Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton, the Man of Steel… In so many ways, Superman has become known as the greatest superhero of all time, as a symbol of hope for humanity. More than one version of him has existed throughout history, but not all have been equally powerful or with the same protective instinct towards the planet where he grew up. Different versions include the communist (Red Son), the weakened Superman who was almost beaten to death by an ageing Batman (Frank Miller), or the Kal-El who decided to take Wonder Woman as his wife (Kingdom Come).

 

The new Superman miniature allows you to represent different versions of the character, taken straight from the pages of some of the most famous comic books ever. The classic version offers incredible mobility (+2 Speed), the Red Son version sports a more aggressive profile (+2 Attack), and the Kingdom Come version represents the most veteran, experienced version of Superman (+1Power), allowing him to perform more actions.

 

At 16 levels, Superman is considered an expensive character. However, he excels at most things; Moving around the board, taking punishment, dealing damage, and supporting.

MOVEMENT

 

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s Superman! His name is practically synonymous with flying, and Fly allows him to cover great distances, even more if you choose the classic version. This makes him one of the fastest characters in the game, only surpassed in speed by Speedsters like the flash.

 

DEFENSE

 

As expected by someone called the Man of Steel, hurting this Kryptonian is no walk in the park, even though his Defenses are relatively low, but because he has the ability to shrug off a lot of damage before feeling it (Resistance/2). However, as a Kryptonian he is weak against attacks from weapons forged from the remains of his destroyed homeworld (Weakness to Kryptonite). Finally, 18 Endurance points and a high Stamina stat means he won’t easily be KO’d, and won’t stay down for long!

 

Just like when facing Darkseid, characters with Irresistible attacks like Aquaman, Cyborg, Deathstroke, and especially Ravager are good choices for dealing with Superman. Supernatural attacks are another weakness shared by all Kryptonians, not only due to their relatively low Supernatural Defenses, but because it’s the only Defense stat that cannot be improved. For this reason, characters like Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Solomon Grundy, and Ra’s al Ghul offer great alternatives for facing this godly being. The Hawks in particular stand a good chance since they don’t get penalized for attacking Superman in close combat due to Fly.

 

 

ATTACK

 

Thanks to his superpowers, Kal-El has a wide range of attacks. Even though his close combat attacks are especially powerful, they will require a large amount of POW if you want to make them more accurate via Overloading. Since he is such an iconic hero, Superman’s first attack each round will deal an extra point of damage due to Heroic Action.

 

For attacking at range, Superman has his famous Heat Vision, and no enemy can hide from this attack (Thermal Vision). If he wants to deal with a group of enemies, he can use his Freezing Breath, which need no roll to hit and slows down enemies. Fortunately for his enemies, this attack can only be used once per game.

 

His inhuman strength is not only represented through his powerful strikes. As it can be expected, Superman can throw almost anything or anyone, up to and including tank-sized objects, at a distance of up to 12”!

 

Attacking is where the Red Son version surpasses the other versions. An Attack stat of 8 is impressive, and means that dealing with enemies with low Physical Defense allows Superman to save that one POW that would have been spent on Overloading, potentially enabling him to perform more attacks. Somebody like Catwoman (Modern Age) becomes his ideal dance partner, as she can set enemies up to be taken down by Superman.

 

 

SUPPORT/CONTROL

 

Finally, the Big Blue Boy Scout honors that nickname, as he is able to redirect attacks from nearby allies onto himself with Bodyguard. This combined with his massive Endurance and general toughness means that Superman’s allies are guaranteed to live to fight another day, though it could slow Superman down in the process.

 

 

RED SON, KINGDOM COME OR CLASSIC?

 

At this point it is interesting to look at reasons for choosing one version over the other. This choice mostly comes down to your preferred playstyle, but could also be dependent on the mission you’re playing or the configuration of your team. So:

• Classic: In missions requiring mobile characters, being able to move up to 17” could be the difference between victory or defeat.
• Kingdom Come: If the enemy has enough tools available to hurt Superman easily, this version could be very interesting. As soon as he leaves the Grey Zone of his Endurance bar he will lose Power, but the Kingdom Come version still maintains a more than respectable amount of Power.
• Red Son: With an Attack value of 8, the Red Son can occasionally save the extra POW, especially if teaming up with an ally that makes hitting his target easier.