to snap Zod's neck, killing him. Shocked at what he had to do, Clark let out a bellowing scream of pain as Lois arrived and consoled him.

Returning home to his mother in Smallville after saving his adopted planet, Clark wishes Jonathan had lived to see who he had become and is consoled by his mother as the two think back to a moment Jonathan stared with awe at a young Clark playing as a child in the garden of the farm with a red sheet as cape. Superman also confronts General Swanwick, who had been using military drones to search for Superman. Explaining he is here to help, but it needs to be on his own terms, he tells the General he's trusting him to make the US Government understand.

Clark then got a job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Arriving on his first day, he decided to wear glasses to conceal his identity as the alien hero known as 'Superman' before being welcomed to "the Planet" by Lois.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

To be added

Justice League: Part One

To be added

Character traits

To be added

Powers and Abilities

Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, Kal-El's alien body adapted to Earth's atmosphere and gravity and absorbed the yellow radiation emitted by the Sun. This process of adaption granted Clark Kent superhuman powers, whose intensity increased during his life as long as he kept being exposed to Earth's environment.
- Super Strength: while under a yellow sun, Kal-El possesses incredible, potentially incalculable superhuman strength. He used it to easily break handcuffs, bend metal, shatter concrete, sustain the upper portion of an oil rig, destroy a truck, move a bus, break through walls and doors, destroy a highly durable Kryptonian surveillance robot, fight and break through the World Engine's metallic liquid defenses, and engage other Kryptonians in hand-to-hand combat, even sending the larger Nam-Ek flying, briefly knocking him out. His mighty punches generate visible shock waves. Kal-El was even able to generate enough force to break through another Kryptonian's invulnerability, such as when he managed to break Zod's extremely durable neck. With some effort, Kal-El was even able to fly against the tremendous force of a Kryptonian World Engine's gravity beam, even though he was somewhat weakened by the terraforming Kryptonian aura that it generated. His extensive solar-energy supply makes him even stronger than other Kryptonians, who have only arrived on Earth relatively recently.
- Super Speed: Kal-El can run, fly and react at incredible supersonic speeds (at least March 3). Only other Kryptonians and the speedster Flash rival him in this regard. Kal-El was able to fly from the southern Indian Ocean to Metropolis (on the other side of the planet) in a fraction of a minute, and was later even able to fly fast enough to help himself and Lois escape the tremendous gravitational pull of a temporary black hole singularity than sucked Black Zero and the other Kryptonians back into the Phantom Zone.
- Invulnerability: The enhancing process that Earth's yellow sun environment did to Kal-El's skin, bones and muscles made him incredibly tough, durable, and virtually indestructible. He was able to move in a sub-zero temperature location with light clothes and without harm; he lived in outer space without any problems, high-caliber bullets shot by military jets and helicopters knocked him back, but did not wound him in the least, he survived the attack of a Kryptonian surveillance robot's mechanical whip, plasma bolts from Tor-An's Kryptonian Rifle, violent attacks of the World Engine's metallic liquid defenses, and even the tremendous force of its huge gravity beam as well. Superman also withstood the fall of a massive oil rig, the explosion of a military plane and numerous mighty blows from other Kryptonians without any kind of permanent damage. He is also immune to earthly diseases and viruses. However, he can be damaged by magic (which completely bypasses his invulnerability, directly affecting his physiology) and Kryptonite xenominerals.
- Flight: Clark is able to use his incredible strength to perform super jumps. However, he later learned to manipulate the force of gravity around him, which grants him the power to levitate and fly. He can fly also in space, not only in Earth atmosphere, and he can reach incredible supersonic speeds (of at least Mach 3). This ability allows him to maneuver with precision in any direction, as well as hover in one place.
- Heat Vision: Superman can project thick laser-like concentrated beams of intensified heat from his eyes. He used this power to quickly melt ice and metal with ease, cauterize wounds, and damage other Kryptonians.
- X-Ray Vision: Since he was a young boy, Clark was able to see through objects and through the clothes and skin of people around him. He was initially unable to control this power, but his mother helped him focus in order to avoid being overwhelmed by his perceptions. With this ability, Kal-El had no problem seeing through the one-way mirror of an interrogation room, which enabled him to face Dr. Hamilton while talking to him, and even read the ID badge in the latter's pocket. Lead appears to be the only substance that his Kryptonian x-ray vision cannot penetrate.
- Telescopic Vision: Superman can clearly see things over vast distances. For instance, when he first saw Black Zero hovering over Smallville, he was able to mentally zoom in, and perceive it in detail.
- Super Hearing: Clark soon discovered that he possesses a very keen and sensitive sense of hearing, which allows him to perceive feeble or far noises very clearly, both infrasonic and ultrasonic ones. He was initially unable to control this power, but his mother helped him focus in order to avoid being overwhelmed by his perceptions. Hence, he now possesses enough control to exclude ambient sounds in order to focus on a specific source or frequency. He also seems to possess a mental telepathy associated with the sound, as he can hear the screams from space (where there is no air for sound waves to travel through).

Relationships

Clark Kent - His civilian identity.
Superman - His superhero identity.
Jor-El - Biological father.
Lara Lor-Van - Biological mother.
Kara Zor-El - Cousin
Martha Kent - Adoptive mother.
Jonathan Kent - Adoptive father.
Lois Lane - Co-worker and love interest.
Perry White - Boss.
General Zod - Enemy.
Faora-Ul - Enemy.
Nam-Ek - Enemy.
Lana Lang - Friend.
Pete Ross - Bully turned Friend.
Batman -Enemy turned Ally and Team Member.
Wonder Woman - Ally and Team Member.

Appearances/Actors

DC Cinematic Universe (2 films)

- Man of Steel (First appearance) - Henry Cavill
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Henry Cavill
- Justice League: Part One - Henry Cavill

Behind the scenes

To be added

Trivia

Before Henry Cavill was cast as Superman, Matthew Goode, Armie Hammer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Zac Efron, Dwayne Johnson, Sam Worthington, Patrick Wilson, Robert Pattinson, Colin O'Donoghue and Jon Hamm were on the final shortlist for the lead role. Former Superman actors Brandon Routh and Tom Welling were also on the list.
Henry Cavill had tried out for the part of Superman in Superman Returns.
Henry Cavill also tried out for the part of Batman in Batman Begins.
Henry Cavill is the first English actor to portray Superman.
Cavill wore Christopher Reeve's Superman suit in his audition.