Christopher Reeve's SUPERMAN Should Have Caused Earth's Extinction

Christopher Reeve's SUPERMAN Should Have Caused Earth's Extinction

Remember when Superman reversed the Earth to save Lois in Superman? Well if the science was realistic in the film, Superman would have caused the Earth's extinction. Click to learn the science behind what if Superman reversed the Earth's rotation.

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By LEVITIKUZ - Dec 06, 2015 01:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: Nerdlist

Richard Donner's 1978 Superman is one of the most iconic film of all time and the one that started the superhero film genre. In the film's climax, after discovering Lois Lane (played by Margot Kidder) has died, Superman decides to reverse the Earth's rotation which would create time travel so he could save Lois Lane. Confusing? Certainly. Now a group of physics students at University of Leicester calculated how fast Superman would need to go to reverse the Earth's rotation. It's stated Superman would need to fly at 660 million miles per hour to reverse the Earth's rotation. The figure equates to an angular velocity of 46.296 radians per second (98 percent the speed of light). Superman's size also plays as a factor in this calculation . Superman would have to increase his mass 13.7 million times over. By flying at near light speed, he'd build up a large amount of energy, which in turn would result in Kal-El having a larger relativistic mass, making it theoretically possible.


The research states that "Whilst there is no danger of the moon being significantly affected by Superman, the act would would have set near-Earth objects such as asteroids on a course for Earth." It also states that due to the changes in atmospheric pressure and wind speeds would wreak havoc on the planet which would almost certainly cause the extinction of humanity. Sounds delightful does it not? What are your thoughts on this? If we had Superman exist, would you want him to reverse the Earth's rotation you sicko? Comment below, let me know. Peace and remember...

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Robby
Robby - 12/6/2015, 1:31 PM
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 12/6/2015, 1:38 PM
@DrDoom

Same. I mean outside of the performances and Superman saving the helicopter, nothing in this film really grabbed me or made me fall in love with Superman.

I've always preferred Superman 2 with Zod over this. Zod was just a better villain than Lex IMO.

But still the Superman I grew up watching was always in Superman The Animated Series which IMO was superior a bit to the Reeve films. Clark wasn't a bumbling idiot like Reeve films portrayed, while there was that Superman and Lois love side, we never saw them in a relationship till the last episode of the show, Lex in STAS was way better.

Still like Hackman and the performances but the Reeve films just weren't made for my time or adapted as something that could be seen as timeless. The Burton Batman films had this quality. The 89 film seemed more of a 1920s/1930s Batman films setting than an 80s setting. Plus the dark, fantasy, Gothic, and visual elements of Burton's Gotham is still IMO the best looking Gotham ever.
Havenless
Havenless - 12/6/2015, 1:45 PM
If we had Superman exist, would you want to reverse the Earth's rotation you sicko you?

December 6th, 2015: The day the Internet finally killed punctuation.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 12/6/2015, 1:49 PM
@DrDoom

Damn right. If STAS has one flaw it's that Zod was never a villain on the show for some reason. I don't know why he wasn't but he should have.
Highflyer
Highflyer - 12/6/2015, 1:53 PM
I think this is the movie that made me be okay with Superman not punching someone in a movie.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 12/6/2015, 2:08 PM
@ALmazing

Why would you buy something if you can't touch it?

;P
Kyos
Kyos - 12/6/2015, 2:26 PM


Superman TAS is the best! <3
MrMartyMarvel
MrMartyMarvel - 12/6/2015, 2:46 PM
Did he even have any reason to believe that it would, or did he just want to give it a try? This is why you shouldn't give superpowers to emotional retards.
grif
grif - 12/6/2015, 2:47 PM
1
2
3
4
take your pick. all better then bvs
Forthas
Forthas - 12/6/2015, 2:56 PM
Actually Donner did not scew up that scene by having Superman fly around the world...he screwed it up by having him stop and fly in the opposite direction.

