Hello guys! My name's Stahis Reisis,I'm from Greece and I'm graduating from Biology department of University on February.

Superman is known as the epitome of superhero,the real deal.Due to his plethora of powers and abilities,writers find it "hard" to make "interesting" stories with him-heroes must have their hard times,for the reader to feel sympathy towards them (this sympathy is even earned by villains sometimes).As such,there had to be some kind of way to make Superman susceptible to harm,temporarily or not. However,in most cases their excuses for Superman being "brought down" are lame.

1.Kryptonite. Ok,I get that. Logical,makes sense.But,there are MANY stories with kryptonite.And this doesn't make sense.Kryptonite chunks and fragments should travel a long way from Krypton to Earth.And they 'd also have to suffer the resistance from friction as they entered Earth's atmosphere,which many wouldn't withstand.Kryptonite should come in really big parts for some to make it to Earth.But so many people have kryptonite! Heck,in one of Superman-Flash races two crime syndicates,one with large sums bet on Superman, captured the Flash with a pane of glass across the highway, replacing him with an impostor who would lose the race. The other, betting on the Flash, captured Superman with Kryptonite dust.Was the dust enough? Don't think so.And they shouldn't be able to capture the Flash either.

Then they brought red kryptonite along etc. And because kryptonite couldn't be in every single story they thought something else.

2.Weakness to magic. WHAT???? This is crazy. Invulnerability means invulnerability.What's so hard for them to understand? Really.

3.Mind control.The same thing again and again. How many times did they use that? In comics,animation (Batman Beyond,Batman:The Brave and the Bold,The Batman,Superman:The Animated Series) etc

I don't think that's the way for a company like DC to treat her emblem.

@Godlovesusall: You're forgetting the large amount of villains that are capable of doing serious physical damage to Superman, such as Doomsday, Darkseid, Metallo, Brainiac, Mongol, Zod, Cyborg Superman, and Parasite

You make some good points and frankly I can agree with them but must also add that some of them make sense. Yes, in a way invulnerability should mean invulnerability, but the fact of the matter is that Superman was a character that saw the extent of his power really develop in the Silver Age whereby we dealt with a Man of Steel that was nigh unbeatable. Unfortunately the popularity of the character would've dropped faster than Lucifer from Heaven had they kept up the all-invulnerable shtick. You HAVE to have vulnerabilities lest you make the character near impossible to relate to or sympathize with. The kryptonite is one that obviously was a good device to show he wasn't all-powerful. The magic stuff I have tended to question at times too and frankly I still don't understand it but, hey, whatever right? As for the mind control..you would really love the Superman: Sacrifice arc, lol. Happy reading dude!

@joshmightbe: I didn't mentioned them because you're right,powerful villains on par with Superman have nothing wrong,they are a good thought.

2 and 3 are QFT

And something else I forgot.Since Superman can't die,not even harmed without kryptonite being involved,how he died battling Doomsday? Perhaps,since Doomsday was from Krypton,he could harm Superman physically,provided he was strong enough,which he was.

@Godlovesusall said:

And something else I forgot.Since Superman can't die,not even harmed without kryptonite being involved,how he died battling Doomsday? Perhaps,since Doomsday was from Krypton,he could harm Superman physically,provided he was strong enough,which he was.

Theory is everything has a breaking point, no matter how "invulnerable" something is if you hit it hard enough it'll break, think about adamantium and how it's occasionally been dented over the years no matter how durable everything can eventually be broken Superman vs. Doomsday was The unstoppable force (DD) pushes against The unmovable object (SM) and Doomsday strength was stronger than Superman's endurance

That vulnerable to magic always seem stupid to me

@BlackArmor: :I've heard that elsewhere,unstoppable force vs immovable object.My opinion is that this is either a misleading question that wants to mess with one's mind(no answer since this can't happen,one of them should prevail) or just stalemate.

Superman was known as the unbreakable one,no force was able to "go through" him.Well.he took Doomsday with him-but both came back.

@HolySerpent: Yeah,it is totally absurd.

The magic vulnerability is just an attempt to make him less "bad ass" for the reason you described.

