What If Superman Lost His Powers and Turned to Batman for Help?

“What if” Series is a new column by TeeHunter’s creative authors. Here, we will turn movies and comics inside out, generating new stories by altering significant events. It’s for the hardcore fan who enjoys re-imagining the characters and worlds they love.

Nobody is sure how it happened. Was it a change in the composition of our sun? A change in his DNA? Or perhaps a sinister plot by one of his nemeses? But Superman has lost his super powers. The Man of Steel now only has the strength of a normal human, he can’t fly, and yes, he can bleed. Lots.

This could have been an opportunity for Clark Kent to retire and lead a simple, quiet life back in Smallville. But he knows that his enemies will still come after him and those he cares about. He has to find a way to keep them and Metropolis safe. He was put here for a reason, and even without his powers, he has to find a way to fulfill his destiny.

Lucky for him, he knows a mortal who could possibly match his strength. Batman. Having long known the Dark Knight’s secret identity, Clark Kent takes and extended trip to Gotham City under the guise of visiting his friend, Bruce Wayne. But in reality, he is there seeking Batman’s help to keep Superman a superhero, even without his powers.

Batman understands that Superman is an icon in Metropolis. And until his abilities return, they have to find a way to create the illusion that Superman still protects his city.

The moment Clark shows up, Bruce will put him on and intense training routine. Though Superman knows how to handle himself in a fight, he has to unlearn much of what he knew, since he can no longer rely on his super strength. He has to learn how to take on an attacker and now use their strength against them.

Next, Batman addresses the fact that Superman is known most for flying. If his enemies do not see him take to the air, they will suspect something is wrong. So Batman designs a Superman cape that acts like a hang glider, and with the help of smaller, barely visible grappling hooks, so he will still appear to fly over the city.

Batman creates a utility belt for Superman, filled with lots of wonderful toys. These would match his lost powers, like a sonar vision device that would make up for his loss of x-ray vision and a “miracle ear” type device that would make up for his loss of super hearing. There’s also a concentrated laser to mimic his heat vision and a capsule of liquid hydrogen to mimic his cold breath.

Even with all these toys and training, the one thing that is not on Superman’s side is time. Before he can finish his training with Batman, Metropolis is attacked by Lex Luthor, who has grown suspicious about the absence of Superman. He takes the Daily Planet hostage. A little test to see if Superman will come save Lois Lane and her other favorite humans.

Though Batman would prefer Superman to have more training, he knows Clark has no choice but to go save his loved ones. So, with a new suit made out of the same bullet-proof material as Batman’s, Superman returns to Metropolis.

Having to rely even more on intellect and instincts than brute strength, Superman positions himself atop the closest building to The Daily Planet. Using some of the tech he borrowed from Batman, he detects and disarms all of Lex Luthor’s traps. Before Lex knows what’s happening, Superman swoops through the window, catching Lex by surprise. Lex is dressed in his Warsuit, but little does he realize that the Kryptonite no longer has any affect on Superman. And using the power of the suit against him, Superman quickly defeats Lex Luthor.

With a little good press from The Daily Planet, it appears that Superman has returned, the same as he ever was. And with his newfound abilities, he continues to protect Metropolis. If he does run into an enemy he can’t take down the first time, he will retreat and with the help of a phone conference with Batman, come up with some kind of tech that will take them down.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has been observing Superman’s actions. He noticed that his fighting style had changed. Eventually he puts two and two together and realizes Superman is powerless. This will be his opportunity to destroy Superman once and for all.

He takes his suspicions not only to the world, but also to the underworld. Though the Daily Planet still defends Superman, other papers and the Internet now suspect he has lost his powers. Lex brings together a group of bad guys and together they plan to throw everything they can at Superman.

With a combination of brains, his newly found human brawn and some of the best technology available, Superman takes all that Lex and his friends have to give. Superman comes out victorious and all those who ever doubted his powers now believe that Superman is still Super.

Will Superman’s powers ever return? Will be me able to take on even more powerful enemies like Darkseid? Only time will tell. But for the moment, it doesn’t matter. He’s proved that he is still a hero, regardless of super abilities.