• Question: Do you think any 'super powers' are possible? If so, which ones and why?

    Asked by to Matthew on 14 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Matthew Malek

      Matthew Malek answered on 14 Mar 2014:

      This is the most fun question I’ve had all day! Thanks, binks!

      I’ve been reading superhero comics since I was a teenager and, yes, I do believe that some “super powers” are physically possible. Not some of the most outlanding ones, of course! We aren’t going to see anybody stretching like Plastic Man or crawling walls after a bite from a radioactive (or genetically modified) spider! And don’t even get start on space cops like the Green Lantern Corp, who turn willpower into solid energy! 😀

      Super-powers that might be possible include speedsters, like the Flash. Running at the speed of light? Not going to happen, but there have been times when the Flash has been limited to much more realistic speeds.

      In general, a lot of the niche super powers, like shooting energy beams out of your eyes (Cyclops) or changing form when you shout a wizards name (Shazam!), aren’t going to happen. But some of the “core” powers that crop up over and over — like enhanced strength and increased invulnerability — may be possible with human enhancement. Flight may also be possible with a bit of external enhancement (e.g. jetpacks — see here: http://www.martinjetpack.com/).

      My favourite super hero is Iron Man. Of course, his powers come from the suit of high tech armor that he wears. As our electronic tech gets better and better, I don’t see why we couldn’t have a suit of Iron Man armor built sometime in the next couple of decades!

      Again, nice question! Now I have a question for you: Do you have any favourite super heroes? (If so, which?)

Comments

  • binks commented on :

    I’ve been a big superhero fan since I was little, and that’s what inspired this question. My favourite superhero would probably have to be Thor, because of all the tie ins with Norse mythology and his connections to Loki! Thanks for answering 🙂

    • Photo: Matthew

      Matthew commented on :

      You’re quite welcome! 🙂

      If you want to know more about the physics of superheroes, check out a book called “The Physics of Superheroes” by James Kakalios. It’s pretty good!

      Also, I met the author once, when I worked at Fermilab. He came out to give a talk, and we went to dinner after. I’m afraid I’m a die hard superhero geek! ;-D