And btw, it is a valid vulnerability, man hunter have fire, gl have yellow, and etc etc etc magic is magic...´nuff said

Superman has too many weakness in my opinion -- Kryptonite, Magic (Only works on supes, doesn't work if there is a crisis), Red Sun, and not to mention enemies that are strong enough to physically do harm without cheap nonsense. It's becoming ridiculous and I'm wondering if DC will ever notice that it's not the battles/fights that should hold the tension (He should always win a fight - Supes is overpowered? That's the POINT) but situations that leads to compromising morality. 

@HolySerpent: Magic affects Superman like everybody else. But it doesn't matter:Kal Kent is unbeatable(under a super sun)

Also,Wonder Woman is like Superman-super strength,speed,flight she lacks heat vision and other vision properties "less" invulnerable than Superman but she can block everything they throw at her with those indestructible bracelets and the Lasso of Truth is very powerful and useful as well. And unlike Superman,Wonder Woman doesn't have a striking weakness-not a weakness at all I think.

They should just keep his power levels down in the new 52. Make him work for his victories.

@Godlovesusall: I agree, kryptonite has always been silly to me. It's not that I want him to be invulnerable to it, I just think that it should slow him down instead of making him into a pansy. Instead of making it poisonous to him, just have the rock bring his power levels down to the golden age.

Magic, on the other hand, I'm in disagreement with. Superman's invulnerability comes from the sun. It's science, Superman isn't really biologically invulnerable. Magic isn't a weakness, it's just something that effects him like everyone else. As is mind control, Superman's mind isn't invulnerable.

Everyone has to have something that brings them back to Earth, I just hope that DC would do that for Batman.

Wait... Has the new 52 Superman been shown to have these weaknesses? I mean even if they did, the new incarnation has not been shown to be susceptible in a lot of arcs. It's just starting. I think this retcon is the "fix" we need. Pre-flashpoint Supes is over and so there's not much point in critiquing his "being brought down". Just saying.

@Godlovesusall: Superman is a non-magical mortal and therefore he's going to be vulnerable to magic just like everyone else. However, he does have some toughness to direct attack magic like energy bolts and lightning because of his invulnerability. This has allowed him to survive strikes from magical beings like Dr. Fate, Mordo, Shazam, Captain Marvel, Black Adam, and others. It hurts him but the same level of attack would have killed a normal person.

His invulnerability has nothing to do with his mind. He's not invulnerable to telepathy or mind control. His invulnerability is a physical one. It would be more implausible to come up with a reason why solar radiation makes him immune to mental attacks.

Kryptonite really isn't used as much as it was in the Silver Age. Over the last decade or so Superman has been depicted having a greater tolerance to green kryptonite and its lethality at first contact or just being around it has been greatly reduced. In the Superman/Batman series he was shot was a kryptonite bullet and had it lodged in his chest for several minutes if not an hour or so before it was removed and he was still able to help Batman walk back to the Batcave and rip open an electrical fence without any noticeable damage. When they went to Apokolips to save Supergirl from Darkseid's influence Superman took a kryptonite ring out of his belt buckle and wore it on his right hand as he fought Kara in the middle of an Apokolips firepit, knowing the green-k would affect her faster since her body wasn't used to it.

Writers have even reduced the effect of other kryptonites on him. For example gold kryptonite was originally conceived as stripping his powers permanently. Now it only inhibits his solar radiation absorption for five minutes.

There is also nothing proving that Superman can't die. Yes there have been Elseworld stories about him living forever and the DC One Million event implied its possible if he stays within the heart of a sun but DC writers have said that these stories are not canon and there is one finite reason why its always been established Superman is not immortal........he is not alive in any incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Given that only takes place 1000 years in the future than Superman is not immortal and can be killed by either violent means (ie Doomsday) or just living out his life.

Lastly Wonder Woman's power levels have always been below Superman's but not enough where she can't put up a good fight. However she herself has admitted she couldn't take him in a drag out fight. In League of One she purposely distracted him because she couldn't take him in a fight. And she isn't invulnerable so alot of things hurt her.

@Superguy159,@ltbrd: I view this "weakness to magic" thing silly (to not use a heavier word) for many reasons. First of all, it's described as "one of Superman's few weaknesses". But magic users are abundant in comics. So, whoever possesses magic abilities can harm Superman?

About magic having effect, ok. But still, the effect should stop if it went to harm and beyond. For example, if one was magically enhanced with super strength, his punches to Superman would have the same result if Superman was to punch a normal guy? That's my point. By making him "weak and vulnerable to magic" one can neutralize him pretty easily.

