Being a character that has existed since 1933, Superman has experienced more than his fair share of adaptations. Throughout his numerous adventures, the Man of Steel has displayed some incredible powers that have cemented his place as one of the strongest superheroes ever created. Aside from well-known abilities like flight and heat vision, writers have given the Last Son of Krypton other powers that range from the cool to the puzzling.
It’s borderline infamous how many odd powers writers have given Superman throughout his many battles. Becausethese powers are weird or all-around useless, they don’t get used much anymore or at all, which is understandable for most. Still, some definitely could have been used to get this beloved hero out of some perilous predicaments over the years. These arethe best and most distinctive powers that Superman hardly ever uses, with some appearing only once and others making a few appearances without ever becoming a staple of his collection.
10Throwing His Chest Symbol
‘Superman II’ (1980)
When the devious General Zod (Terence Stamp) comes to Earth to conquer it, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) mustput on his Superman suitand take him down before he can cause irreversible trouble. Zod, indeed, makes things very hard for Superman, arriving at a terribly inconvenient time as Clark Kent had just given up his superpowers to pursue a life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder).
While Zod and his goons are insulting the Fortress of Solitude, Superman makes his entrance. When Non (Jack O’Halloran) attacks the kind-hearted superhero, Superman rips a copy of the S symbol from his chest and throws it at him. Doing socauses the sigil to enlarge and wrap itself around Non, trapping him. This wacky power is not from the comic books; instead, it came straight out of the script forSuperman II. How did he make the copy of the symbol? How did it grow to be so large? Absolutely nobody knows because it is never explained.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
9Super-Caller-ID
Silver Age Superman Comics
Before the age of phones having any kind of caller ID, Superman didn’t have to worry about not knowing who was calling his phone. That’s right, the Man of Tomorrow once demonstrated that he has what is called a Super-Caller ID. In the Silver Age (1956-1970s) of his comic book career, Superman couldimmediately know who was calling his phonewhenever it rang.
Certainly, in the ’50s and ’60s, a power like this was super useful. In the modern age, though? It is more than useless and delightfully absurd. There’s absolutelyno point in having this abilityin an era with not only caller ID but texting and video chatting, as well. There’s no questioning why Supes doesn’t use this power anymore and why many don’t even currently consider it canon,either.
8Time Travel
Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #20 (1960)
No, the iconic DC superhero didn’t only time travel in the firstSupermanmovie. He actually first did so in a comic where he wanted to see what a timeline would look like if he’d been a disc jockey. Yes. Superman wasn’t trying to save the planet or the ones he loved from a doom they’d already met;he just wanted to see another timelinewhere he pursued a life of music.
It’s made very clear to Clark by his biological father, Jor-El, that it’s wrong to interfere with history, as it can only create more trouble and radically affect lives Clark might never even be aware of.
Aside from that ridiculous first usage of the power, Superman would go on to use it for more dire circumstances. He doesn’t use it nearly as much anymore, though, becauseit’s a broken and overpowered abilityfor a hero already holding every other power imaginable. Not to mention, it’s made very clear to Clark by his biological father, Jor-El, that it’s wrong to interfere with history, as it can only create more trouble and radically affect lives Clark might never even be aware of. The Man of Steel probably just ended up listening to his dad’s advice inthe perfect firstSupermanmovie.
7Great Wall of China Vision
‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ (1987)
InSuperman IV: The Quest for Peace, the Great Wall of China takes a bit of a beating. Most would expect the Man of Tomorrow to use his super speed to rebuild the iconic Wonder of the World, but he didn’t take the obvious approach. Somehow, when looking at the destruction,Superman manifested the immediate repair of the ancient wall.
Yes, that’s correct:by just looking at the destruction, he fixed it, no physical contact required. To this day, absolutely nobody knows how this happened, nor has Superman ever displayed a power like this again. Things could be solved a lot easier in later adaptions of the character if this power somehow stayed around. One of the main criticisms ofMan of SteelishowHenry Cavill’s Supermandestroys Metropolis in his battle against General Zod (Michael Shannon). Imagine if he could literally manifest its reconstruction? No harm, no foul!
