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"This is just the beginning, Kal-El. You have no idea how powerful you'll become."
Lindsay Harrison, Covenant
Clarkpariah

Clark catches a car in Pariah.

Clark Kent's powers have grown more powerful as he's gotten older while under Earth's yellow sun. Each new Kryptonian ability has generally manifested itself suddenly and uncontrollably, as well as Clark has had to work to establish control without exposing his secret.

All of Clark's powers are linked to the Earth's yellow sun. He can absorb and store solar energy, which means he can grow increasingly powerful. If Clark's powers have upper limits at all, it is currently unknown. Clark recovers from any wounds more rapidly when he is exposed to direct sunlight. (Pilot, Perry, Fallout, Nemesis, Bizarro, Odyssey, Lazarus) Being able to save solar energy within his cells, Clark is capable of using his abilities inside roofed-structures, at night, or even in space for long periods of time before he must recharge.[1]

Clark was at first (somewhere around age 14) only aware of his super strength and super speed. Soon after came his invulnerability. It took Clark over a decade to develop powers beyond strength and speed. However, as shown throughout the series, other Kryptonians arriving on Earth as adults have, in most cases, developed nearly the full array of Kryptonian superpowers in a very short time, including Jor-El and the Disciples of Zod. Though not justified, but it can be argued that the reason Clark's abilities took over a decade to develop may be because Clark has been on Earth since he was a toddler. Being that young, his body had to develop and grow. His body grows and develops as do his abilities. Other Kryptonians were adults when they came to Earth and because they already had matured physical bodies, is possible for their abilities to develop right away.

Solar Battery[]

"I was dying, you saved me, you brought me to some white light. The healing affects of the sun brought you back from death.", Odyssey

Main article: Solar Battery

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Clark's cellular structure allows him to absorb, store and metabolize the energy spectrum of yellow sun radiation to fuel all of his abilities. Direct exposure to sunlight will also accelerate his absorption rate, resulting in an increase in strength,[2] and faster healing.[3] This solar radiation is stored within his cellular matrix, which functions as a solar battery, so as to not need constant exposure. (Crusade, Hidden, Kara and Veritas)

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Clark was not aware the source of his powers until Perry, where he learned that his powers come from Earth's yellow sun. This process is alluded to when Sean Kelvin gets a major power boost by sucking Clark's energy, but Clark eventually wakes up. (Cool)

  • Season 1: Sean was able to absorb all the solar energy stored in Clark's body, freezing him. Clark was able to recover after he reabsorbed enough solar energy to thaw himself out. (Cool)
  • Season 3: Clark's powers flicker on and off and he gets unpredictable and tremendous boosts of power during the unpredictable effects of a solar flare. After the solar flare ends, his powers are fully restored to normal levels. (Perry)
  • Season 5: When Jor-El hugged Clark using Lionel's body in the Fortress, a light was transferred into Clark, which was solar energy and his powers were restored. (Hidden). Lana could smell the solar energy in Clark's blood with her heightened senses after her vampiric infection. (Thirst)
  • Season 6: After returning to Earth, Clark was basked in powerful energy, which was solar energy and his powers restoring. (Zod). Clark loses all of his abilities after exposure to kryptonite while trapped in some underground tunnels, although a certain amount of strength returned as he was climbing the ladder. After he escaped and was exposed to the sun, his powers were restored. (Nemesis)
  • Season 7: Bizarro knocked Clark down, but Clark landed under a hole in the wall, directly underneath a beam of sunlight. The sun healed Clark, allowing him to take Bizarro's best punch, then uppercut Bizarro high into the sky. (Bizarro) When Clark travels back in time via the Fortress of Solitude and goes to Krypton with Kara to stop Brainiac from killing his baby self, he loses his abilities due to exposure to the rays of the red sun of Krypton. When he sends his baby self to Earth and leaves the planet before it explodes via a portal, his powers are fully restored when he reaches Earth. (Apocalypse)
  • Season 8: Although largely powerless, he maintained some power, according to him, which he used for minor Super strength. When Clark was without powers, absorbing a large amount of yellow solar radiation in outer space regenerated his powers. (Odyssey)
  • Season 9: In the future, Clark was left powerless due to red solar radiation: however, Chloe's computer virus knocked out the solar tower, which brought back the rays of the yellow sun, thus allowing Clark to regain his powers. (Pandora)
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Healing Light

  • Season 10: After Lois removes the blue kryptonite knife from Clark's body, he is bathed in yellow solar radiation, fully restoring his body and super powers (Lazarus). Clark stood in the sunlight to relieve his headache after his first drunken night out (Fortune). Clark charges all the solar energy inside himself to fly and surges through Darkseid, destroying his darkness. (Finale, Part 2)
  • Season 11: Emil theorized that Clark's powers could go uncontrollable if he enters into the Sun (Haunted). During his battles with a Monitor, one of the few species than can actually hurt him, Superman flew many times closer to the sun and his wounds immediately healed (Alien).

Super Strength[]

Main article: Super-Strength

"Okay, that's doable, but then how are we gonna get the PIN? I mean, they keep those things under lock and key at the dealership. What are you gonna do, break in and rip open the safe?"
Chloe Sullivan, Recruit
Pilot 620

Clark stacks three pickup trucks.

Clark's chief ability is his astronomical physical strength. Even as a child, Clark broke doors, smashed tables, as well as put holes in walls during tantrums. As he ages, his strength significantly increases. As a teenager Clark can easily pick up vehicles, heavy-duty machinery, punch through reinforced steel, as well as throw humans across long distances. Most of the time, during his adolescent years, he used his super strength primarily to take care of the Kent Farm. Clark is still being seen lifting heavy farm equipment, plunging fence posts into the ground, or driving nails into wood with his thumb. (Perry, Sneeze, Action) He seemingly had super strength when the Kent's first found him. Clark's strength is magnified if he is in direct sunlight. (Perry and Finale) Clark promised Major Zod if he went near Lois again, he would destroy all the Kandorians (Disciple), but it turned out to be tough talk seeing as he mega punched and didn't kill Zod when he attacked Lois when she wouldn't give him the Book of Rao.

  • Childhood: Clark was said to have put some holes in the walls during temper tantrums, as well as he was kept away from other children for fear that he might hurt them. Jonathan Kent told Roger Nixon that, as a toddler, Clark crawled under a 500-pound bed frame and lifted it over his head when Jonathan tried to get him. When he was 3, he broke the dining room table in half. When he was 6, Clark threw a 9-year-old through a door, tearing the door off its hinges and reducing it to splinters. (Leech, Zero, Vortex and Krypto)
  • Season 1: At age 14, Clark was able to, although off-screen, lift multiple pickup trucks and stack them up on each other without straining himself in the process. (Pilot) He later fights with Greg Arkin, a fellow high school classmate, as well as eventually overpowers him. (Metamorphosis) While talking with his friend Pete, Clark notices that Principal Kwan is trapped inside his car that is burning at Walt Arnold's will and easily rips Kwan's car-door from its hinges and tosses it across the parking-lot. (Hothead) Clark battles Sean Kelvin, as well as manages to overpower him when he threatens to take his family, friends, as well as the girl he loves, Lana Lang, from him. (Cool) Clark easily throws Harry Volk into a wall, as well as later manages to rip open a hatch on the corn filter to save his mother Martha from getting smothered. (Hourglass) During a school field-trip to Lex's power-plant, the students including Clark, are kept hostage there by Earl Jenkins. After Lex convinces him to release them, Clark runs to one of the primary gas-pressures and manages to twist the knob back, which surprises Lionel Luthor. Later, Clark manages to, despite the fact that Earl's skin calluses are laced with green kryptonite, pull both him and Lex up from a breaking bridge, suggesting that Clark experienced a brief adrenaline rush. (Jitters) Clark, while working alongside of Sam Phelan, throws a titanium-based safe from a window onto a road, landing right next to Sam. In a fit of rage because he father was sent off to jail, Clark destroys a wooden beam inside his house. While on the job for Sam, Clark picks up a bag and hurls it out of a window and it lands at least a yard away. (Rogue) Clark, to save his mother Martha, easily lifts a man by the name of Tyler Randall off his feet and hurls him into a set of boxes. (Reaper) Clark showed some difficulty in tearing through the pressure of the tornado to get to Lana in Whitney's truck. (Tempest)
  • Season 2: After he entered the tornado, Clark was able to, despite the strong winds and currents of the storm, rip off the door of Lana's truck and pull himself in to save her (it is worth noting that Clark's ability to fly may have helped propel him into the truck). He was capable of lifting a mobile home with little visible strain. (Vortex)
  • Season 3: Clark's strength has increased dramatically since the first season. Clark, as Kal while under the influence of red kryptonite, smashes many heavy duty, reinforced ATM machines easily, as well as later overpowers some thugs at a bank. Later Clark smashes reinforced titanium steel hinges just by grabbing them (Exile) As Kal, he fought with his father Jonathan, who had Kryptonian powers thanks to Jor-El: he showed some signs of difficulty in battling his superpowered father. (Phoenix) Clark was able to easily rip off Perry White's car door from its hinges and toss it aside. (Perry)
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(Lionel) Clark prepared to snap Lex's neck "like a twig"

  • Season 4: While he was Kal-El of Krypton, he became extremely powerful, even more so than his human persona of Clark Kent, but after he got merged with Clark by Martha via black kryptonite, Clark lost this potential. (Crusade) Clark easily overpowers many military agents. (Gone) He pushes Mikhail into a wall, knocking him out and easily breaks apart a set of handcuffs. (Jinx) Also, when Lionel was inside his body, he threatened Lex he could snap him like a twig.
  • Season 5: Clark, after the two prime Disciples of Zod use the Phantom Zone bracelet, which opens a portal to the Zone, almost gets sucked into the vortex vacuum, manages to pull himself out and pushes them both into the portal, closing the door to the Zone. (Arrival)
  • Season 6: Only Aldar, a Zoner with vast super strength, and General Zod was shown to be clearly stronger than Clark. (Static) Clark defeated Titan in a mortal combat with a few punches (Combat) and managed to fight Bizarro to a standstill until Lionel Luthor unintentionally strengthened the latter with green kryptonite. (Phantom)
  • Season 7: Clark was able to send Bizarro into Earth's upper atmosphere with just one punch: at the time, he was powered up from being in direct sunlight. He also ripped a steel refrigerator door off its hinges to save Lois and Jimmy Olsen. (Bizarro, Descent)
  • Season 8: Clark, with no effort, ripped open a bus to free the survivors. Clark was able to open a can of dog food with his finger at super speed. (Instinct) However, Doomsday is significantly stronger than Clark, who is no match against him, though Clark was strong enough to overpower him while Doomsday was in his human form of Davis Bloome and he later managed to resist Doomsday for a while. His strength later got the better of him when he was frustrated about Chloe's situation and crumpled a file cabinet (Plastique, Bride, Beast).
94C33BEE-9937-4AA6-9EB7-D2DF24E8184D

Super Punch

  • Season 9: Clark was easily able to catch a monorail train with no apparent effort and put it down carefully. Clark was easily able to tear off a limo car-door. After ripping the car-door from its hinges, Clark threw it to the side with tremendous force. (Savior, Hostage) While trying to rescue Lois Lane, Clark hit Zod with such force, he sent him sailing across Metropolis. Later, when slightly depowered by blue kryptonite, Clark is shown to still possess considerable strength, as he is able to lift Major Zod off his feet with a single punch. (Salvation)
  • Season 10: Clark grabbed the Daily Planet globe in the air and was still able to soar higher, without losing any momentum or speed, even though the globe weighed more than a ton (Lazarus). Clark was able to effortlessly block and catch numerous attacks from Oliver, even though he was powered by Darkseid (Finale, Part 1). He was capable of flying straight through Lionel-2's chest while Lionel was possessed and enhanced by Darkseid with no difficulty. Then he was later able to save Lois and numerous government agents from crashing in a plane by lifting it back into position. He lastly was able to lift a full-sized planet rivaling Saturn in size and fly it into the upper atmosphere and back into space, showing no signs of strain in the process (Finale, Part 2).

Thunderclap[]

Using his super strength when Clark claps his hands together he can create a powerful shockwave. The shockwave can have a variety of effects, depending on how much force Clark puts into it. It can disorient enemies, create a loud noise, extinguish flames and push back objects.

  • Season 11: Clark first uses this to shatter the glass in Lex Luthor’s office and then later to create a massive wave that pushes back an entire group of his foes, sending them flying into the air and knocking them unconscious.

Super Leaps[]

Main article: Super-Leap

"Hey, rocket man, we don't want anybody to get hurt. "
— Pete to Clark, Prodigal

Clark can leap extremely high distances, both vertical and horizontal, by combining his super strength with his super dexterity to perform highly accurate super leaps. In some episodes, Clark has, without directly showing it on screen, been at the bottom of a building and somehow is then on top of the structure. This is hinted when he saves about 50 people, including Lois, who gets up to see the Blur, who was already gone and perched on a building above her. (Savior) It is implied again when Clark and Zod are seen on top of the Space Needle, suggesting that he leaped and Zod flew. (Upgrade)

  • Season 2: While playing basketball with Pete Ross, Clark jumped right over Pete 10 feet into the air and across the yard to slam dunk the ball (Duplicity). To save his mother from a siege at LuthorCorp Plaza, Clark leapt from the Daily Planet roof across the street to the LuthorCorp building, leaping his 'first tall building in a single bound.'
    Insurgence 606

    Clark's first leap.

