Superman’s Punches Can Literally Set The Earth on Fire

Superman is, hands down, one of the most powerful superheroes ever created, and is easily the most powerful DC Comics superhero. His abilities may have grown and evolved since his introduction in 1939, but he is one of the most consistently powerful characters in the medium, if not the whole of fiction, and when he can let go, some of the most iconic moments in DC history are the result. And while there are some limits to what he can do, it is almost a joke that Superman is wildly over-powered. But perhaps his true capabilities are highlighted by how he can actually affect entire planets and their atmospheres. While Superman is not always portrayed as resorting to brute strength to solve every problem he faces, it is surprising when punching his problems actually solves them.

In the pages of 2014’s Batman/Superman #7, Superman uses his brute strength in a rather unique way, further showing off just how ridiculously powerful he is. This issue kicks off with Batman and Superman already in the middle of a fistfight; Batman has been infected with nanites by Mongul, who has used a special pollen to infect the population of Metropolis. The inhabitants of the city, meanwhile, have become addicted to a video game which controls Batman, anticipating Superman’s next attack to within a fraction of a second, giving Batman an advantage. Essentially, the players are being used to calculate every possible counterattack Superman can come up with, and Batman counters accordingly.

Played like a video game character, and enhanced in a mechanical suit, Batman has the upper hand. The battle leads through Metropolis, inflicting damage to buildings and vehicles alike, before the battle leads high up in the upper atmosphere. There, the two heroes discover a ring of satellites Mongul is using to dispense his pollen, and control his unwitting mind-controlled gamers. Superman turns on the satellites, attempting to destroy them, before Mongul activates a force-field that shrouds both the satellites, and Earth’s atmosphere. Hoping to break through, Superman smashes into the atmosphere, igniting the clouds in flame.

The combination of Mongul’s devices, and Superman’s brute power is enough to damage even the atmosphere itself, and forces Superman to try a completely different tactic: allowing Batman to win their battle. By the rules Mongul himself set up for this “game”, Superman losing to Batman frees up Batman from the  control of the nanites, and together they  beat Mongul into submission, and lock him in the Phantom Zone.

This isn’t the first time Superman has used punching as an unexpected means to an end, nor has it been the hardest he’d ever let himself go. But in the annals of the DC Universe, Superman’s punches have sometimes even changed the course of reality itself (which…is a weird way to reboot a comic universe, if we’re being honest). That being said, there’s still plenty of opportunity to explore the full range of Superman’s abilities, as his are continually evolving and changing. The next time a problem comes his way and Superman decides to punch it until it works itself out, Batman might just have to take a step back and see what happens.