DC Comics is home to some of the greatest heroes and villains, who use a range of technology, powers, and skills to either fight crime or commit it. The company is full of characters with eccentric gimmicks and cool gadgets. While some villains' powers corrupt, others have been beneficial when the good guys use them. Even Superman could use an upgrade or two.
Although most heroes have an understandable aversion to picking up the weapons and gadgets of their foes, sometimes it can come in handy. Just as Batman's been known to pick up Mister Freeze's signature weapon, Superman could benefit greatly from borrowing powers and tactics from some of DC's greatest villains.
10 Black Adam's Magic Of Shazam
One of the mysteries that remain in the DCU is how Clark Kent would handle being imbued with the power of Shazam if he even can be at all. Superman is generally as vulnerable to magic as anyone so he could probably benefit from it as well and he certainly rises to the standards of decency the wizard held Billy Batson to.
The combined might of a Kryptonian and the magic of the gods could make Superman the most powerful character in the cosmos and unlike almost anyone else, he'd use it wisely. The magic of Shazam brings the user to the prime of their life and could finally give Superman a much-needed defense against magic, his supernatural Achilles heel.
9 Cyborg Superman's Robotics
Cyborg Superman was created as an upgrade to astronaut Hank Henshaw, who was the sole survivor of an astronaut crew after their shuttle was damaged in a fight between Superman and the Eradicator. His tech gives him the power to shape-shift parts of himself into whatever he needs.
While nobody wants to see Superman turn into a cyborg, having access to some of Henshaw's protective technology could be a last line of defense for the hero's body. Superman could benefit immensely from having access to some form of enhanced cybernetics to reconstruct his body if all else fails.
8 Vandal Savage's Immortality
Vandal Savage is one of DC's oldest canonical characters. Beginning as a Neolithic man, he was given immortality and enhanced intelligence when a meteorite crashed on Earth. His immortality has allowed him to amass a great deal of wealth, power and knowledge, which he applies to his quest for world domination.
Superman has never aged consistently in the comics and whether it's better for the narrative if he ages like a normal human or is effectively immortal is anyone's guess. However, with so many immortal villains on Earth, having an undying Man of Steel could be the best thing for the world.
7 Yellow Lantern Ring
The idea of Superman wielding a power ring has been explored throughout Elseworlds, as well as in a few Prime Earth stories. However, the Sinestro Corps and their rings use the power of fear to form their constructs in their bid to displace the Green Lanterns as the primary force for law and order in the universe.
It isn't Prime Earth Superman who should wield a Yellow Lantern ring, but rather his Injustice counterpart. This alternate Superman has worn a Yellow ring in the past, but he would have done well to hang onto it, especially as he departed his universe for Prime Earth.
6 Mister Freeze's Chryo Tech
It isn't uncommon for Superman to find himself at odds with a powerful villain who he can't take on without risking collateral damage. Mister Freeze's cryo tech could help Superman stop powerful enemies without doing any real harm to them.
Characters like Metallo, Cyborg Superman, Parasite and arguably Brainiac could be stopped, or at least delayed, by being frozen. Superman's never been the type to carry a gun, lethal or not, but it certainly could have come in handy in conflicts with villains like Amazon or even the Golden Age Amphi-Bandits.
5 Shadow Thief's Shadow Tech
Hawkman's greatest adversary, Shadow Thief, makes good use of alien technology that allows him to render himself intangible, a living shadow. His stolen devices also allow him to render other matter, even living beings, into a shadowy state and for the user to move stealthily across shadowy surfaces.
Superman is many things, but subtle isn't one of them. With his bright costume and tendency to put himself front and center, the hero is far from DC's stealthiest character. However, with Shadow Thief's technology, the hero could match Martian Manhunter's ability to render himself intangible and infiltrate almost anywhere undetected.
4 Mother Boxes
The Mother Box technology is shared by the New Gods of Apokalips and New Genesis and characters like Kalibak and Orion use them to travel across the universe. Although Cyborg's own Mother Box technology has come in handy for the Justice League, he's the only Leaguer who possesses the tech, though Superman has owned some in the past.
After so many fights with New Gods, it's actually surprising Superman doesn't have his own Mother Box, even if it's kept under lock and key in the Fortress of Solitude. With Mother Box technology, Superman could have a much easier time undertaking his cosmic adventures, healing himself, and protecting the League from danger.
3 Lex Luthor's Super Suit
Despite his incredible abilities when he's on Earth, Superman is still vulnerable to red sunlight and other dangers. Recently, Superman showed the dangers this presents when he traveled to Warworld, which uses red sun energy to operate.
Had Superman gone to the planet with one of Luthor's powerful super suits on, he could have put up a better fight in his quest to liberate the planet and defeat Mongul II. A suit of armor could also ensure that any time Superman faces Zod, they're on perfect equal footing.
2 Doomsday's Super Evolution
It would be nearly impossible for Superman to develop the same his Kryptonian foe Doomsday's regenerative abilities, but he certainly dies often enough for it to come in handy. However, unlike Doomsday, Superman often depends on technology or magic to come back from the dead.
Doomsday doesn't simply regenerate after death, he actually returns with immunity to whatever killed him in his last life, a unique power in the DC Universe. If Clark did share his monstrous villain's power, he could have outgrown many of his greatest weaknesses decades ago.
1 Brainiac's Technology
One of the most common problems Superman has encountered over the years is what to do when he encounters a large, seemingly unstoppable threat. Some of Superman's enemies weren't really evil, just destructive and in need of help. He often has to make uncomfortable choices when he encounters foes like Bizarro.
Brainiac's ship would allow Superman a much more ethical way of helping beings who need to be contained but don't deserve a stay in the Phantom Zone. This would let the Man of Steel shrink regions and cities for their own protection and store them until he can find a solution, giving him an interesting new strategy. While it's a hazardous idea, possessing Brainiac's ship would also let him explore the galaxy, offering help to untold billions.