An Ode To The Superman Family

From Superman’s inception on April 18, 1938, to Supergirl’s debut in May of 1959, and a plethora of Superman-styled heroes coming about in The Death of Superman arc in the early ‘90s, the “Superman Family” of heroes has grown into inspirational figures just like their namesake.

However, they have a great variety of stories and characters, giving us a complicated superhero family with individuals distinct enough from Superman, even as they may share his iconic symbol and super-heroic prefix. Although they may be superpowered Kryptonians, clones, or hail from parallel realities, with superpowered suits of steel, they’re just as relatable in their perseverance to do good as their first member.

Indeed, the relatable aspects of Superman are inherent in his origin. A baby refugee from a dying Krypton, Clark/Kal-El was based on the experiences of Jewish refugees from Europe. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the children of these same Jewish refugees, created a “Superman” to defend the defenseless, such as against the horrific Nazis their families had escaped. Their Superman would dominate no one, fighting for the working person and protecting them from extortion, a dynamic keenly continued today with the character’s constant struggle against the villainous billionaire Lex Luthor.

The strength of the Superman Family doesn’t come strictly from their Kryptonian powers. 

Clark will always persevere to save every life he can, especially when he’s at odds with the ruling elite. Although he and the rest of the Superman Family have extraordinary powers that outclass most other DC characters, they are not all-powerful. They still strive to respect human autonomy and avoid dominating their decision-making. It’s a tricky balance, especially when Clark or others could easily impose their will on the world to force it to be “good.”

Still, as explored in dystopian interpretations such as the Justice Lords in Justice League and Injustice, it’s an exceedingly slippery slope. And Superman is no ruler, but a guide for humanity, in real life and the DC Universe, to be better. He’s no Jesus figure, as some have attempted to interpret him, but rather, and crucially so, Moses.

The rest of the Superman Family guides us in their representation as refugees and misfits, cobbling together a community for good. Obviously, their extraordinary, mostly Kryptonian superpowers help tremendously, but that’s not the main reason the family resonates. It’s their tenacity to do good, even at times when the world or even their fellow heroes are set against them, that is crucial. And it can be very messy on the way to that goal.

Supergirl provides a striking counterbalance to Clark’s easy optimism. 

Unlike her cousin, Kara Zor-El came to Earth knowing Krypton and their family intimately. While depictions in comics, TV, and film vary in how they explore it, the trauma of losing her entire world and family is core to her character. It’s an experience deeply felt by refugees and immigrants from war-torn and decimated countries, craving the ability to go home. It would always drive her journey, such as we see in the sublime 2021 comic run by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Woman of Tomorrow, in which she faces and perseveres through her grief to be the hero she was always meant to be.

While aiming for optimism like Clark, Kara often feels aimless as she struggles to find her place, as seen when she joined the rage-powered Red Lantern Corps or quit the Teen Titans. Whether in real life editorial decisions resulting in her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths (DC brought her back in 2004 in Superman/Batman) or flinging off the future to live and work with the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st Century, Kara’s transience has been key to her character journey, making those of us who also felt aimless have a superpowered Kryptonian to relate to and inspire us along the way.

While Supergirl lost her whole world, her Earth-2 counterpart, Power Girl (Kara Zor-L), lost her entire universe. Kara (or “Karen” in some stories) would look even more aimless, having had her history rewritten from being Kryptonian to being somehow Atlantean with magic powers, and then restored to her Earth-2 origin in Infinite Crisis. Kara, like her Earth-1 counterpart, is often angry at what she’s lost and the friction she experiences with fellow heroes, including Supergirl and other members of the Superman Family.

Characters such as Power Girl and Superboy add nuanced layers to the Superman Family. 

But the two have worked together as well, such as in the New Krypton arc when they donned the mantles of Nightwing (Power Girl) and Flamebird (Supergirl) to protect the citizens of the miniaturized Kryptonian city of Kandor. Kara also saved Supergirl in the shortly lived New 52, helping the latter find her place in the strange new world of Earth after she lost Krypton and empathizing with her own experiences on Earth-2.

Whatever the continuity in which they both exist, Power Girl and Supergirl are sure to have a rich dynamic that conveys something of a sibling relationship, albeit via alternate parallel selves. With that sheer amount of trauma of losing one’s entire planet, they both need all the support they can get.