  • Season 4: Clark super-jumped from a bridge to the truck with the kidnapped Lois and the supposedly kidnapped Lucy Lane. (Lucy)
  • Season 5: Clark jumped very high onto a nuclear missile launching into outer space. (Hidden) Later, Clark jumped onto an upper level of the Fortress of Solitude with Lana in his arms in an alternate timeline. (Reckoning) Interestingly, before his leap onto the missile, force was seen gathering around him, just as it was right before he flew as Kal-El in Crusade. To save Graham Garrett, Clark was able to make a graceful superleap over a taxi and across the street. Fade
0665C2E4-BB10-45A5-AFF1-4169824470CE

Stopping the Missile

  • Season 6: Clark leaped across Metropolis from the Daily Planet building to Queen Tower with Lois in his arms, after which she first stated the well-known line, "Leaping tall buildings in a single bound." (Crimson)
  • Season 8: Clark super leaped across continents from North America to South America to get the antidote for the toxin. (Toxic)When Clark was investigating an attack at the Ace of Clubs, he traveled from the ground floor to the upper balcony in a single jump. Clark leapt from the streets of Metropolis to the top of the Daily Planet easily: as seen in Crusade and Hidden, force is seen gathering around him before this super-jump. During his battle with Doomsday, Clark grabs the beast and takes a flying leap to a geothermal facility that has a deep tunnel where Doomsday is trapped. (Prey, Hex, Doomsday)
  • Season 9: Clark super leaps to Chloe's rescue after Zatanna's counter-spell blast her off the rooftop. (Warrior) Later he leaps onto a rooftop after saving Lois. (Charade)
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Clark catches the globe.

  • Season 10: Clark super leaps off a cab to catch the Daily Planet Globe in mid-air though it can be argued that he also did some flying. (Lazarus)

Super Speed[]

Main article: Super-Speed

"I do realize it's a lot to ask, but I mean, you do run faster than a speeding bullet and I know you don't want to disappoint all of those underprivileged children."
— Chloe, Lexmas
Rogue32

Clark dodges a bullet in Rogue, moving so fast that he is able to watch it fly by him.

Clark can move and react at superhuman speeds. Due to his supercharged brain, he can also think at an incredible pace, allowing him to read very fast and to retain great amounts of information all at once. (Pilot, Instinct and Prey) Clark can control the rate and intensity of his speed, like when he shouldered Byran at super speed but still not kill him (Nocturne), or when he was playing basketball with Lucas and caught the ball after Lucas rebounds it before it can go in. (Prodigal). Even at age six, Clark was considerably faster than humans, although by how much faster wasn't specified. In eighth grade, Clark was able to run from the Kent Barn to the Smallville library and back instantly before Chloe could even turn around. By season three, he can move at speeds that specifically registers higher than the sound barrier. In Season 8 "Toxic" and Season 10 "Masquerade" he either leap or swam at super speed to cross bodies of water. After fully mastering his powers, Clark can use them simultaneously, and at super speed. (Heat, Sneeze, Escape). Clark was able to Speed Share with Arthur so he could destroy the Leviathan in time. (Aqua) Clark was able to move faster than thought not just sound when he deserted Chloe. (Doomsday)

It's odd that Clark says he has to slow down to be caught on camera, when in a previous episode, he sees a photo that indeed captured him in super speed (probably an error in season eight timeline by the writers).

Clark can push the limit of this ability when his loved ones are in danger. (Ryan,Jinx, Crisis and Lazarus)

Although rarely seen, mainly because he used this ability and still does to save people, Clark can control and minimize the rate and speed of his movement, though when he is moving extremely fast, he can't slow down. In one instance, Clark purposely ran into Byron at super speed, elbowing him along the way, sending him flying across a lawn, though he most likely didn't use his true speed in this case, as that probably would have killed him. (Nocturne) While Clark was searching for a doctor for his friend Ryan, he was seen running around Smallville and other close towns, speeding up and then speeding down rather easily. (Ryan) When Clark was changing from his mild-mannered reporter clothes and into his Blur attire, he ran to a phone booth, everything was in slow motion, but he wasn't moving his fastest. (Booster)

At first, as growing teenager, his speed was incomprehensible to all humans except for those who were aware of his powers, as others would often notice his random, quick disappearances. During this time, Clark generally took the bus to school, unless he missed it, in which case he ran to school, as well as he would often use this ability to save the citizens of Smallville, Kansas.

Sometime after moving from freshman year to sophomore, then to junior year, Clark's speed increased, as he could travel to outside cities and towns in Kansas quite fast, shown when he travels to Hub City in about four minutes and showed no signs of tiredness afterwards.

As a humorous recurring theme, Clark frequently super-speeds away without any apparent concern that anyone present will notice his inexplicable disappearance.

Ryan 432

Clark runs to find Ryan a doctor.

Resurrection437

Clark's movements make him invisible.

  • Childhood: From a story Clark tells Martha Kent in Transference, it can be assumed that Clark developed this ability when he was 6, during a game of tag with his father: Clark claims that he suddenly found himself in the woods, all alone. However, he showed signs of enhanced speed as a toddler. (Lineage) When he first met Chloe at age 13, Clark used super-speed to retrieve a book that Chloe told him she lost. (Abyss)
  • Season 1: In Season 1, Clark was able to move very fast - way faster than automobiles. However, people could bear his speed. Furthermore, to his secret keepers, he could be seen as a blur, but to others, only could detect his movements if actually physically watching him. Clark runs to school from the Kent farm easily. (Pilot) Surrounded in flames, Chloe screams and Clark darts through the school, the halls and saves her in a matter of seconds. (Hothead) When realizing Sean's motive, he rushes to Chloe's defense, in a matter or minutes. (Cool) While at Metropolis' Museum, he, after talking to Lana, says he needs some air. He spots an out of control bus, which is heading towards a sleeping man and his dog, it comes inches from hitting them....but Clark, who was 20 feet away, appears in front of it, which heavily devastates the bus's structure. (Rogue) Later in the episode, Clark manages to dodge his first speeding bullet. When Lana is "attacked" in the forest, Clark is at her side momentarily. Later, Lex, while under the influence of Bob Rickman's persuasion, shoots Clark with an automatic weapon and Clark is unable to dodge them all. (Hug) When Chloe gets tossed out a window, Clark is unable to save her in time. (Kinetic) Clark saves Lana as she falls off the windmill in Chandler's Field. (Nicodemus) Sasha sends a swarm of bees bees at Martha and Clark even enters "Clark Time" and the bees, despite them flying at ferocious velocity, freeze and he saves his mom. (Drone) After Clark figures out that Chloe is buried alive underground in Chandler's Field, he super speeds to and up the ladder of the windmill rather quickly. Deputy Watts fires at Lana and Clark arrives in time to stop the bullet and was also able to stop a glass mirror from hitting her. (Obscura) Lana, near the end of the Season One finale, gets caught in a raging tornado, but Clark manages to run from the school to the tornado very quickly, knowing that she was in danger: he ran into the tornado to save Lana. (Tempest)
  • Season 2: Clark is kind of a smidgen faster than in Season 1, but again, his movements are still visible to those conscious of his movement, but not to those standing further away. Martha analogizes his speed to lightning, it's unknown if this designation is correct, it could be. Desirée Atkins, Lex's former wife, turns on him, as well as makes Jonathan Kent shoot him using her powers, but Clark arrives and destroys the bullet in mid-shot with his newest ability of heat vision. (Heat) Clark is seen shooting hoops and he throws the ball at the hoop and super speeds to it and then dunks it. While Pete attempts to leave, Clark at first hesitates, but then mysteriously appears in front of Pete's car, where he reveals his secret to Pete. (Duplicity) Clark pushes his speed at little bit, as he runs from Smallville to an outside city called Hub City in a matter of (4) minutes to find his friend Ryan a doctor. (Ryan) Clark is seen talking with Pete when all of a sudden, he notices Emily Dinsmore rush by, so he super speeds and sees the raindrops in slow motion through accelerated vision. (Accelerate) Clark was able to easily out-run a high-voltage energy beam emitted from Frederick Walden. (Calling)
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Clark races to catch a bullet

  • Season 3: Clark's super speed is now too fast for the human eye to see him, including those who are aware of his powers. Clark, as Kal while under the influence of red kryptonite, steals cash from a bank in Metropolis, causes great damage to many police cars and hurts many officers using his heat vision, then dashes away quickly. (Exile) Jonathan, after making a deal with Jor-El and gaining Kryptonian powers, battles with his son, Clark. Later on in the fight, Kal throws a rod at his father who dodges it and when he looks up, his son is gone, then he appears right behind him. (Phoenix) Clark was able to run from his house through other neighborhoods very quickly, but this power got jammed briefly during a solar flare. He then rushed over, ran through some power cords and saved Perry White. Later on, Clark's mother Martha calls him to come help her with something and Clark, while in Perry's eyesight, runs normally, but then he suddenly can't control himself and super speeds, then stops, then it starts up again as he runs off to help his mother. (Perry) In his fight with Jeremiah, Clark struck him at super speed knocking the knife out of his hand, and impact of Clark colliding with him at super speed, put Jeremiah into a catatonic state. (Talisman).
  • Season 4: By now, his speed has increased dramatically. Clark, after being reprogrammed as Kal-El by Jor-El, was able to fly from the Kents' grounds to space, then to Lex's jet very quickly. Young speedster Bart Allen outraced Clark twice. (CrusadeRun) In the span of a second, Clark was able to basically freeze time and rush from the football field to save Chloe from Mikhail Mxyzptlk, inside the locker room, then race back and return to his original position (Jinx)
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    Saving Chloe

  • Season 5: Clark is now fast enough to run vertical distances, running straight down a wall. After gaining his powers back Clark was able to run to a nuclear missile silo before it was set off, whether he traveled from the fortress of solitude or the hospital is unknown (Hidden). He saved Lana from a C-4 explosion at Warehouse 15 (albeit barely), meaning that he was running slightly faster than 8.5 kilometers per second (the speed of the shockwave). Clark was even capable of running from Kansas to Honduras in less than 10 seconds. He ran from Smallville to Metropolis before Chloe could finish the sentence, "I think you'd better get over here." Clark also swam at super speed, managing to swim fast enough to catch up to an escaping Arthur Curry who was also using super speed to swim. (Lockdown, Lexmas, Void, Aqua)
  • Season 6: Clark's super speed is now depicted as instantaneous reappearance at his destination. Clark traveled from South America to Metropolis in a matter of minutes, but, at his own admittance, was still slower than Bart Allen (whose speed had also increased somewhat during the intervening time). It has also been seen when he fought General Zod that the latter was faster than Clark, as he managed to outpace Clark in their fight with ease and Clark was unable to react in time to dodge Zod when he charged at him. Clark made the trip from the Kent barn to the Luthor Mansion instantly after Chloe was trapped in the wine cellar. Clark retrieved a button from several yards away and returned without Chloe even realizing he had left. He is much faster than a speeding bullet. He stated to Martha that Washington D.C. is no different for him than Topeka, only a few more seconds away, implying that Clark can run across the United States within seconds. (Justice, Promise, Progeny, Phantom)
  • Season 7: Clark ran from LuthorCorp Plaza to Smallville in a few seconds to rescue Pete from Lex. While approaching a weakened Brainiac, Clark moved considerably faster than ever before since the (visible) flow of electric charges came to a standstill from his point of view. (Hero, Arctic)
  • Season 8: Clark is certainly too fast for people to see him, but as usual, the viewers can see the red/blue blur. He appears to be allowing this to happen, as he had demonstrated in the past that this was not unavoidable. Clark was able to open a can of dog food with his finger at super speed. (Instinct). Clark clarified that he can use his super speed to speed-read. (Prey) He was fast enough to save Chloe from Bette Sans Souci and easily ran to Brazil and back, apparently running over water to do so. When Lois was almost hit by a car, Clark managed to move several times the distance of the flash faster than a camera flash, and save Lois, with the camera only capturing a blue/red blur after he started to run. Lana, powered by the Project Prometheus suit, was capable of moving at a level of super-speed that rivaled Clark's at the present time, to both of them, everything was at a complete standstill, even the bullet Tess Mercer had fired. Apparently, Clark has been slowing from top-speed so people can at least see the fast-moving blur on videotaped footage and has also been working on changing between his Daily Planet work clothes and his usual red jacket/blue t-shirt outfit at super speed. He was barely fast enough to attempt and stop Chloe from killing Davis. When Clark super-sped to save Jimmy, it seemed he was able to stay in super speed for a few moments while exposed to a massive amount of kryptonite, but once he was weakened enough, he slowed and fell over. Clark was fast enough to stop Davis from killing Oliver. Clark was fast enough to grab a little girl from Doomsday without it or anyone really seeing him. By the season's end, Clark seems to have mastered changing between work-clothes and his red-and-blue: when he super-sped to go and attempt to save Chloe from Doomsday, the blur changed-colors as he ran through the Daily Planet office. (Plastique, Toxic, Identity, Power, Requiem, Turbulence, Eternal, Stiletto, Beast, Doomsday)
  • Season 9: He is now capable of moving at such great speeds that he can run to any place on Earth almost instantly: he does this at teleportation-like speeds. When Clark runs, he emits an depending on the color of his clothing. Clark was fast enough to run from the ground to the top of a building instantaneously. (Savior). Clark was able to get coffee for Lois, put out a fire at the other side of Metropolis and run back to the Daily Planet all in approximately 2 seconds. (Rabid) Clark was fast enough to, after locating Oliver and Lois who were being shot-at, run in front of them and take the bullets, blast the gun with his heat vision and quickly catch the last bullet just before it hit Oliver, though oddly, the bullets seemed to be moving faster than they have in the past few years, as if he was either moving slower than usual, or, the bullets were faster than any he had encountered before. (Crossfire) Clark proved that he is fast enough to super speed over to some Daily Planet employee and steal their donut for Lois. It may be noted that no one seemed to notice Clark using his super-speed during this incident. (Echo) Clark moved so fast that in between the flickering of lights, he managed to subdue multiple guards between each flicker and then rescue Chloe from Checkmate and appeared in Watchtower almost instantaneously. (Checkmate)
  • Season 10: Clark's speed is now extremely vast and powerful. He pushed this ability to a higher velocity of speed than he even thought possible, as he
    Fds

