If Superman were to lose all of his abilities--besides Super Strength, Flight, Invulnerability, Super Healing, X-Ray Vision, and Heat Vision--would you still be interested in the character? This means no Super Speed, no Super Leaping, no Superhuman Memory/Intelligence/Learning, no Microscopic/Telescopic Vision, no Super Hearing, no Super/Ice Breath, no breathing in Space, and no longevity. He would basically be more in line with his JLU version.

He would need to rely more on his reporting skills, supporting cast (Jimmy, Perry, Lois, Lombard, Ron, Gen. Lane, Bibbo, Cat, etc.), and Kryptonian heritage/tech. Would you still be interested in him if he were that nerfed?

I'm genuinely curious. What make you interested in reading Superman? All answers welcome.

Would I still be interested? Of course. However, I prefer a godlike Superman. The more powers the better.

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

This. I love Superman far more for his character than his powers.

@Onemoreposter said:

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

This. I love Superman far more for his character than his powers.

Not much difference really

uhm, he doesnt need that many abilities.

Flight.

Invulnerability

Super Strength

Super Speed

Heat vision

Ice breath.

Basically thats enough for me.

@sethysquare said:

uhm, he doesnt need that many abilities.

Flight.

Invulnerability

Super Strength

Super Speed

Heat vision

Ice breath.

Basically thats enough for me.

This he would still be the exact same all the extra powers kinda make him dull for me.

@Ms. Omega: Yeah I dont need the other powers really. I mean I guess Super hearing, X-ray vision and micro vision is fun sometimes but he seldom uses it.

@Jekylhyde14 said:

Would I still be interested? Of course. However, I prefer a godlike Superman. The more powers the better.

this it would interesting but I prefer him being godlike and him having all his powers

I'm not sure he has much more than 6 powers...
 
1. Super strength, 2. Super speed, 3. Flight, 4. Invulnerability, 5. Heat Vision, 6. Super vision
 
And screw Ice Breath. That's idiotic. Did I miss something?

@Kal'smahboi: I listed his other powers in the OP

i would still read him

I'd like Superman more if he had less powers.. hell take all of them away except flight, strength, and invincibility and he's be a perfectly acceptable character.

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

This. As long as Superman acted the same, I could live with a depowered Superman.

This means no Super Speed (except while in flight),

So he'd have Superspeed all the time because he could just fly all the time.

no Super Leaping,

He has Super-strength in this scenario though...

no Superhuman Memory/Intelligence/Learning,

Barely used as it is.

no Microscopic/Telescopic Vision, no Super Hearing, no Super/Ice Breath,

Granted, the major difference, but out of all of these, Heat Vision and X-Ray are the most important.

no breathing in Space, and no longevity.

Interesting choices.

I'd be just as interested, possibly more. That said, everyone knows I'm not really a Superman fan

@Nova`Prime` said:

I'd like Superman more if he had less powers.. hell take all of them away except flight, strength, and invincibility and he's be a perfectly acceptable character.

And he's not an "acceptable" character when he has those powers? Powers do not make the character.

@Kal'smahboi said:

I'm not sure he has much more than 6 powers... 1. Super strength, 2. Super speed, 3. Flight, 4. Invulnerability, 5. Heat Vision, 6. Super vision Did I miss something?

Super hearing would be the only one that you could consider major that you missed, and you lumped all his various sight abilities into one for some reason, but he has plenty of other powers including super breathe, but you made your opinion on that quite clear.

And screw Ice Breath. That's idiotic.

Why? Superman's powers are (or were) essentially an exaggeration of what humans are capable of, thus it isn't too far of a leap of logic for him to possess lungs with strength beyond mortal men. Besides, it's not really a power he uses every day, nor is it really something that creates a problem in the writing process.

To answer the OP, yes I would still read his stories as long as the character itself remains unchanged or at the very most, slightly altered in personality.

@Kal'smahboi said:

I'm not sure he has much more than 6 powers... 1. Super strength, 2. Super speed, 3. Flight, 4. Invulnerability, 5. Heat Vision, 6. Super vision Did I miss something?

