Everyone knows that Superman has powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, but when you ask people if they could choose just one of Superman's powers, most people answer with: Flight. However, when Superman first appeared in 1938, he actually didn't fly – he leaped, only an eighth of a mile at a time.
Superhuman Speed: Superman is capable of moving, reacting, running, and flying at speeds far exceeding light. Casually, Superman can break the light barrier. Unlike Flash, however, he does not appear able to break the time barrier under his own power.
According to the comics, Superman can fly because of a combination of powers he derives from Earth's “yellow” Sun and from his extraterrestrial biology. On his birth planet, Krypton, gravity was much stronger than it is on Earth, so Kryptonians developed a physique that could resist its pull.
It wasn't until the character was being animated by Paramount Pictures in the 1940s that flying became one of his powers. That came about because the animators figured it would be too much trouble to draw him bending his knees over and over again.
Back in the 1930s, Superman's flying speed was somewhere around 100 mph. This is ridiculously slow when compared to the current portrayals. According to various sources, he travels at least as fast as the speed of sound – which is somewhere in the region of 770 mph.
The Flash is the Fastest Man Alive, and that includes being faster than Kryptonians. While Superman is powerful and a close second as the world's fastest hero, he can't top the Speed Force.
However, the opposite is also true, which is that by exposing himself to more direct sunlight, Superman can get a short-term power upgrade. By literally "Sun-Dipping," going inside the sun for a short period of time, Superman's powers can temporarily shoot to new heights.
Kryptonians don't possess any powers on their home planet Krypton (although sometimes it was stated that they were capable of flying but lost this power due to overrelliance on their advanced technology), due to its red sun and natural higher gravity.
Which famous superhero originally had no flight ability?
Superman's abilities initially consisted of superhuman strength, speed, and durability, and while he couldn't fly, he could leap an eighth of a mile. Later stories would introduce powers like heat vision and ice breath, but Superman's famous means of transportation didn't debut in the comics.
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book Action Comics #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and published April 18, 1938).
It depends on the version you use as a reference. In DC ONE MILLION, he lived on forever. In Kingdom Come, even though he was already cleary in his 50's or 60's. He lived on for another 1000 years.
Superman is listed at 6′3″ in the comics, since post-Crisis. (He and Batman were both 6′4″ pre-Crisis). Superman's height seems to vary, depending upon the story or situation. 6′3″ is plenty.
Clark unofficially flew in the season four premiere, when he was reprogrammed as "Kal-El" by his biological father, but upon regaining his memory he forgot how to use the ability. In season six, Clark gained his super breath. By the series finale, Clark learns to fly.
It's important to note that the rules around worthiness had been temporarily suspended to allow this to happen. As soon as the fight was over, Superman couldn't lift the hammer anymore. However, under normal circumstances, without any weird interference, Superman is worthy of Mjolnir.
While many Superman stories hint that his ability to gather energy from the sun makes eating unnecessary, the Man of Steel eats more than his fair share of food wherever he goes. The Silver Age was a strange and wonderful time for DC Comics.
What would happen if Superman was under a blue sun?
While Clark rarely comes into contact with a blue sun, it appears that one could make the Man of Steel more powerful than ever. The logic is sound. If a yellow sun imbues Clark with strength and an older red sun weakens him, then it stands that a younger blue sun would make him even stronger.
While not every Flash could beat Superman in a no-holds-barred race, the main Flashes — Barry Allen and Wally West — have both beaten Superman in several contests of speed. The Speed Force is a potent power source, allowing them to break the laws of physics in ways that Superman just can't.
Boomstick: Thor is fast, but Superman is faster. While Thor travelled across the cosmos to a planet a universe away in under a minute, which yields tens of quadrillions of times lightspeed…
Diana and Clark can both fly and have similar sets of flying abilities. Even if Superman and Wonder Woman each have varying speeds depending on their respective solar power and magical abilities, they usually fly at around the same velocities.
In terms of speed, power, and durability, Superman and Goku (in SSJ2) are pretty much even. However, Goku's martial arts training gives him an edge against Superman. Superman might have gotten some training as well, but it has not been covered or written about as extensively as Goku's.
Shazam's speed has been officially revealed to be Mach 50, making him 50 times faster than the speed of sound, a downgrade from his previous top speed. When compared to other DC heroes, Shazam is no match for the likes of The Flash, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.
So, no, Superman can't breathe in space, because the term is meaningless in the conditions being described, but he can survive for a long, long time without taking a breath. Couple that with durability, super speed, and flight, and Clark Kent rarely has to worry about running out of breath.