    Clark using super speed

    saved Lois from being burned to death and saved some Metropolis citizens from the Daily Planet globe tumbling on top of them. Lex's clone even though he couldn't save them both. (Lazarus) Clark was able to save Cat Grant from an explosion which was caused by a bullet that was fired into her car's muffler. At first, Clark didn't notice this until it was almost too late, but he was fast enough to save her in time before the car blew up. (Shield) Clark was able to move Cat Grant from a warehouse to a coffee shop before her camera went off. (Isis) Clark was fast enough to save Lois from the explosion that destroyed the Talon, the explosion seeming to freeze from his perception. (Ambush) After being called by Lois, Clark ran from London to Metropolis in a matter of seconds. However, it remains unclear, if he used the country way over the Arctic and Canada or if he simply ran across the Atlantic Ocean. (Masquerade) He was fast enough to have a conversation with Booster Gold and run to his location in under a second. He later was able to change into his Blur outfit in Phone booth and deflect an energy blasted aimed at Cat Grant. (Booster) He told Lois he can unpack and set everything up in under 2 seconds in their new apartment. (Dominion) Fighting with an infected Oliver, Clark gets heaved out the chapel window, Lois gets thrown away with great force and Clark runs through the broken window and catches her before she is pushed out of the chapel. After having a conversation with his parents, he is able to run from the loft to Tess' car in a second. Clark runs from the Daily Planet to the decimated Luthor Mansion, up the stairs and into the house, very quickly. Clark, after harnessing the power of flight, flies to the Fortress very fast. He was also able to change out of his professional attire and don the Superman suit in a split second when flying out of the Fortress then flying to Metropolis and saving Earth from Apokolips. (Finale, Part 1 and Finale, Part 2).

Vortex Creation[]

Clark can use his speed to manipulate airflow for various purposes.

  • Season 4: Clark was able to create a vortex by spinning his jacket to protect Lex. Fire was about to engulf Luthor, but the vortex sucked up the air and projected it into the ceiling. (Bound)
  • Season 10: Clark was able to create a vortex to extinguish the flame that was about to engulf Lois. (Lazarus) Clark also watched his future self fly so fast he was able to create a vortex around a nuclear explosion to contain the blast and funnel it safely into the sky. (Homecoming)

Super Swimming[]

By combining his speed and strength, Clark is able to swim at superhuman speeds. Although, he is not as fast underwater as a fully trained Atlantean, he is still well beyond any human or water vehicle.

  • Season 2: To save Troy, Clark was able to swim across the school pool in the blink of an eye. (Redux)
  • Season 5: Clark swam at super speed to save Lois, but Arthur Curry blitzed him. (Aqua)


Super Dexterity[]

Main article: Super-Dexterity

"You asked your father if we'd ever seen you trip before. Never. Not without kryptonite. I was so excited to see you get a chance to be like everyone else that I guess I forgot for a moment that you aren't. I didn't think anything of it when you tripped, but you've never had mishaps like other kids."
— Martha, to Clark, Jinx

Clark is completely accurate in all of what he knows how to do, whether it be reading, playing sports, running, or throwing objects. This ability manifested over time. Green kryptonite and magic can impair this ability.

  • Season 1: Having probably manifested close to instantly, Clark was more dexterous than humans, but green kryptonite can make him miss or trip. Clark was able to catch a football thrown at Chloe with one hand and was able to throw it back at the guy easily, adding a bit of strength to his throw. (Hothead) Clark throws at bowling ball through several wooden boards obscuring the target and it hits James Gibson right in the chest, knocking him out. (Stray)
  • Season 2: While drawing his family tree, Clark uncharacteristically misses the bin when throwing a paper ball, which was most likely due to his frustration and being distracted. He also misses the basketball hoop when playing basketball in front of Lucas Luthor but that was because he wasn't using his powers. (Rosetta, Prodigal)
  • Season 4: Clark used his super motor skills at augmented speed to deflect the witches' attacks with coordination. (Spell) He trips due to the coercion powers of Mikhail Mxyzptlk. While trying to figure out what made him trip, Clark, Martha and Jonathan all confirm that he's never tripped before. Martha also tells Clark that she's "never seen you miss before", after Clark fails to throw a football through a swinging tire. He opens his hand, revealing that he is holding a shard of kryptonite. He also tripped while skating because he didn't know how to do it. (Unsafe).
35613A22-CD8D-41E5-92D1-4D9B4ECADC33

Perfect Aim

  • Season 8: When Jimmy Olsen is being attacked by Randy Klein, Clark throws a rubber car tire at him from distance with pinpoint accuracy as well as not throwing the tire too hard to kill him considering Clark's super strength. Later, Clark is able to perform a super-powered jump with perfect accuracy: while carrying Doomsday, Clark jumps from Metropolis to a distant LuthorCorp geothermal facility. (Prey, Doomsday)
  • Season 9: As Clark was on the phone with Lois, he threw a can to the back of a crook's head with precise aim, ensuring that the crook would not escape from him. At the end of the episode, Lois' daily planet phone slipped out of her hand and Clark caught it. (Warrior)

Flight[]

Main article: Flight

"I know it could've been the wind, but all of a sudden, I was moving toward the truck and it felt like I was willing myself to do it. It felt like I was flying."
— Clark, to Jonathan, Vortex
Clark Flying 3

Kal-El flying in Crusade.

Clark Kent can defy the laws of gravity, allowing him to levitate, hover, as well as fly at extremely fast velocities.

After he fully embraced and basked himself in his destiny, he has learned how to fly. After gaining this ability, he lunged towards a possessed Lionel Luthor of Earth-2, and destroyed both him and defeated Darkseid with his fists. In a rather short amount of time, Clark has proven to have completely mastered this ability.

In Crusade, a mind-controlled Kal-El at age 17 could fly, but, later as a 24-year-old, Clark was unable to after the merging of his other side.

It is possible that like X-ray vision and super breath and other powers, it has to be physically developed. It is also possible that his childhood spent on Earth under the influence of Earth's yellow sun, which gave him his powers, also hinders their development.

In addition, flight among Kryptonians does not seem to be universal. Some Kryptonians have flown, like his father Jor-El when he was on Earth in 1961. His cousin Kara Kent can fly as did the replicant of his uncle Zor-El. General Zod when he possessed Lex Luthor's body in could also fly despite the body not being biologically Kryptonian. However, other Kryptonians couldn't (or didn't know they could) fly. The Disciples of Zod in Arrival didn't demonstrate an ability to fly and like Clark, ran everywhere at high speed. Raya didn't fly in Zod, Reunion, or Fallout but ran with Clark.

Smallville Metamorphosis102

In Metamorphosis, Clark dreams of himself floating above Lana and wakes up floating above his bed.

Despite the fact Clark has never truly flown, he has broken the laws of gravity often. In these instances, somebody has been pushed off a ledge and Clark has then jumped off after that person has already fallen a good-distance. Despite the fact Clark should be unable to reach the ground before the person that fell first, he has been able to will himself downward faster, allowing him to save that person.

After 10 years of trials by Jor-El, all mental blocks that don´t allow him access to this power were broken and mastered it in matter of seconds.

He was also able to defy the laws of gravity in other ways, without necessarily flying. These instances are in red text. Instances where Clark has floated/flown or attempted to fly under normal circumstances are in blue.

  • Season 1: After dreaming of flying and floating, Clark awoke several inches above his bed and immediately fell and destroyed it afterward. When he saved Jonathan from being sliced, he fell faster than his father and seemingly broke the law of terminal velocity. (Metamorphosis) It is possible that feats such as this are possible due to Clark being able to alter his own density and weight, though it is safe to assume that the audience is meant to think that Clark is able to defy gravity without really flying: instances of gravity-defying are most likely signs that he is beginning to learn how to fly and are arguably possible because Clark is, over time, accepting his destiny, if not only subconsciously.
  • Season 2: While being blown about in a tornado, Clark felt as if he might be flying. He jumped off of the top of the dam to save Chloe after she was thrown off by Ian Randall, but Chloe had already been thrown off, so Clark must have been utilizing some kind of external force: gravity alone could not have pulled him down first. He dreamed of flying to the Kawatche Caves and woke up in the middle of Route 8, apparently having flown there in his sleep. (Tempest, Vortex, Dichotic, Rosetta) Clark super-leaped for the first time, taking a superspeed-running leap from the Daily Planet rooftop into LuthorCorp Plaza. (Insurgence)
  • Season 3: During his stay on Earth, Jor-El once demonstrated the power of flight. It foreshadows that Clark will eventually obtain this ability. Clark was only able to fly with the help of "Kara". (Relic, Covenant) Jordan Cross had a revelation of Clark's red cape transcending through hyperspace at warpspeed. (Hereafter)
  • Season 4: After Jor-El "reprogrammed" Clark into Kal-El, his Kryptonian talents were increased and also gave him the ability to fly. When Kal-El was defeated, however, Clark explained that he was still "earthbound." (Crusade)
  • Season 5: When Lex was possessed by Zod, he threw a phantom Zone bracelet outside the Clark's loft and Clark jumps out to stop it from putting someone or something else in the Phantom Zone. Clark could have flown then since he was focused on stopping that bracelet. (Vessel) - Although one could argue that he was pulled into the Phantom Zone by the bracelet since he left the barn back first and appeared to be against his will.
  • Season 6: Bizarro's flight out of Reeves Dam perhaps indicates Clark's potential to fly, since the wraith extracted a sample of his DNA to create a Kryptonian host. (Phantom)
  • Season 7: Clark was able to run across a broken bridge by running on nothing but air, heavily indicating that he levitated over the section where bridge was missing. (Bizarro) Clark was able to accelerate his fall in order to save Lana from a fatal fall, similar to when he saved Chloe five years earlier. (Action)
  • Season 9: Clark confronts Jor-El about not being able to fly. Jor-El informs him that his powers lie within him and that his physical composition is no different than Kara's, but that Clark still thinks of himself as human. Clark deduces that his inability to fly is all in his head. Later, in a mental trial, he attempted to fly, leaping off the Statue of Liberty, but did not succeed. (Savior)
  • Flying 6

    Clark and Lois flying off of the Daily Planet.

    Season 10
    : Clark made a super-leap to catch the Daily Planet globe. However, when he caught it, he stopped in mid-air for a brief second, but then he carried the Globe back to the top of the building: later, he told Jor-El that it felt like he had been flying, if only for a moment. (LazarusWhen Kara again attempted to teach Clark how to fly, he briefly flew through the air, but lost concentration and fell down and through the roof of the barn. (SupergirlWhile Clark was dancing in the barn with Lois, he levitated off the ground as they danced, his eyes closed and in that moment, seemingly unaware that he was even doing it. (HomecomingLater when both he and Lois were trapped in cyberspace, Clark flew with Lois to escape: he later stated that he still could not fly in the real world, but had faith that he would someday fly. (Collateral) Clark ability to fly was unblocked for the first time while fighting against Darkseid, allowing him fly over the skies and hover on air at will. (Finale, Part 2)
  • Season 11: After gaining his power of flight, Clark finds himself often in space. Clark has admitted that ever since he gained the power of flight, he has became slower whenever he runs but he is nearly as fast as Impulse when he flies. This is the ability he uses the most after defeating Darkseid. (Finale part 2Smallville Season 11, Alien, Chaos)
  • The Future: In Clark's dream of the year 2013, Clark flew and caught a runaway plane before it hit the Daily Planet globe. (Salvation) In the future year of 2017, Clark witnessed his future self fly off as Superman at super speed to save the city of Metropolis from a nuclear explosion. (Homecoming)

Invulnerability[]

Main article: Invulnerability

"Not even Obi-Wan's lightsaber can ginsu your superdermis"
— Chloe, Wither

Clark is entirely impervious to most forms of harm because of an invisible force-field. Nothing earthly can penetrate it, bullets, knives, arrows, cars, lasers, lightning, all types of weather, such as tornadoes, etc all bounce off or bend around it. In Leech, lightning bounced off Eric's skin when he had Clark's powers, in Tempest, Clark ran a tornado to save Lana, and didn't get ripped to shreds, and in Fierce, one of the Weather Girls released a tornado on him, and he was just going to walk through it. But this ability, like of his other abilities, gets stronger with age. After this ability first manifested in Clark after he got hit with Lex Luthor's car (Although it may have been active before then and Clark simply never knew it as he was never in a position to be hurt badly enough for him to notice its existence). He has been said to be stronger than steel, but this is an understatement.

Clark doesn't seem to need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep to maintain himself. But because he was raised on a farm, he can be seen eating sometimes, and does clearly enjoy food. Because of his powers, Clark doesn't get sick, doesn't sneeze, not even sniffle, and Clark's teeth can't ever decay and plaque can't form on them. Also, cold and warm temperatures don't affect him. (Cool, Heat, Arrival, Trespass, Kandor).

The invisible aura that surrounds seems to sometimes extend some invulnerability to his clothing, as well, but this has not been portrayed consistently. In one instance, Lana, while being possessed by a witch, tries to cut Clark's hair with scissors but they break after it touches Clark's hair.

