# Doc Ock throwing a car. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144 "2017-05-21T14:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/21 "2017-05-22T04:31:19Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > The real question is how can Ock take a single 1/10th power punch from Spider-Man? Spider-Man has the proportional punching skill of a spider. Ever see a spider try and throw a punch? It’s not all that. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/22 "2017-05-22T05:44:15Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Corolary: if Ock is standing on his metal legs and tossing the auto with his other metal legs, wouldn’t his spine rip right out? :eek: Only if his inertial dampers are offline. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/23 "2017-05-22T06:43:02Z")
How about the train scene? Doc Ock throws spiderman backwards (opposite the direction of the train), but did not bank on Spiderman deploying his spidey-wormhole, and appearing in front of the train. I think accurate physics wasn’t high on their list of priorities. Also, the car through the window is dumb for a number of other reasons, not least of which he is just intending to frighten Parker, yet is doing something that would have killed him (were it not for the superhuman reactions he doesn’t know Parker has). (Both these things are IIRC) ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/24 "2017-05-22T10:15:05Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > The real question is how can Ock take a single 1/10th power punch from Spider-Man? Been an issue in the comic books for decades. If it arises at all the usual fanwank, it’s an ‘official’ fanwank even, is that Spidey pulls his punches when fighting non-supers, or opponents without superpowered damage resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/25 "2017-05-22T10:34:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In comic books physics only exists when it becomes a plot point. Same for all the other sciences. Some years ago, I found a book in a library – _an entire book_ – on the physics (or lack thereof) of Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/26 "2017-05-22T12:05:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I noticed the reverse problem with Kevin Sorbo as Hercules: he can lift immense weights…but he struggles, just like anyone else, when climbing a cliff. > > The first couple of Christopher Reeves Superman movies were bad with heavy things, showing people lifting large weights without regard for balance. They got better with time. At least the Princess Bride got this right… ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/27 "2017-05-22T12:42:44Z")
The killjoy problem with super strength is that heroes are stronger than the materials they pick up. If Superman picks up an airplane there will be be a Superman sized hole in the fuselage. When heroes pick up something huge and swing it around, the object would fall apart because it can’t support its weight like that. Same reason why skyscrapers fall apart instead of falling down like trees. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/28 "2017-05-22T15:47:17Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Some years ago, I found a book in a library – _an entire book_ – on the physics (or lack thereof) of Superman. That was probably _The Science of Superman_, by Mark Wolverton and Roger Stern, since _Superman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Superman’s Powers_ by Tammy Enz and Agnieszka Biskup is new. There’s also _The Science of Superheroes_, _The Science of Supervillains_, _The Science of James Bond_, _The Science of Stephen King_, and T_he Science of Anime_, all by Lois Gresh; _The Physics of Superheroes_ by James Kakalios; _The Science of Superheroes and Space Warriors_ by [HowStuffWorks.com](http://HowStuffWorks.com); _The Science of Star Wars_ by Mark Brake and Jon Chase (not to be confused with Gresh’s _Computers of Star Trek)_; and _The Science of Interstellar_ by Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan. It’s an industry. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/29 "2017-05-24T01:24:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This was the Lou Ferrigno Hulk. He was a normal sized human not a thousand pound CGI effect. I thought your point was that the landing skid wouldn’t have been able to take that much force on a hand-size area and would snap. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/30 "2017-05-24T01:35:30Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That was probably _The Science of Superman_, by Mark Wolverton and Roger Stern, since _Superman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Superman’s Powers_ by Tammy Enz and Agnieszka Biskup is new. > > There’s also _The Science of Superheroes_, _The Science of Supervillains_, _The Science of James Bond_, _The Science of Stephen King_, and T_he Science of Anime_, all by Lois Gresh; _The Physics of Superheroes_ by James Kakalios; _The Science of Superheroes and Space Warriors_ by [HowStuffWorks.com](http://HowStuffWorks.com); _The Science of Star Wars_ by Mark Brake and Jon Chase (not to be confused with Gresh’s _Computers of Star Trek)_; and _The Science of Interstellar_ by Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan. > > It’s an industry. Heck, they’ve even got a _Science of Discworld_. How does the science behind four enormous elephants standing on the back of a titanic space turtle hold up? Turns out, not well! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/31 "2017-05-24T03:48:08Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > The killjoy problem with super strength is that heroes are stronger than the materials they pick up. If Superman picks up an airplane there will be be a Superman sized hole in the fuselage. When heroes pick up something huge and swing it around, the object would fall apart because it can’t support its weight like that. Same reason why skyscrapers fall apart instead of falling down like trees. Sergio Aragones had Superman cartoons in MAD; **S** picks up an ocean liner in distress and it splits in half. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/32 "2017-05-24T04:42:12Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > How about the train scene? > Doc Ock throws spiderman backwards (opposite the direction of the train), but did not bank on Spiderman deploying his spidey-wormhole, and appearing in front of the train. > I think accurate physics wasn’t high on their list of priorities. > > Also, the car through the window is dumb for a number of other reasons, not least of which he is just intending to frighten Parker, yet is doing something that would have killed him (were it not for the superhuman reactions he doesn’t know Parker has). > > (Both these things are IIRC) I’ve been bringing this one up for years here. In the [train fight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsssa6ArAY), while on top the speeding train, Doc Ock throws Spiderman _forward_, in the same direction the train is traveling, away from Doc Ock and towards the front of the train. Spiderman twists his body so he goes through the walkway, only to tackle Doc Ock from _behind_. Nice bit of directorial misdirection that many people miss, but damned if it didn’t throw me out of the movie for a minute or so. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/33 "2017-05-24T07:37:54Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > The killjoy problem with super strength is that heroes are stronger than the materials they pick up. If Superman picks up an airplane there will be be a Superman sized hole in the fuselage. When heroes pick up something huge and swing it around, the object would fall apart because it can’t support its weight like that. Same reason why skyscrapers fall apart instead of falling down like trees. This is one of the things I think **Superman Returns** (which was IMO wrongly maligned) got absolutely right. There were a lot of people who commented that he seemed to have trouble stopping the crashing airplane, interpreting it as his not having enough strength. In my head-canon, I always thought he was having trouble not ripping the thing apart or turning the people inside into paste by applying too much strength at once, thus the Extreme Concentration Face he exhibited. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/34 "2017-05-24T08:32:19Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Heck, they’ve even got a _Science of Discworld_. How does the science behind four enormous elephants standing on the back of a titanic space turtle hold up? That’s not what that book series is about… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/35 "2017-05-24T09:38:09Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’ve been bringing this one up for years here. > > In the [train fight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsssa6ArAY), while on top the speeding train, Doc Ock throws Spiderman _forward_, in the same direction the train is traveling, away from Doc Ock and towards the front of the train. > > Spiderman twists his body so he goes through the walkway, only to tackle Doc Ock from _behind_. > > Nice bit of directorial misdirection that many people miss, but damned if it didn’t throw me out of the movie for a minute or so. Watched the video and it still doesn’t work. Imagine you’re driving a convertible with the top down, and you want to throw a ball so it hits you in the back of the head. You can’t do it. You could get something to land behind you, but for it to actually be coming towards you along the same direction you’re going, the ball must be going _faster than the car is_ at a point where the car has just overtaken the ball. Think about it. The only way to do it, is overtake the ball and then hit the brakes. If spiderman had walked along the walkway and jumped, or pushed off it in someway, it would have been OK. It would have required spiderman to have super jumping abilities or strength, but of course we already accept that. Anyway, no wonder Doc Ock was so surprised by the move. He’s a scientist after all 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/36 "2017-05-24T11:10:09Z")
Good line! Yeah, the two ways to do this is have SM circumnavigate the globe in 1.8 seconds or for the train to speed up and slow down in the same time frame. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/37 "2017-05-24T13:33:08Z")
Maybe the train did change speed? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/38 "2017-05-24T13:45:35Z")
:dubious: Ever been on a train before? They don’t accelerate and brake on a dime, you know. Especially if they’re carrying passengers. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/39 "2017-05-24T13:51:16Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That was probably _The Science of Superman_, by Mark Wolverton and Roger Stern, since _Superman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Superman’s Powers_ by Tammy Enz and Agnieszka Biskup is new. > > There’s also _The Science of Superheroes_, _The Science of Supervillains_, _The Science of James Bond_, _The Science of Stephen King_, and T_he Science of Anime_, all by Lois Gresh; _The Physics of Superheroes_ by James Kakalios; _The Science of Superheroes and Space Warriors_ by [HowStuffWorks.com](http://HowStuffWorks.com); _The Science of Star Wars_ by Mark Brake and Jon Chase (not to be confused with Gresh’s _Computers of Star Trek)_; and _The Science of Interstellar_ by Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan. > > It’s an industry. There’s one that’s a bit more risque called _Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex_. I’m pretty sure it had other stuff in it about superheroes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144/40 "2017-05-24T15:22:32Z")
That’s just a single essay, not an entire book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-ock-throwing-a-car/787144.md?page=3)