# What is the weakest & strongest Superman has ever been at his normal power levels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049 "2013-12-11T04:12:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/21 "2013-12-11T20:34:22Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > All the billions of inhabitants had to suffer through, was a longer than average night. Don’t forget the earthquakes, tsunamis, mega-hurricane force winds, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/22 "2013-12-11T22:30:12Z")
For weakest, there were all those times in the TV series when he’d duck if somebody threw a revolver at him. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/23 "2013-12-11T22:37:38Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > For weakest, there were all those times in the TV series when he’d duck if somebody threw a revolver at him. Cite two. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/24 "2013-12-11T23:08:37Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > [This](http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111119340/3167915-7926418773-22115.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/mr-majestic-vs-pre-crisis-superman-1476528/&h=250&w=500&sz=53&tbnid=AkxQwmr748zauM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=180&zoom=1&usg=__PtfXvfEdMsLZnA9tKUFRHc0gwXI=&docid=HfQ5H7efj_4diM&sa=X&ei=HQWoUor4COblyQHG-4DwBA&ved=0CC8Q9QEwAA) is the single most absurdly powerful moment that I can think of (not counting something like destroying an entire solar system with a sneeze, which was also depicted). I’m not sure how much raw power is needed to tow 13 or so planets (each inhabited, so at least Mars-sized, I guess) across intergalactic space at supralight speed, but I bet it’s a lot. > > His weakest? Heck, start at _Action_ #1, because it went nuts almost from the start. :smack: I thought Black Adam throwing an aircraft carrier to New York from the Persian Gulf was over the top. Or Superboy Prime pushing Thanagar into a different orbit! Also, don’t planets rotate? How the hell did those chains not get fouled up? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/25 "2013-12-12T00:27:11Z")
And what the hell do you anchor the chains to? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/26 "2013-12-12T00:43:26Z")
There’s not many feats to judge by, but “[Superman](http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Kal-El_%28DC_One_Million%29) [Prime](http://superman.wikia.com/wiki/Superman_Prime_%28One_Million%29)” is supposed to be basically omnipotent between soaking in solar energy for thousands of years and between picking up an enormous number of powers over the years from various sources. > [@](#): > > Superman Prime suddenly reappeared from the sun after fifteen thousand years of absorbing solar energy and crushed the tyrant sun once and for all with the Green Lantern ring that Solaris had inadvertently given to him. > > The time he spent in the sun magnified his already great power to presumably infinite levels. His strength and other countless abilities he gained also rose to unknown levels from the time he spent in the sun. > [@](#): > > Superman’s travels lasted from the 21st Century to the turn of the 700th Century. During this 679 century odyssey, he acquired vast abilities and skills from every being he met and gained perfection over all the abilities he received. He even broke through the Source Wall and studied under the Source itself, meaning he could have a portion of the Source’s power or more. The true extent of abilities he received from the Source are unknown. When he returned to Earth, he forged a covenant with his descendants. In this covenant, he would bestow upon them a small fraction of his power as long as they served for truth and justice. He also gained the abilities of his lineage and magnified them with his own power (for example, the Superman of the 67th century married the queen of the 5th Dimension, GZNTPLZK, which in turn gave Superman Prime the abilities and powers of a 5th Dimension Imp). ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/27 "2013-12-12T05:21:18Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > :smack: I thought Black Adam throwing an aircraft carrier to New York from the Persian Gulf was over the top. Or Superboy Prime pushing Thanagar into a different orbit! > Also, don’t planets rotate? How the hell did those chains not get fouled up? Well, duh! He didn’t wrap the chains _around_ each planet, he punched thru each planet’s core along its axis - it’s free to rotate all it wants around the chain. What I want to know is did he leave them chained together when he got where he was going, 'cause that would be cool - cheap interplanetary travel. We should have thought to take a chain to the moon when _we_ went. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/28 "2013-12-12T06:24:07Z")
Well, the problem with a moon chain is that as the moon revolves around Earth, the chain wraps around and shortens until the moon crashes. It only works if the moon is tidally locked. This fundamental concept flaw was raised in a Captain Marvel Junior story in which a nutty professor type plants a seed that causes a giant tree to grow to the moon - once the tree gets there, it’ll end up wrapping around Earth as the moon orbits. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/29 "2013-12-12T06:43:46Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, the problem with a moon chain is that as the moon revolves around Earth, the chain wraps around and shortens until the moon crashes. It only works if the moon is tidally locked. > This fundamental concept flaw was raised in a Captain Marvel Junior story in which a nutty professor type plants a seed that causes a giant tree to grow to the moon - once the tree gets there, it’ll end up wrapping around Earth as the moon orbits. Hah, that reminds me of _The Long Afternoon of Earth_ it’s set in a far future where the Earth and Moon are tide-locked, and there are plants growing between them. ---
**Author:** ![Roundabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dec6dc/32.png) [@Roundabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roundabout)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/30 "2013-12-12T07:27:16Z")
Superman the Animated Series. He’d get hurt by everything, from electricity to gatling gun fire. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/31 "2013-12-12T16:03:36Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Well, duh! He didn’t wrap the chains _around_ each planet, he punched thru each planet’s core along its axis - it’s free to rotate all it wants around the chain. > > What I want to know is did he leave them chained together when he got where he was going, 'cause that would be cool - cheap interplanetary travel. We should have thought to take a chain to the moon when _we_ went. 🙂 :smack: That did not occur to me. Although, that still only works if the planets rotate on the horizontal axis. Also, unless the chain is frictionless the chain is going to spin also. And if it is frictionless how is it able hold the planet? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049/32 "2013-12-14T02:57:11Z")
> [@](#): > > That did not occur to me. Although, that still only works if the planets rotate on the horizontal axis. There is no such thing as a horizontal axis. Any axis through a planet is, by definition, vertical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-strongest-superman-has-ever-been-at-his-normal-power-levels/676049.md?page=1)