Terry Tate Posted July 28, 2006 Posted July 28, 2006 they do things in the movies that don't go with what's written in the comics Kinda figured that. I haven't read a Superman comic since I was about 7. Saw part of the first movie the other day. I believe I saw the original Superman TV show Lois Lane actress as a train passenger when teenager Clark is racing it to the crossing.
TheMadCap Posted July 28, 2006 Posted July 28, 2006 Kinda figured that. I haven't read a Superman comic since I was about 7. Saw part of the first movie the other day. I believe I saw the original Superman TV show Lois Lane actress as a train passenger when teenager Clark is racing it to the crossing. 730382[/snapback] Superman's powers (or limiting of them) depend on which source you are speaking of: ***WARNING*** CONFUSING NERD SPEAK FORTHCOMING The Superman that made his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938 is very different from the one you would know if you picked up a copy of the comic today. The original Superman is known as the Earth-2 Superman in comics. He is generally referred to as the Golden Age Superman. He was sent from Krypton as an infant by his father and was raised by the Kents in Kansas. This Superman’s powers grew exponentially as time passed, in Action Comics #1 circa 1938, Superman could only “leap tall buildings” and not fly. This is the superman that can fly around the Earth to reverse time, hold his breath indefinitely in space, and vibrates his face super fast to stop people from clearly photographing his face. The Superman of the late 1950’s to the mid 1980’s can be referred to as the Silver Age Superman, also known as the Earth-1 Superman. This Superman was sent to Earth as a toddler to be raised by the Kents. Although the Earth –2 Superman also existed as Superboy, it is generally the Silver Age Superman whose career as Superboy is best known. Superman’s power became so great, it was difficult for writers to put him in situations where he could conceivable be defeated. Another annoying trend, was the ability for a criminal to seemingly pick up a piece of Kryptonite off the ground, as there was tons of it in all colors (and effects on powers) of the rainbow. Confused yet? So was everyone else in the world. That’s why in 1985, DC comics had a miniseries that erased all these parallel worlds (referred to as the Multiverse) and established one Earth and one continuity for Superman and all the other heroes. The Earth-2 Superman and his wife (Lois Lane, of course) went off to a paradise world, the Earth-1 Superman is retired and a new Superman, one with a very different origin and vastly different powers. Beginning with the miniseries “The Man of Steel” in 1986, Superman was sent from Krypton as an unborn fetus. He is not actually born until he got to Earth, and in the presence of Jonathon and Martha Kent. The young Superman never had a career as Superboy, and it took time for him to gain his superpowers. The first display of his powers occurred when Clark was about four and his baseball rolled under his father’s tractor. The little boy walked over to the tractor and effortlessly picked it up to retrieve his toy. This Superman was never a loser or a bumbler in school as was the previous incarnations, and the one shown in the classic movies. In fact, he was the star football player in high school. In this reality, his parents never died and help him with dealing with the pressures of being Superman. This Superman cannot fly in space for extended periods of time. Early on, he barely survives a nuclear explosion. The sun also must recharge him from time to time (this is essentially how he cheated death in the famous “Death of Superman” stories). His powers are not infinite; he cannot reverse time like the Earth –1 and –2 Supermen. They also removed all Kryptonite except what powered his spacecraft that brought him to Earth. Most importantly, it is unclear if Superman can reproduce with humans. He is currently (I think) married to Lois Lane. I have heard that DC has recently revamped the character again, but I lost interest when they turned him into Firestorm in the mid 1990’s. I suppose you could say that Superman of the movies is likely more like the Silver Age Superman. He didn’t really develop powers until he was about five or six, and after prolonged exposure to the yellow sun. It is my personal belief that the son of Superman in the recent movie is just beginning to exhibit powers due to the fact that he is only half Kryptonian and it took that long for him to store enough solar energy to begin manifesting his powers. It was also initiated by extreme panic and sense of danger.
Dibs Posted July 28, 2006 Posted July 28, 2006 ......It is my personal belief that the son of Superman in the recent movie is just beginning to exhibit powers due to the fact that he is only half Kryptonian and it took that long for him to store enough solar energy to begin manifesting his powers. It was also initiated by extreme panic and sense of danger. 730387[/snapback] Good post. It is my personal belief that the 'son of superman' sub-plot in the movie was a late addition. I can just hear the writers saying "hmmm, we still need something to grab the emotions more." It is the only thing I can think of for why they would muck around so heavily with the Superman mythos. The sub-plot could have been totally cut out without changing the movie at all, so why have it in there?
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