# Is Superman hard to the touch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412 "2010-07-12T16:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/1 "2010-07-12T16:35:35Z")
Last night, I was watching a Superman cartoon with my daughter and it occurred to me that anybody who ever shook hands with Clark Kent, or patted his cheek, or playfully punched him in the arm should have known immediately that something was different about this guy. Bullets richochet off him. Knives snap against his chest. He shrugs off artillery. Touching him should be like touching a statue or a suit of armor. As the mythos says, at least sometimes, Krypton had higher gravity and a red sun. Kal’s tissues are, it seems, greatly denser and harder than that of an Earth human. I know, he never gets caught out on this because the writers didn’t want to do it that way. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/2 "2010-07-12T16:39:37Z")
Apparently, he’s not denser than the average human. And his body is soft and squishy. However, thanks to his magic alien powers, he can’t be hurt by any normal attack. Bullets can’t penetrate his skin, so they ricochet after failing to expend their kinetic energy pushing him back (and only getting slight give from his skin and muscle). Knives likewise will break if you push them too hard. Aertillery can actually push him around a bit, though it won’t hurt him. Plus, even as Clark Kent, the guy is beef. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/3 "2010-07-12T16:45:24Z")
> [@](#): > > And his body is soft and squishy. He’s frequently described in the comic as being hard as steel. Even the 1950s TV series has him described that way, at one point. Of course, it probably depends on whether he’s tensing his muscles, or something. I can alter how hard my muscles seem, and I’m sure he can, too. Otherwise, LL would fee;l as if she’s embracing a statue. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/4 "2010-07-12T16:49:06Z")
As I recall, however, Clark actually does go out of his way to feign weakness. He will often purposely affect a weak handshake and when he detects someone about to playfully give him a punch, he will flinch away so that the other person doesn’t land a solid blow. At least it was that way early on Superman’s run where the writers portrayed Clark as more of a wimp than they might nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/5 "2010-07-12T16:50:55Z")
In one comic from the late 1950s/early 1960s, Superman actually made a fake qarm out of rubber and lay buried in the sand (as Clark Kent – he had his glasses on) with the rubber arm out so Lois could feel it and see how soft it was, the implication being that Superman’s arm didn’t feel as soft. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/6 "2010-07-12T16:55:20Z")
From: [Superman (Clark Kent) | DC Database | Fandom](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Superman_(Clark_Kent)#Powers) > [@](#): > > The most common explanations for his invulnerability are Superman having a super-dense molecular structure and/or a supercharged bio electric “aura” which acts as an invisible “force field” around his body within a few millimeters from his skin, and presumably within his body as well. The proximity of this field to his skin means that loose clothes, for example, may be burned off of him, while cloth that is close to his body is protected by the “aura;” This phenomenon is sometimes cited as Superman’s reason for wearing a skin-tight bodysuit. It is sometimes implied that he can unconsciously extend this field to an undetermined extent to protect a greater area, allowing him to carry huge objects within the Earth’s atmosphere and without gravity or inertia tearing them apart around his human-sized hands. I would say that he’s as pliable as a normal human but once the force goes up to the level of damage his defenses kick in. It doesn’t make sense, but neither does laser eyes or his method of reaction-less flight. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/7 "2010-07-12T16:57:00Z")
He’s made of non-Newtonian putty. Harder you smack it, the more it resists. Touch it gently and it’s pliable. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/8 "2010-07-12T16:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Is Superman hard to the touch? He is if your name is Lois Lane. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/9 "2010-07-12T16:59:20Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > He’s made of non-Newtonian putty. Harder you smack it, the more it resists. Touch it gently and it’s pliable. Now that’s just Silly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/10 "2010-07-12T17:00:59Z")
> [@](#): > > He’s made of non-Newtonian putty. Of _Course_ he’s non-newtonian. Superman is made of _Kryptonian_ fluid. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/11 "2010-07-12T17:14:08Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I would say that he’s as pliable as a normal human but once the force goes up to the level of damage his defenses kick in. It doesn’t make sense… It makes perfect sense. _All_ materials exhibit variations in the response as you ramp up the force applied. In Superman’s case, his skin could possess a normal region of elastic deformation, beyond which futher force does next to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/12 "2010-07-12T17:25:57Z")
Only parts of him, and it depends on what parts you touch. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/13 "2010-07-12T19:52:53Z")
Of course he is – after all, he is the Man of Steel. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/14 "2010-07-12T20:29:56Z")
Lois said he was hard at times yet still gentle and she should know. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/15 "2010-07-12T20:36:13Z")
This reminds of the wonderful conceit on All Star Superman of Lex Luthor going on and on about what a Promethean genius he is, and being completely oblivious to Clark Kent and Superman being more of less identical, all the while lecturing Kent on what a schlub he is. This is of course a main meme for Superman in general, but the juxtaposition was well done. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/16 "2010-07-12T21:49:53Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > He’s made of non-Newtonian putty. Harder you smack it, the more it resists. Touch it gently and it’s pliable. He’s the Man of Cornstarch! ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/17 "2010-07-12T21:56:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > In one comic from the late 1950s/early 1960s, Superman actually made a fake qarm out of rubber That sounds vaguely digusting. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/18 "2010-07-12T22:20:16Z")
Personally, I prefer the idea that he is, in fact, extremely dense (comparable to the density of a white dwarf), but that he’s continually using his flight power subconsciously to support almost all of his weight and keep from falling through floors. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/19 "2010-07-12T22:53:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I prefer the idea that he is, in fact, extremely dense (comparable to the density of a white dwarf), but that he’s continually using his flight power subconsciously to support almost all of his weight and keep from falling through floors. Then why doesn’t he fall through floors (or expand in a most dramatic fashion) when he gets de-powered? On the whole, I think the “defensive aura” thing is probably the explanation _least_ contradicted by canon. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412/20 "2010-07-12T23:18:08Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > He’s frequently described in the comic as being hard as steel. Even the 1950s TV series has him described that way, at one point. > > Of course, it probably depends on whether he’s tensing his muscles, or something. I can alter how hard my muscles seem, and I’m sure he can, too. Otherwise, LL would fee;l as if she’s embracing a statue. It’s magic of course. But since it’s canon in the comics that he can lose his powers–even the invulnerablity–for psychosomatic reasons, I suspect that when he’s dressed as Clark and not desiring to be Superman, he doesn’t feel any different than a normal human to the touch, but if he feels threatened the invulnerability snaps back to normal. Okay, I guess he needn’t be **dressed** as Clark. Otherwise Lois would be really frustrated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-superman-hard-to-the-touch/546412.md?page=2)