Superman (DC Extended Universe)

"I'm here to help, but it's got to be on my own terms."

- Superman, to General Swanwick

Superman is the name given to the alien known as Kal-El and the primary protagonist in the 2013 Man of Steel film and its upcoming 2016 sequel Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice .

He is played by Henry Cavill.

History
Kal-El was born on the planet Krypton, the first Kryptonian conceived naturally in over a thousand years. Before his homeworld was destroyed, his parents Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van placed him inside an escape vessel that would take him across space to Earth, a suitable planet where he could survive. Kal-El landed in Smallville, Kansas, where he was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a farming couple who adopted him and named him "Clark."

When Clark was 8 years old, his body began to change due to exposure to the yellow rays of Earth's sun. One day at school, his vision fluctuated to the point where he could see through solid objects. Moments later, he was able to burn things just by looking at them. Clark's mother arrived and helped him focus his vision through meditation.

When Clark was 13, the school bus fell off a bridge into a deep river, and he used his superhuman strength to push the bus back to dry land. His act of heroism was witnessed by all, and Clark's parents had to cover up what had happened. Jonathan revealed that Clark was an alien by showing him the spacecraft he arrived on Earth in. Clark frequently had to endure the torment of bullies, and his father encouraged him to not fight back because, with his powers, he should be defending those weaker than himself, not hurting them.

When Clark was 17, he had grown frustrated with having to hide his powers and expressed a desire to go out and see the world, which caused some tension with his parents. As the Kents were driving along a freeway, a tornado appeared. No one could drive away due to a traffic jam, so they ran for shelter. Jonathan stayed behind to rescue their dog, but realized he couldn't outrun the tornado. Clark desperately wanted to save his father, but even in his dying moments, Jonathan forbade him from showing his powers to the world.

Man of Steel
Clark spent his adult years traveling the country in the hopes of finding out more about himself. Along the way, he took up various menial jobs under aliases which allowed him to help people out without drawing any attention to himself.

When he was 33 years old, Clark joined a military expedition on Ellesmere Island to uncover some unknown object buried beneath the ice. Clark found out that the object was a Kryptonian spaceship from long ago. The spaceship was infiltrated by a reporter named Lois Lane who was attacked by a Kryptonian security droid. Clark cauterized her wound with his heat vision and brought her back to camp. Lois then resolved to find out more about her mysterious rescuer.

As Clark ventured deeper into the spaceship, he was greeted by a hologram of his birth father Jor-El, who told Clark all about their home planet and how it was destroyed from within due to over-mining and neglect. Jor-El then gestured towards their family crest and told Clark it was a symbol of hope and that for Clark to learn even more about himself, he should push his limits.

Later, Clark stepped out of the ship wearing an old Kryptonian suit he had found with his family crest on it, and began to test the limit of his powers. He leaped into the air, gliding over mountains in a single bound. It occurred to Clark that he could go even higher just by using willpower, and he taught himself how to fly.

As Clark returned to Smallville, he encountered Lois, who had managed to track him down via his heroic deeds over the years. Lois offered to tell the world Clark's story so that he could gain some good publicity and not have to hide anymore, but Clark told her how his father died to protect his secret, which moved Lois to the point that she scrapped her story. Clark came home, telling his mother all about his alien heritage.

Later, Earth received a transmission from a Kryptonian UFO by General Zod, who demanded that Kal-El be handed to him or he would wreak havoc on Earth. After much pondering, Clark, wearing his costume, surrendered himself to the U.S. military. While in custody, he spoke with Lois, who told him that his family crest resembled an "S" and that he should call himself "Superman."

As Faora, one of Zod's soldiers, arrived to collect Superman, she demanded that Lois come with them. Lois willingly joined, but was made to wear a breathing device as the Kryptonian atmosphere on Zod's ship isn't suitable for humans. Superman met Zod and learned more about their planet's history, along with the fact that Zod had murdered Jor-El back on Krypton. Zod probed Superman's mind and tracked down his adoptive mother.

Superman got free; as he did so, he noticed Lois leave the ship in an escape pod that was quickly burning up. He went to rescue her, then tackled Zod after he threatened Martha, sending the Kryptonian general flying into the middle of Smallville. When Superman broke Zod's helmet, Zod's senses went haywire from exposure to Earth's oxygen, forcing him to retreat. Faora and a muscle-bound Kryptonian arrived and engaged Superman in a violent battle in the streets of Smallville. Superman was able to defeat the two.

Zod had his remaining henchmen position their ship, the Black Zero, and a world engine on opposite ends of Earth in order to terra-form it into a new Krypton, with the Black Zero positioned right above Metropolis. The ship's engines caused untold havoc across the world which would kill every living thing. While the U.S. military dealt with the Black Zero in Metropolis, Superman fought the world engine in the Indian Ocean. Even though his powers were weakened by the world engine's polluting fumes, Superman persisted and he eventually managed to destroy the world engine, saving Earth for the first time.

Zod, meanwhile, found the Kryptonian scout ship in the Arctic which contained a birthing chamber that was required for artificially engineering Kryptonians. He piloted the ship over Metropolis, but Superman arrived to stop him. Zod protested that if Superman destroyed the scout ship, he would destroy Krypton's last hope of being reborn. Remembering how Jor-El told him about all the mistakes his people made which led to their demise, Superman declared "Krypton had its chance!" and destroyed the scout ship. After saving Lois' life one more time, they shared a kiss.

As the dust settled, Zod emerged from the wreckage of the scout ship and attacked Superman in a rage, destroying several buildings and figuring out how to fly whilst doing so. Superman got Zod in a headlock, but Zod used his newly-mastered heat vision to try and kill a nearby family, and Superman was forced to kill Zod in order to protect them. Faced with how he'd killed one of his own and made himself the last Kryptonian, Superman cried in anguish.

As Metropolis rebuilt itself, Superman destroyed a spy satellite and told the military that, while he would help them, he wouldn't be their weapon. Later, Clark and his mother talked about what he planned to do now that he was world-famous. Clark said he was taking up a job that allowed him to gain information without drawing attention to himself so he could be a better hero. Clark was then shown as an employee of the Daily Planet along with Lois.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
TBA

Personality
Clark is personified by his wholesome values and withdrawn nature. From an early age, he showed traits that he was more than ordinary, from his developing superpowers to his interest in philosophy, as well as his inherent desire to help others. His adoptive parents needed to constantly remind Clark that, while his intentions are noble, he needs to be mindful of the attention he may draw.

Clark can keep a cool head most of the time, but when push comes to shove, he can be extremely explosive. One notable example is when he destroyed the truck of an unruly trucker who made unwelcome advances toward a bar waitress. He showed an even more impressive display of anger when Zod came after his adoptive mother. He's also no pushover when it comes to authority figures, telling a U.S. general that he refuses to be a lapdog for the military.

Despite his isolated existence, Clark does care for the people around him. While he initially wanted to find out where he came from to end his loneliness, he would still give it all up to defend the planet that he calls home.