How Does Superman Fly?

[Timothy]

In the original 1938 Superman comics, the Man of Steel would leap tall buildings with a single bound because he was akin to a flea. My question for anyone here is this; how does Superman fly?

Here's my hypothesis; Superman came from the planet Krypton, which features elements currently unknown to Earth. When these alien metals came into contact with earth's metals, they reacted in a way that allowed Kal-El to repell from Earth's gravity (among many other things). It has been said that Superman is a solar battery; if this is true, he could be a living electromagnet.

Here's something from Wikipedia which I found helpful regarding electromagnets;

An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of an electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases.

Here's my theory; Earth's yellow sun energizes/powers Superman's alien physiology, thus allowing him to magnetically negate Earth's gravity.

What do you guys think of this theory?

[Papa Smurf]

hmmm... how does he turn it off? I would assume that he must store power during the daylight and then release it at night since he can fly then as well, but what would happen if he didnt want to fly for a while? Would superman explode?

As for magnetic repulsion, that would be a problem if he moved to the southern hemisphere. and he would have troubles when working with metals.

no, the method superman has for flying is this: Superman stays still and he moves the entire universe around him.

[Timothy]

Alright, that's one theory...

Does anyone else have any idea how Superman flies?

[diggidydave420]

thinks about happy thoughts (wait...thats Peter Pan), umm, maybe because he's Kryptonian his body physics are different than humans and his bones are hollow but indestructible so he can't break as easily as an old lady slipping on ice...and when he's Clark he has to waer special boots that keep him grounded??

[Timothy]

May 14, 2008 18:36:53 GMT -5 diggidydave420 said:

thinks about happy thoughts (wait...thats Peter Pan), umm, maybe because he's Kryptonian his body physics are different than humans and his bones are hollow but indestructible so he can't break as easily as an old lady slipping on ice...and when he's Clark he has to waer special boots that keep him grounded??

Hmm... The part about hollow bones reminds me of birds; I'll consult my sister on this one (she knows a surprising amount of knowledge on all kinds of animals) to see if Superman could fly in a similar fashion to a bird.