- Strength - Strength far exceeding that of a normal human or any other known animal, sufficient to "bend steel in his bare hands". Depictions of the upper limit of how much weight he can lift have ranged from being able to lift a car over his head to being able to move entire planets. After being super-saturated with solar energy in All-Star Superman, his strength was tested as exceeding the force of 200 quintillion tons. Explanations include being adapted to the heavier gravity of Krypton, and his muscles using the power of the solar energy which fuels all his abilities. Superman's stamina is also limitless (whilst he remains in yellow sunlight).
- Invulnerability - His invulnerability protects his body from almost all forms of physical harm. Effectiveness has ranged from his skin being piercable by nothing less than a "bursting shell" to being completely unharmed at ground zero of a nuclear explosion. Includes the immunity to most known diseases, viruses and toxins. Explanations for this ability have included Kryptonians having an extremely dense molecular structure to each of his cells emitting an unbreakable aura of solar energy. However, in the rare instances Superman has required medical attention, this resistance to injuries has complicated necessary procedures such as surgery. For instance, when a criminal shot him with kryptonite ammunition, a surgeon was forced to give Superman a controlled exposure to the mineral in order to temporarily weaken his skin enough to make the incisions necessary to remove internal fragments of the bullet. In some versions, this power greatly retards his aging and increases as he gets older, sometimes rendering him effectively immortal - the epilogue to the Justice Society of America storyline "Thy Kingdom Come" (a sequel of sorts to "Kingdom Come") showing Superman surviving 1000 years into the future, albeit as a very elderly, hunched-over man. Another version in DC 1 Million lives through the 853rd Century as a virtual deity.
- Flight - The ability to shut down gravity's hold on him and propel himself through the air at will. Has ranged from simply being able to jump great distances using his vast strength, to being able to accelerate, float in midair, change direction and traverse interstellar distances without stopping.
- Speed - Ability to move at speeds far faster than normal humans or animals are capable of. No normal human can run away or outrun him(Only flash can). Top speeds have ranged from hundreds of miles per hour to speeds far greater than the speed of light. Includes the speeding up of his thoughts and perception to be able to control his actions as well as normal while moving at high speeds.
- X-ray vision - Superman's vast senses grant him the ability to see through solid objects, usually with the exception of lead. Explanations for how this power works vary, but rarely include the emission and perception of actual X-Rays, as such high-energy radiation would actually be dangerous to living things he uses it on. A more common theory involves being able to see and concentrate on the patterns of natural cosmic radiation as it reverberates off objects. X-Ray vision was first used by Superman in Action Comics #11, April 1939, where it was called "Superman's X-ray eyesight."
- Heat vision - Ability to emit heat/solar energy from his eyes. Usually resembles bright red or orange laser-like beams, which may be invisible at low temperatures but extremely bright at high ones. Superman has been shown to be able use Heat Vision with surgical precision and at microscopic levels. Since the power can be used invisibly, Superman often takes advantage of that to perform tasks subtly without needing to get into costume. In some stories, it can be reflected like a true laser, which Superman may use to shave his otherwise very durable whiskers. Sometimes shown to be one of his more physically draining powers to use as it uses such concentrated solar energy. In the Pre-Crisis stories, Clark wears glasses with lenses made of Kryptonian glass (initially cannibalized from his rocket ship's transparency dome) so he can fire his heat vision through them without damaging them. In the stories from the 1986 relaunch onward had Clark wearing regular glasses and then with the revision in Superman: Secret Origin, he wears glasses with Kryptonian glass that are intended to contain unwanted firings; in this situation, Clark is forced to momentarily lift them out of his eyes' firing arc to use his heat vision effectively.
