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The Superman Regen Problem

C2_of_Omegon

C2_of_Omegon

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Ok, I while back I went through Superman's various profiles and got Nigh-Invulernability removed. As I look over Superman's various profiles, I noticed something. A lot of his profiles has Mid-Low Regen...with no example to say why they have it. In fact, some of them said they scaled to Post-Crisis Superman...despite being alternate versions of him.

Rule of thumb: if you are dealing alternate versions of a character you cannot scale their abilities unless it's explicit that they share the same the history with the same feats. Yes, Kryptonians have a basic powerset that they share, but the level of that and what it means, varies of from universe to universe.

On top of this, characters with regen have to have reasons of why they have a particular level. Based off of this I'm proposing the following:

1. Post-Crisis Superman

Simply put, he needs examples of his regen. Luckily, he's got one. He healed from a slit throat on his own in a relatively short time. Doesn't seem that bad though. Yeah, he's leaking blood but he can still talk so it didn't hit his voice box or anything.

Also, we have a limit. This happened to him. Superman needed a blood transfusio due to losing so much. That same page showed that he need to be exposed to highly concentrated sunlight to heal the wounds.

Based on the above I'd like to add that his profile as an example. I'd also like to add to his weaknesses that he needs exposure to sunlight to heal greater wounds and that his Regenerationn cannot make up for large losses of blood on its own.

2. The Other Supermen

Simply put, unless their a future version or alternate version that shares the same history, they can't scale to Post-Crisis. These Supermen need their own feats to justify their regen, let alone the level of it. If they don't have any feats themselves, then they shouldn't have regen in the first place.

Superboy-Prime

Superman (Pre-Crisis)

Superman (Original)

Superman (Earth One)

Superman (All Star)

Superman (Kingdom Come)

Superman (Red Son)

Superman (Strange Visitor)

Superman (Christopher Reeve)

Superman (DCAU)

Superman (DC Extended Universe)

Superman (CW)

Superman (Fleischer)

Superman (Injustice Composite)

Superman (Superman vs The Elite)

Superman (DC Animated Movies)
 
Low: Merely an accelerated healing ability for normal wounds, allowing the character to heal wounds that would normally take days, weeks, or even months much more quickly, sometimes even in just seconds. For machines and vehicles, this would just be regenerating basic exterior damage.

Mid-Low: The ability to heal wounds that would normally leave large scars, such as severe burns or deep injuries.

I can't really think of any Superman regen feats on the top of my head. I'll get back to this one.
 
I found the sources of 2, one that you mentioned.

  • Wonder Woman Vol 2 #219 September 2005
    • He was able to regenerate when Wonder Woman slit his throat with her tiara
    • We don't see how long it takes to heal, but there isn't a permanent scar in later issues. I'm not sure if that counts since even Batman loses his facial scars.
  • Superman/Batman #1 to #2
    • A Kryptonite Bullet is slowing down his cellular Regenerationn.
    • Bruce is worried that he's not fast enough to remove the entire bullet before the wound closes.
    • Alfred is able to remove the entire Kryptonite bullet and places a bandage while it starts to heal.
Personally, I would say At least Low, possibly Mid-Low.
 
I agree for the most part. Superman should be rated something like:

Regenerationn (Low normally, At least Mid-Low with high levels of sunlight).

I mean he can heal off a cut to the throat or a bullet wound fairly quickly on his own. As for the Mid-Low, he was able to heal it after being exposed to concentrated sunlight.
 
  • Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton Vol 1 #3 June 2010
    • Superman gets impaled by Brainiacs Ship
    • No mention of organ damage, but he loses a lot of blood and needs a transfusion to survive.
    • With contained, concentrated, synthesized yellow sun, Brainiac 5 rejuvinates Superman.
 
Superman/Batman vol 1 #21

Superman gets shot through the hand with a bullet fired by a creation of Joker with Myx's powers. Heals in a page.

Action Comics #818 and #819

Superman, suffering from his powers being disrupted by liquid kryptonite, is shot repeatedly in the chest, stabbed through the shoulder, shot in the eye and his lung punctured. As the Kryptonite works out of his body over the course of 3 days, he would heal up when his powers were active, and the wounds would reopen when his powers left.


Superman vol 2 Annual 7

A year One Superman is beaten to a pulp by a mystic Daemon with his eye even swollen shut, but awakens back to normal without Doctor Occult healing him


Superman/Batman vol 1 #18

Superman has two healing feats here. Healing from Cosmic King turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite, then immediately healing a kryptonite sword through the chest as soon as it's removed.


Superman/Batman vol 1 #23

Heals a slash to the chest and a slit throat while exposed to kryptonite


Action Comics #757

In a simulation where Clark landed on Thanagar instead of Earth, heals from the back of his neck being slit open and a "Crab" that restrained his powers removed instantly.


JLA Classified #33

Superman's shoulder is cut by an "infinitely thing and infinitely sharp" 2D blade and he heals by the time we see him next.