At first, as growing teenager, Clark was unable to get sick by earthly diseases and sicknesses, knives, swords and maces wouldn't leave even a scratch on him, as they would only break over his skin and bullets couldn't penetrate his skin but would often leave behind bruises, but a lot of metahumans' abilities worked on him.

As he grew older and more powerful, in addition to being resistant to the list above, Clark has become almost indestructible.

Hug30

Clark is shot with an automatic weapon.

  • Season 1: Jonathan was shocked when, at age 14, Clark stuck his arm into a running wood chipper and then removed it without harm. Clark casually walks through fire. (Hothead) Weather/temperature doesn't affect him: when talking with Chloe, he's adamant that he isn't cold, with it being below 20 degrees. (Cool) With meteor rock in hand, he survives being struck by lighting in the heart, but of course, he feels pain, as by the kryptonite. (Leech) He survived having a generator dropped on him and a bus exploding around him. When a medieval weapon slammed into his face (by a fellow teenager who presumably had ordinary human strength), it shattered, but Clark seemed to show pain, though that might have been because the boy was covered in a kryptonite formula that made him invisible, though a moment later Clark exhibited super-strength enough to throw the boy flying (unless the paint dumped on the boy somehow canceled out the kryptonite). Clark was shot with an automatic weapon and the shots were able to stagger and hurt him. However, the bullets only left large bruises all over his body. Tyler Randall could cause Clark's face to turn darker for a moment where he had instantly killed anyone else he touched. Clark deflected a bullet with his bare hand and used his own body to shield Lana from broken glass. Clark survived when Roger Nixon tried to blow up his truck with Clark inside, but Clark commented that he almost didn't even feel the heat from it. (Pilot, Hothead, Cool, Rogue, Shimmer, Hug, Kinetic, Reaper, Obscura, Tempest) Clark is not depicted as completely indestructible throughout most of this season (he was surprised to survive when Nixon blew up his truck, hinting that even in earlier examples when no visible injury is apparent, he might still feel pain on occasion), mostly when it comes to meteor freaks. Clark mentioned later in Vortex that, while inside the tornado he ran into in order to save Lana, things were "bouncing off him": however, he left the tornado without any visible injury. (TempestVortex )  
  • Season 2: Clark didn't sweat during a heat wave that hit Smallville. While under the influence of red kryptonite, Clark demonstrated his invulnerability by shooting his own hand with a handgun at point-blank range. Other than superficial gunpowder marks, no injuries were seen. Clark withstood being thrown off his dirt bike and falling over 100 feet and later, a large boulder falling on his back, causing it to shatter harmlessly. He was able swat bullets and take automatic gunfire to his back and hand. Unlike in Season 1's Hug, Clark was not affected or hurt in any way. (Heat, Red, Skinwalker, Prodigal).
  • Season 3: Clark's body is now strong enough to take dozens of bullets with ease. He was able to block a bullet with his chest and did not suffer any injury. (Exile, Crisis)
EnergyAmass

Clark takes a copious energy surge unscathed.

  • Season 4: Clark was able to repel bullets fired from point-blank range. He states that he is immune to the effects of alcohol. Also, Clark was immune to Geoff Johns' metahuman paralysis power. Though they harmed him, he was able to survive Isobel's magical energy blasts, which were powerful enough to kill humans instantly. Clark was able to wake up from the Kryptonite Fear Toxin, when nobody else did. Later, an evil version of Lex drops a massive concrete slab on top of him, which instead of crushing him, splits in half upon contact with his back, allowing him to absorb the brunt of the block while protecting Chloe Sullivan. When Evan Gallagher's accelerated aging caused a massive surge of energy that destroyed the windmill in Chandler's Field, Clark took the brunt of the blast with his own body and emerged relatively unscathed. (Scare (Lucy, Recruit, Sacred, Onyx, Ageless) In the season four finale, a meteor was about to hit a little boy, but Clark jumped in front of him, and the meteor just crumbled off his back, not having hurt Clark at all. (Commencement)
  • Season 5: Clark was able to survive in the vacuum of space for a short amount of time, atmospheric re-entry from orbit, a distant nuclear explosion and crashing back down to Earth. While powerless, Clark stubbed his toe and was amazed that it could hurt so bad. Clark was able to hold a bomb right to his chest, to contain the explosion, and take a powerful hydro blast from Arthur Curry, however he did seem fazed by it. Clark was able to walk into a room filled with carbon dioxide and was completely unfazed, meaning his lungs are now immune to toxins. (Arrival, Hidden, Aqua, Cyborg)
  • Season 6: Clark emerged from the crater untouched when he fell from outerspace after his release from the Zone. (Zod)Titan and Zod made Clark bleed after repeated punches, but he showed little pain. Wes Keenan's super-powered punch didn't cause Clark to bleed. Clark was unharmed by Baern's radiation blast, though he was stunned for a few moments. When weakened by kryptonite dust, his left arm was impaled by a large piece of shrapnel, which he failed to notice until Lex pointed it out to him and he also survived after the ceiling collapsed on him. (Combat, Prototype, Fallout, Nemesis)
  • Season 7: Intensive exposure to sunlight enabled Clark to endure Bizarro's best punch unharmed. Clark entered Lex's mind within the framework of Project Intercept, but Clark's central nervous system proved to be immune to the fatal side effects of the procedure. (Bizarro, Fracture) When a car ran off the road, Clark swooped in and saved the woman inside, and the car door flew his way and bounced off his back. (Action) When the Weather Girls unleashed a cyclone on Clark, he was going to withstand the catastrophe, if not for the kryptonite. (Fierce)
S08e15 (6)

Bullets bounce off of Clark.

  • Season 8: Clark was unaffected by Bette Sans Souci's energy-blasting powers, the blast deflected back at her and knocking her to the ground. When Clark carved open a can of dog food with his finger using super strength at super speed, his finger wasn't bleeding at all. (Instinct). Faora, wife of Zod, threw him so hard it nearly immobilized him. A bullet bounced off of Clark and apparently went back to the shooter at a speed capable of injuring the man. In the alternate time line in which Clark reveals his identity, he was attacked by multiple gun-toting federal agents, whose shots prove completely harmless and display the same ricochet effect seen in Bulletproof. Clark was severely injured by the atomic axe of the Persuader. Assuredly, Clark was not harmed at all from jumping from a falling Queen Industries jet. When Clark took a bullet for Lois, he was severely injured due to the exposure to a vast amount of kryptonite. Although considerably overpowered and made badly bleeding by Doomsday, even at full strength, Clark was able to take his punches without passing out and retained enough strength that he was able to super leap at Doomsday and imprison him. (Plastique, Bloodline, Legion, Bulletproof, Infamous, Turbulence, Stiletto, Doomsday)
  • Season 9: Clark was completely unaffected by the explosion created by the bomb after he used his own body to contain the effects of it. When Rick fires his gun at Lois and Oliver, Clark steps in and the bullets bounce right off his chest not leaving a scratch. (Echo, Crossfire)
  • Season 10: Even with a dagger of Blue Kryptonite logged in his abdomen, Clark retained a portion of his invulnerability. This is evidenced when his body remains relatively undamaged when he hits a street pavement after falling more than a dozen stories, when it should have been pulverized upon landing. (Lazarus) Clark was completely unaffected, when the car that he and Cat Grant were in exploded, due to a bullet been shot through the exhaust by Deadshot. (Shield) Clark may be physically invulnerable, but he isn't mentally. His doubts about himself have made him vulnerable to the dark force inhabiting Gordon Godfrey, also known as Darkseid. (Supergirl) While depowered by Blue Kryptonite, a fire merely scorched his back instead of incinerating him. (Harvest) Later, Clark was in the last vigilante prison facility when Slade Wilson activated the self-destruct mechanism. The explosion did not harm Clark in any way, who was inside a kryptonite cell at the time. (Patriot) Clark is able to shrug off blows from Conner Kent, which while taking him off his feet and sending him through solid walls, did not appear to actually hurt him. (Scion) Clark Kent was uninjured when he was smashed into the Fortress by Clark Luthor. (Kent) He was able to take an energy blast to the chest without any damage. (Booster) He was able to be heaved out of a window and fall 3 metres and take a beating from an infected Oliver. (Finale, Part 1) He was then able to survive being thrown threw the loft by Darkseid uninjured. (Finale, Part 2)
See Also: Clark Kent's vulnerabilities

Metahuman Immunity[]

Although some metahumans get their power from kryptonite, Clark is often immune to them.

  • Clark was mostly unaffected by Jeremy Creek's electric shock. A more intense voltage threw him back a bit, but he was not hurt. (Pilot)
  • When Sean Kelvin first absorbed Clark's heat from his body, he suffered hypothermia, but regained consciousness in a few minutes. The second time he was largely unaffected. (Cool)
  • Tyler Randall was able to temporarily darken his skin and cause him pain, but could not turn him into ash. (Reaper)
  • Brendan Nash was unable to turn Clark to wax. When he touched Clark, his power was reflected and Brendan himself was turned to wax. (Forever)

Super-Healing[]

Main article: Super-Healing

Due the metabolizing of yellow sunlight, Clark's body possesses a remarkable regenerative ability. Clark can heal from virtually any wound instantly, as long as he is not exposed to green kryptonite. If Clark is wounded due to the presence of green kryptonite, he heals automatically once it is removed. This extends to internal healing, such as blood purification, since the Lazarus serum (made out of his blood) was ineffective after kryptonite exposure. If he is wounded by other aliens, Clark might remain unconscious for several hours before waking up, fully recovered. This ability is peculiar, in that it's not normally displayed or demonstrated, as it's nearly impossible for Clark to get hurt anyway.

Despite this, he can, by certain forces (kryptonite, some cosmic weapons, Jor-El, other Kryptonians, etc.), get hurt. There are even some objects than can permanently scar his body, like the Star Blade/Palak and Gold kryptonite.

While fighting an enemy who can somehow damage Clark (e.g. Aldar, Titan, Gloria, Bizarro, Kryptonians, etc.), Clark's healing factor is especially critical.

  • Season 1: When his powers, stolen by Eric Summers, were returned to Clark, a wound on his forehead was closed instantly. (Leech)
  • Season 2: Thugs overpowered Clark with green kryptonite and threw him into a furnace, but after they left, Clark was able to recover, break out of the furnace and heal himself. (Witness)
  • Season 3: Clark healed immediately after exposure to kryptonite bullets. He remained unconscious for a while after the bullets were removed, before recovering fully. Clark was blinded by a combination of green kryptonite and his own heat vision, but it didn't begin to heal until a blowtorch passed over his eyes and burned the green kryptonite-laced scar tissue. (Extinction, Whisper)
  • Season 4: The citizens of Smallville are affected by a deadly LuthorCorp experimental toxin and Clark is infected as well. Unlike the other victims, Clark eventually recovers and wakes up from his nightmare on his own. (Scare)
  • Season 5: While Clark's powers were taken by Jor-El, Clark is shot and killed. However, he revives and his bullet wound heals after he regains his abilities. (Mortal, Hidden)
  • Season 6: After being thrown into a field by General Zod, Clark wiped blood clean from his face, revealing he had completely healed. He completely healed in a few seconds after being impaled in the abdomen by Gloria's deadly vines. (Zod, Wither) As soon as he escaped the tunnels with Lex, Clark gazed up at the sun and the effects of the meteor rock faded from his body. (Nemesis)
  • Season 7: During his battle with Bizarro, Clark demonstrates that his healing factor is tied to, or at least augmented by, exposure to direct sunlight: in their second encounter in Reeves Dam, Bizarro caused Clark to bleed, but Clark healed almost instantaneously upon moving into direct sunlight. Edward Teague surrounded Clark with kryptonite and carved symbols into his chest, but when Chloe removed the kryptonite, a yellow glowing light surrounded Clark and he was instantly healed. (Bizarro, Quest)
  • Season 8: After he was shot through the heart by a mind-controlled Green Arrow while temporarily powerless, the Martian Manhunter took Clark all the way to the sun, where its radiation allowed Clark to both regain his powers and recover from his injuries. Assuming, he healed from being shot, though how he did so without Lois or Jimmy noticing is unknown. Clark also healed from his wounds automatically after Jimmy removed the kryptonite arrow from his shoulder. Later, he is able to heal from the massive beating he took at the hands of Doomsday. (Odyssey, Stiletto, Doomsday)
  • Season 9: Clark took damage from Alia's attack, while vulnerable because of blue kryptonite. Afterward, he healed quickly. (Savior)
  • Season 10: After Lois removes the blue kryptonite knife from Clark's body and throws it a great distance away from him. Clark begins to regain consciousness just as the first sunrise begins. Clark is bathed in the yellow sun rays which heal his wounds and restores his powers. (Lazarus) Clark is slashed in the abdomen with a sickle by the village leader who had Blue kryptonite in his body and once the villagers buried him in the ground and were at a safe distance away from him, he is automatically healed just in time to save Lois from being burned alive by blue kryptonite fire. The fire burns the back of Clark's skin as he shields Lois with his body and once the people move far away from him, his powers are fully restored and is healed instantaneously. (Harvest) Clark healed from being scratched by Harriet's claws. (Abandoned)
  • Season 11: He was immediately healed from his wounds caused by a Monitor, when he stood in the sunlight. (Alien)

Healing Blood[]

Main article: Clark Kent's blood

  • Season 3: Clark's blood has the power, when converted into the Lazarus Serum, to revive the dead for twelve hours, although this was only applicable to those who had died of a particular liver disease and required regular doses of the serum. (Resurrection)
  • Season 4: Clark's blood (or soul) was able to heal Lionel Luthor's liver when their bodies were swapped. (Transference)
  • Season 9: Clark's blood was used in part to cure an airborne virus that was created and released by Coats, which turned the citizens of Metropolis into zombie-like creatures. (Rabid) A drop of Clark's blood can bring back even a depowered Kryptonian from a seemingly fatal wound and also restore their Kryptonian powers. (Conspiracy)
  • Season 10: Clark's blood was used by Lex Luthor to correct genetic flaws in a clone of himself, creating Conner Kent. (Scion)

Super Stamina[]

Main article: Super-Stamina

Clark possesses a stamina phenomenally greater than humans. However long Clark can lengthily go without tiring, he eventually does need to rest or relax. He's seen resting/relaxing or getting up from bed in the following episodes, proving that he does need sleep on some level: Gone, Krypto, Lucy and Commencement Jonathan tells Clark, "You don't wanna be half asleep tomorrow when they hand you that diploma."