IF Donner had Superman just stop and let 'time continue" then this scene would have been PERFECTLY ACCURATE. Let us suppose you are moving backward in time. You would experience the world moving in the opposite direction. Thus the spin of the world could have been construed as not a result of what Superman is doing (i.e. causing a backward spin), but the effect of what he is experiencing. Where Donner screwed up is by having Superman essentially stop flying around the earth and then fly in a different direction. This one aspect to the scene then made it impossible to make the aforementioned argument thus leading the ridiculousness of the scene. But it was ALMOST a legitimate and fairly accurate scene...as far as comic book movies can be.
Kyos
Kyos - 12/6/2015, 3:04 PM


Fishandchips
Fishandchips - 12/6/2015, 3:50 PM
Well Superman has always been about realism!

I was on a high because we are top of the league, now we're picking apart Superman :(. Gonna have to move I guess!

Seriously though, that is pretty cool that they worked that out.

And yeah, Superman TAS was dope.
marvel72
marvel72 - 12/6/2015, 4:04 PM
Christopher Reeve's Superman was more likable than Henry Cavill's Superman.
CombatWombat
CombatWombat - 12/6/2015, 4:13 PM
I remember loving the heck out of both Burton Batman and Donner Superman when I was little. I can't remember if I preferred one over the other, but I must have watched them both a twenty times by the time I was 7.

Then again, I also liked Batman & Robin back then. So...
blitzkreg
blitzkreg - 12/6/2015, 4:22 PM
My all time favorite movie. For anyone to say this movie isn't good, or has age terribly, don't know movies. This movie stands the test of time. Henry is a good Superman, if only they can give him a proper script where he can cut loose and have some fun.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 4:23 PM
When I got around to seeing Reeve's Superman movie it did nothing for me. Sure, if you're a kid in the 70's I'm sure this would have done something. For me though, it was in a time when I had The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Burton's Bat-films, the DCAU, the DC animated movies were starting up, X-Men, Spider-Man, Blade, just coming off the heels of Iron Man and Incredible Hulk, there was just no way this would ever be what I wanted (or hell, what I wanted in a Superman movie) or even leave an impact on me other than "This is what people love?"

I appreciate what it did by kickstarting the genre BUT respect does not make a bad movie good. Same with the sequel, just too schlocky and too much a product of its time for my taste. Its your grandparents idea of what a superhero movie is supposed to be, kids fair with a guy in tights who saves the day, gets the girl, and winks at the camera at the end.

And don't even get me started on 3, 4, and even Returns.

Superman as he is in films is defined by the generation he was filmed for. Reeves was meant for the 50's clean cut generation of kids and showing being the "Perfect American," Reeve was the 70's Superman giving American children a bright shining light in the middle of the dark world of reality, while Cavill's Superman (at least based off of Man of Steel) was the Superman who reflected kids of this generation, one who struggles with identity, where they're going in life, and what their purpose is. Maybe that's why I gravitated more towards this Cavill's version because he was a reflection of those kids in the 90's and 2000's struggling to somehow leave their mark on the world.

With Superman being a generational character, it may explain the animosity with fans and people today with the different versions of the character. A lot more people in their 40's+ now value Reeve's Superman while more kids and younger adults now will value Cavill's take. I remember for the longest time in the school yard all of my friends ragging on Superman because of Reeve's (and to a lesser extent Routh's)version, that version just doesn't reflect society or people today and because of that it resonates less than it did in 1978. Those same friends now enjoy the character because of Man of Steel, because it updated Superman for this generation.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 4:26 PM
Slapping children for "lying" and a black 70's pimp sure do stand the test of time :P
MrJedabak
MrJedabak - 12/6/2015, 5:14 PM
Can't believe this is still a thing.

Superman doesn't reverse the Earth's rotation. He just flies so fast he goes back in time, and the Earth moves backwards because time is reversing, not the other way around.

Reeve is still the best live action Superman and his first movie is still the best Superman movie to date, and one of the finest comicbook movies ever made. It has more heart and soul put into it than half the movies made today.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 6:05 PM
@ALmazing

Notice I talked about Superman here and not Batman.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 6:36 PM
@ALmazing

I'm speaking in generalities, I can't cover every single person on this planet. I notice more people in their 40's+ enjoy Reeve's interpretation while many around 25 and younger enjoy Cavill's. This isn't an argument but an evaluation.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 6:56 PM
@ALmazing

In your opinion sure.

Not in my opinion.

I'm not trying to make a MOS is better than Superman: The Movie argument here, I'm saying what Superman in film means to me.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 12/6/2015, 7:08 PM
[frick] this, I'm out.
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