10 SUPERMAN SECRET (5-1)

5.The "S" isn't just for Superman

The explanation for Superman's symbol has changed a few times. For decades, the comics simply said it was nothing more than a stylized monogram designed by Clark and his adopted parents, something they whipped up together after deciding on his new alias.

In the 1978 feature film Superman: The Movie, it was said that the S-shield was actually a Kryptonian glyph that served as a family seal for the House of El.

Later TV and animated adaptations all followed this explanation.

Finally, in 2003, the comic books followed suit. In the story Superman: Birthright, writer Mark Waid modernized the hero's early days to much acclaim and altered the origin of the shield. Waid revealed that the symbol was not only a family crest, as the films had first indicated, but was also an ancient Kryptonian symbol that meant "hope." This meaning and legacy was why Clark chose it as his seal when he became a public hero and its resemblance to a stylized letter S, along with his incredibly abilities, is what inspired reporter Lois Lane to call him "Superman."

4.It's not just about the glasses

Clark's disguise isn't as simple as slicking back his hair and putting on a pair of glasses. Different comics over the decades have shown that the Man of Steel uses several subtle tricks simultaneously to maintain a dual identity.

The lenses of his glasses are slightly tinted, changing the shade of his eyes.

Thanks to incredible control over his muscles (which also allows him to safely shake hands with people despite his steel-bending strength), Superman actually gives himself a different voice when he's Clark Kent.

By slouching over and wearing ill-fitting clothing, Clark gives a different impression of his body.

And thanks to studying some acting techniques, he completes the disguise by employing very different body language as Clark.

There's also the advantage of our next fact...

3.Clark Kent and Superman HAVE been seen together

The DC Universe has heroes with various abilities. On occasion, friends of Superman who have the ability to shape-shift have masqueraded as Clark Kent, allowing the famous reporter and the Man of Steel to be seen and photographed together at the same time. In other adventures, Superman has disguised a robot as one of his alter egos, again so that Clark Kent and the Man of Tomorrow can be seen interacting. So to the general public, they are friends who simply bear a great resemblance to each other. Since Superman doesn't wear a mask, folks tend not to think that he might have a secret identity anyway.

2.He wasn't always able to fly
When Superman first appeared in 1938, the comic said that he was incredibly strong, could withstand anything less than a bursting shell from a tank, and was able to leap 1/8th of a mile. And that was it! His ability to fly first showed up in the radio series and his original cartoons. In the comics, he officially gained the ability to fly in 1941, nearly two years after his first story.

In the years since his creation, he's been given new abilities and had some later taken away.

Nowadays, his arsenal includes heat-vision, incredible strength/stamina, enhanced senses, X-Ray vision, "arctic breath" (also known as "ice breath"), super-speed (including reaction time), increased healing, near-complete body/muscle control, and a skin-tight force-field that makes him invulnerable to most forms of harm.

1.Kryptonite isn't his only weakness

Many people know that Superman fears the green rock known as Kryptonite. This radioactive ore is the remains of his home planet and its energies disrupt the solar power in Clark's body, poisoning him in the process.

Over the years, other types of Kryptonite have had different effects on Kal-El, all negative. But this isn't the only weakness.

Superman has faced many alien and superhuman enemies whose strength rival his own and whom have been able to injure him through sheer force.

Since he draws his power from a yellow sun, the radiation of a red sun (such as the one Krypton orbited) immediately robs Superman of his power.

On top of that, Clark also lives in a reality where magic is very real and he's learned that simply being an alien offers no special protection against most sorcery. In fact, the chaotic energies of magic disrupt his force-field, meaning demons, vampires, werewolves and other supernatural creatures that exist in the DC Universe can injure Superman and draw blood if he lets them get close enough.