Superman is the most iconic and powerful superhero in all of fiction. When the Man of Steel first debuted, he not only ushered in a new type of hero but also introduced the Kryptonian race. Once a mighty, technologically advanced race from the planet Krypton, most of Superman’s people perished when their world exploded. For a long time, Superman believed that he was the last of his kind. However, that notion soon proved to be false, as other members of the Kryptonian race managed to survive their world’s destruction. And in the same way Superman inspired countless people, the Man of Tomorrow’s heroism motivated these Kryptonians to become superheroes as well.
Some of the most powerful superheroes in DC Comics can trace their lineages back to Krypton. When Kryptonians are exposed to the yellow light of Earth’s sun, they gain incredible powers including super-strength, speed, flight, heat vision, frost breath, and X-Ray vision. With Superman to guide them, these Kryptonians have made a new home on Earth as its protectors and members of the Superman Family.
Kandor was once Krypton’s shining capital until the intergalactic villain Brainiac shrunk it and bottled it for his collection. The citizens of Kandor, because they were stolen from their planet, evaded their homeworld’s subsequent destruction but were kept as miniaturized prisoners until Superman rescued them and restored them to their natural size. One such citizen was Thara Ak-Var, Supergirl’s childhood friend and a member of the Kryptonian Military Guild. Soon after Kandor’s restoration and the establishment of New Krypton, the Flamebird, the Kryptonian goddess of destruction, chose Thara as its new avatar. As this deity’s avatar, Thara can generate fire from her body. Taking on the superhero name of Flamebird, Thara joined forces with fellow Kryptonian hero Nightwing to protect both Earth and New Krypton. Tragically, when General Sam Lane turned the sun red to wipe out the Kryptonians, Thara sacrificed her life to return the sun to its original yellow spectrum and save the remnants of her people.
When Dick Grayson abandoned the Robin mantle, he took his new superhero name, “Nightwing,” from the Kryptonian god of shadows. Throughout Krypton’s history, many heroes have taken up the name Nightwing to protect the innocent. One such individual was Chris Kent, a Kryptonian boy who crash-landed on Earth and was fostered by Superman and Lois Lane. Even when it was revealed that Chris’s real name was Lor-Zod and that he was the son of General Zod, he still wished to be a hero like Superman. Since Chris was conceived in the Phantom Zone, he developed the ability to manipulate shadows, move objects with his mind, and teleport. Taking on the name Nightwing, Chris became a part of a dynamic duo with Flamebird. Nightwing eventually sacrificed himself by trapping General Zod and himself in the Phantom Zone so his father couldn’t hurt his new family. Even more tragically, DC rebooted the character to be a cruel villain like his father. Hopefully, one day Lor-Zod will become the high-flying guardian Nightwing once again.
Just as humans used chimps to test the safety of their spaceships, Superman’s father, Jor-El, used the Kryptonian monkey Beppo as a test subject for the rocket that would one day save Kal-El. However, when that fateful day came, and Krypton was about to erupt, Beppo snuck aboard Kal-El’s rocket and joined him on his journey to Earth. Upon crash-landing on Earth, Beppo fled and lived on his own for many years. Only when Kal-El grew up into Superboy did he reunite with Beppo and adopt the Super-Monkey into the Superman Family. As one can probably guess, a monkey with Superman’s powers is a recipe for trouble, and Beppo doesn’t disappoint thanks to his love of playing pranks and causing chaos. Still, Beppo’s very loyal to Superman and the rest of the family. He was also a founding member of the Legion of Super-Pets alongside Superman’s other superpowered pets, including Krypto, Streaky, and Comet. Beppo is a wacky menace, and we love him for it.
Earth-2 was once the home of the Golden Age superheroes until the New 52 reboot reimagined it as a world that had lost the Trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. In their place rose a new generation of heroes, including an all-new Superman. The son of this universe’s General Zod, Val-Zod was jettisoned to Earth to spare him from Krypton’s destruction. Living most of his life in hiding beneath Arkham, Val-Zod developed a pacifistic nature and a fear of open spaces. Val-Zod would eventually come out of his shell when the superhero team the Wonders of the World found him and motivated him to help them fight Darkseid. Although Val-Zod is reluctant to engage in violence and struggles to overcome his phobia, he’s every bit as powerful as any other Kryptonian under a yellow sun. Val-Zod became Earth-2’s new Superman and one of the greatest forces against Darkseid’s invasion.
