10 Awe-Inspiring Superman Moments That Prove He's DC's Greatest Hero

What makes Superman the greatest?

Is it his powers? They are an impressive skill set, and do set him a cut above most heroes... but that isn't it. Ultimately, any writer could easily construct a hero or villain more powerful than Superman. What creators cannot do so easily is create a character as iconic as Superman.

If not powers, what sets him apart? Quintessential Superman actor Christopher Reeve once said "What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and maturity to use power wisely."

Superman's greatness isn't just about his physical super feats - although those are astonishing - but how he uses them in service of others. It is his faith in us that makes him unique, and why he is DC Comics' flagship character. That is why his influence is felt strongly both within the context of the imaginary DC Universe, but also his impact in the real world.

Each one of these highlighted ten moments from Superman's eighty plus years showcase why he has an unparalleled position of influence in the DC Universe. Moments that put us in true awe of the character and say "That's who I want to be."

If there is any question as to how awesome Superman is, could you imagine any other hero single handedly ending World War II in just a two page story? What is even more impressive is that Superman's fictional international crusade against the Nazis managed to actually make a real life enemy out of Adolf Hitler.

In 1940, which was before the United States entered WWII, Look magazine commissioned Superman creators Jerry Siegel & Joe Schuster to create a two page story entitled "How Superman Would End The War". The story showed Superman wading through Nazi battalions, shrugging off canon fire, until he gets to Hitler. Superman takes off into the sky with him, heading to Russia. There he swoops down and snatches Joseph Stalin too.

Their next stop is Geneva, Switzerland where the dictators stand trial for crimes against humanity. If only the real world were so easy. This flight of fantasy did strike a powerful real life chord however.

Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels, responded with an article attacking Superman, and specifically targeting his Jewish creators. Hitler allegedly threatened that Siegel & Schuster would be taken care of after the U.S. fell under their control.

The international backlash didn't stop Siegel & Schuster though. DC Comics kept the Allied propaganda coming on the covers of many of the Golden Age comics. The U.S. finally entered the war, and the books were very popular sources of entertainment for overseas troops, and boosted morale at home.

Not just any comic character could have had this level of global impact. This was a job for Superman.