Super hearing would be the only one that you could consider major that you missed, and you lumped all his various sight abilities into one for some reason, but he has plenty of other powers including super breathe, but you made your opinion on that quite clear.

And screw Ice Breath. That's idiotic.

Why? Superman's powers are (or were) essentially an exaggeration of what humans are capable of, thus it isn't too far of a leap of logic for him to possess lungs with strength beyond mortal men. Besides, it's not really a power he uses every day, nor is it really something that creates a problem in the writing process.

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

I've always felt that the reason they had to keep adding to his collection of powers is because they needed to keep him SUPER in the face of changing times and an increasing number of competing superheroes. An essential piece to being Superman is being able to solve any problem that's placed a your feet with limited to zero loss in human life. Post-atomic bomb, the powers that Superman possessed in the Golden Age were not quite as impressive as they were in the 30's and 40's. They also were possibly not enough to solve the crises of a more complex and technologically advanced world. Factor in other superheroes emerging in the 60's and you have why Superman had to keep gaining powers just to stay ahead. I'm sorry but his powers more or less make him. That fact that he is so powerful and so capable is why he has the freedom to take the moral high road each and every time it's presented to him. He's not like Batman or the other non-powered vigilantes who have to compromise morality to work for the greater good. Superman is spared those decisions because of his great powers and we keep giving him more to spare him those decisions. Powering him down or stripping him of his powers would change who he essentially is by making him compromise like Batman to get the job done. So bring on the powers! Personally, I want Super Ventriloquism back...

@Kal'smahboi: I always thought that his breath freezing people was just related to the superbreath. Sort of like a giant fan. It makes the air so cold that it freezes. Even if you blow on your arm right now it will feel a bit colder, so it makes sense that Superman could freeze it

@Kal'smahboi: I always thought that his breath freezing people was just related to the superbreath. Sort of like a giant fan. It makes the air so cold that it freezes. Even if you blow on your arm right now it will feel a bit colder, so it makes sense that Superman could freeze it

superman has human abilities taken a million years to evolve and become as powerful as they are today,his heat visionis because his body has all that stored up solar energy,and he can use it to unload it,his flight is,well idk,gravity,aura field around his body,self telekinesis,idk.

if anybody in the DCU is over powered its martian manhunter,now thats a classic case of ovrrcompensation right there.

@Kal'smahboi: Knew I should have taken more science classes at school. Then again, since when have comics ever based powers off actual science?

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

@Kal'smahboi: I think the editors just like the juxtaposition of Heat Vision and Ice Breath.

but there is actually reasons for heat vision and super breath,if yu want to complain about his powers,complain about his flight power,it doesnt fit,he realistically should be super leaping still,but this is comics.

I like Superman. he reminds me of one of my best friends, he is always positive and I am always negative.

I'd still read him, but removing these powers is a totally moronic choice and I'd want to pimpslap whatever writer were to do it.

I would be more interested in him. He wouldn't be too overpowered.

@sethysquare said:

uhm, he doesnt need that many abilities.

Flight.

Invulnerability

Super Strength

Super Speed

Heat vision

Ice breath.

Basically thats enough for me.

This he would still be the exact same all the extra powers kinda make him dull for me.

I thought his character was cool and stuff but I got to thinking, He has a no kill policy and yet all that power he posses. Superman feels his school of thought is one which should be followed by other heroes but I disagree. A super villain whom he puts in Jail always gets out. They end up killing quite a few people and yet we don't see that weigh in on Superman's mind. How many innocents has Superman condemned to death directly or indirectly as a result of his actions. By letting the "bad guy" live the innocents are the price to pay. Not cool. It should be noted that this is not specific to Superman but seeing as this is a Superman thread...

@WaveMotionCannon said:

@Ms. Omega

@sethysquare said:

uhm, he doesnt need that many abilities.

Flight.

Invulnerability

Super Strength

Super Speed

Heat vision

Ice breath.

Basically thats enough for me.

This he would still be the exact same all the extra powers kinda make him dull for me.

