A Unified Theory of Superman's Powers

We’ve all seen Superman in one form or another, be it from film to comic or TV series to book. Rather than having one superpower, as seen in a show like Heroes or a films like DareDevil, Superman has many; flying, super strength, heat vision, etc. However I have come across a rather exciting theory that suggests that all of these super powers actually root from one power…

A guy called Ben Tippett has sat down and analysed what we see of Superman and has come to the conclusion that his power are the manifestation of being able to “manipulate… the inertia of his own and any matter with which he is in contact.” Does that make sense? I had to read it a couple of times!

It’s fine, Ben gives us some helpful examples! If you have seen anything of Superman you will have noticed that sooner or later a person will have found themselves trying to be a bird… and some what unsuccessfully; Lois Lane is falling through the sky and Superman flies along to rescue her… what a hero! Now what we would expect to see is Superman fly along and then dip to match her rate of falling and then pull her back up, if he did not Lois Lane might as well hit the ground, Superman is just as solid… However what we see is Superman flies straight, intersects the falling Miss Lane and keeps on going with a somewhat flustered Lois Lane.

So the theory states that as soon as Superman makes contact with the falling damsel in distress he reduces her momentum to cushion her fall, rather than adjust the air around him to support him…

If you are curious about reading the whole document (which I highly recommend) you should check it out here: A Unified Theory of Superman’s Powers. It is well worth a read.