- Super Breath - Ability to inhale and exhale huge volumes of air with great force, capable of extinguishing large fires and moving heavy objects such as cars. Also allows Superman to hold his breath for extended periods in airless environments. The release (exhalation) of highly compressed air through a valve(such as pursed lips) causes it to drop radically in temperature. This is known as the Joule-Thomson effect, and when Superman does this, it is usually referred to as Freeze Breath, and can cool objects to sub-zero temperatures and freeze air moisture solid. It is likely that this is not a separate power, in and of itself, but is merely an auxiliary power to his super strength and limitless stamina, which gives him near limitless cardiovascular strength.
- Super Hearing - Can hear far more sounds with far more detail at far greater distances than normally humanly possible, including sounds on frequencies undetectable by humans such as dog whistles. Superman is able to mentally screen out most of these sounds to be able to function normally, even in a noisy environment, and can focus in on specific things, like a person's voice or heartbeat, even if they are in another part of the city. He can even hear sounds on other planets. Like humans and most animals, he is skilled at automatically noticing his own name out of the jumble of several overheard conversations, making him adept at quickly responding to calls of distress all over the city.
- Super Vision - His senses grant him the ability to see farther and with greater accuracy and detail than normally humanly possible. Sometimes includes the ability to see EM frequencies invisible to humans, such as radio transmissions, infrared light and in some stories, even an energy aura which supposedly surrounds all living things (this originated in Superman: Birthright). Offshoots of this power include Telescopic Vision, which allows him to "zoom in" on far away objects, sometimes hundreds of miles away, and Microscopic Vision, which allows him to zoom in on objects that would normally be too small to see, like those on a cellular or molecular level.
- Superhuman Olfaction - A heightened and highly accurate sense of smell comparable to some animals such as dogs. Can be used to detect things like the chemicals in a bomb hidden somewhere in a crowded room.
- Eidetic memory - Superman is occasionally shown to have flawless, total recall of everything he has ever seen, read or heard. In turn, he is often depicted as being fluent in many of Earth's languages. This "power" is shared by a number of real-life people such as Kim Peek, but in Superman's case it is likely a result of his invulnerability preventing any cell in his brain from deteriorating and related to his mind's ability to perceive events at superhuman speeds as if they were happening at normal speeds.
- Kryptonite: His most known weakness. Radioactive fragments of the planet Krypton created by fusion during the explosion that destroyed it. Superman's cells store electromagnetic radiation (such as sunlight) and convert it into energy, manifesting as his super-powers. When Superman is exposed to kryptonite (within roughly ten feet or less of any size or amount), its high-band radiation rapidly interferes with this process, causing severe physical pain and the loss of his powers, though lead can be used to block it out.
- Red Sun Radiation: Natural in Krypton's planetary system, red solar radiation replaces the higher-yield yellow solar energy in Superman's cells, robbing him of the fuel for his powers. This process does not have the painful, crippling and fever-like symptoms of Kryptonite, and essentially leaves him with the normal health and abilities of a human in his size and shape, as it did for the entire population of Krypton during its existence. Exposure to Yellow Sunlight causes his powers to return. Other than Red solar radiation, using up his yellow solar energy before having a chance to recharge also causes Superman to lose his powers.
- Magic: It varies from writer to writer. While not so much an actual weakness, Superman's invulnerability offers no protection against magic. As a result, spells cast on Superman affect him the same as they would anyone else. This sometimes goes so far as enchanted weapons being able to subvert his invulnerability as well. Generally, he suffers the vulnerability provided he is directly attacked with magic. But there exists a number of exceptions, such as Justice League of America (version 1), where Superman faces an ogre. Superman's direct attacks have no effect on the ogre, however Superman is able to harm the ogre through the usage of a stick.
- Massive Physical Forces: While Superman is extremely resilient to most physical harm, he is not quite completely invulnerable and is susceptible to temporary injury from physical forces usually delivered to him by some of his super-powered inter-galactic enemies. Superman's ability to gain energy from sunlight may be counter-acted if he is badly beaten so quickly that his body doesn't have time to heal (as happened in his battle with Doomsday). In some spin-off media, he has been shown to be similarly vulnerable to electricity, a weakness exploited by nemeses Conduit and Live Wire.