8. The writer’s had Clark Kent declared 4F by his draft board during World War II
When America entered the war the creators of Superman faced another dilemma regarding their hero. How could Clark Kent, young, single, and in good health, avoid the draft which faced all American men of a similar background. They found the answer, once more, via Superman’s eyes. In the story, Clark Kent receives his draft notice and reports for his pre-induction examinations. He failed the eye exam, through the device of using his X-ray vision to read an eye chart in an adjoining room, rather than the chart indicated. As a result, Clark received a 4F draft classification, which allowed him to remain in Metropolis through the war, freeing Superman to act through his own devices. And, though stories of the Man of Steel’s direct intervention in the war were few, there were still some presented.
Superman participated in training exercises with troops, airmen, and sailors. Lois Lane also supported the war effort, particularly through magazine cover art. In one depiction, used twice with just slight modification, Lois posed with a soldier, sailor, and airman, arm in arm, telling them “You’re my Supermen”. By the end of the war, Clark Kent was close to active service, working as a war correspondent on a Navy destroyer. At least once in the war, the United States censored Superman, demanding a story which had Lex Luthor planning to use an atomic bomb on Superman be withheld. The Manhattan Project leaders protested, preventing publication until they either cleared the story or felt it was no longer a threat to the secrecy surrounding the development of the atomic bomb. A modified version of the story appeared in 1946.