This. I find him boring sometimes and hard to get into, I never feel like he's truly in danger. I loved the Byrne run and the New 52 Action comics run too. I loved how Byrne toned down and explained his powers and how it affected his actions. I liked the Action run because even though you know eventually he'll end up the god like Supes it's fun to watch his powers grow.

I just wish i was a bigger Superman fan I honestly find his counterparts (aka ripoffs) to be more compelling. Captain Marvel, Plutonian, Hyperion, Black Adam, Blue Marvel, Invincible etc but thats just my opinion.

@Ms. Omega said:

@WaveMotionCannon said:

@Ms. Omega

@sethysquare said:

uhm, he doesnt need that many abilities.

Flight.

Invulnerability

Super Strength

Super Speed

Heat vision

Ice breath.

Basically thats enough for me.

This he would still be the exact same all the extra powers kinda make him dull for me.

This. I find him boring sometimes and hard to get into, I never feel like he's truly in danger. I loved the Byrne run and the New 52 Action comics run too. I loved how Byrne toned down and explained his powers and how it affected his actions. I liked the Action run because even though you know eventually he'll end up the god like Supes it's fun to watch his powers grow.

I just wish i was a bigger Superman fan I honestly find his counterparts (aka ripoffs) to be more compelling. Captain Marvel, Plutonian, Hyperion, Black Adam, Blue Marvel, Invincible etc but thats just my opinion.

Shame on you. LOL. I think Clark is one of the most compelling character. He has such an extensive rogue gallery and great mythology.

@TheCannon: thor has just as many if not more powers than superman.

It wouldn't matter, but...

Even though some of these powers are really pointless, I prefer a powerful Superman who faces ridiculously powerful menaces, like Grant Morrison wanted. I always thought Superman should be facing tyranical suns, invasions from the 5th Dimension or evil New Gods from the far reaches of the Universe. Instead, DC wants to make Superman "grounded" and "realistic", which is boring. I prefer Superman to fight evil robots from the 64th Century rather than some woman who can't be touched.

I'd want him to keep super-speed but, yeah, I'd still be interested in Superman.

@Onemoreposter said:

@Immortal777 said:

I don't like Superman because of his abilities I like him for his personality.

This. I love Superman far more for his character than his powers.

The problem with a lot of superman comics is that authors keep making him weaker. I say make him stronger. He was stronger in All-Stars and that was awesome. He was super popular in the sixties because SA superman was ridiculously strong. The more super the better.

@MrShway88 said:

The problem with a lot of superman comics is that authors keep making him weaker. I say make him stronger. He was stronger in All-Stars and that was awesome. He was super popular in the sixties because SA superman was ridiculously strong. The more super the better.

I disagree. The more powerful you make Superman, the less he needs a team, and the more you hurt the idea of a shared universe. Just my opinion. That's why there were no other heroes in All Star Superman. They were totally unnecessary. I think that it would be cool if DC published an alternate universe like All Star in which Superman is a God like hero, but I don't want that for the main universe.

Anyhoo, this thread isn't about power levels; it's about powers. There is a difference. I would be more interested in Superman if he were like this:

That's why the only Superman book that I'm reading right now is Action Comics.

I'd still like him if he had no powers

Even his JLU version, he was still godlike with the powers he did have.

My Six Powers would be.  
Flight
Strength
Speed
Invulnerability
Heat Vision/X-Ray
Super Senses  
 
I would be ok with taking away  
Superhuman Memory/Intelligence/Learning  
Super/Ice Breath,   
Breathing in Space  
Longevity (aging unless he lived inside the sun) 

I never saw Superman, Intelligence/memory or even learning as one of his Super powers i.e comes from the sun, I thought its part of being a Kryptonian who are naturally far more Intelligence than humans it said in Action Comics issue 7 that their are Super race beings Level 8 intelligence compared to Humans who are Level 3 who considered nothing more primitives then got his father Jor-El who one smartest people on his planet then see where Kal enhance Intelligence/learning even his memory comes from.

Sure, what does his power set matter? What does ANY character's power set matter?

We follow them because of WHO they are, not what they shoot out of their hands.

The hand shooting gets you in the door. The characterization gets you to stay.