superheroes vs. the laws of physics

[The Question]

I thought he was powered by solar rays, but the beams were some kind of energy that carries "force but no heat".

If they're visible EM radiation, then they're light by definition. (Whether laser light or otherwise.) But that doesn't seem to be the consistent with the "force but no heat" claim. An intense beam of light can certainly melt things.

Red light is visible. Way I see it, it isn't so much a kinetic force as it is flash melting.

But it's still not being absorbed by her eyes, so what's the difference?

Who say's it's not being absorbed into her eyes? Her force feilds refract light around her so we see what's behind her instead of her. Never once did I say that no light entered her eyes.

 

[XFanTim]

Red light is visible. Way I see it, it isn't so much a kinetic force as it is flash melting.

If Marvel actually explained his powers that way, it would make more sense. However:

Cyclops possesses the mutant ability to project a beam of heatless ruby-colored concussive force from his eyes

From Cyclops' page on marvel.com

Who says it's not being absorbed into her eyes? Her force feilds refract light around her so we see what's behind her instead of her. Never once did I say that no light entered her eyes.

I don't understand what you're trying to say. Either all the light goes around her body (including her eyes), or some of the light hits her eyes. If her eyes are absorbing a significant amount of light, we'd see darkened spots where her pupils are. Unless her body is actually producing light to compensate -- which, come to think of it, might be a better explanation. But only if she can also make other people's bodies emit light when she turns them invisible.

Alternative explanation: Invisible Woman's eyes do absorb some light, but it's so little that the effect isn't noticable. Her eyes are just super sensitive to light to compensate. The problem with this (other than the fact that I just pulled it out of my ass) is that she must somehow be making other people's eyes more sensitive to light too, so that they can still see when she turns them invisible.

 

[XFanTim]

I feel like I may be coming across a bit nit-picky. I do want to re-emphasize that I don't actually expect comics to follow real world physics. I'm perfectly willing to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy a story. I just think it's amusing to think about what would happen if the heroes' powers were constrained by real-world science.

 

[The Question]

If Marvel actually explained his powers that way, it would make more sense. However:

From Cyclops' page on marvel.com

Didn't know that.

I don't understand what you're trying to say. Either all the light goes around her body (including her eyes), or some of the light hits her eyes. If her eyes are absorbing a significant amount of light, we'd see darkened spots where her pupils are. Unless her body is actually producing light to compensate -- which, come to think of it, might be a better explanation. But only if she can also make other people's bodies emit light when she turns them invisible.

No. She generates a force feild that refracts light around her body. Instead of her, we see what's behind her. But she's not transparent. Her eyes still absorb light. It's just we don't see them, because the feild is in front of them, like it is with the rest of her body.

I feel like I may be coming across a bit nit-picky. I do want to re-emphasize that I don't actually expect comics to follow real world physics. I'm perfectly willing to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy a story. I just think it's amusing to think about what would happen if the heroes' powers were constrained by real-world science.

I personally, like it if powers are, to a degree, kept within the realms of real world science. Or at the very least made to seem like they're being kept within the realm of real world science. Otherwise, you tend to get really stupid and over the top moments. Surprisingly, alot fewer powers actually completely break the laws of physics than you'd think. The only ones that really **** with the laws of physics are the magic users, and even they could conceivably be explained by a variation of schrodinger's cat theory.

 

[XFanTim]

Another common physics goof in comics is when someone is falling from a great height, they're about to hit the ground, and then at the last possible second the hero catches them. Often the hero saves them when they're mere inches away from being splattered on the pavement.

The one problem: It's the sudden stop at the end of a fall that kills you. Whether it's the ground that stops you or a person doesn't really make a difference. The problem is that your body is slowed down way too fast.

The Death of Gwen Stacy got this right, but more often comics seem to get it wrong.

Yeah, poetic liscence, I know. Catching someone 20 ft up and gradually slowing them to a halt wouldn't be as exciting.

 

[The Question]

They actually mentioned that in PAD's Captain Marvel. Rick Jone's wife fell out of Captain Marvel's arms when he was flying her from Canada to L.A., and he mentioned that he had to catch up with her and slow both of them down together so her neck wouldn't snap when he caught her.

