Kryptonians

[Flash525]

A question on Kryptonians..

Within the DCEU, Superman, Zod, the Zod Squat and (sometime soon) Supergirl acquire their abilities from our sun.

Take a Kryptonian away from Earth, to say another planet with a sun that's different to our own (like the one that orbited Krypton once upon a time) and there's no power to be had.

All any enemy of Superman seemingly needs to do is to somehow isolate him on another world and his threat level significantly decreases. Makes you wonder why Darkseid or Steppenwolf don't simply trick him onto Alokalips.

In any case, is there a Superman comic where Kryptonians simply are all that powerful and don't rely on our sun. I think I remember hearing that Superman has flown to other worlds before, but honestly I don't see how he'd do that because after so long he'd essentially become vulnerable and die in space?

 

[Primal Slayer]

Superman travels to other worlds all the time and they kind of just play it off as those worlds also orbiting a yellow sun. Or Superman storing so much energy that he doesnt run out of it within the allotted time.

I've never been a fan of him being able to survive space without a spacesuit. Timm had him traveling via his ship.

 

[Dr.]

Superman travels to other worlds all the time and they kind of just play it off as those worlds also orbiting a yellow sun. Or Superman storing so much energy that he doesnt run out of it within the allotted time.

Yeah; back in the Silver and into the Bronze Age, Superman (and Supergirl) often undertook space travel and had several adventures on other/alien planets. And as you say, the conceit was that most of these worlds orbited yellow stars — which preserved superpowers.

I've never been a fan of him being able to survive space without a spacesuit...

Something about Supes in a spacesuit always struck me as goofy. If you want to confine him to Earth (and delegate space to, for example, the GL corps) then write only Earth-based stories. OTOH, if space-based stories prove interesting, then there’s already built-in phlebotinum: he’s frickin’ Superman! He can withstand ocean depths, fire, cold, poison gas and nuclear bombs. So surviving space wouldn’t require any additional suspension of disbelief.

I say pick one version or the other; but don’t try for a wishy-washy middle ground with spacesuits.

 

[metaphysician]

I lean "yes space ship, no space suit". Superman shouldn't need a space suit to survive in ordinary empty space. . . but he *should* need a ship to actually get to other star systems, because space is big. Which is to say, I generally prefer that Superman ( and Kryptonians in general ) be limited by relativity when trying to fly through space. If Superman wants to fly to another star he can, but the absolute best he's going to manage is "just under lightspeed", meaning even Alpha Centauri is a four year journey away.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

There is also the flip side of that, which is cannon.

Our star is puny by the standards of the universe. When Superman or Supergirl have traveled to planets circling say a blue star... Look out.

Super Sayajin Level 10.

 

[chamber-music]

The recent Future State comic had Superman trapped on a planet with a red sun which leaves him with no powers. The villain Mongul has Superman fight in his gladiatorial arena.

 

[Dr.]

There is also the flip side of that, which is canon.

Our star is puny by the standards of the universe. When Superman or Supergirl have traveled to planets circling say a blue star... Look out.

Super Sayajin Level 10.

Yep. Those classic comics writers must have taken Astronomy 101 and learned that blue stars are the hottest. Therefore, according to the Fake Science of Superheroes™: if the hot yellow star gives Supes powers, a hotter blue star will give more powers.

And if I’m recalling correctly, they sometimes went in the other direction. I.e., sometimes Supes would end up on a (slightly cooler) orange star world and have slightly reduced/intermediate powers.

FYI… a good majority of stars (~70%) are red dwarfs. So during his spacefaring adventures, the odds of Superman encountering such a star and being totally depowered were pretty good. OTOH, it’s looking like red dwarf planets may not be that conducive to life. Thus, the action/adventure is more likely taking place on habitable yellow star worlds. And even though they’re in the minority, there’d still be a few million of them in the Milky Way.