I didn't say he should be invulnerable to mind control. Superman uses his powers but he also uses his brain often, he is not dumb,fool "Superman smash bad guys". Superman also has a very strong sense of good and justice,morals and ethics. I would expect that he could at least resist, fight the mind control. One just needs to have mind control abilities and mind control abilities only and he can make the world's greatest superhero his personal slave? Besides, this is retarded if you ask me. No one can take your free will away (unless you're corrupted). I 've known it myself and I've seen confirmations that, in order for one to be hypnotized by various performers/entertainers, he/she must agree, otherwise it can not happen.

No, not immortal. I was saying that Superman can only be vulnerable to harm,pain and thus,susceptible to death only when kryptonite is involved. Otherwise, he shouldn't feel a thing from anything-including magic.

Superman is Superman the name says it all. I understand he seems unbeatable at times. Well he should be. His enemies should be more stronger or as smart as lex or batman with high power levels . I am pretty sure the name superman says a lot .

@Godlovesusall: His weakness to magic means that if a magical spell turns Batman into a frog, it will turn Superman into one as well. If someone with magically enhanced strength were to punch him, it would effect him as if a kryptonian did the same. It's not a weakness, it's just not something he has an invulnerability towards.

And I know Superman is smart, but his mind can't be invulnerable to mental attacks. It doesn't make sense. On hypnosis, Superman DOES fight it when people take control of him. The only reason why Batman is still alive after Poison Ivy took control of Superman's mind in HUSH was because Superman didn't want to hurt Batman and Batman knew this.

@termiteone4ever: It says he's awesome that's what. Who doesn't want Superman's powers?(you'll eventually grow out of the weaknesses anyway, think of Kal Kent)

How is the vulnerability to magic stupid? pretty much all things, besides really powerful magic users are vulnerable to magic, Superman is no different, if you don't have magical defenses, you don't have magical defenses, simple as that.

@Superguy1591:Yeah, how did I forget about that? I wanted to write it. A witch from fairy tales morphs Superman into a frog and ..voila. Bye bye Superman.

@The Stegman: Superman is unbreakable,that's why. He can only be harmed and bleed with kryptonite.

@Godlovesusall said:

@Superguy1591:Yeah, how did I forget about that? I wanted to write it. A witch from fairy tales morphs Superman into a frog and ..voila. Bye bye Superman.

@The Stegman: Superman is unbreakable,that's why. He can only be harmed and bleed with kryptonite.

I'm thinking you're taking physical durability and twisting it around here. Being physically resistant has no baring when it comes to magic. How does a body no matter how invulnerable stop an attack on the soul? If Superman has a soul then how is he in no way affected by an attack that doesn't care at all about his physical body? Superman's powers are physical period. That's not to say that everything he does is hard science, that's just to say that like it has been pointed out... Superman isn't weak against magic, he just has no defense for it... or rather he didn't initially.

Also if Thor can be okay with being a frog so can Superman. Besides I'm gonna say that everyone in the DC Universe runs the risk of fairy tale witches about equally given how chaotic that place is; with maybe anyone with actual magic powers running a greater risk than most...and besides if Supes becomes a frog I'm gonna say he's got enough magical friends that can get him back in punching in the face with almost unequaled physical strength form.

I dom't wanna twist anything, I always want to talk clear. I was talking about magic harming Superman the way other things can't. For example, a bullet covered in magic will go right through him? A knive in magic will cut him? To be more precise, magic messes with his unbreakability. Only kryptonite is able to make Superman feel pain like an ordinary man,bleed like an ordinary man,die like an ordinary man.

I'm not saying Superman should never feel a thing from anyone. He may be pushed back,knocked down (temporarily) etc from powerful adversaries but his body shouldn't have a single wound,not even a bruise,magic or otherwise.Only kryptonite can do that.

Superman's vulnerability to magic makes sense. His invulnerability is only physical.

Superman is powered by fundamental celestial energy, which reacts to his super alien physiologic body to act as a battery. He's cosmic adapter in a sense. Magic should be no sweat since it a source of energy to. Physics are violated when he flights or does anything Superman, his magic weakness makes no sense, it just cancels out.