He can exercise for extended periods of time without tiring or straining himself and has sweated only rarely, such as during his power losses, while in the presence of Green kryptonite, while infected with Silver kryptonite (though his abilities were still intact), in the presence of Desiree Atkins and finally, from a Phantom Zone virus. This ability has increased with age.

  • Childhood: Eighth grader Clark super sped to the Smallville public library to get the Tales of the Weird & Unexplained book for Chloe without without sweating or panting. (Abyss)
  • Season 1: Clark, at age fourteen, was able to do a lot of manual labor around the farm without straining his body and could use his abilities for long periods of time before tiring himself. After he missed the bus for school, Clark was able to run from the Kent farmhouse to school and appeared rather unfazed afterwards. (Pilot) Clark, after seeing that Chloe was enveloped in flames, was able to run through the schools' doors from the football field, through some hallways, up a flight of steps and appeared at Chloe's side unscathed. (Hothead) Clark was able to run from the Talon to the carnival grounds to save Lana from Watts, deflect a bullet and save her from a falling mirror without tiring. (Obscura)  
  • Season 2: Clark was able to run to Hub City, a city outside of Smallville, to find a doctor for his friend Ryan and appeared completely unscathed afterwards. (Ryan)
  • Season 3: Off-screen as Kal, Clark was able to run from Metropolis to Lex's "funeral" without getting tired. (Exile) Still as Kal, Clark was able to fight his father Jonathan, who temporarily possessed Kryptonian powers and abilities, without tiring in the process. (Phoenix) Clark was able to run a vast distance from hotline headquarters in Smallville to save Lana from a bullet that had already been fired. (Crisis) Clark was able to brawl with Jeremiah, a young man who had gained Kryptonian powers from the use of the Starblade, without tiring. (Talisman)
  • Season 4: While under Jor-El's influence and operating as Kal-El, Clark was able to operate in extreme conditions, such as when he flew from his house, into space and into Lex's jet without fatigue. (Crusade)
  • Clark was able to chase and race a boy named Bart without tiring, though Bart was considerably faster than him. (Run) Clark was able to stop playing football for a brief moment, save Chloe in the interim and then continue playing football, all without tiring or alerting the crowd to his absence. (Jinx) Clark was able to battle the witch Isobel, who was in possession of Lana's body at the time, without becoming overly fatigued. (Sacred)
  • Season 5: Clark was able to resist the wormhole leading to the Phantom Zone with great difficulty by super-speeding out of it. (Arrival) While without his abilities, Clark was visibly sweating and tired while working on a barn-raising. (Mortal) After infection by a sliver of silver kryptonite, Clark's overall stamina appeared unaffected, though he did sweat and breath heavily during that time, which were likely psychosomatic responses to the paranoia induced by the silver kryptonite. (Splinter) Clark was able to deliver gifts to underprivileged kids throughout Metropolis on Chloe's request without tiring. (Lexmas) Clark was capable of running from the Talon to a medical facility, fighting guards and freeing Victor without tiring. (Cyborg) Clark was able to fight Zod, who was in possession of Lex's body, without tiring. (Vessel)
  • Season 6: Clark managed to survive the battle against General Zod with great effort. (Zod) Back from the Phantom Zone, Clark incubated a virus he had contracted while in the Zone, developing a cold. Though he appeared fatigued, he still managed to help rebuild Metropolis after the events of Dark Thursday. (Sneeze) Clark traveled from South America to Metropolis in a matter of minutes without tiring. (Justice) Clark was able to battle Titan without losing strength. (Combat) After Clark went up against Wes, he admitted to Chloe that Wes's blows hurt similarly to those of Titan, yet he was still able to overpower him. (Prototype)
  • Season 7: Clark battled Bizarro without losing strength. (Bizarro) Powerless due to exposure to blue kryptonite, Clark tired easily when he faced Zor-El. (Blue) While he was mentally engaged inside Lex's mind, Clark was completely powerless and Lex was able to pick him up with one hand. (Fracture)
  • Season 8: While he was without his abilities, Clark's stamina was shown as normal when he fought some Russians and failed to overpower them. (Odyssey) Clark runs from Kansas to Brazil and back again with ease. (Toxic) Clark grabbed Davis and supersped from the Talon to the Fortress without undue strain. (Beast) Clark fought Doomsday with great difficulty, but managed to imprison him underground. (Doomsday)
  • Season 9: Clark was able to save many lives and stop dozens of crimes in one night without tiring. (Savior)
  • Season 10: Clark ran from Lawson's Field to Miller's Field and put out a fire to save Lois and then ran to Metropolis to save citizens, showing of fatigue afterward. (Lazarus) Clark was able to run from London, England to the Daily Planet in Metropolis with ease, demonstrating the growth of this ability. (Masquerade) Clark was able to run from the Daily Planet to the Luthor Mansion, fight Darkseid, fly to the Fortress, redirect a plane and then cradle Apokolips and fly it to space, without showing fatigue. He can run and fly at super speed. (Finale, Part 2)  

Super Vision[]

As a Kryptonian, Clark has superhumanly acute eyesight. This seems to just be a natural part of his development similar to his strength and speed. He also seems to possess natural keen eyesight in the dark as well. However, his eyes also posses a number of other abilities. He is able to magnify his eyes like a microscope and binoculars allowing him to see objects very small and very far away. He can also tap into the entire electromagnetic spectrum, mainly X-ray. His eyesight is also connected to his speed, allowing him to see objects moving too fast for normal people to see.

X-Ray Vision[]

Main article: X-ray vision

"Hold on a minute, are you telling me that you can see through solid objects?"
— Chloe Sullivan, Blank
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Clark sees Pete's muscles.

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The Color version used to see into a locker

Clark can see through literally anything except for lead. As pointed out by Lois, Clark could potentially use it while super speeding.

Clark developed this ability at age 14 shortly after starting high school. Clark can see through any solid object except for lead. The exact mechanism by which he does so is not yet known. His X-ray vision has been depicted to function at varying degrees. Originally, he was depicted as being able to control whether he saw an x-ray like image of the skeletons of those he was looking at, or simply saw through solid objects. The latter has only been seen in the first and second seasons.

At this point, he has mastered both aspects both: full-color and x-ray and the scope and power of this ability have been enhanced.

Clark often uses this in combination with his Telescopic and Microscopic Vision to magnify his vision and see through things at great distances.

  • Season 1: Clark first discovered his X-ray vision when he saw a bank robber with green bones. Later, he saw Pete's muscular structure and saw through the wall into the girls' locker room. Finally, it settled down and consistently manifests itself (at least to the audience) as images similar to x-ray photographs. (X-Ray)
  • Season 2: Clark used his X-ray vision to identify Tina Greer. Although she has disguised herself as Whitney Fordman, he recognized her kryptonite-infected bones. Clark read through the cover of his teacher's grade book to peek at Pete's shop class grade. Clark was able to see a birthmark through Chloe's clothing, implying that his X-ray vision is not exclusive to an X-ray-like image. He used his X-ray vision to see a metal plate in a masked robber's head and later was able to identify the robber without his mask. (Visage, Dichotic, Red, Witness)
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Clark spots a bullet hidden in a wood beam

  • Season 3: Clark's X-ray vision has by this point gotten stronger. He can now zoom in over large distances, when he tried to find Lana and rescue her. (Slumber)
  • Season 4: Clark was able to peer through the top layer of a manuscript and discover a hidden Kryptonian map underneath. While at the top floor of a hotel, Clark used his X-ray vision and looked down an elevator shaft all the way to the ground and focused on a particular object. Clark was able to see an ID chip hidden under Shelby's fur. (Run), (Bound, Krypto)
  • Season 5: While about to rescue Lana again, Clark zoomed in and scanned the area in a matter of seconds. Clark was able to see Victor Stone's internal robotic parts. (Lockdown, Cyborg)
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Clark sees a hidden map

  • Season 6: Clark X-rayed Chloe to get the tracking device out of her. He also found a tiny tracking device on Lex's car by X-raying it. He was able to tell Lana was pregnant just by looking at her. (Freak, Progeny and Crimson)
  • Season 7: Clark used X-ray vision to uncover Lana's secret viewing station at the Isis Foundation in Wrath.
  • Season 9: Clark used his X-ray vision to uncover the bomb Toyman had placed under Oliver. Clark also used his X-ray vision to uncover Jor-El's crest underneath sand in the desert. Clark x-rayed Oliver's office to find his Celtic arrows. Clark X-rayed Kent Nelson's bag and found the Helmet of Nabu. Clark used his X-ray vision to find the enchanted comic book. Clark found Siobhan's portrait underneath Bevan McDougal's using his X-ray vision. Clark x-rayed John Jones to find an earpiece hidden in his jacket and later x-rayed Tess's office to find her hidden weapons. (Echo, Kandor, Disciple, Absolute Justice, Part 1, Warrior, Escape, Checkmate)
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Scanning under the floorboards

Telescopic and Microscopic Vision[]

Main article: Super vision

"I thought you said that telescopes were for geeks and stalkers."
— Clark, to Lois, Lucy
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Clark finds Lana at a great distance.

Not much is said or confirmed about these abilities to date. It can be inferred that Clark's vision has evolved gradually over the course of time, probably starting somewhere around season two. His microscopic vision or rather "microvision" first manifested at age 23 while investigating a string of murders. (Masquerade) His telescopic vision first manifested when he looked at a diagnosis report from afar so he could locate his friend Ryan. (Ryan) Clark most often uses this power with his X-Ray vision, to zoom in on and magnify the sights he's seeing.

Clark currently uses his enhanced eye sight to watch over the people of Metropolis from the Daily Planet rooftop.

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Clark demonstrates some extent of his enhanced eye sight (Clark x-rays an entire field).

Outer Space

Clark can see vast distances via telescope.

Clark's accommodation has apparently been improved recently. Not only can he can magnify his X-ray vision to see through objects at a greater distance away but also can see 50 feet away as well as tiny residues on people's bodies.

  • Season 1: Clark reads "Pepper" on a dog tag on the floor from the next room. He spots Chloe in a buried coffin from the top of a windmill (Reaper, Obscura). Clark was able to magnify his X-ray vision and read the label on a bottle of pills buried in Whitney's backpack, from over 20 feet away (Shimmer).
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Clark zooms in to read a label

  • Season 2: From down the street, Clark sees Rachel Dunleavy attack Lex. To find Ryan, he reads the roster from the other side of the desk. He reads his shop teacher's grade book from across the classroom. (Lineage, Ryan, Dichotic). In Suspect, Clark was able to magnify his X-ray vision and see a bullet hidden in a wood beam of a shed.
  • Season 3: Clark telescoped his X-ray vision to find Lana in danger a great distance away. He looks through the trees to find her in her car about to be blown up by Nicholas Conroy almost a mile away. (Slumber). In Legacy, Clark was able to zoom in his X-ray vision and see that Lex Luthor was wearing a secret microphone on his chest.
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Clark focuses on the microphone from over 50 feet away

  • Season 4: Kal-El was able to spot Lex Luthor’s Jet, even though it was hundreds of miles away and 20,000 feet above him. Clark was able magnify his eyesight to see down at the bottom of an elevator shaft to spot a small earring. Clark can perceive various details from outer space by looking through an ordinary telescope, whereas a human (Lois) can just see a cloudy picture with clusters of stars. (Crusade), (Bound, Lucy)
  • Season 5: Clark magnifies his X-ray vision to see Lana’s body in the warehouse. (Lockdown)
  • Season 6: Unlike Chloe, Clark was able to recognize Raya on a satellite image that shows a crater in Australia. (Reunion) Clark was able to zoom in his X-ray vision, while in the elevator to see Oliver injecting drugs into his arm, he was also able to read the documents in a folder from across the room. (Rage) Clark was able to see Oliver's tower clearly from the Daily Planet rooftop. (Crimson). Clark was able to see a button under the seat in a car from 30 feet away. (Progeny)
  • Season 7: Clark saw Martian Manhunter intercept Bizarro as he pulled him high into the sky. (Bizarro) Clark was able to zoom in on Lois’s phone on the ground and the symbol on Kara’s bracelet (Kara) Clark zoomed in on the barrel of prop gun being used in the Warrior Angel Movie, to see it had a real bullet. (Action Clark scanned every inch of the Luthor Mansion with his X-ray vision and therefore had to have used telescopic and microscopic vision. (Descent)
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Telescopic and X-Ray Combined

  • Season 8: From across the plane Clark was able to zoom in and see some files on Oliver’s desk. (Bride) When Martian Manhunter was shot, Clark zoomed in on his hospital bed to see his face. (Bulletproof) Clark zoomed in his X-ray vision to spot an object in a drawer from across the room. (Power) When Clark and Chloe were searching for Davis they found his car abandoned, his car was abandoned at the exact field where Clark's ship landed: Clark then saw the field was full of dead bodies and then zoomed in on the entire field using X-ray vision combined with his enhanced eyesight, in which a field full of skeletons was revealed to Clark. (Eternal)
  • Season 9: It is assumed that Clark uses this ability along with super-hearing to monitor the city of Metropolis from the rooftop of the Daily Planet. (Savior) Clark has learned over a span of approximately 2–3 years how to control this ability. As of now, Clark can see 50 feet in every direction. Clark quickly zooms-in on the bomb under Oliver's feet with his X-ray-vision. (Echo) Clark quickly zooms in on Lois and sees her hanging from a flag pole and he super speeds to the roof of the Daily Planet to save Lois. (Idol) Clark is able to magnify his X-ray vision to see a serial number on an ear piece in John Jones pocket. (Checkmate)
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Clark uses his Microscopic Vision.

