10 Superman Questions That Always Confused You

10. Why Do His Power Levels Change All The Time?

Superman's powers are notoriously difficult to pin down, but while the range of abilities on display currently are easy to explain (more on that ahead), the character's supposed invulnerability is a different matter altogether.

Many see the Last Son of Krypton as effectively a god-like being. He's super-strong, immune to bullets, and can take on any given threat - sans Kryptonite or magic - with relative ease. But surely if that were the case, no villain who lacked those materials would ever challenge him? What would be the point?

The fact of the matter is that Superman's resilience varies from reboot to reboot and sometimes from story to story. Before Crisis on Infinite Earths it was probably fair to say that the character was effectively invulnerable, with that version boasting an almost limitless array of abilities and shrugging off blows with relative ease. This wasn't how things had started out - in fact the Superman of Siegel and Schuster's early comics wasn't all that invincible at all - but over years that's just how things panned out.

After Crisis, DC adopted a different approach. Supes would react to punches, bleed and even get wounded. Various stories have retained or divested from that edict in the years since, but the point is that Superman's impervious nature varies based on who might be writing him on a given day.

Though, in this case, the DC Animated Universe did offer an explanation as to why their version of the character wasn't as powerful as his comics self, and it's simply because he was always holding back. Put him up against an enemy who can take him when the gloves are off, and you'll be treated to a completely different kind of battle.