Even Superman Admits His Permanent New Superpower Is Terrifying

DC teases Superman‘s best superpower is a nightmare in disguise. Superman possesses one of the broadest power sets in comics, and even though his vulnerabilities are rare, they have been well established across the decades. The Man of Steel’s most famous weakness is Green Kryptonite, which weakens him through intense radiation exposure. However, there are also variations like Red Kryptonite, which produces unpredictable temporary mutations, and Gold Kryptonite, which permanently removes his Kryptonian powers. Beyond Kryptonite, Superman is vulnerable to virtually every form of magic, meaning that opponents like Black Adam, Circe, Mordru, Felix Faust, and Mr. Mxyzptlk pose a unique challenge.

Many of Superman’s greatest gifts also demand extraordinary restraint and carry significant drawbacks if left unchecked. Superman’s super-hearing is perhaps the clearest example, as Clark constantly filters countless every sound in the world to avoid overwhelming his senses, including humanity’s endless cries for help. His X-ray vision requires similar discipline so that he doesn’t involuntarily see through all objects or compromise other people’s privacy. Superman’s immense strength forces him to regulate every movement, from simple handshakes to attacks that could easily kill most of his enemies.

Superman uses his most overlooked superpower all day long for the entirety of his life, and its side effects will only begin to appear in a matter of years, centuries, and millennia.

Superman Begins To Realize His Immortality Will Be A Nightmare

Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1; Written By Joshua Williamson; Art By Eddy Barrows & Adriano Lucas

In Joshua Wiliamson’s Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand, Superman reflects on how his Kryptonian nature makes him immortal, meaning he will likely spend most of his life without his loved ones, and his time with Lois Lane will only represent a tiny fraction of his extensive lifespan. During DC K.O., Time Trapper reminded Superman of these consequences of his powers, which only added another concern to the Man of Steel’s mind beyond Darkseid’s imminent return.

Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand reveals that Superman’s contemplation is part of a dream Lois Lane has while she worries about Clark Kent’s whereabouts, but Superman’s fear of immortality is still true. At the moment, Superman is lost in the timestream, only eventually rescued by his younger self in the pages of Action Comics. Superman’s concerns are illustrated elsewhere in the DC multiverse. In Future State: Wonder Woman, Diana of Themscyra is the last hero standing, and she witnesses the distant deaths of Swamp Thing, the Spectre, and Superman himself before the universe ends.

The Extent Of Superman’s Immortality Depends Drastically On The Continuity

How Long Superman Will Live Isn’t Set In Stone

The extent of Superman’s longevity varies enormously across DC’s many continuities. In mainstream Earth-0 continuity, Clark Kent ages far more slowly than an ordinary human once he reaches adulthood, but he still visibly matures over decades. Stories set in the near future, like The Dark Knight Returns, depict an older Superman with gray at his temples, subtle facial wrinkles, and little decline in physical ability, which only suggests an extraordinarily extended lifespan rather than true immortality. Other continuities push that concept much further. DC One Million features an overpowered Superman after roughly 85,000 years of continuous solar exposure, still alive and vastly more powerful inside the Sun.

Meanwhile, All-Star Superman strongly implies that Clark ultimately becomes a permanent solar presence after entering the Sun to repair it. DCeased: Dead Planet shows Superman succumbing only to the Anti-Life, and numerous Elseworlds stories depict versions of Clark surviving long after Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane, and entire generations of humanity have passed away. For instance, Kingdom Come centers on a slightly older Man of Steel, but it ends with an extremely old Superman witnessing a new age of superheroes bloom more than an entire millennium past his prime.

Which version of DC’s far future do you prefer?

Superman 2026 Annual: Year One Thousand #1 is now available from DC Comics

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics

Alias

Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent

Alliance

Justice League, Superman Family

Race

Kryptonian

Franchise

D.C.