  • Season 10: Clark magnifies his vision so he can read the drawer titles on the file cabinets from across the room. (Lazarus) Clark watches Isis jet into the clouds. (Isis) Clark uses his Microscopic vision to find ink residue on the body of a victim. Clark has referred to this ability as "micro vision". (Masquerade)
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Official appearance of Telescopic Vision

  • Season 11: Clark mastered this ability thanks to the help of Emil. While high in the air he was able to squint his eyes and spot something happening miles away in an alleyway in Metropolis. Clark also used this ability to see what was the glowing green object that was coming towards him. While standing on the street with Lois he was able to see that it was a Green Lantern Corps Ring soaring through the air. Clark officially names it as “Telescopic Vision” (Lantern). Clark was able to see a pod entering Earths orbit (Smallville: Continuity).

Multi-spectrum Vision[]

Multi-spectrum Vision is an ability that Clark has that allows him to see in the dark, through thick clouds of steam, mist, and smoke. It's unknown exactly when he got this ability, but it's more than likely he gained it in season two and seems mainly connected to his X-ray vision. When Clark uses his X-ray vision he is able to use it in full darkness and still see, with the background darkness often fully illuminated.

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Radiation Detection

He is also able to see objects that are in full darkness clearly. Similar to how Clark is able to access the X-Ray aspect of the electromagnetic spectrum, he can also see the other wavelengths including infrared and ultraviolet.

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X-Ray Vision brightening up the darkness

  • Season 1: Clark’s eyes are able to see the radiation that is emitted by the Kryptonite in Tina Greer’s bones (X-Ray). While trying to discover an invisible Jeff Palmer, Clark was able to briefly tap into the ultraviolet light spectrum rather then just his usual X-Ray to catch a quick glimpse of his hidden body (Shimmer).
  • Season 2: While using his X-ray vision Clark was able to see all the contents inside of an upturned mobile home despite there being no light. It was shown to be a lighter blue hue and more detailed then his usual X-ray vision (Vortex).
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Ultraviolet Vision

  • Season 3: Clark was typing without any of the school Torch's lights on and Chloe came in and turned it on (Asylum).
  • Season 4: While Lionel was in Clark's body, he was in the Smallville Torch in complete darkness, Chloe had to turn on the lights to see when she entered. While using his X-ray vision Clark was able to see perfectly clear in a pitch black elevator shaft (TransferenceBound).
  • Season 5: While Clark was underwater trying to rescue Lois and when he was fighting Aquaman, Clark was able to see clearly, despite the fact that the water at that depth, would be too dark and murky for any human to see in. Clark isn't shown activating any kind of vision power underwater so, it can be assumed his eyes are just naturally adapted to see with super clarity, when he needs to, probably without him even knowing. Clark was able to use his X-ray vision to find Lana in a pitch black room, with his X-Ray brightening up the darkness (AquaSplinter). Clark was unable to see Graham Garrett when he was invisible, as he had not yet mastered using all spectrums (Fade).
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Seeing in Pitch Black Darkness

  • Season 6: Clark used his powers all night trying to repair the damage done as a result of Dark Thursday, obviously meaning he at some point learned how to see things in the dark at least at a superhuman level (although he seemed blinded by the helicopter's light in "Gone," which might be an error or the actor, Tom Welling, was blinded while rolling as Clark) (Sneeze). It’s possible this power was used in Prototype as Clark is able to locate where Wes Keenan is hiding while he was invisible, and he wasn’t shown using X-ray vision or Super Hearing.
  • Season 7: Clark walks into his barn which is very dark and turns on the light, which is only because probably out of habit (Traveler).
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Seeing through a steam cloud

  • Season 8: Clark was able to see in a room full of a heavy cloud of steam. He was able to locate exactly where Lois was to rescue her, but he didn’t use his X-ray vision, instead he seemed to tap into some other aspect of the electromagnetic spectrum to peer through the steam possibly an aspect of infrared (Committed).
  • Season 9: Since The Blur is active throughout the night, it can be assumed that during his training, Jor-El unlocked this power. Clark watches over the city from high above in the dark of night. (Savior) Clark was able to detect the radiation signature that Kryptonite radiates in order to find and destroy the hidden Kryptonite cashes with Zod. (Upgrade)
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Clark displaying Multi-spectrum Vision.

  • Season 11: With the help of Emil, Clark learned that his sight was not limited to visible light and x-rays but allows him to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, enabling him to see gamma radiation, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, microwave radiation, and radio waves. This would also allow him to see in the dark and thermal heat signatures. Using his multi-spectrum vision he was able to tell that a spaceship had a leak of radiation. (Guardian) Although this is the first instance when this power is officially acknowledged by Clark, he has used the various aspects of it (mainly night vision) throughout the series, possibly without Clark even knowing.

Heat Vision[]

Main article: Heat vision

"I started to feel hot. And my eyes started to burn. All of a sudden, the spot I was staring at burst into flames."
— Clark, Heat
Download

Clark's heat vision goes off without warning.

Clark can emit heat/shoot fire and microwave heat from his eyes. The actual temperature of this is unclear, however it's enough to cause objects to combust or melt and can also deflect moving objects, possibly by causing rapid expansion of the heated air in the objects' path. Since Clark’s powers come from the sun, the heat released from his eyes is likely stored solar energy from his body.

This power first manifested at the age of 15 and was linked to Clark's level of sexual arousal. Since developing this ability, Clark has also learned to control the temperature for varying tasks. He has used it to pop popcorn, light candles and warm up hot chocolate and baby bottles, but can also increase the temperature enough to vaporize bullets, fix leaky drainpipes and weld metal. He can shoot a steady beam of heat or intermittent blasts. The heat can effect only the surface of an object like a laser, or heat it evenly throughout like a microwave beam. By Season 6, his control is pinpoint-accurate enough to burn through Chloe's shoulder and stop directly in front of a microchip that was implanted there without causing her serious injury and the maximum intensity is comparable to a nuclear weapon.

Clark can use this ability in a variety of ways: a straight beam of heat (for melting/welding/cutting objects), a ray of pure temperature (for heating but not destroying objects), a blast of solar energy (non-lethal for attacking enemies) and explosive bursts (for exploding objects similar to a grenade).

  • Season 2: It first manifested itself during a summer heat wave. Humorously, Clark's first brush with heat vision occurred while watching an educational video about sexual reproduction: Desirée Atkins, an attractive teacher, taught the class and was the trigger of Clark's heat vision, as he was constantly turning his head to look at her, triggering his first burst of heat vision. During a practice session at the Kent farm, Clark whispered "Lana" to himself and he ignited the scarecrow serving as a target dummy. Within a short time, his control becomes precise enough to light candles and pop popcorn. Clark, in unison with his super-speed, used accurate heat vision when he saved Lex from Jonathan's gunshot by vaporizing the bullet in flight. (Heat)
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Clark melts the road.

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Clark utilizing his heat vision to 1000 degrees Kelvin.

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Clark uses his heat vision to initial a baseball in Legion.

  • Season 3: Clark learned how to adjust the focus of the heat beams. He melted a 5' x 10' section of asphalt in a single pass in order to trap Seth Nelson's getaway car. Clark used short blasts of heat vision almost like bullets: unfortunately, one "bullet" is reflected back at him by a piece of kryptonite. (Magnetic, Whisper)
  • Season 4: Clark has complete mastery over this ability now. For one thing, Clark used his heat vision to deflect various hurled handheld tools with great precision. (Spell) He heated up antidotes to 1000 Kelvin in seconds. (Scare) He even managed to heat the bottle and not have it curdle. He displayed immense control here. (Ageless) When he lost all of his memories and saw Lana again for the first time, his heat vision was triggered uncontrollably. (Spell, Scare, Blank)
  • Season 5: Clark used heat vision to weld a diamond onto a ring in order to propose to Lana. While it's true that those events never happened in the current timeline, it's reasonable to suppose he could do something similar again. His Heat vision is also powerful enough to project force against people. His heat vision is now powerful enough at this point to vaporize a human being with a look, as stated by Chloe. This is later mentioned in "Fallout" next season. (Reckoning, Oracle, Fanatic)
  • Season 6: Clark's heat vision is powerful enough to shatter Kryptonian metal: he destroyed the Kryptonian black box that General Zod was using to transform Earth into a new Krypton. Clark's heat vision is also now assuredly pinpoint accurate. He burned a small hole in Chloe's shoulder in order to extract a GPS microchip that had been implanted under her collarbone. Clark ripped a door off its hinges in the Luthor Mansion and welded it back so as to avoid suspicion. Clark used heat vision that was apparently of greater intensity, with increased reddening effect in his eyes and more concentrated beam, in order to break through Wes Keenan's force-field, a task that required "the equivalent of a mini-nuke" for an earlier super-soldier prototype. (Zod, Freak, Promise, Prototype)
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Clark vaporizes an entire wave

  • ED5EEAD5-A358-41EC-8A14-9257C1098649

    Clark uses his heat vision to safely thaw and warm Lois and Jimmy.

    Season 7: Clark's heat vision is powerful enough to turn a tidal wave of water into steam. Bizarro, who replicated a body using Clark's DNA, exhibits heat vision, although his heat vision also shot bolts of electricity out of his eyes, as though heating the air to the point of ionization. Clark demonstrated a diffused, mild form of heat vision to unfreeze and revive Lois and Jimmy after they were trapped in a freezer. (Bizarro, Descent)
  • Season 8: Clark used his heat vision to break an electrical pylon so it would fall and hit Marcos to stop him from attacking Tess. He also used this power to burst some pipes in order to create a cover of steam so he could use his superpowers to overpower Macy and rescue Lois. Clark used his heat vision to sign a baseball that Garth Ranzz asked for. (Toxic, Committed, Legion)
  • Season 9: Clark seems to possess extreme control over this ability as seen when he burns his family crest into nearby walls, signs, to indicate the "Blur" was there. (Savior) Clark's heat vision has increased greatly as he was able to melt a lead plate in a matter of seconds and place it on Metallo's kryptonite heart. (Metallo) Clark uses his heat vision on Rick's automatic weapon to cause it to explode. (Crossfire) Clark used heat vision to destroy Zod's solar tower the night before it would be activated to give the Kandorians their powers. The heat vision was shown to be exceptionally powerful as Clark completely decimated the structure with it. (Persuasion) Clark also used heat vision in bullets and offensively, as demonstrated against Icicle. (Absolute Justice, Part 2)
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Clark using his heat vision on the amulet of Isis.

  • Season 10: Clark used his heat vision on the Amulet of Isis to trap her back in it. The process worked because his heat simulated the rays of the sun as sunlight was needed in order for the entrapment to work and it was at night when the incident occurred. (Isis) Clark used the heat vision to prevent Tess from being strangled to death by Lashina's lashes. (Abandoned)

Super Hearing[]

Main article: Super hearing

"It's like someone turned on a giant stereo full blast. Suddenly all the sounds were magnified."
— Clark, Whisper
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Clark's highly improved auditory canal.

Clark's hearing seemed to have always been more attuned than that of humans. In Jitters, Martha said "some clue you actually heard me" when Clark had headphones on, and when Clark proved her heard what she said, she said "good to see your hearing hasn't change". Clark was able to hear where the bees where coming from when Lana couldn't. (Drone) After Lex hung up on Roger Nixon, Lex said he called the rescue team out and Clark said "no you're not I heard you talking with Roger Nixon". (Vortex) However, Clark develops true super hearing like in the comics to hear sounds on a vibrational level at high frequency and from considerable distance in Whisper. He can hear his parents talking in the house from the loft. On screen, this is showed by close-ups of whatever is making the noise with sound waves rippling away from it. On occasion, a close-up of Clark's eardrum is shown. In Season 7, however, this effect is changed and Clark's ear faces the camera with a bright light all around him.

