The Sand Superman's personality was very strange and alien. Its main driving force seemed to be pure survival, for which it would do anything. In time it also acquired some of Superman's own personality, including the desire to help humans and be a hero. It desired uniqueness nearly as much as survival itself, and would in the end attempt to kill Superman (something Superman would not do) to take his place. In speech it was sometimes very aggressive, intimidating, while other times it could be filled with self-pity (particularly if powerless). It was very stoic and never showed any human emotion. Its logic was non-human and uncomprehensive. While claiming that it wanted to take Superman's place, it did not really care about what happened to humans or Earth. Only the final realization of what was right and what was wrong led it to leave Earth and its claims to be Superman. Since it has not returned from Quarrm, it has also shown a great belief in its judgement and a great persistence. Inspiration Back in 1971, DC heralded a big change coming to Superman comics, and it was Denny O'Neil who would be penning the newest chapter in the Man of Steel's history. The idea was to strip Superman of some of his power, humanizing him in the process and allowing for a new level of "realistic" (relatively speaking) storytelling. His story, which kicked off with "Kryptonite Nevermore," but which has been nicknamed "The Sandman Saga", is about to be published as a hardcover edition by DC. The result of the fight between Superman and the Quarmer implied that the Man of Steel would be devoid of half of his power, but later writers would gradually reintroduce Superman's Silver Age powers. This fallacy could imply other Kryptonian characters, such as Krypto and Supergirl, could have also infinite power and similar but perhaps slightly lesser power levels in relation to Superman. Powers and abilities The Quarmer could drain and make use of Superman's powers, gradually becoming a Superman clone. He also could sense the whereabouts of Superman. See also The Weird References Comics characters introduced in 1971 Characters created by Dennis O'Neil Clone characters in comics Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with superhuman strength