Superman, as depicted by:
-Christopher Reeve, in a production still from one of the movies.
-Gary Frank and Jon Sibal.
-Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair.
-Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant.
Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
let us examine what his name means, because his name tells you everything about him. first of all, Kal El is not just Kryptonian, it is actually Hebrew. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Übermensch as a comic book character to right all the wrongs that two poor Jewish Immigrant kids could not do on their own. He was a fantasy created by people in need of a savior, and he was based in equal parts on the concepts of Friedrich Nietzsche and stories from the Torah about Moses and Solomon. so, no: he is definitely not a Jesus allegory. if anything, he is a Jewish Religious hero, not a Christian one.
what makes Superman unique is that he is Superman. he does not have character flaws. he does the right thing, always, because he is Superman. this makes him unique because Character Flaws are often what makes a character relatable.
In the Illiad, the hero was Achilles. Despite Achilles being one of the central characters, he is also vain and prone to anger. “Hubris” is the word used to describe that particular flaw. Achilles was the hero, but he was also a jerk.
Darth Vader began as Anakin Skywalker, a vastly powerful Jedi Knight. his power was used to seduce him and control him, but it was arrogance and anger that got him started.
Superman came to Earth and is naturally able to do the things that he does. Because he is Superman. He is a heroic figure that does not have a flaw. THAT is what makes him unique. a flaw is not a weakness. he is without flaws as a person. because he is SUPERMAN.
his power levels are occasionally notated, and then inevitably changed by different creators for different stories. his power levels are, frankly, irrelevant.
He exists to be a mirror that shows us our better natures. That is what his name means: “Superman”
Superman is the ‘Super’ version of what humanity can do for each other.