Kal-El, also known by his adoptive Earth name Clark Joseph Kent, and best known by his superhero persona Superman, is a superhero in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) series of films, based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. In the films, he is a survivor from the destroyed planet Krypton who lands on Earth and develops superhuman abilities due to environmental differences between the planets and their respective star systems. A destructive conflict with a faction of militant surviving Kryptonians led by General Zod results in extensive damage to Metropolis, creates a moral divide amongst humanity, and draws the attention of Bruce Wayne / Batman, who would confront Kent for his actions. The two would eventually reconcile their differences to prevent Doomsday, with the latter giving his life to kill the creature with the assistance of Wayne. Kent eventually gets resurrected and allies himself with the Justice League to prevent the Unity of the three Mother Boxes and prevent the conquest of Earth under Darkseid. Now a well known, and the most powerful, protector of Earth, Kent intervened on the behalf of Amanda Waller to confront the newly awakened Black Adam, negotiating his surrender. First appearing as the protagonist of the film Man of Steel (2013), the character is portrayed by Henry Cavill, who is the first non-American actor to portray Superman in film. Cavill ultimately remained tied to this role for the next years following his first portrayal, until his final cameo appearance in The Flash (in 2023). This version of Superman was one of the central characters of the DC Extended Universe, appearing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017) (and its 2021 director's cut), and an uncredited cameo appearance in Black Adam (2022). Body doubles for the actor made appearances in the film Shazam! (2019) and Brad Abramenko was in the first season of the television series Peacemaker (2022–present). Cavill was slated to reprise the character in future projects as of November 2022, including a planned sequel to Man of Steel and a larger role in The Flash, prior to James Gunn and Peter Safran becoming the new heads of DC Studios and beginning development on the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise. Cavill would be succeeded in the role by David Corenswet, who debuted as Clark Kent / Superman in the eponymous film Superman (2025). Director Zack Snyder's films in the DCEU have aimed to portray Superman in a more flawed and human light as compared to the previous film series by Warner Bros., which has received polarized reviews from critics.
Fictional character biography
Arriving on Earth
On February 29, 1980, Kal-El is the first Kryptonian born by natural means in many generations. His parents, Jor-El and Lara fight to save their planet Krypton from impending destruction due to the Kryptonians' reckless usage of the planet's resources. Jor-El becomes the first Kryptonian aware of the planet's impending destruction but his concerns are dismissed by the oblivious and irrational ruling council. Jor-El and Lara must also defend against a plot by General Zod to seize control of the planetary government. With no means to avoid the destruction of the planet, Jor-El and Lara infuse the DNA of their son with a codex containing the genetic information for future Kryptonian births, before sending him to Earth on a pre-programmed starship. They deduce that their son will develop great powers on Earth and will "become a god" to Earth-native humans. Kal is discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas upon crash-landing on Earth and subsequently raised as their adoptive son, Clark Kent. As a child, Clark becomes isolated as a result of developing superhuman powers which he tries to hide from others, but one incident sees him single-handedly lift a school bus carrying his classmates from sinking into a river. He learns his true origins from Jonathan, who urges him to keep his powers hidden. In 1997, Jonathan dies in a tornado while refusing to let Clark rescue him, as that might reveal Clark to the world before he's ready. Burdened with guilt and looking for a new purpose in his life, Clark leaves to travel the world for several years under various aliases.
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