Superman is an iconic character and has been described in a variety of ways over the years. While his powers are numerous and incredible now, back in the day it was pretty easy to describe what Superman was capable of with just a few short sentences, and the original Superman admitted that he’d always had a favorite slogan that people used to describe him.

In Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns and Phil Jimenez, the Golden Age Superman is a major character in the plot. After the loss of his Earth-2, Superman lives in a pocket dimension with Lois Lane, who is finally dying of old age. Desperate to save her, Golden Age Superman is manipulated into helping Alex Luthor of Earth-3 as he tries to replace Earth-1 with Earth-2.

While comforting Lois on her deathbed in Infinite Crisis Secret Files & Origins 2006 #1 by Marv Wolfman and various artists, Superman recites the slogan that people used to describe him when he first appeared in Metropolis: “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” Despite how old this slogan is, Superman admits that it’s always had a special place in his heart: “I got a kick out of that.”

Golden Age Superman Was Perfectly Described in a Few Sentences

Golden Age Superman Was a Lot Less Powerful – But No Less Important

Superman has been around for over eighty years and has appeared in many comics, TV shows, movies, cartoons, and even radio dramas. But one of the most important bits of Superman’s mythos came from the Adventures of Superman radio adaption. Each episode opens with the iconic mantra that describes Superman, what he stands for, and what he can do. One of these descriptions is about his powers, how he is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” It’s a very simple way to describe Clark’s powers at the time.

Back in the day, the Golden Age Superman didn’t have nearly as much power or as many powers as Superman does today. This made it pretty easy to catch listeners or readers up on what Superman could do with just a few quick words. The radio show fit in Superman’s backstory, his secret identity, and what he’s capable of doing in a tight description, and the Earth-2 Superman admits that it’s his favorite description of him. It’s an iconic description and making it part of DC history, by reframing the radio show as a documentary on Superman’s exploits, is a brilliant way to bring it into DC lore.

Golden Age Superman Was Not Nearly as Powerful as He Is Now

Golden Age Superman Faced Different Kinds of Threats

When Superman was first created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, he was envisioned as the most powerful possible version of a circus strongman, which is also where the iconic red trunks come from. Superman’s strength allowed him to easily lift cars, bend steel bars, or stop runaway trains, but that was usually the upper limit of what he could do. Superman was also completely incapable of flight, only able to “leap tall buildings in a single bound.” It wasn’t until later that Superman’s power to fly was introduced. As time went on, Superman would eventually get stronger and stronger, making the now-inaccurate slogan go out of style.

Over the years, as comic books got more intense and the stakes got higher, so did Superman’s powers. He went from being an idealized strongman to a man who is capable of moving planets with ease. He gained the powers of flight, super breath, heat vision, and his existing powers, such as super speed and strength, were vastly enhanced. As the list of Superman’s powers continued to grow, there really wasn’t any reason or way to describe his abilities concisely, which contributed to DC moving away from the slogan.

The plot of Infinite Crisis revolves around the belief that Earth-1 had, at the time of publication, grown far too dark. Robin had been killed by the Joker, Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord, Superman was killed by Doomsday, and it seemed that Earth-1 was corrupt with the heroes just as dark as the villains. This led the Golden Age Superman to believe that maybe Earth-1 surviving the original Crisis was a mistake.

This version of Clark believes that it might be best for Earth-2 to make a return, and readers are plainly shown Golden Age Superman’s beliefs and the dangers he often went up against when Golden Age Superman references that iconic radio show — all of which were far more light-hearted than current comics.

Leaping Doesn’t Really Work for Superman Anymore

Superman #12 Variant Cover by Clayton Henry

Superman has always been a kind and light-hearted character, but there’s no denying just how dark comics have gotten over the years. Even back before the New 52, which was infamously known for being dark and occassionally even miserable, Superman was still struggling with complex morality issues. By the time of Infinite Crisis‘s publication, Superman had executed alternate-universe versions of Ursa, Zod, and Non. He’d also been killed after a brutal fight with Doomsday. These happenings are far darker than anything Golden Age Superman ever had to deal with, inluding mad scientists with giant laser cannons pointed at the Daily Star.

The best part of Golden Age Superman preferring his radio slogan is that Golden Age Superman is shown to be just as powerful as Earth-1 Superman. He had absolutely no problem pushing Superboy-Prime through a red sun and fighting him alongside Earth-1 Superman. While Golden Age Superman does die after this battle, he was fairly old and already injured, so it doesn’t change the fact that a man known for leaping over tall buildings had the power in him to fly through a sun. This implies that Golden Age Superman simply held back what he was capable of to appear more approachable.

Superman’s Slogan May Be Outdated, But Superman Never Will Be

Superman’s Powers May Change With the Times, But He’ll Always Be that Same Farm Boy

Superman is one of the greatest heroes in comic books, and it doesn’t matter what era he comes from. Golden Age Superman was one of the very first superheroes, and his powers were a much more idealized version of what humanity could accomplish at peak performance. The Superman of the current day is an even brighter idea. Instead of representing the kind of physical strength people can strive for, it’s not actually his power that defines him, but his kindness. Now Superman’s views and treatment of his fellow people are what is so inspiring about his character. He’s not just an example of strength, but of kindness too.

Infinite Crisis is available now from DC Comics!