Superman’s Glasses Are Secretly a Kryptonian Weapon

Superman gets a lot of flack from people who think his Clark Kent disguise is lame (and to be honest, it kind of is), but that doesn’t mean anyone should discount Clark’s special glasses entirely. Although the modern Superman often wears regular glasses, getting his first pair from an old set of Pa Kent’s spectacles, the Silver Age Superman’s glasses had a much more interesting origin.

According to the comics of the era, Clark’s glasses were built from pieces of Kryptonian glass that came from the very same rocket ship that brought him to Earth. Clark began using them when he realized that his regular glasses would melt if he accidentally turned on his heat vision. By taking shards of Kryptonian glass and building frames around them, Clark was able to construct a pair of glasses that were as indestructible as he was. But that wasn’t their only benefit.

The creation did come with some drawbacks, since the glass shards couldn’t be cut or shaped easily due to their nature as super-dense materials. As a result, Clark’s glasses initially looked oversized for his face, giving him a “nerdier” appearance (which may have actually helped in his disguise). Over time, he “grew into” the glasses and continued using them well into adulthood. Their indestructible nature proved useful whenever Clark had to secretly use his powers in his civilian identity. If he moved at super speed, for instance, the glasses wouldn’t crack or burn up from the friction.

Of course, Clark normally used his super powers as Superman, and kept his glasses in a secret pouch sewn into his cape whenever he had to be the Man of Steel. The pouch could even keep Clark’s civilian outfits (which were made of super-compressible material that could be wadded up into the size of a pellet). Some comics even showed that Clark kept his wallet and keys in the pouch, although how Superman accomplished this without creating unsightly lumps in his cape is unknown.

In general, the glasses were used as a simple disguise or for protection – but in one issue, they proved to have a surprisingly offensive use. In Action Comics #555, Superman ended up being attacked by the Parasite, a super villain with the ability to absorb a person’s life energy, memories, skills, and even super powers. While this might seem similar to the X-Men hero Rogue, Parasite didn’t actually have to touch a person to absorb his or her energies. Instead, simply by being in the same vicinity as a person, he could drain away that person’s energies – even if that person turned out to be Superman.

Cornering Clark in the Daily Planet, Parasite quickly absorbed Superman’s powers. Although Clark regained them as soon as Parasite left, a later fight allowed the villain to steal them again. Parasite then flew Superman high above the clouds to a floating prison he’d constructed after stealing the designs from the mind of a STAR Labs scientist. Informing the former Man of Steel that there were only four minutes of air left in the safe, Parasite used Superman’s heat vision to seal Superman inside, certain he’d killed the Man of Steel. But while Parasite may have been able to steal Superman’s powers, he didn’t bother to consider that Superman still had some useful tools on his person. Taking his glasses out of his cape pouch, Superman popped the lenses out of the frames then used their edges – which were harder and sharper than a diamond – to slice right through the prison.

That’s right – Superman managed to weaponize his glasses into cutting tools that sliced straight through the thick metal of his cell (not unlike Wolverine’s adamantium claws). Moreover, it should be noted that since Superman wasn’t using his super strength, the edges of his glasses were so sharp even an ordinary man could cut the prison cell completely in half in less than four minutes. While this was an impressive feat, one wonders if Clark isn’t being a bit careless with those glasses. After all, what would happen if he lost his powers and his glasses accidentally scraped his cheek? He could slice his face off!).

The Silver Age Superman often gets a lot of criticism for being “too powerful.” While it is true that Superman’s power levels were ridiculously high in those days (giving his sneezes enough power to destroy a solar system) the fun of early Superman comics wasn’t in seeing how tough he was but how creative he could be with his powers – or without them in this case. Using his glasses as a cutting tool was certainly an unexpected use for something most people would write off as a silly disguise, but Superman knows there’s often more to something than meets the eye.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

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Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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