 

[XFanTim]

I personally, like it if powers are, to a degree, kept within the realms of real world science. Or at the very least made to seem like they're being kept within the realm of real world science. Otherwise, you tend to get really stupid and over the top moments. Surprisingly, alot fewer powers actually completely break the laws of physics than you'd think. The only ones that really **** with the laws of physics are the magic users, and even they could conceivably be explained by a variation of schrodinger's cat theory.

I think usually the most unrealistic aspect of a hero's powers is not the powers themselves, but how he got them in the first place. (E.g., bomb goes off, and instead of killing you, you get powers. You're exposed to radiation, and instead of getting cancer, you get powers. Etc.) But I have to give the writers a pass on this one -- if they weren't willing to pretend that it's a lot easier to get super-powers than it is in real life, then the Marvel and DC Universes would be a lot less interesting.

 

[XFanTim]

No. She generates a force feild that refracts light around her body. Instead of her, we see what's behind her. But she's not transparent. Her eyes still absorb light. It's just we don't see them, because the feild is in front of them, like it is with the rest of her body.

Still not following you here. If all the light is bent (i.e. refracted) around her body, then how does any of it get to her eyes to be absorbed?

 

[XFanTim]

They actually mentioned that in PAD's Captain Marvel. Rick Jone's wife fell out of Captain Marvel's arms when he was flying her from Canada to L.A., and he mentioned that he had to catch up with her and slow both of them down together so her neck wouldn't snap when he caught her.

That's cool.

Personally, I've always wanted to see Superman try to catch someone, realize he doesn't have enough room to safely slow them to a stop, and then use his heat vision to bore a hole in the ground and give himself the extra few feet he needs.

 

[The Question]

I think usually the most unrealistic aspect of a hero's powers is not the powers themselves, but how he got them in the first place. (E.g., bomb goes off, and instead of killing you, you get powers. You're exposed to radiation, and instead of getting cancer, you get powers. Etc.) But I have to give the writers a pass on this one -- if they weren't willing to pretend that it's a lot easier to get super-powers than it is in real life, then the Marvel and DC Universes would be a lot less interesting.

Very true. The Hulk's powers (for the most part), break no laws of physics and are actually biologically possible, albiet if you change a few minor details and to a much lesser degree. But how he got his powers makes no real sense. Now, Ultimate Hulk's origin makes alot more sense. He got his powers from a super steroid. Since The Hulk's powers resemble the overuse of certain steroids (to a much larger degree, of course), then this does make sense. The only real thing that's impossible is the fact that he gains a **** load of mass from nothing. But even then, Ultimate Hulk seems more plausible, since the instant he starts changing he gets really ****ing hungry.

Still not following you here. If all the light is bent (i.e. refracted) around her body, then how does any of it get to her eyes to be absorbed?

Did I say all light? No. Obviously, some light still gets to her. I'd assume that as the feild refracts the light, it also allows it to enter her eyes.

That's cool.



Personally, I've always wanted to see Superman try to catch someone, realize he doesn't have enough room to safely slow them to a stop, and then use his heat vision to bore a hole in the ground and give himself the extra few feet he needs.

Yeah. Something like that'd be cool.



Ooh. I just remembered. At Superman's current power levles, he breaks the laws of physics all the time. Let me explain:


In recent years, it has been explained that Superman can survive a force equivalent of one million nuclear explosions, but be left very very injured. Now, that means that his villains like Parasite, Metallo, Bizarro, Brainiac, and so on, must exert a force somewhere around that level to hurt Superman. That also means that Superman must be able to exert a similar amount of force, since most of his enemies are in or around his strength level. Now, if theu punches exert a force somewhere around the levle of one million nuclear explosions, then how come there's still any life left on Earth? Wouldn't the shockwaves generated by their blows flatten most of the U.S., if not the world?

 

[XFanTim]

In recent years, it has been explained that Superman can survive a force equivalent of one million nuclear explosions, but be left very very injured. Now, that means that his villains like Parasite, Metallo, Bizarro, Brainiac, and so on, must exert a force somewhere around that level to hurt Superman. That also means that Superman must be able to exert a similar amount of force, since most of his enemies are in or around his strength level. Now, if theu punches exert a force somewhere around the levle of one million nuclear explosions, then how come there's still any life left on Earth? Wouldn't the shockwaves generated by their blows flatten most of the U.S., if not the world?

