Just curious.
I admit I haven’t seen too many of the old TV shows, but he could never do that in the comics. (not intentionally, it occasionally happened to him because of some external stimulus and was always resolved.)
Maybe there was one episode where that happened and you saw it as a kid and it stuck with you?
Did he do it more than once in the series?
What do you mean by “split in two?” Are there actually two Supermen flying around, or is there a Clark Kent/ Superman split? I remember in the comics he used to have a bunch of robots who had all his powers and he would get them to do something. Then he would show up as Clark Kent and everyone would realize that they couldn’t possibly be the same person.
His slave robots always used to disturb me. First of all, when did he become a mechanical genius? Secondly, how the hell did he give them superpowers? What would he do if his robots ever turned on him?
Please somebody else tell me they also remember the super-robots. Please tell me I didn’t dream it.
No. Supposedly by concentrating he could actually split into two Supermen with about 1/2 power for each one. He used this power to fool some criminals that were holding him prisoner by threatening to harm someone else if he escaped. He made a duplicate and one Superman escaped to foil their plot while the other stayed behind in the cell to keep them from setting off whatever it was they were threatening to do.
What if he flew around the world backwards and went back in time, then his past self and future self would meet up and fight crime.
The Superman robots were a well used part of his arsenal in the 60’s and were used as dues ex machina devices far too often to wrap up plots.
Re his mechanical abilities don’t forget that Superman was (for all practical purposes) essentially a God regarding his powers and ability wise in the 60’s and early 70’s. Being a super genius mechanic would not be stretching the powers envelope of that era.
According to this web site and my hazy recollection, various colours of Kryptonite had different effects on Superman. They don’t mention black Kryptonite in this list, but I am pretty sure that is the one that created a dulicate of Superman.
Of course white kryptonite led to the demise of many an undercover brother.
From TVTome.
That’s the only extra power they mention at that site. That doesn’t mean the one you mentioned didn’t occur.
I remember a couple of times in the glorious pre-Crisis days where Superman would move so quickly that there appeared to be two of him, but aside from one hilarious issue where he used (apparently) look-alike actor Christopher Reeves as bait for an alien brain collecter, I can’t remember seeing Superman ever split in two.
The split-in-two power was only in that one episode of the TV show. Superman’s powers weren’t absolutely standardized at the time, and no one cared about continuity, so the TV show used it.
Superman had some powers that came and went. I’ve seen old comics where he could reshape his face and had telepathy. And the original Superman couldn’t fly – he leapt long distances like a giant grasshopper.
I actually have that issue. it wasn’t “Reeves” IIRC the actor used another name. That was a silly ass story.
Telepathy?
Caaaaaan yooooooou reeeeeeeead myyyyyyyyyyy miiiiiiiind…
Yes, I can, tracer, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
According to Superman II, he also has super illusion casting abilities and super growing cellophane sticky chest emblem :rolleyes:
And according to Superman II, all Kryptonians have telekinetic powers, too: They can point their index finger at something and a white “tractor beam” ray will shoot out and grab whatever they’re pointing at.
(I think the “super illusion casing abilities” were a feature built into the Fortress of Solitude. I don’t think Supes could’ve made those illusions if he were anywhere else.)
The character’s name was Gregory Reed (similar to George Reeves). He was an actor who played Superman in movies and occasionally helped Superman, because he had these pills that gave him temporary super-powers. He popped up occasionally; not often.
What is “pre-Crisis”?
What is the “Crisis”?
I searched the episode guide, and I’ll be dog-gone if I can find anything remotely resembling “split in two.” The closest thing was “The Cube,” in which Superman concentrated so hard he could “pass through” substances, sorta like the way The Flash could vibrate through walls.
I can’t cite an episode title (I never paid attention to stuff like that when I was a kid, and I don’t have any kind of episode guide), but I definitely remember the split-into-two-Supermen episode. The set-up was exactly as astro described: one Superman stayed in the jail cell, while the other one went out and saved the day. Each Superman only had half as much power–it took both of them to bend the bars of the cell.
Earlier in the episode a scientist friend of Superman’s had hypothesized that he could do it. Something to do with his super dense body, or some such gobbledygook. I didn’t know the term deus-ex-machina then, but even as a kid I found it awfully convenient that he would discover a new power, just when he needed it.
Like the power to pass through walls in “The Cube,” after this one episode he never used that particular power again. That irritated me too. Now that he knows he can duplicate, all he has to do is split in two, dress one half up as Clark Kent, and make a few public appearances together. And he would forever be rid of that pesky “Hey, how come I never see Clark and Superman at the same time” thing that Lois was always on about.
Come on, Kal-El. Use your head!