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
6Shape-Shifting
Action Comics (1938-) #55
Why would the All-American Boy Scout rely on some measly glasses to disguise his identity whenhe can actually shape-shift, thanks to complete and utter control over every muscle in his body? Superman used it a couple of times in comics in his early days, but it hasn’t been used since. If he had continued doing it, many of his future stories could have gone a lot differently.
Superman could totally have infiltrated Lex Luthor’s operations and taken them down from the inside or become a different face for either of his secret identities rather than worrying about just glasses to cover himself. Like most forgotten Superman powers, shape-shifting stopped being used becauseit would simply make him too powerfuland too much of a “solve-everything” character to be in high-stakes stories. Superman wouldessentially be the Satoru Gojoof the DC universe (if he isn’t already).
5Mini Clone Projection
Superman (1958) #125
Superman loses his standard powers after coming into contact with alien technology. Instead, they seem to be replaced with the ability to shoot rainbows and, most iconically,shoot mini-versions of himself out of his hands. The adventure that follows the emergence of this new power shows the mini-Superman showing off some incredible feats, even making Superman a little jealous.
It’s quite obvious why this power hasn’t been used since the first issue it appeared in:it’s completely uselessand has absolutely no reasoning behind it. The writers took Superman’s powers away only to give him abilities where he shoots out a smaller version of himself with all the powers he lost, making the loss no longer an issue. So… what was the point? This “power” is truly puzzling, a stroke of chaos from the comic book writers.
4Magic Kisses
As if Superman doesn’t do enough extraordinary acts inSuperman II, he somehow manages toerase Lois Lane’s memory with one simple kiss. What kind of power could do something like this? Telepathy? Magic? It doesn’t matter because it’s not explained and makes no sense. There had to have been some other way to erase her memory, right?
This power has the potential to be super problematic for pretty obvious reasons. Thankfully,Superman’s a pretty good guywho would never abuse such an ability, if he indeed possessed it. The real question is, why did it have to be a kiss? What if he needed Lex Luthor to forget something? Would he cheat on his wife to get the job done? Maybe that’s why he doesn’t use it anymore…
3Super Ventriloquism
Superman #52 (1950)
In addition to allthe other things that Kryptonians can do, they also happen to have the power to project their voices perfectly onto other objects with such precision that they have a pretty much 100% success rate. This ability also lets them perfectly imitate the voice of any other living being. It’s actually a pretty balanced and useful power that could and should be used more often. Well, one-half of it.
While projecting one’s voice onto another object or person perfectly is a bit outlandish, Superman’s ability to imitate another’s voice with his super vocal cords is super cool. Using this to fool enemies or on stealthier occasions could make for some super cool sequences. So why doesn’t he use it more?There aren’t many scenarios where it comes in handy. But who knows, maybeJames Gunnwill bring it back.
2Hypnotism
Superman #45 (1947)
Superman’s power doesn’t just come from strength; The Man of Steel also has some truly impressive mind-power. In 1947, it was stated that he could utilize mind control and hypnotize people. As if he wasn’t powerful enough,Superman now could straight-up control people. Who needs to fight Doomsday when they could just control his mind and stop him from attacking people?
It’s generally considered that mind manipulation is a bit more of a negative villain power. Also, controlling other people seems incredibly out of character for The Last Son of Krypton, which is why writers probably stopped implementing it. Also, what’s the point of having all of this strength when there’sno need to fight in the first place? It really negates the need for the rest of Superman’s powers and makes him seem redundant.
1Power Transferral
Superman Newspaper Dailies (1940s)
Okay, this power should have never been introduced in the first place because it now makes Superman look like a total jerk. Inold newspaper dailies,the Man of Tomorrow shared his power to cure someone’s blindness. Yes, he cured blindness. So it begs the question: why on Earth doesn’t he take the time to cure blindness for every blind person?
If he can share his power to cure blindness, it makes sense that he can do other things like that as well. He could probably get rid of deafness or fix broken bones. With the ability to transfer his power to cure others of ailments,Superman looks like a jerk for not fixing everyone’s issuesaround the world. Who cares about punching Lobo? Save the planet by saving its ailing people! There are many people in the world, true, but heisthe Man of Steel…
