Superman (DC Extended Universe)

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

- Superman, to General Swanwick

"All this time I've been living my life the way my father saw it. Righting wrongs for a ghost, thinking I'm here to do good. Superman was never real. Just the dream of a farmer from Kansas"

- Superman before his self-exile

"Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy."

- Superman to Batman in their confrontation

"I'll take you without breaking you, which is more than you deserve!"

- Superman to Lex Luthor, as he confronts him atop of LEXCORP Tower

Superman (also known by the alien name Kal-El and Clark Kent as a human) is the titular main protagonist in the 2013 Man of Steel film and the titular deuteragonist in its 2016 sequel Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. He is portrayed by British actor 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. The Daily Planet is like his police scanner and know when Clark will be needed.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
He just been Superman for 18 months, some people are praised by him and some are afraid of him. Bruce Wayne, thought of Superman as a threat. He is been investigating on Superman when Superman and Zod fought together. Clark has been investigating on Bruce himself. He thought of Batman as a scary vigilante or a criminal. Lex Luthor has been playing both sides on them, turn them against each other. Batman was that close to kill him, Superman didn't want to fight him because he is the good guy. Superman mentions Martha, Batman stopped. Bruce's mother Martha was killed by a mugger. Batman and Superman realize, they were both played by Lex Luthor and Superman wasn't a threat. They both teamed up with Diana Prince who is Wonder Woman to bring Luthor who framed Superman for the bombing of the capital. Lex created Doomsday to finish off Superman. Doomsday and Superman were both defeated and dead.

But Luthor is in prison, since Lois has evidence to put him away and clear Superman of any wrongdoing. They both had two funerals one for Superman that is a state memorial. His body is not on the casket. His body on the casket is buried in Smallville where Clark had his funeral with a lot of people who mourn him. Bruce, Diana, Martha and Lois were all their. Bruce and Diana decide to form a team to prevent alien abductions like Zod and Doomsday. With other Superheroes like them for the honor of Superman. Off-screen Superman is alive and being resurrected.

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 is always been an outsider and been bullied in school. Mostly he wanted to fight back, but his dad told him no matter how strong or powerful you are, never use your powers out of anger.

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. Clark was never alone, but he had parents and people loved him back. The only reason why Clark became Superman, because of his birth and adopted parents taught him how to make a difference.

Powers & Skills

 * Kryptonian Physiology: His physiology absorbs soar radiation from a Yellow G-type Main-Sequence Star, which is also the Earth's sun. This causes him to metabolize the energy to enhance his physical abilities & gain a new set of powers. It is such powers that makes mortals see him as a "Messiah" of some sort. His powers are slightly stronger than the average Kryptonian, giving him brute strength as an advantage over their combat skills.
 * Superhuman Strength: Kal-El has virtually incalculable high amounts of superhuman strength. The slightest punches from his hands generate tremendous shockwaves. He is slightly stronger than the average Kryptonian, likely due to his life-long exposure to the Sun & Earth's environment. Kal-El even managed to break Zod's incredibly durable neck, though it took greater exertion than he had done before. His strength can further enhance when under direct exposure to sunlight.
 * Superhuman Stamina: As long as Kryptonians have absorbed solar energy, they have no need for sustenance for survival & can exert themselves for many hours before starting to show slight amounts of fatigue. They can even survive in space of underwater without any air to breathe.
 * Superhuman Speed / Reflexes: Kryptonians are able to move at supersonic velocities & can even react to attacks much faster than trained athletes.
 * Superhuman Senses: Kryptonians have overdeveloepd sensory systems, all fo which enhance when under direct sunlight.
 * X-ray Vision: Kal-El had no problem seeing through the one-way mirror of an interrogation room. He also saw through several walls simultaneously, observing several soldiers in an adjacent room.
 * Superhuman Hearing: Kal-El was able to listen into Bruce sneaking around & talking to Alfred via phone wihle hiding from him a few feet away. He even managed to hear Lois drowning in Gotham, while she was trying to retrieve the "Kryptonite Spear".
 * Telescopic Vision: Kal-El was able to see Zod threatening his adoptive human mother from miles away with ease.
 * Nigh-Invulnerability: Kryptonians are virtually invulnerable to almost all forms of physical harm on Earth & even immune to any form of infection, intoxication or ailments. Their bodily tissues are several times denser than a normal human being, making them far more heavier than normal.
 * Accelerated Healing: Kryptonians can heal faster than normal humans. They can even heal from catastrophic wounds when under the direct rays of the sunlight. This was seen when Kal-El was floating in space in an almost death like manner, when he cane in contact with the sun's radiation, not only did he heal his injuries without scarring, but it even revived him.
 * Superhuman Longevity: As long as Kryptonians have solar energy in their systems, they cannot biologically age at all. This ageless lifespan combined with their fast healing & extremely high durability makes them appear to be immortal & virtually un-killable.
 * Flight: Kryptonians can defy gravity through generating their own gravitational field, shown first by Kal-El, with bits of snow and gravel being in a gravitational pull around him before he took off, while other objects levitate around them due to a higher gravitational pull generated by the Kryptonian. The ground can shake, as if a tremor is present, due to the Kryptonian manipulating gravity and siphoning physical force. Utilizing their gravitational field, kinetic flow of energy, a Kryptonian can fly at supersonic speeds.
 * Heat Vision: Kryptonians can generate a concentrated beam of thermal energy from their eyes. When utilizing their heat vision, their facial tissue near the eyes appear to be burning & their eyes turn orange due to the energy inside the retinal nerves.
 * Skills: His natural skills are his great journalistic skills, investigative skills, interrogation skills & baseline martial arts skills.
 * Vulnerabilities: Extreme forces such as a missile blast was able to temporarily render him unconscious. Beings of higher power such as General Zod or Doomsday are able to break through his nigh-invulnerability. He is also vulnerable to magic & kryptonite weaponry. Catastrophic wounds such as a snapped neck or being stabbed through the chest by Doomsday's spike, will not be healed by his healing abilities & thus he will die. However, it is possible to revive him.

Trivia

 * This wasn't the first time Henry Cavill auditioned for the role of Superman. He'd previously auditioned for the title role for Superman Returns, but lost the part to Brandon Routh.
 * He was the third british actor to play an american superhero movie. Andrew Garfield playing Peter Parker aka Spider-Man and Christian Bale playing Bruce Wayne aka Batman.