Conner Kent/Kon-El/Superboy also constantly feels out of place, being the literal clone of Superman and his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. From thinking he had to replace Superman during the Death of Superman arc, to not knowing his place afterward, to not having access to all the Kryptonian powers his other family members possess, Conner often represents the odd one out, another figure to whom we can all relate. But with the reassurance of his family and friends, particularly the Teen Titans, he’s able to find his place in the world.

Henry Irons offers us a more human perspective. 

Introduced around the same time as Conner, John Henry Irons, AKA “Steel”, is a brilliant engineer whom Superman once saved from falling from a building. Inspired by this act of direct heroism, John decided to honor Superman by making his own superpowered suit of steel with the House of El symbol and sought to make up for his absence during the infamous Death arc.

After Kal-El returned, John would take off the S-symbol, but still retain camaraderie with Clark and other heroes. His niece Natasha would follow in his footsteps to become the next, and at times concurrent, Steel to protect Metropolis from various threats.

In John and Natasha, we see regular humans, so directly inspired by Superman and the Superman Family, applying their minds to emulate Kryptonians. John is not like Lex with his outrageous jealousy, but rather has a sincere appreciation for Superman’s ethos and keen love of humanity. Hopefully, we have even more stories with the Irons in more onscreen media to see more of this dynamic, and inspire more of us further to emulate Superman in the right way.

Every member of the Superman Family must find their footing of what it means to be a hero.

Jonathan Kent, son of Lois and Clark, has had an interesting comic history, to put it lightly. He grew up knowing his father was Superman, and soon fought by his side as Superboy, alongside his close friend Damian Wayne, AKA Robin.

Additionally, Jon received mentorship from Dick Grayson/Nightwing, further strengthening his connection to the Bat-Family. But at age ten, Jon was warped to the future, returning as a 17-year-old ready to take on the mantle of Superman. In his father’s absence, he did so to varying success, often stumbling to find his way until his father returned and he relinquished the mantle.

None of this is to say that Jon hasn’t had success as a hero, but he’s clearly still finding his footing. He looks to be beyond his father’s shadow, now adapting the mantle of “Tomorrow Man” to stand out. While it, of course, takes away from Superman’s title of “Man of Tomorrow,” it is still interesting to see how this will play out. Hopefully Jon finds his solid footing soon, just as so many of us have had to through our own challenges.

Lois Lane, in every iteration, helps anchor the larger than life story. 

Kong Kenan, the Superman of China, has a distinct origin from any of the other family members, being a human from Shanghai and imbued with the life force of the recently deceased New 52 Superman, along with having proficiency in magic, unlike most other members who are weak to it.

Created by Gene Luen Yang, Viktor Bogdanovic, Richard Friend, Hi-Fi, and Dave Sharpe and debuting in New Super-Man #1, Kenan went from an arrogant individual who looked down on others to a more considerate person as a new Superman. He still makes mistakes as he rushes in to try to save the day, such as opening a gate to Hell, but with the guidance of Clark and other members of the Superman Family, he’s surely becoming a capable leading hero in his own right.

She may not be Kryptonian, but Lois Lane, the journalist wife of Superman, certainly deserves to be counted as part of the Superman Family. While not superpowered herself, at least when she’s not taking on the Superwoman persona, Lois is Clark’s spiritual and emotional equal in virtually all of her depictions. Keeping him grounded in human reality, while also soaring with Superman through the skies, Lois balances Clark, and by extension, the rest of the Superman Family.

Superman and his family depict tremendous nuance and burdens we bear. 

Sometimes a cynic, but ultimately moved by her husband’s optimism for humanity, Lois, in many ways, reflects many of us burdened by simply observing the hardships of the world. But when we see a wonderful man flying through the air, saving every person he can, whether he’s in our reality or not, we

And last but certainly not least to be included here is Krypto the Superdog, along with the rest of the Super-Pets like Streaky the Supercat and Comet the Super-Horse. But for now, let’s focus on the Superdog, who lapped into the public’s hearts with his star turnaround in 2025’s Superman, showcasing Superman as simply someone who loves his dog and will move heaven and earth to protect him, even if he’s not well-trained (at all, to be honest). A Superman’s best friend indeed. Thankfully, we’ll be getting more Krypto in Supergirl.

While some may have relatively simple ideas of who Superman and his family members are, there is far more complexity and relatability than they might think. The Superman Family showcases the ability in all of us to take our messy, fragmented experiences, heavy burdens, and aimlessness, and, whether or not we have Kryptonian superpowers, persevere through it all to make a positive contribution to humanity.

No matter what the future holds for Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, and the others, they’ve already made their impact, remaining a beacon of hope for all.