Summary
Warning: Spoilers for Action Comics #1066DC has finally given an answer to the age-old fan question of whetherSupermancan breathe in space. It’s an iconic image: the Man of Steel floating outside the atmosphere, looking over the globe protectively. The idea emphasizes both his belonging to Earth and his origins outside it. While it’s well established that Superman can safely go into space without a helmet, the “villain” Livewire finally reveals the truth:Superman holds his breath.
InAction Comics#1066 by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, and Miguel Mendonca, as the Superman Family prepares to escape Brainiac’s ship, Livewire notices a problem. The spaceship they’re on,previously powered by the Brainiac Queen, won’t hold together long enough to get everyone safely back to earth.
Surrounded by Supers,the quasi-reformed villain points out to the group that “some of us can’t hold our breath in space.“None of the assembled Kryptonians and part-Kryptonians correct her - implying that yes, while in space,Superman and other Kryptonians simply hold their breath.
Superman’s Powers Originally Didn’t Come from the Sun, But Something Much Weirder
Superman’s powers come from the yellow sun, but that wasn’t always the case. Originally, Superman’s powers came from somewhere weirder.
Superman Holds His Breath in Space (Like Other Kryptonians)
Panel from the story “Generations” by Daniel Warren Johnson inSuperman: Red and Blue#5
The degree to which Superman is inhumanly powerful has fluctuated over the years; some iterations of Superman don’t need to eat, while others are voracious eaters. Superman’s “human needs” are often decided by the creative teams on duty at that given time. One standard is his ability to go to space without a suit or spaceship. Often, readers see him traveling the globe by leaving the atmosphere and reentering it on the other side of the planet. However,Superman’s abilities can’t make air existwhere it does not, andouter space is an airless vacuum, even in the DC Universe.
It’s a touching thought: Superman carries a breath of air from Earth everywhere he goes.
Itwould follow that Supermancan’t speak in space — or can only speak for the short time the air in his lungs allows. However, as far back as 1949, inSuperman#57 by Edmond Hamilton, William Woolfolk, and Wayne Boring,Superman isable to speak while outside the atmosphere. When Brainiac is introduced in 1958, in Otto Binder and Al Plastino’sAction Comics#242,Superman has a frustrated argument with Brainiac while throwing chunks of planet at his ship. It’s possible that, without molecules of air to carry the sound, Superman is directly vibrating his words into listening eardrums.
Kryptonian Indestructibility Comes in Many Forms
Superman’s Powers Are Always Evolving
While Superman sometimes wears armor in space, which includes a helmet,Livewire implies that he doesn’t need a helmet to breath.The classic image of Superman hovering above the Earth proves he doesn’t need it. Decades of Superman flying through space, walking and talking without air supply on nearly every planet he visits, show that Superman can exist safely in anaerobic environments. The nobility of these iconic moments may seem spoiled by Livewire’s impression.However, it’s a touching thought:Supermancarries a breath of air from Earth everywhere he goes.
ACTION COMICS #1066 (2024)
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
