"Great Scott! Great Krypton! Great Rao!" and other Superman expletives past...

[Buried Alien]

During the Silver/Bronze Age, Superman (across multiple media) often uttered such expletives as "Great Scott!", "Great Krypton!", or "Great Rao!" during moments of surprise or dismay. It was a convention of that era that largely disappeared after the Post-COIE reboot.

Would you like to see, within moderation, some return of this old Superman quirk? I feel his narrative "voice" has been missing something since he began eschewing these expressions Post-COIE. It doesn't need to be excessively frequent as it was in the past, but something we see at select, appropriate moments.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

well I don't want "great scott" back, he's superman, it's 2019 and he's not doc brown. But the others I'd be happy to see come back. Actually it might be better if Kara gets "Great Krypton!" and "Great Rao" instead of Kal. Makes more sense for her, given she actually remembers Krypton. And maybe he later picks up some of her verbal habits after spending time with her.

[Kuwagaton]

I don't think "Great Scott!" disappeared until the mid 90s. Although many fictional characters like Batman also used to say it, I don't remember people saying stuff like that in my life. So I'm fine with them gone. But there's a certain charm to him borrowing "Caesar's Ghost." I remember "Great Rao!" had a comeback last decade or so.

[Buried Alien]

"Great Scott" is admittedly dated. Even when it was in common use during the Silver Age, I doubt most readers knew its origins.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jackalope89]

In the latest Super Sons, Jon actually exclaimed, "Great Scott!" at one point, though it had Damian wondering what that was supposed to mean. lol

[Buried Alien]

In the latest Super Sons, Jon actually exclaimed, "Great Scott!" at one point, though it had Damian wondering what that was supposed to mean. lol

It's definitely a relic from the 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century.

The origins of "Great Scott!"

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Frontier]

I still get a kick out of a "Great Scott" and "Great Rao" every now and then, comics, cartoons, or otherwise .

[Jon Clark]

I'm kind of glad in retrospect to see some of these go.

Great Krypton and even more Great Rao sound unnatural to me. Like Batman saying "Good Terra" or Diana exclaiming "Mighty Zeus" rather than "ischyró Día" (or the ancient equivalent). If Superman needs something I'd rather it be some Kryptonian phrase rather than English (and then moreso Supergirl using it).

I don't necessarily mind the idea of Clark (not Superman) possibly using out of date slang as a character trait. Or Perry using the "Great Caesar's Ghost" or Elvis stuff for similar purpose.

[seismic-2]

Wasn't it a Nu 52 issue where Kara exclaimed "Rao's beard!"? I liked that one.

[Jim Kelly]

I have a predilection for using old timey expressions. I think they're nifty. I don't often find myself saying "Great Scott" but I could see how such an ejaculation of dismay might enter into my repertoire of oaths. I never knew my father to utter a foul word in my presence--the worst things he would say were "darn" and "heck." And I'm on my best behaviour around family and in the general public. I might curse in private or if I'm with a certain selection of associates--but I definitely try to avoid those mundane four letter words.

I think there's a feedback loop in the brain, where if a certain declaration tickles your fancy, then you're likely to say it again. And it becomes habit. So if you get a positive feedback from saying "Great Krypton" or "By Gum" then it will become part of your vocabulary without need for consideration. I'd much prefer those colourful cries to the bland sort we hear and see too often. It says something about the characters that their brains have glommed onto specific turns of phrase, such that those are second nature to them now.

[qwertyuiop1998]

I'm kind of glad in retrospect to see some of these go.

Great Krypton and even more Great Rao sound unnatural to me. Like Batman saying "Good Terra" or Diana exclaiming "Mighty Zeus" rather than "ischyró Día" (or the ancient equivalent). If Superman needs something I'd rather it be some Kryptonian phrase rather than English (and then moreso Supergirl using it).

I don't necessarily mind the idea of Clark (not Superman) possibly using out of date slang as a character trait. Or Perry using the "Great Caesar's Ghost" or Elvis stuff for similar purpose.

That is what I thought, Superman family(kryptonians part)should using they own original language otherwise it make me feeling weird

[Falcon16]

"Great Lightning!" oh wait wrong character

[LordUltimus]

The "Great Krypton" and "Great Rao" made sense pre-Crisis when he arrived as a four year old with perfect memory. Not so much post-Crisis.

[Digifiend]

Wasn't it a Nu 52 issue where Kara exclaimed "Rao's beard!"? I liked that one.

Well, Rao is God, isn't he? So that one does make sense. Thor in Marvel comics sometimes says "Odin's Beard".

These catchphrases were common across the board until the 1980s. Marvel made fun of it in New Warriors. Both Nova and Namorita had been around since the 1970s. Nova used to say "Blue Blazes!" and Namorita (who bear in mind, is an Atlantean) would say "Suffering Shad!". They teased each other about it, in a 90s era where censored swearing was usually used instead.

[Falcon16]

I honestly think my favorite expletive though is Black Vulcan's "Great Lightning!" It's just so adorable!