This is a good one. You've got guys running around who can literally smash planets, and yet they can duke it out in a major city with relatively little property damage?

 

[The Question]

That's my main point for toning down Superman's power levels. His punches exerting the force of a tactical missile makes a good deal more sense.

 

[Guyverjay]

Dragonball has the worse "physics" in comics period

 

[Flash Fearless]

Nightcrawler: I have no idea how he does what he does (especially being invisible when he's in shadows) and I really, really don't care how he does it.

 

[The Question]

Actually, while not biologically possible (as far as I know), Kurt's teleportation is physically possible. He's bacially opening mino wormholes.

 

[Kotagg]

Nah, there are major problems even with that explanation. Any miniature singularities would suck in the matter around them, such as the air, ground, trees, etc.

No, Nightcrawler's powers have been explained as using the Dark Matter than Cloak uses - meaning they are "magic," and thus completely outside of science.

 

[The Question]

Nah, there are major problems even with that explanation. Any miniature singularities would suck in the matter around them, such as the air, ground, trees, etc.

Actually, they do do that. To a degree. The puff of smoke is the atmosphere of the space between his BAMPHs. I'd assume that they're not open long enough to suck up much of anything besides him.

No, Nightcrawler's powers have been explained as using the Dark Matter than Cloak uses - meaning they are "magic," and thus completely outside of science.

Since when does the darkforce have to mean magic is involved? And why does magic have to be completely outside of science? I mean, in Marvel at least, magic and science don't seem completely contradictory. Anyway, Nightcrawler doesn't use the darkforce. He opens mini wor holes. The space in between them is the darkforce dimension.

 

[deemar325]

How can Wolverine's body produce blood cell if his skeleton is covered in metal?

 

[The Question]

I think the bones were laced with metal in such a way as they didn't interfere with the production of blood cells.

 

[deemar325]

Very true. The Hulk's powers (for the most part), break no laws of physics and are actually biologically possible, albiet if you change a few minor details and to a much lesser degree. But how he got his powers makes no real sense. Now, Ultimate Hulk's origin makes alot more sense. He got his powers from a super steroid. Since The Hulk's powers resemble the overuse of certain steroids (to a much larger degree, of course), then this does make sense. The only real thing that's impossible is the fact that he gains a **** load of mass from nothing. But even then, Ultimate Hulk seems more plausible, since the instant he starts changing he gets really ****ing hungry.

That's pretty brilliant. I never thought of it like that.

 

[deemar325]

I think the bones were laced with metal in such a way as they didn't interfere with the production of blood cells.

The only thing I can think of is if the metal was porus.

 

[Vanguard07]

Yeah i imagine that the metal is porous. Also Nightcrawler does do the mini wormhole thing. And yes his powers would suck up all kindsa extra matter if the wormholes were open for long enough. They're only open long enough to get him in though then they instantly close.

The invisible in shadows is just supposed to be a biological camouflage i think. (Like tigers in tall grass. You just cant see them.) he's not actually invisible in darkness it's just the nature of his appearance that makes him hard to see in the dark.

Here's one that always kinda bugged me. Spiderman sticking to walls.
Yes it's been explained in a bunch of different ways (tiny spikes in his pores, static electricity etc) and thats not the part that bugs me.
It's WHAT he sticks to holding him up that bugs me. Like you often see him crawling around inside buildings and houses and such and the walls support him. I dont know about you but the Dry-wall in my house can barely hold up a shelf without it being driven into a stud. I seriously doubt it could hold up a full sized person. How do the walls support him when he's just sticking to the surface?

 

[deemar325]

I suppose it's the surface area he maintains with his arms and legs spread out far enough apart it lesson his center of gravity and spreads his weight out enough for him to stick evenly.

 

[The Question]

Well, he only usually sticks to concrete or metal buildings. Those would support his eights pretty well, I think. I actually don't think he's ever stuck to a dry wall surface before.

 

[deemar325]

Man we are some Uber Geeks.