World Reversing time itself

[Zor-El]

My grandfather recently acquired some magazines at an auction and among them were some silver age superman comics. One of them was Superman #157 from November of 1962. In it, we are introduced to Quex-Ul whose Phantom Zone sentence is just about up. (It's also the first time Superman learns of Gold K) anyway, Superman decides to investigate to see if Quex-Ul was justly punished, "Well-- There's one way to find out!" then the little narration box says, "Shortly, Superman hurls himself through space at awesome velocity, so that he pierces the time-barrier..." And we see Superman quite literally passing decades.
Now, I know this is an illogical power and it's been one of the headaches/imperfections of Superman: The Movie. But I found it very interesting that this "power" came from the comics. I mean, naturally, if any interpretation of Superman had this ability, it'd be the Silver Age Superman. But I just thought that it seemed to be a little known fact that going back in time is a power that came from the comics.
Did anyone know this already?

 

[afan]

Sure, he would regularly travel thru time.
Super-hypnosis was another of his talents, and frequently used to make people forget, sound familiar(amnesia kiss).

 

[Catman]

Now you know why some people hate Superman.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

My grandfather recently acquired some magazines at an auction and among them were some silver age superman comics. One of them was Superman #157 from November of 1962. In it, we are introduced to Quex-Ul whose Phantom Zone sentence is just about up. (It's also the first time Superman learns of Gold K) anyway, Superman decides to investigate to see if Quex-Ul was justly punished, "Well-- There's one way to find out!" then the little narration box says, "Shortly, Superman hurls himself through space at awesome velocity, so that he pierces the time-barrier..." And we see Superman quite literally passing decades.
Now, I know this is an illogical power and it's been one of the headaches/imperfections of Superman: The Movie. But I found it very interesting that this "power" came from the comics. I mean, naturally, if any interpretation of Superman had this ability, it'd be the Silver Age Superman. But I just thought that it seemed to be a little known fact that going back in time is a power that came from the comics.
Did anyone know this already?

In the Silver Age, which was a long, long period, Superman was capable of just about anything. He had super intelligence, super ventriloquism, super scientific skills, everything. He was incredibly powerful and talented in almost every aspect of life. A lot like myself in that respect.

 

[Catman]

In the Silver Age, which was a long, long period, Superman was capable of just about anything. He had super intelligence, super ventriloquism, super scientific skills, everything. He was incredibly powerful and talented in almost every aspect of life. A lot like myself in that respect.

 

[dude stannis]

On the doomed planet Krypton a wise scientist placed his infant son into a spacecraft and launched him to Earth.

Raised by a kind farmer and his wife to boy grew up to become the Superhero Hype's greatest poster... Kevin Roegle.

 

[Lead Cenobite]

Now you know why some people hate Superman.

And what's funny is they're basing their opinion it off powers Superman had before they were born. Ok, so some of them were around back then, but you can't honestly tell me the people who write crap like "superman sucks he's too powerful spider-man would kick his ass" are over the age of 12.

 

[<(o_o)>]

If Superman reversed time & just came back to earth without putting the earth back in its correct rotation is there a good chance that there would be 2 of him existing in the same time? What would possibly happen if 2 supermans existed in the same time, would they cancel each other out & one make the other ill & vice versa so one would probably have to die for the other to live etc or would they be able to coexist in harmony without any problem arising?

 

[Dino Pollard]

If Superman reversed time & just came back to earth without putting the earth back in its correct rotation is there a good chance that there would be 2 of him existing in the same time? What would possibly happen if 2 supermans existed in the same time, would they cancel each other out & one make the other ill & vice versa so one would probably have to die for the other to live etc or would they be able to coexist in harmony without any problem arising?

If he didn't put the earth back in rotation, chances are it would just continue to rotate in the wrong direction, although at the regular pace.

 

[Angeloz]

I took it as he travelled back in time and the Earth appeared to spin backward because time was reversed from his point of view. So the rotation appeared to be going backward. But again it was from Superman's perspective when travelling to the past. Basically it's like if I walk forwards and someone travelled into the past while observing me then I appear to walk backwards. I don't know if any of you have seen "Red Dwarf" but they landed on a world where time moved backwards. It's like that if you know it. By the way that may not be the official explaination but it makes more sense than reversing the Earths rotation - which has nothing whatsoever to do with time travel in theory currently.

Angeloz

 

[blind_fury]

According wik, Superman doesn't reverse time he goes back in time. (at the end of the plot description)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_(1978_film)

Does anyone know Donner's personal take on it?

 

[Angeloz]

You do know reverse means to go backward?

Angeloz

 

[Dino Pollard]

You do know reverse means to go backward?

He didn't say go backward, he said go back. That's the difference. To go back in time is to just travel through time. To reverse time means to have time itself go backward and continue to go backward.

In Back to the Future, Marty goes back in time. In Philip K. Dick's Counter Clock World, time itself is reversing.

 

[Angeloz]

He didn't say go backward, he said go back. That's the difference. To go back in time is to just travel through time. To reverse time means to have time itself go backward and continue to go backward.

In Back to the Future, Marty goes back in time. In Philip K. Dick's Counter Clock World, time itself is reversing.

OK. So maybe it explains why he went the other way around the world before he landed (flew the other direction or "forwards" i.e. with the rotation). As he had made time reverse or travel the other way. So he had to make it go forward. Or really himself. Because I think he was the one travelling backward (so time was in the reverse direction from his point of view).

Angeloz

 

[mathhater]

Well regardless of whatever it really was...time reversal or time travel, that one thing is all that keeps Superman: The Movie from getting a perfect 10 from me. Everything else about that movie was nailed 100% perfectly for me...but I just have to dock points for that one element...it's just too implausible no matter how you look at it.

S: TM's still my favorite movie though...

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I realize the idea that Superman went back in time to save Lois from death doesn't entirely work because we don't actually see Superman do anything but fly around the Earth. If only this scene was in the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlGEvEvRilc

 

[CLARKY]

Now you know why some people hate Superman.

Or they hate Superman because they don't know what they're talking about.

And what's funny is they're basing their opinion it off powers Superman had before they were born. Ok, so some of them were around back then, but you can't honestly tell me the people who write crap like "superman sucks he's too powerful spider-man would kick his ass" are over the age of 12.

agreed.

 

[afan]

I realize the idea that Superman went back in time to save Lois from death doesn't entirely work because we don't actually see Superman do anything but fly around the Earth. If only this scene was in the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlGEvEvRilc

Never saw this before, is it a fan-film or original footage? Sure looks like original footage, and would have helped the ending of STM immensely(not that it needed a lot of help).