  • Season 3: Super hearing first manifested itself when Clark is temporarily rendered blind. Judging from the show's earlier depictions, he is able to consciously activate and deactivate it, like his X-ray vision and heat vision. However, other times it appears he is using the power without conscious awareness. (Whisper)
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Clark hearing both sides of Lex Luthor’s phone call

  • Season 4: Chloe whispered Clark's name to him from outside a room, activating his super hearing without him consciously listening for her. (Blank)
  • Season 5: When re-located in the Arctic, Chloe triggered Clark's super hearing with minimal volume and Clark became aware of her suffering from the cold. Clark located Graham Garrett by listening to his heartbeat in a crowded room: presumably, this means Clark can discern individual breathing and heartbeats (because he once this while trying to find Lana in the Luthor Mansion), or he could track Graham by maintaining focus on him. (Arrival, Splinter, Fade) Clark was able to filter out all the other sounds in the gentleman’s club to hear only a single conversation 15 feet away. (Exposed) Clark’s hearing works at super speed as he was able to hear a the bullet being fired at Jonathan before he even saw it. (Fanatic)
  • Season 6: Clark was able to hear Tobias Rice whispering on the phone from blocks away. (Freak). Clark spied on both sides of Lex’s phone conversation from over 50 feet away. (Progeny)
  • Season 7: Grief-stricken by Chloe's temporary death, Clark lost control of his super hearing, as well as it focused on everything including Chloe's cry for help: he then came to her rescue. Clark is able to hear subsonic noise and it can hurt him. Bizarro was able to use his super hearing to detect the beeping from a bomb and save Chloe and Jimmy. He could also hear the frequency from Lana's cell phone when she called Clark to warn him of his presence. Clark uses his super hearing to hear Lois and Jimmy trapped in a refrigerator (Bizarro, Gemini, Siren, Descent).
  • Season 8: After the bus exploded, Clark was able to hear the policemen talk about how there was no bomb used on the bus and uses it to save Lois from Macy. Clark's super hearing picked up on Lana saying his name even without activating it consciously, though he could hear her more clearly and louder when he actually started super hearing. His super hearing was used just in time for him to hear Oliver being beat-up and almost killed by Davis Bloome. Later, he used his super hearing to hear Eva/Chloe's screams in a nearby forest and later to find Chloe and Davis in Edge City. Then he used it to hear Doomsday terrorizing the citizens (Plastique, Committed, Power, Beast, Injustice, Doomsday).
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Clark using his hearing to locate Lois

  • Season 9: Standing vigil atop the Daily Planet rooftop early in the morning on patrol in Metropolis, Clark used his super-hearing to listen in on thousands of conversations in the city and then finally he heard a police call of a robbery. (Metallo) Clark seems to have much more control over his super hearing as of late, he used it to hear cries of help numerous times consecutively during his movie night with Lois Lane. (It's to be noted it was used while also watching a movie and maintaining conversation with Lois at the same time). (Roulette) Clark could hear Lois was in danger through the ear-piece. (Crossfire) Clark used super hearing to hone in on Chloe while she was being held by Checkmate. (Checkmate) He also used it to hear the heartbeat of Faora's unborn child (Sacrifice).
  • Season 11: During his time as Superman, Clark’s hearing has increased to the point that he can hear any sound on earth. While in orbit, Clark can hear cries for help, he also was able to hear Lois say she loves him from outer space. He has also learned to read heartbeats and tell when people are lying.

Super Smell[]

Like his hearing and sight, Clark’s olfactory sense is superhumanly enhanced.

  • Season 11: Clark was able to smell Martha’s cooking at her home in Washington while he and Lois were on the plane, headed for a visit. Clark was able to smell the water and air breaking down into their individual elements.


Enhanced lung capacity[]

Clark underwater

Clark underwater

Since all his organs are super enhanced like the rest of his body, Clark has an enhanced lung-capacity and through it, he can hold his breath for long periods of time and survive in space.

  • Season 2: Clark was able to breathe in the vortex of the tornado. (Vortex)
  • Season 4: Kal-El is able to breathe in the atmosphere while he flew to catch up to Lex's plane. (Crusade)
  • Season 5: Clark was able to hold his breath underwater for a long period of time. Clark was apparently able to hold his breath in the upper atmosphere of Earth when trying to disable a nuclear missile. (Aqua, Hidden)
  • Season 8: Clark was able to function normally when the plane he and Tess where traveling on depressurized, which causes Tess to pass out from oxygen deprivation. (Turbulence)
  • Season 10: Clark, while wearing the Superman suit, flies into the atmosphere and redirects an off-course plane, without any discomfort. He was also able to survive without any discomfort in outer space after pushing Apokolips out of Earth's atmosphere and he observed a safe Earth from space for a time. (Finale, Part 2)
  • Season 11: Thanks to his newfound ability to fly, Clark finds himself often in outer space and is able to survive indefinitely without oxygen. But he always keeps his distance from the Sun because of Emil's warning.

Super Breath/Arctic Breath[]

Main article: Super breath/Arctic breath

"Now huff puff and blow that door down."
— Chloe, Sneeze
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Clark blowing down a steel door.

With his superpowered lungs, Clark is able to expel hurricane level amounts of air. He can break through probably anything with this power, being able to destroy concrete walls and doors, even blowing his barn door seven miles across Smallville.

Through the evolved version, arctic breath, Clark can chill his breath, allowing him to freeze objects and people just by breathing on them.

At age 19, Clark did not have his powers in the Phantom Zone and upon returning to Earth, developed a head cold which manifested itself as super-strong sneezes. The accompanying illness also shorted out his other powers, but eventually, he was able to restore them and control this new gift.

Clark can also us this ability to inhale enormous amounts of air, which can be used to pull things to him and to dispel clouds of toxic gas and smoke.

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Clark and Zod using Arctic Breath

  • Season 6: Clark's sneezes could blow doors off their hinges. Clark used his new power to put out a warehouse fire and blow clouds away. He also learned how to control the intensity: he used it to simply blow some papers around to distract Dr. Robert Bethany to steal his laptop. He quickly developed sufficient precision to blast a lead-lined steel safe door open while not harming Chloe, who was standing nearby, with the backlash of the pressure wave (Sneeze, Freak).
  • Season 8: Clark used his super breath to smash open a door in order to save Lois, which was the first time he was seen to be using this ability in two years. (Committed)
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Clark blowing away the sand.

  • Season 9: Clark used his super breath presumably twice in the episode Rabid. First it's assumed that Clark used his super breath to extinguish a fire in Metropolis, managing to do so in the time span of 2 seconds. Clark then used his arctic breath to cool down Lois's coffee so he could distract her long enough to go out on patrol as the Blur and return before she realized he had even left (Rabid). While in the desert with Oliver, Clark used his super-breath to blow away the sand covering his family crest (Kandor). Clark, while infected with red kryptonite, used his arctic breath to cause a snowstorm in Seattle. He also later combined his arctic breath with Zod's to freeze John Corben in a block of solid ice (Upgrade).
  • Season 10: Lois told Clark there was a refinery on fire in Smallville and he supersped away to stop it and most likely used his super breath to put out the flames (Ambush). He later used his arctic ability to freeze metal chains so that he could release himself from chair that was close to Green kryptonite (Abandoned). When Lois was given Clark’s powers, she used the Arctic Breath to stop a flood in the heartland, she called it “Freeze Breath” but was corrected by Clark (Prophecy).
  • Season 11: Clark used this ability to inhale a cloud of poisonous gas so it could not spread and inflect a group of innocent civilians. He later expelled it safely out into space. He also uses it put out the flames of a jet plane that had caught fire. Throughout the comics Clark uses this ability to freeze his enemies and encase them in ice.


Enhanced Mental Capacity[]

Similar to how Clark’s body is super enhanced, his mind is too. This gives Clark a perfect photographic memory and allows it to function faster and more efficiently than a human's. His brain can perceive and understand information at super speed.

Adaptive Development[]

Clark and other Kryptonians like Kara and Zod have been shown to be able to efficiently learn new skills very rapidly. Whereas it might take a human months or years, a Kryptonian can become a master in just days or weeks.

  • Season 9: Despite having had only a few weeks of training with Jor-El, Clark was able to become a very skilled combatant. He was able to fight the trained assassin Alia, and later evenly fight Zod. In both instances all combatants did not have their powers and had to rely on fighting ability only. Despite both enemies having years of combat training, Clark was able to hold is own against both. When Clark and Zod last fought in Season 5, Clark was completely overpowered, but now he is able to match him. (Savior), (Salvation)
  • Season 10: Similar to the above example, despite having only received a very short training period, Clark had learned enough skill to be able to effectively fight in Zod's gladiatorial matches, and even fight Oliver Queen, despite Queen having had years of dedicated training. (Dominion)

Accelerated Thought Process[]

Clark can process information at incredible speeds, allowing him to analyze and come to conclusions at an unprecedented rate and perceive everything at a faster time frame. This power allows Clark is able to come up with full plans in mere seconds. This also allows Clark to perform multiple separate tasks at once, as his brains can process multiple independent trains of thought/function at the same time and his body is able to perform them without interfering/overlapping with the other actions, meaning he can use multiple powers at once if he needs to.

  • Season 1: Clark was able to mentally complete Jonathan and Martha’s finances instantly, even faster then the calculator. (Cool)
  • Season 2: He was able to combine accelerated vision, heat vision and super speed to save Lex Luthor from being shot by Jonathan. (Heat)
  • Season 3: He was able to react and use both super speed and heat vision, to stop Emily Dinsmore, melting a water tower to make sure she couldn’t out run him. (Forsaken)
  • Season 7: Clark was able to instantly react to Lana’s first super attack, before he even saw it coming. (Wrath)
  • Season 8: Clark’s mind is able to process information at super speed, allowing him to super speed-read. (Prey)
  • Season 9: In mere milliseconds Clark was able to formulate a plan to get coffee for Lois, put out a fire at the other side of Metropolis and run back to the Daily Planet. (Rabid) In a fraction of a second, Clark is able to combine his sight, hearing, and speed to search through the Checkmate base and find Chloe. (Checkmate)
  • Season 10: With lives in danger, Clark was able to formulate a plan to save both Lois from being burned to death and some Metropolis citizens from the Daily Planet globe tumbling on top of them. Lex's clone even though he couldn't save them both. (Lazarus)

Accelerated Vision[]

Main article: Accelerated Vision

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Accelerated Vision

Clark’s super speed also extends to his perception; his brain is able to process information at such high speeds that time appears to have slowed down, allowing him to perceive what would normally be moving too fast to see and respond accordingly. Also known as "Clark Time", it is when Clark Kent's perspective is shown when he's using his super speed ability. This ability is never referred to in the series through dialogue, but was confirmed in DVD commentary for the second episode of the series, Metamorphosis. Clark often uses this ability to see bullets flying through the air to catch or dodge and to see other speedsters. Also it is used so Clark doesn't crash into anything while moving at super speeds.

  • Season 1: Clark was able to see the bullet fired from Phelan's gun hurling towards him, allowing him to dodge it. (Rogue)
  • Season 2: While standing still, Clark was able to see Emily Dinsmore moving at superhuman speed around him and Pete. (Accelerate)
  • Season 3: Before he even activated his speed, Clark could see the bullet shot by Van McNulty flying towards him, he went to catch it as he would a normal bullet however it was made of Kryptonite and pierced his hand. (Extinction)
  • Season 4: Throughout the episode Run Clark was not activating his Accelerated Vision as he was unable to see Bart Allen perform various super fast activities including search his loft and stealing the Manuscript. He was however able to see Bart while he was running though, allowing him to follow him, despite being unable to catch up.
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  • Season 5: Clark was able to see the Phantom Zone Vortex that Aethyr threw at him and was able to dodge it. (Arrival)
  • Season 6: Clark stood and watched as a bullet when soaring towards Lex’s face, he hesitated saving lex but ultimately pushed him out of the way. (Progeny)
  • Season 7: Clark fails to activate this power and is shot by President Lex Luthor with Kryptonite bullet's. This probably is because Clark is so used to being shot by bullets at this point, so he assumed it would just be a regular bullet and bounce off him like usual, no need to try and catch it or dodge. (Apocalypse)

Accelerated Heat Vision[]

Clark can use his heat vision while moving at super speed. Note: Brainiac was able to use his heat vision at super speed dueling Clark in Splinter.

  • Season 2: Clark used his heat vision at super speed to melt a bullet Nicodemus Jonathan shot at Lex in Heat.
  • Season 3: Clark used his heat vision in a split second to take out the gunman but green kryptonite refracted the beams back at him in Whisper. Clark peppered a water tanker with his heat vistion at super speed to demobilise Emily Dinsmore in Forsaken.
  • Season 4: Clark used his heat vision at heightened and precisive speed to counter the witches assaulting him with weapons in Spell.
  • Season 6: Clark used his heat vision at super speed on the super soldier Project Ares with overwhelming nuclear force in Prototype
  • Season 7: Clark used his heat vision at super speed to evaporate a cascading dam of water into mist in Bizarro.
  • Season 9: As the savior of Metropolis, Clark used his heat vision at super speed to blaise his superman symbol on objects to inspire hope. Clark used his heat vision on machine gun bullets while moving at super speed to save Oliver and Lois in Crossfire. His did the same thing in Escape during his engagement with Banshee when he tried counter her sonic screams with his heat vision.
  • Season 10: Clark destroyed the Isis spirit in the amulet with his heat vision at super speed in Isis.

Accelerated Super Breath[]

Clark can use his super breath at super speed.

  • Season 6: In one instance, Clark was able to exhale a tsunami force of air from his mouth at super speed to demolition a steel door in Sneeze.

Accelerated X-ray Vision[]

Clark can use his X-ray Vision at super speed.

  • Season 9: Clark used used Night Vision at super speed when he shot fire from his eyes at Silver Banshee in the thicket. (Escape) Clark used Night Vision at super speed when he rescued Chloe from Checkmate in the dark. (Checkmate)
  • Season 10: Lois noted that Clark can use his X-ray Vision at super speed. (Homecoming)

Accelerated Hearing[]

Clark’s ears also work along with his brain to process and analyze information at super speed.