Superman: The Man of Steel 21

Superman's body despite being dead and mostly drained of solar radiation, his body heals up all his Doomsday wounds


Superman/Batman #2

Heals from Kryptonite in his shoulder once it's removed.


Superman vol 1 #675

Paragon, using Superman's powers, heals from "internal injuries" caused by three daxamites beating him to near death in four panels.


Are these good?
 
  • Action Comics Vol 1 #675 March, 1992
  • Superman: The Man of Steel Vol 1 #21 March, 1993
    • Unclear of what kind of internal injuries if any Supeman sustained. At least Mid-Low, possibly High-Low. | Superman's body despite being dead and mostly drained of solar radiation, his body heals up all his Doomsday wounds
  • Superman Annual Vol 2 #7 July, 1995
    • Low | A year One Superman is beaten to a pulp by a mystic Daemon with his eye even swollen shut, but awakens back to normal without Doctor Occult healing him.
  • Action Comics Vol 1 #757 September, 1999
    • Mid-Low | In a simulation where Clark landed on Thanagar instead of Earth, heals from the back of his neck being slit open and a "Crab" that restrained his powers removed instantly.
  • Superman/Batman Vol 1 #2 November, 2003
    • Mid-Low | Heals from Kryptonite in his shoulder once it's removed.
  • Action Comics Vol 1 #818 October, 2004 and Action Comics Vol 1 #819 November, 2004
  • Superman/Batman Vol 1 #18 June, 2005
    • At least Mid-Low, possibly High-Low | Superman has two healing feats here. Healing from Cosmic King turning the iron in his blood to Kryptonite, then immediately healing a kryptonite sword through the chest as soon as it's removed.
  • Superman/Batman Vol 1 #21 September, 2005
    • Mid-Low | Superman gets shot through the hand with a bullet fired by a creation of Joker with Myx's powers. Heals in a page.
  • Superman/Batman Vol 1 #23 November, 2005
    • Mid-Low | Heals a slash to the chest and a slit throat while exposed to kryptonite
  • JSA Classified Vol 1 #33 February, 2008
    • Mid-Low | Superman's shoulder is cut by an "infinitely thing and infinitely sharp" 2D blade and he heals by the time we see him next
 
Is this an example of his Regenerationn or is this just sun dipping?

Superman:The Man of Steel 50

Superman is drained to a dessicated husk by Parasite, complete with "internal bleeding" and recovers after being thrown into the sun, though he's "not at maximun strength yet"

https://***************.to/Comic/Superman-The-Man-of-Steel-1991/Issue-50?id=35127
 
What Firestorm808 has accepted can probably be applied.

I can give you and C2 temporary rollback rights in order to be able to edit this during the partial wiki lockdown.
 
I will grant Firestorm808 temporary rollback rights. Tell me here when you are done.
 
Sorry for the late reply. I've been busy.

How should I describe it if the Mid-Low is within a day, and his High-Low is more than a day?
 
Ok, we've got Post-Crisis Regen properly updated.

What about the alternate versions? Because we can't scale them all to Post-Crisis Kryptonians.
 
  • CW Superman: Has no regen feats afaik
  • SvtE Superman: No regen feats
  • Red Son Superman: No regen feats
  • DCAMU Superman: No regen feats to my memory
  • Injustice Superman: I believe he has healed from broken arms before. If nothing else he has Low or Mid-Low.
  • DCAU Superman: Can't answer, but I wanna say he has no combat-applicable Regenerationn feat
Can't answer for the rest, but outside of GA and Pre-Crisis Superman I imagine they also don't have any Regenerationn showings.
 
Okay. I suppose that Regenerationn should be removed from most of them then.
 
So after searching its from JLA (1997) #78. Superman was not harmed by the the swarm, his various body parts were just folded and refracted over space-time. He wasn't harmed or damaged by it and as soon as the swarm passed his body was unfolded and fixed. Its not a regen feat just an example of weird physics.
 
The Joker had control over reality in that story. He killed and resurrected Batman over and over for example.
 
Did Superman regenerate on his own or was it a side-effect of reality constantly shifting around to the Joker's whims in this story?
 
It's a weird moment. Supes goes "Sun. Please, need the strength" And Joker tells him "Drink it up while it lasts, as Sol's only good for another 30 seconds or so"

Then they talk as Superman holds the sun to his chest (he's giant sized) to get rays, and within the 3 pages, he heals, going from coughing and weak, to confidently talking with "a parking garage where his lung should be" to the hole being gone right before the sun craps out.
 
Okay. Perhaps he could get higher Regenerationn by absorbing solar energy then, but not on his own?
 
That's not what happened. Superman didn't regrow a heart on his own.

  • Action Comics Vol 1 #770 October 2000
    • After Joker tore out Superman's heart, Superman clung to the small sun to last a little longer. After figuring out the new rule's of Joker's reality, he tricks Joker into not forgetting about Batman. From there, Joker couldn't maintain control of his reality warping, and his changes were disappeaaring.
 
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