Superman's Most Iconic Power Didn't Come From The Comics
One of Superman’s most famous powers is his ability to fly, but this originated in one of his most influential adaptations, not the comics. Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes in both the DC Comics pantheon and the genre itself, having reshaped pop culture in his 1938 Action Comics debut. Superman didn’t arrive at newsstands fully formed, however, and just as his characterization, enemies, and supporting cast have gradually evolved, so too have his powers, with one of his most iconic abilities coming from the Fleischer Studios animated shorts.
In Superman’s first appearance, his powers were far tamer than what readers and viewers are used to today. Superman’s abilities initially consisted of superhuman strength, speed, and durability, and while he couldn’t fly, he could leap an eighth of a mile. Later stories would introduce powers like heat vision and ice breath, but Superman’s famous means of transportation didn’t debut in the comics.
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The seventeen Superman animated short films by Fleisher Studios (later renamed Famous Studios) introduced Superman’s ability to fly in their first installment. The Fleischer brothers were unsatisfied with how Superman leaping through Metropolis looked in animation, so they contacted DC Comics and asked if they could have Superman fly. With the publisher’s permission, Superman officially took flight in 1941’s “The Mad Scientist,” and the Man of Steel’s powers of flight instantly became one of his most famous abilities.
Superman’s power of flight is explained in various ways in the comics over the years, but it ultimately amounts to Kal-El having autonomous control over the gravity field surrounding his body.
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