# I don't accept a flying Superman
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 4, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327 "2002-07-04T06:11:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/1 "2002-07-04T06:11:17Z")
I know most rubes immediately think of flying when they think of Superman, but I don’t care. He was originally only able to “leap tall buildings in a single bound” and it should have stayed that way. Superman was created to be just that, a man times ten (or a hundred or whatever). Super strength, speed, and impenetrable skin all make sense; it’s concivable that strength, athletic ability, and skin integrity can be intensified. But what allows him to fly? What force keeps in the air? How can he steer so acurately, and even fight midair? Was this ever explained in the comics?
---
### Author:  [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/2 "2002-07-04T06:31:51Z")
Man and I thought the people who still complained about Crisis on Infinite Earths were nuts. That was only like 20 years ago.
But complaining about Superman flying? What, shall we go ahead and set the clocks back to 1940 for you? He can fly now. He, for most living comc book fans, has always flown. Deal.
What lets him fly? The Yellow Sunlight of Earth.
What keeps him in the air? True comic geeks know it is his personal subcutaneous telekinetic field. Mind over matter and all that. (For now, anyway. I’m sure the next wave of DC retcons will change that again.)
How can he steer so accurately? See above.
Was this ever explained in comics? Yes. Most recently you could probably pick it up in Adventures of Superman around issue #500 or so when they introduce the new Superboy and go through it for the “rubes” in the audience.
---
### Author:  [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/3 "2002-07-04T06:36:33Z")
Yeah!!! And Daredevil only needs his yellow costume, i don’t accept his red one!! And why is the Human Torch not a robot anymore? I don’t accept this new flesh and blood guy!!!
😉
---
### Author:  [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/4 "2002-07-04T07:41:58Z")
Eh… Batman could kick his butt anyway.
---
### Author:  [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/5 "2002-07-04T07:47:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> What keeps him in the air? True comic geeks know it is his personal subcutaneous telekinetic field. Mind over matter and all that. (For now, anyway. I’m sure the next wave of DC retcons will change that again.)
This is also how he is able to lift very large objects intact. Normally, lifting a building by its corner would cause it to collapse, but supes isn’t using his musceles, he’s just doing the telekenesis thing, which he can do for anything he touches. This also explains why his uniform is invulnerable.
---
### Author:  [@Koffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koffing)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/6 "2002-07-04T09:33:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jinwicked \*
> \*\*Eh… Batman could kick his butt anyway. \*\*
Without powers, there aren’t many people Batman can’t beat. They usually do have their powers, though, and that mean’s that Batman’s ass is kicked.
Thank you, drive through.
---
### Author:  [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/7 "2002-07-04T10:28:37Z")
With time to plan, and Green Arrow’s help Batman _did_ kick Superman’s ass in The Dark Knight Returns- and that was as an old dude.
---
### Author:  [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/8 "2002-07-04T13:20:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Number Six \*
> \*\*
>
> This is also how he is able to lift very large objects intact. Normally, lifting a building by its corner would cause it to collapse, but supes isn’t using his musceles, he’s just doing the telekenesis thing, which he can do for anything he touches. This also explains why his uniform is invulnerable. \*\*
Could he then do this with a person? Say, holding onto Lois Lane as some bad guys shoot at her, making her invulnerable too?
(I love these silly comic book debates. :D)
---
### Author:  [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/9 "2002-07-04T13:34:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JDeMobray \*
> \*\*
> What lets him fly? The Yellow Sunlight of Earth.
>
> What keeps him in the air? True comic geeks know it is his personal subcutaneous telekinetic field. Mind over matter and all that. (For now, anyway. I’m sure the next wave of DC retcons will change that again.)\*\*
It has, the stupid “it’s all psychic stuff” is gone (as if ‘psychic’ explained any more or were more rational than ‘yellow solar radiation’) is gone!
John Byrne’s (dumb) attempt to say that all Supe’s powers were psychic powers has been completely, utterly, totally dropped, thankfully. No one’s mentioned 'em in like 12 years in the books.
