When it comes to superheroes that rely on gadgets, many comic book readers will instantly think of either Batman, or Marvel's Iron Man, or perhaps the X-Men's Forge – but while he isn't usually associated with high-tech, DC's most enduring hero Superman has just as many gadgets as any other hero.

Superman rarely needs to use gadgets, due to his absurd strength and a wide variety of powers, but considering how much time he spends in space, or how many strange beings he fights, sometimes gadgets are exactly he needs. Below are some of his best, most useful pieces of tech.

13 "Super Sewing Machine"

Superman's least impressive, but possibly most important gadget was first seen in All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant. While showing Lois Lane around the Fortress of Solitude, Superman shows her his Diamond-tipped sewing machine, which is capable of weaving light into unbreakable fabric. This finally explains how – despite the brutal combat that the Man of Steel regularly gets into – Superman's suit never takes that much damage. So while it may seem unimportant, it's undeniably irreplaceable. Though it may seem minor, Superman's sewing machine is as valuable as any of Tony Stark's Iron Man technology.

12 "Time Telescope"

Being able to go to the past or the future is unbelievably useful, but it carries with it a huge number of risks. When the Flash tried to change the past he infamously changed the entire universe which resulted in the Flashpoint Paradox. This changed almost everyone's lives, which is why traveling through time should not be done arbitrarily. Superman has found a way around this, though, revealing his Time Telescope, which was first seen in All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant. This telescope allows Superman to both receive and send messages into the future, bying the risk of directly changing things himself.

11 "Cosmic Anvil"

Superman gets his powers from solar radiation. All-Star Superman, which leaned heavily into the Man of Steel's use of technology, revealed his ability to make a miniature sun using his Cosmic Anvil. Notably, this technology, described as from "New Olympus," is depicted in what is essentially a throwaway moment, as Superman feeds his pet Suneater. Superman keeps all manner of creatures inside his Fortress of Solitude, and one of them is a miniature Suneater. Instead of letting the Suneater roam the universe and eventually become a problem, Superman adopted it and simply feeds it miniature suns that he creates on his Cosmic Anvil.

10 "Utility Belt"

When people talk about utility belts, it is almost always Batman that pops into reader's heads first. However, Batman is far from the only superhero to make use of a utility belt. Superman does have his own version of the utility belt, and he uses it to carry something no one would ever expect. Superman used his utility belt in Superman/Batman #8 by Jeph Loeb, Michael Turner, and Peter Steigerwald. After Supergirl falls under the control of Darkseid, Superman is forced to fight her. In order to bring her down quickly, Superman took a secret Kryptonite ring from his belt, using it to quickly subdue the rogue Supergirl.

9 "Laser Guns"

After Superman was killed by Doomsday he spent a long time in a coma-like state. While Clark Kent was out of commission, many different characters appeared to claim the mantle of Superman. Eventually, Clark is able to awaken from his coma, but after spending so much time inside, away from the sun's rays, and due to the amount of power he expended fighting Doomsday, Superman does not have his full powers anymore. With no other choice, he resorts to using high-tech guns to battle his enemies, doing so until his powers return. This was seen in the Reign of the Supermen storyline by Gerad Jones, Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern.

8 "A Magical Sword"

One of Superman's greatest weaknesses is magic. It's almost impossible to damage Superman through physical means, but using magic is a surefire way to harm the Man of Steel. However, in one twisted future, it is magic that saves Superman's life. After a group of sorcerers sacrifice the sun for unlimited power, Superman has to rely on a magical sword to grant him the strength he would have under Earth's yellow sun. It is not often that Superman uses magic but in a future as bleak as this one, there is little other choice. This dark timeline was first seen in Superman/Batman #81 by Cullen Bunn, ChrisCross, Marc Deering, and Brad Anderson.

7 "Superman Robots"

One of Superman's oldest uses of technology appeared in World's Finest #142 (1949) by Al Plastino and Jack Schiff, where it was revealed that Superman has a legion of robots that both defend and take care of the Fortress of Solitude while he isn't there. Although these robots are used infrequently in contemporary Superman stories, they serve as an occasional reminder that Clark's extraterrestrial origin gives him not only superhuman abilities, but also access to levels of technology beyond any other ordinary Midwestern hero. The Fortress of Solitude is where Superman keeps his greatest and most dangerous treasures; naturally, it needs some manner of security, and robotic duplicates of Superman are a natural security mechanism.

6 "Kryptonian Telepath Armor"

When a drunken Lobo shows up at the Fortress of Solitude, a full-on fight breaks out between Lobo and Superman. While Superman seems to have the upper hand at first, the tables are dangerously turned when Lobo discovers a stash of Kryptonite, using it against the Man of Steel. This terrifying turn of events was documented in Adventures of Superman #462 by Dan Jurgens, Art Thibert, and Glenn Whitmore. Now weakened by Kryptonite, Superman retreats from the drunken Lobo, utilizing a suit of telepathically controlled Kryptonian War Armor to deal with the Main Man. When Lobo blows the armor up, he assumes he's killed Superman, and stumbles back to the bar he came from.

5 "Kelex"

Superman doesn't have much left over from Krypton or from his family, but Kelex is one of the few things he managed to keep. Kelex was first introduced in The Man of Steel #1 by John Bryne, Dick Giordano, and Tom Ziuko. Kelex was a robot that served the El family on their homeworld, but was destroyed when Krypton exploded. When the Fortress of Solitude was originally created by the Eradicator, it ended up recreating Kelex as well. From that point on Kelex has been a valuable member of the Superman Family, appearing in Superman comics at regular intervals to this day.

4 "Marquis"

Superman isn't known for carrying around high-tech gadgets on a regular basis, but in Superman: Lost – by Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Jeromy Cox – that is exactly what he needs in order to find his way home after getting stranded in space. Marquis is a highly advanced artifical intelligence that Superman can carry around in his pocket. Marquis os able to monitor Superman's health, as well as pinpoint his exact location in the galaxy, and is invaluable in helping Superman find a safe place, even if it ultimately is not able help him find his way back to Earth.