On Earth-33, superheroes only exist in the pages of comic books, or so a teenage Clark Kent believed. In truth, this seemingly ordinary kid was from the planet Krypton like his main-universe counterpart, and it took the Crisis on Infinite Earths for his latent Kryptonian abilities to activate. As a pre-Crisis Kryptonian unaffected by multiversal retcons, Superboy-Prime possesses practically infinite power and can even rewrite reality and break the fourth wall with a punch. Superboy-Prime’s history has been a roller coaster, from the multiverse’s most powerful hero to its most destructive villain. After his world was destroyed, Superboy-Prime went insane and went on a multiversal rampage. However, despite racking up one of the highest body counts of any DC character, Superboy-Prime has since regained his sense of hope and is genuinely trying to become a hero again, like his idol, Superman. Superboy-Prime may have had a dark past, but his redemption has shown that anyone in a forgiving universe can become a hero.
Like Val-Zod, Power Girl is a Kryptonian from Earth-2 who has had to overcome significant struggles. Power Girl is an alternate version of Supergirl who’s older, more experienced, and significantly stronger. Alongside her cousin Superman, Power Girl was one of Earth-2’s foremost protectors. Tragically, history repeated itself for Power Girl when her world was erased during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. This left her once again as one of the few survivors of a dead planet and bereft of a home. Despite being forced to live through the trauma of losing both Krypton and Earth-2, Power Girl has found a new home for herself in the main DC Universe. Even if she’s still haunted by the loss of her original friends and family, Power Girl has managed to become close friends with Earth-0’s incarnation of the Superman Family. Now, Power Girl is among the strongest and most underrated superheroes in DC Comics.
The Silver Age was a wacky time that introduced many bizarre and lovable characters, including the Man of Steel’s best friend, Krypto. This Super-Dog was the loyal pet of the House of El and knew Superman since he was a baby. How Krypto survived Krypton’s annihilation has ranged from joining Kal-El in his rocket ship to being accidentally trapped in the Phantom Zone. Whatever the case, one thing has always stayed consistent about Krypto: his undying loyalty to Superman and the rest of the House of El. Krypto will always leap head-first into danger to protect his family. At the same time, Krypto’s still a rambunctious dog who will use his Kryptonian superpowers to wreak havoc and chase squirrels. Krypto has gone through various degrees of relevance, from being retconned out of existence to being among the most iconic members of the Superman Family and even leading the Legion of Super-Pets. Krypto will always stand as DC’s best dog.
Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday led many to try to fill the Man of Tomorrow’s role as Metropolis’ protector, including Conner Kent, aka Superboy. Instead of being a naturally born Kryptonian, Superboy was the product of Lex Luthor’s cloning experiments to create a human/Kryptonian hybrid. Luthor’s plot was for this newly formed Superboy to hijack his nemesis’s legacy. Even though Superboy was a glory-hound raised by Luthor, he still wanted to help people as a hero. When the original Superman came back from the dead, Superboy abandoned Luthor, joined the Man of Steel’s family, and was even adopted by Martha and Jonathan Kent. In addition to all the powers that come with being a Kryptonian, Superboy has tactile telekinesis that lets him dismantle machinery and fire concussive blasts. Superboy may have started as a bratty clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, but he’s since grown into his own person and a heroic adoptive brother to the Man of Tomorrow.
Few characters represent the restoration of the Kryptonian race better than Superman’s son, Jon Kent. During the Convergence storyline, Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, welcomed their son into the world. Inheriting his father’s powers and selfless nature, Jon became the new Superboy at just ten years old. As Superboy, Jon became Damian Wayne’s best friend and partner in crimefighting. However, Jon’s life took an unexpected turn when an incident with a black hole caused him to suddenly be six years older. No longer a child, Jon became the new Superman alongside his father. Now, Jon has carved out a new identity for himself as Tomorrow Man. Jon has all his father’s powers, plus the ability to fire powerful bolts of electricity. Watching Jon grow into his own man has been one of the highlights of recent Superman comics and has shown that the House of El has a bright future ahead.
Superman’s world changed forever when he met his cousin Supergirl and discovered he was no longer the last Kryptonian. Starting as Superman’s sidekick, the Maid of Might has become an icon in her own right. Unlike her cousin, Supergirl was a teenager when Krypton exploded and thus watched her loved ones die. Her parents spared Supergirl the fate of their world by sending her in a rocket. However, on the journey to Earth, Supergirl accidentally passed through a wormhole that warped time. Although she traveled only a short time, several decades had passed on Earth, and her baby cousin was now Superman. Even after Supergirl was dead for nearly 20 years following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the moment she returned, she once again became an icon and one of comics’ most beloved female superheroes. Supergirl was a game-changer for the Superman franchise, opening the door to the rest of the Superman Family.