We’re back to the “Lighter gravity lets him jump and the ‘yellow solar radiation’(?) lets him stay aloft, accelerate/decelerate and turn” explanation. Which is fine. Who needs to know the techno-babble about the physical mechanism beyond that?
Fenris
---
### Author:  [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/10 "2002-07-04T18:03:09Z")
It’s because Superman is a modern god!
You don’t ask the gods how they do things you just accept that they can and cower or worship them.
---
### Author:  [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/11 "2002-07-04T18:18:29Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Koffing \*
> \*\*
> Without powers, there aren’t many people Batman can’t beat._\*
[cough] KGBeast [/cough]
And it’s too bad the “psychic” explanation for Superman’s powers was dropped. I’ve never heard it before I read this thread, but it makes more sense to me than the other one. “Lighter gravity”? WTF?
---
### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/12 "2002-07-04T19:11:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \*
> \*\*…And why is the Human Torch not a robot anymore? I don’t accept this new flesh and blood guy!!!.. \*\*
When was he a robot? I used to reaf FF a looooonnngggg time ago and he was a human (in the mid 70’s).
---
### Author:  [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/13 "2002-07-04T20:49:59Z")
There was a robot in the old cartoon instead of the Human Torch.
---
### Author:  [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/14 "2002-07-04T20:54:05Z")
The “Golden Age” Human Torch was a android.
In case you were interested, The Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner were Marvel Comics’ (Timely Comics back then) first superheroes way back around 1940.
---
### Author:  [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/15 "2002-07-04T21:54:23Z")
Demanding Superman leaps instead of flying? Wow. This demand for originality would make John Byrne blush.
But what do I know? I’ve been pissed off ever since that no-good young punk replaced Green Lantern. Man, the GL mythos was shattered ever since we lost Alan Scott. 😃
---
### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/16 "2002-07-05T00:15:43Z")
superman flying? thats nothing, i swear at one point in time i saw THE HULK flying. Of course, they explained it as he was just jumping several hundred feet in the air, but seeing as he had to keep up with the rest of his (flight-capable) crew, i know a plot device when i smell it.
---
### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/17 "2002-07-05T01:50:29Z")
Interesting, the flying was first used in the Superman radio show, not the comic. Kryptonite appeared on radio first, too.
I believe an early Hulk cover (issue 5 or 6 of the original short-lived run) had a character pointing at the big H and yelling “Wow! He can fly!” or something to that effect. It never became a major plot point, though at times you could see Hulk changing direction in mid-air.
---
### Author:  [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/18 "2002-07-05T02:01:45Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Koffing \*
> \*\*
> Without powers, there aren’t many people Batman can’t beat. They usually do have their powers, though, and that mean’s that Batman’s ass is kicked.
>
> Thank you, drive through. \*\*
What, if Batman is able to nullify their powers that is somehow cheating?
Oh, please.
It’s called out thinking your opponent, something Batman is the absolute best at.
Oh, yeah, Ra’s A Guhl was able to neutrilize the JLA by using various devices that Batman had devised for just that purpose.
Oh yeah, I **DON’T** do drive thru.
Nice try, and thanks for playing.
Don’t go away mad, just go away.
---
### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/19 "2002-07-05T04:29:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Fenris \*
> **It has, the stupid “it’s all psychic stuff” is gone (as if ‘psychic’ explained any more or were more rational than ‘yellow solar radiation’) is gone!**
OK, is this before or after they used it as the explaination of Superboy’s powers, and if after, did they keep it for him, or screw around, making it possible for him to be Supes’ clone again…
(FTR: Much prefered SB as NOT SM’s clone.)
---
### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327/20 "2002-07-05T05:01:39Z")
[Comic book guy]
I have nothing to add regarding your inexcusably lame OP, except ‘How does it feel to have incurred upon yourself the wrath of Millions by asking something oh-so-obvious, my fine pepperonied friend?’
Perhaps your next insightful question will be ‘Why haven’t Xena and Hercules ever rubbed uglies?’
I’m more embarassed for you than anything. It is to laugh.
Three final words: Worst. Thread. Ever.
[/CMB]
😉
Happy, who really has no business being in this thread
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-accept-a-flying-superman/117327.md?page=2)