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Clark’s hearing works at super speed allowing him to hear the gunshot and rush to stop it

  • Season 3: Clark was able to hear Van McNulty's Kryptonite bullet heading towards him before he saw it. (Extinction)
  • Season 4: Clark was able to hear the truck going berserk on Jonathan but Bart came to the rescue first with his ultra lightning fast speed. (Run)
  • Season 5: Clark was able to hear a the bullet being fired at Jonathan before he even saw it, this information was processed at super speed allowing him to turn around and react to stop it. (Fanatic)
  • Season Ten: Clark heard Tess say she was trying to protect him as he super speed into the room. (Isis) Clark was able to use super hearing at super speed to listen to a butterfly's wings flap in slow motion. (Supergirl)

Accelerated Super Dexterity[]

  • Season Five: Clark threw the Kryptonian dagger at Milton Fine with accelerated speed and dexterity. (Vessel)
  • Season Eight: Clark threw the tire at Randy Klein to knock him out with accelerated speed and dexterity. (Prey)

Super Memory[]

  • Season 1: Clark remembered the exact time and place Amy Palmer donated blood, and Chloe reacted by saying Clark have a freakishly good memory. (Shimmer)
  • Season 3: Clark’s mind kept the very first memory after his birth, being put into the spaceship by his birth parents and being sent to Earth. (Memoria)
  • Season 4: After getting a brief look Clark was able to perfectly remember the map on the inside of the manuscript to draw it, hours later. (Run) Clark was able to remember his time being transferred into Lionel's body, while Lionel was not able to remember his time in Clark's. (Transference)
  • Season 5: Clark remembers the past day after being brought back in time by Jor-El. (Reckoning)
  • Season 6: Clark was able to remember his time infected by Red kryptonite when Lois could not. (Freak)
  • Season 7: Chloe mentioned that Clark never forgets anything, that his mind is like a titanium trap. This suggests that Clark has an eidetic memory. (Persona) Clark was able to remember his time in Lex’s Mind. (Fracture)
  • Season 9: Clark was able to remember the serial number off an ear piece in John Jones pocket, hours later after only having a few brief seconds to look at it. (Checkmate) He was also able to perfectly memorize the locations of all the hidden Kryptonite cashes after only getting a brief look at the map. (Upgrade)

Other Kryptonians have displayed signs of having super memory, such as Raya. She mentions past memories on Krypton that occurred many years before she was in the Phantom Zone. Kara Kent also has memories of Krypton from a young age. However, this power seems to be completely separated from the rest of the Kryptonian powers, as they showed it even in cases their powers were neutralized or stripped.

Mental Immunity[]

  • Season 1: Neither Kyle Tippet nor Bob Rickman's persuasive handshake affected Clark. (Hug) Clark was immune to Ryan James' mind-reading ability. (Stray)
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Clark is not seduced by Desirée Atkins in Heat.

  • Season 2: Desirée Atkins' pheromones had little or no effect but this could be because pheromones don't cross species. (Heat)
  • Season 3: Chloe's truth-telling abilities had no effect. (Truth)
  • Season 8: Due to his mind being super, Clark was immune to the Brainiac virus that effected any human by mere sight. (Legion)
  • Season 11:Dr. Psimon´s telepathic powers had no effect on Superman. (Haunted)

Omnilingualism[]

  • Season 11: Due to Superman being a global hero, Clark began studying all languages of the world and is able to remember and speak them all perfectly due to his super memory.


Longevity[]

Main article: Longevity

Throughout the series, it has been implied that, while under the rays of the yellow sun, Clark will at some point stop aging. When Clark goes to the future and finds his future self, he sees that they both look exactly the same, indicating that at some point in his twenties, he will stop physically aging. It has been hinted at several times that Clark will live forever or at least live a greater lifespan than most, but he can be killed permanently if not resurrected by Kryptonian technology. This has never been officially confirmed.

  • Season 3: Jordan Cross, a metahuman with the ability to see people's eventual method of deaths, failed to see Clark die when he touched him. He speculated that this was because Clark will live forever. Jonathan later speculated that Clark will never die. (Hereafter, Legacy)
  • Season 7: The episode Cure deals with the issue of Clark's possible immortality, with the Martian Manhunter confirming that Clark will outlive all of the people he loves. Later, Clark meets a Kryptonian scientist named Dax-Ur who had lived on Earth for roughly a hundred years (who still looked like a middle aged man). (Persona)

Precognition[]

Main article: Precognition

  • Season 1: Clark was able to see the same visions seen by a precog named Cassandra Carver while she held his hand, who stated that this had never happened with anyone else whose future she had foretold.
  • Season 4: He has also had a possibly precognitive dream relating to the arrival of the second ship, though this is not clear. Although he has not been heard speaking it. Clark also had a precognitive hallucination about a second meteor shower when infected with a fear toxin. (Scare)
  • Season 9: While inside Lois' mind, Clark was able to see what the future would be like if the Kandorians got their powers back. (Pandora) Later, he experiences a precognitive dream in which he and Lois are star reporters at the Daily Planet, Perry White is the Editor-in-Chief, Lex is alive and running for the U.S. Presidency and he himself appears briefly in his future costume preventing an airplane from crashing into the Daily Planet building. (Salvation)

Temporary Powers[]

Telepathy[]

Main article: Telepathy

  • Season 9: Part of the many trials to come, Jor-El temporarily granted this ability to Clark and said this power would activate due to feelings of doubt but would later dissipate in time. Clark was able to hear thoughts close around him and it was mainly focused on Lois for the time being and later to discover the identity of the bomber, later revealed to be Toyman. Clark, after learning the key points of Jor-El's trial was stripped of this ability, then using what he had learned to better himself when saving people. (Echo)

Persuasion[]

  • Season 9: When Clark Kent and Lois Lane entered a Valentine's Day party, they get sprinkled with Gemstone kryptonite dust. Lois is unaffected, but Clark winds up infected and unaware of the kryptonite's powers until he persuades Lois to be in a traditional relationship causing Lois to revert to a traditional housewife: he as well persuades Chloe that she needs to be more protective of him, persuades Emil Hamilton to be more relaxed and persuades Zod to confess to his involvement in Jor-El's murder. However this power was only temporary and was taken away. (Persuasion)

Telekinesis[]

Main article: Telekinesis

Clark also possesses a telekinetic connection to Kryptonian devices. However this seemed to be an only temporary power, used only when he was in his Kal-El persona.

Trivia[]

The people that have possessed/shared Clark's Kryptonian powers include:

  • Lana Lang - Wrath - Same way as Eric Summers, though in this case the transfer was 'incomplete', meaning both Clark and Lana had Kryptonian powers.
  • Lois Lane - Bloodline - from Faora the wife of Zod, while possessing Lois's body and in Prophecy - From Jor-El as an early wedding present to help both Lois and Clark understand each other from a different perspective.
  • Rudy Jones - Injustice - Stole Clark's powers after he confronted Bette Sans Souci. He later returned them after experiencing the pain after being beaten by Oliver who was holding a green kryptonite ring.
  • Kal-El - Crusade - After brainwashed as Kal-El, he is more confident with these abilities than Clark Kent.
  • Conner Kent - Scion - Conner shared Clark and Lex's DNA which gave Conner the same abilities as Clark.
  • Kandorian army - Before receiving Kryptonian abilities from a bowl of Clark Kent's blood from blue kryptonite radiation.

In the Comics[]

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Superman using his heat vision.

Superman's powers have undergone many changes in the comics and other media over the decades: originally, in Action Comics #1, he was described as having merely super-strength, speed greater than a train, the ability to leap "1/8th of a mile" and "nothing less than a bursting artillery shell" could pierce his skin. However, these abilities were constantly upgraded throughout the Golden Age. By the time of the Max Fleischer cartoons in the early 1940s, he could fly, had X-ray vision and was able to withstand far greater destructive forces. These abilities were attributed to the "highly evolved" nature of the people of Krypton.

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Superman's speed.

By the 1950s, his powers had grown to the point where not even a nuclear bomb could harm him, he could see farther than the best telescopes and resolve smaller objects than the best microscopes, fly faster than light, project heat (originally described as an alternate use of his X-ray vision, later as a separate power), see the entire energy spectrum and move planets. His hearing and even his breath became vastly amplified. The explanation for these powers were a combination of the facts that Krypton had high gravity, requiring great strength and durability just to survive and that all life-forms originating under a red sun developed superhuman abilities under a yellow sun, including analogues of apes, dogs, dinosaurs and other animals similar to Earth life. Often this even extended to inanimate materials such as cloth and glass from Krypton being indestructible on Earth.

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Superman lifts up a car in Action Comics #1

However, as the Silver Age of comics drew to a close, an emphasis on realism made it harder to write believable foes for an all-powerful hero. In the 70s, writer Elliot S! Maggin attempted to reduce the Man of Steel's abilities, but this move proved unpopular and was soon forgotten by other writers. When the Crisis on Infinite Earths event wiped the slate of established DC Comics history, it was seen as a new chance to make Superman seem less unbeatable.

John Byrne's revamped Superman was still one of the most powerful heroes on Earth, but not in the entire universe. His abilities were described as a consequence of Kryptonian evolution: since a red sun produced little energy, the plant life of Krypton just didn't have enough food energy to allow animal life to thrive, so a means of absorbing energy directly from the environment evolved. Kryptonians had an electromagnetic aura surrounding and permeating every cell in their bodies that absorbed and stored radiant energy and under Earth's yellow sun, Clark absorbed far more than any Kryptonian had ever been exposed to, supercharging his body's natural abilities such as strength, speed and sensory perceptions and giving him powers that no Kryptonian had ever manifested, like the power to fly and project heat from his optic nerves. The energy density of the field also made him nearly invulnerable.

In recent years, Superman's abilities have again been written back up to near Silver Age levels.

Notes[]

  • Clark Kent worries that his powers will hurt his sexual partner. In the episodes Mortal and Hidden, both of which occurred when Clark didn't have his abilities, he and Lana made love, but in Fanatic, Lana complained they never did it since then (the end of Hidden saw his powers restored), and Clark later told Chloe it "takes some time to adjust my abilities to new situations". In Wrath and Requiem, Clark and Lana made love again when they both had powers. However, Bizarro demonstrated no such restraint when with Lana and managed not to injure her in any way during their encounter (Bizarro), although this may have been due to his weakening under the yellow sun (Persona). In Pandora, Clark was able to engage in sexual intercourse with Lois due to the Red Sun. In Escape, Clark explains that thanks to his training with Jor-El to control his abilities, he can now make love and control himself with Lois. Clark Luthor seems able to control his abilities when having sex with his partners (Luthor).
  • A human having the Kryptonian powers seem to have affected different people different ways.
  • Except for Jonathan, Lois and probably Lana (while Lana wasn't exactly evil due to having Kryptonian powers, she was perfectly willing to kill Lex, although this may have been an extension of her preexisting issues with him), both Jeremiah Holdsclaw and Eric Summers became "evil" after getting the powers, lashing out at anyone who tried to confront them: this generally appears to be the result of them rapidly inheriting this power without being presented with moral guidance on how to use them, with Clark commenting that Eric's main disadvantage when compared to him was that Eric had lacked the understanding parents that Clark had.
  • When Jonathan possessed the powers due to Jor-El, his heart condition had worsened, while in Transference, when Lionel and Clark switches bodies, Clark's powers cures Lionel. Of course, in this case, Jonathan got Kryptonian powers and kept his own body, but with Lionel, he and Clark switched bodies and Clark's presence in Lionel's body healed him.
  • Similar to how Jonathan helped his son Clark adjust to his abilities as they manifested, ironically, Clark did the same for Lois when she wielded his powers for a day due to Jor-El. (Prophecy)
  • Oddly, Clark's speed limits seem to fluctuate throughout the series. For example, in Season 1, Clark was able to dodge a bullet in Rogue, but in Hug, he wasn't able to get to Kyle in time to stop a bullet hitting him, even though the bullet whizzed straight past Clark. Also, in Hug, Lex was able to see Clark super speed, while in Jitters, Clark was able to run from one end of his house to the other during a house party without anyone noticing him. In Season 10's Lazarus, Clark doubts that he can save Lois in Smallville and the people of Metropolis, and claims to have pushed himself after he does so. This is strange, as Clark has been seen performing far more impressive feats in episodes such as Void and Rabid, among others.
  • This also seems to be the case with Clark's invulnerability, at least in the early seasons. In Season 1, Clark's skin is invulnerable enough to break knives, baseball bats and maces on impact, without injury (Hourglass, Hug, Shimmer), but bullets, which would cause similar harm to knives, were able to give him bruises (Hug). This can however be explained simply by the fact that bullets travel much faster and therefore have much more energy.
  • If you listen closely when Clark is using his X-ray vision you can hear that the same sound effects that were used from Superman: The Animted Series when Superman used his X-ray vision there

See also[]

Clark Kent in Smallville
Family Kents: Martha , JonathanHouse of El: Jor-El (ai, clone), Lara, Kara, Zor-El, Conner Kent
Relationships ChloePeteOliverEmilJohn JonesLex (destiny) • LionelBrainiacJimmyTessDavisZod
Romantic interests Chloe SullivanLana LangKyla WillowbrookAlicia BakerLois Lane (destiny)
Work Smallville TorchJustice LeagueDaily Planet
Details Powers (loss, vulnerabilities, training) • secretattireglassesbloodfighting style
Homes Krypton (knowledge) • Kent Farm (house, cellar, barn, loft, truck) • FortressApartment (telescope)
Other KalKal-El (ship) • Superman (suit, crest) • aliasesdestinyvisionNo tights, no flightsNear-death experiencesEpisodes

References[]

  1. Bound, Lazarus, Finale, Part 2
  2. This is shown in Perry and Bizarro
  3. This is shown in Nemesis and Bizarro.
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