10 Most Important Superman Nicknames

He’s faster than a speeding bullet. He’s more substantial than a locomotive. He’s able to clear a single building with one jump. He’s Superman! 

Or The Man of Steel.

Or Kal-El. 

Or Smallville. 

Really, it depends on who you ask. Superman is one of the most widely recognized and respected superheroes in the DC Universe and of all time. He’s been given many nicknames through the years. This article will cover the ten most important ones. 

1. Metropolis Marvel

While it’s not a nickname that has been used very recently, the Metropolis Marvel was one of Superman’s most famous nicknames for a long time, at least in the comics. 

Superman (or Clark) wasn’t born in Metropolis or even raised there. Still, Metropolis does play a massive role in making Superman who he is as an adult and superhero. And it’s the city he’s most partial to protect. 

2. Boy Scout

In the DC Universe, Boy Scout is the nickname given to Superman by Batman. He calls him this because, unlike Batman, Superman has a strong moral code, believes in the good in people, and always tries to do the right thing. 

Also, like a boy scout, he is brave, courteous, helpful, loyal, kind, and trustworthy. 

On the television series Smallville, Boy Scout is Clark’s nickname amongst the other Justice League members. 

3. Supes

This is not one of the most common nicknames either, at least not anymore. However, it is a fun, informal nickname given to Superman in his earlier years. 

Once John Byrne took over writing in the 1980s, this nickname wasn’t used as much because Byrne wasn’t crazy about it. 

4. The Man of Tomorrow

Since his comic debut in 1939, Superman has been called The Man of Tomorrow. This is because of his progressive attitude and because Superman as a character is ever-evolving. Superman stands for justice and makes the world as a whole a better place.

Also, on the television series Smallville, The Man of Tomorrow is Clark’s slogan when he runs for student body president. Interestingly enough, he got the idea from Lex Luthor. 

5. Kal-El

Not so much a nickname, but this is a name Superman goes by, and it’s very familiar amongst Superman fans. Kal-El is the Kryptonian name that he was given at birth. Most of the people who use this name are Kryptonian or have Kryptonian connections. 

Interesting fact: The name Kal-El isn’t Kryptonian at all, but actually Hebrew. El means “of God.” 

Because when the Superman creators wrote the original comic, with their accents, they would pronounce it as “Kol” instead of Kal, Superman’s Kryptonian name can be translated in Hebrew as “Voice of God.”

6. The Last Son of Krypton

This is a nickname that has been used in both comics and in many of the other adaptations of Superman. He is referred to by many as the Last Son of Krypton because he was the last remaining descendant of the Kryptonian race. 

While other Kryptonians resurface in various forms throughout the canon of Superman, for a long time, Kal-El was believed to be the only remaining Kryptonian and, therefore, the Last Son of Krypton. 

Sometimes, he’s also referred to as the Son of Krypton, but the Last Son of Krypton is used more frequently and has a better ring to it.

7. Clark Kent

Like Kal-El, Clark Kent is not so much a nickname as it is one of Superman’s actual names. This is the name he goes by on Earth. When the Kents found young Kal-El, and they decided to take him home and later adopt him, they decided to call him Clark. 

Whereas most superheroes have only two identities, their superhero name and their given name, Superman has three: His birth/Kryptonian name (Kal-El), his adopted/Earth name (Clark Kent), and his superhero identity (Superman). 

8. Red-Blue Blur

As plain and unimaginative as this nickname sounds, it’s actually one of the more common, popular nicknames for Superman, at least on the television series Smallville. The Blur, and later the Red-Blue Blur, became an iconic nickname for Superman, who was still known as good old farmboy Clark Kent at the time. 

Since the series focused more on a young Clark before he became Superman and how his powers and abilities evolved, Superman fans don’t get to see a lot of red capes and blue tights in this adaptation of Superman. 

However, especially in the beginning, Clark almost always wears shades of red and blue. And when he starts using his powers for good to save people, he is always wearing the colors. These are a nod to the fact that he will later become Superman. 

And when he is first photographed saving and helping people, his superspeed, in combination with his blue shirt and red jacket, makes him appear to be a Red-Blue Blur, and a new nickname was born. 

9. Smallville

While this nickname is most often used by Lois and not really anyone else, it is one of the most popular nicknames for Superman in the comics, the television series Smallville, and other adaptations of the Superman canon. 

Lois primarily uses this nickname for Clark, but she has also used it when Clark has been Superman. It’s a cute nickname but also packs a lot of punch. It reminds Clark of his roots. No matter where he goes, how big of a reporter he becomes, or how big of a superhero he becomes, he won’t forget where he came from.

The only major film that has used this nickname was Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice, and it wasn’t Lois who called him Smallville, but instead Perry White.

10. The Man of Steel 

This is probably the most famous nickname for Superman. This nickname was also given to him shortly after his comic book creation more than 80 years ago. It describes how powerful and robust Superman is. 
The nickname itself is so popular that it was used as the title for the 2013 film adaptation of Superman, Man of Steel. While this was not the first film adaptation of Superman, this was the first Superman movie that did not have “Superman” in its title. That alone tells you how iconic the nickname is.