Question on Superman Transporting a Person In Emergency

[Mia]

If SM had to transport someone, say a doctor from LA to New York to perform an emergency operation. How would he carry the doctor? Would he need to have that person inside of some kind of container/vehicle so that they could not be harmed? And what would be the maximum speed that Superman could transport the person? Thanks in advance.

[daBronzeBomma]

Comic Book physics is touch-and-go at best.

Usually its some combination of his personal bio-field enveloping them and/or his unique costume shielding them from the rigors of super-speed flight.

[Mia]

Great! Thanks for the information!

[Vanguard-01]

If SM had to transport someone, say a doctor from LA to New York to perform an emergency operation. How would he carry the doctor? Would he need to have that person inside of some kind of container/vehicle so that they could not be harmed? And what would be the maximum speed that Superman could transport the person? Thanks in advance.

This is the kind of thing that often gets handwaved in Superman stories. Most writers just don't deal with real-world physics when it comes to Superman's powers. His famous "Catching Lois Lane in midair as she falls from a plane or skyscraper" moment, according to physics, should result in Lois splattering like an overripe tomato. But that would be lame storytelling so it just tends to get ignored.

In your scenario, Superman would either simply fly the doctor to LA at the "speed of Plot" and arrive just in time or he'd forgo the doctor altogether and fly to LA, read every medical textbook in the library, and then perform the surgery himself at superspeed. IF the writer felt like bowing to the Laws of Physics at all, Superman would solve the speed issue by wrapping the doctor up in his indestructible cape or something. Or, he'd hand the doctor off to one of the Green Lanterns and have him or her fly him over in a force bubble or something.

[JAK]

Though, since Superman isn't always able to do "round-trip", he may want to have the doctor in a car so the person could somehow get back.

[Kuwagaton]

Basically the most I've seen is just wrapping people with the cape.

[Doctor Know]

Insert something about telekinetic flight protecting people and objects Superman carries at super sonic speeds.


Or we can go with the Donner film explanation. That Superman defies gravity and the friction/g-force/torque that occurs normally is applies to objects at those speeds is negated.


OR because he's Superman.

[Lightning Rider]

I don't really like the idea that Superman naturally protects people with an aura like Flash does with the Speed Force.

Apparently 900mph is the speed at which the air resistance starts to physically rip the skin off a person. I think Superman even just wrapping a person with his arms helps reduce a lot of air resistance.

More likely he'd call them and ask how to do it himself.

[DochaDocha]

I'm in favor of adding more real-world physics to the list of things Superman has to overcome. It's a way to help address the issue that Superman is seemingly too powerful without actually doing anything to limit his powers. In other words, the real-world physics issues would mean there are hurdles to overcome that his powers don't necessarily solve. For combined universe stories, it helps guys like GL and Flash have a more defined niche. GL can put you in a bubble, and Flash's Speed Force connection overcomes friction and air resistance, etc.

So back to the question at hand: I liked the idea in All-Star Superman where he let Lois sit in her car while he flew it to the North Pole.

EDIT: Maybe that should've been a toy to sell, the Superman Rescue Pod. I can storyboard the TV advertisement!

pod.jpg

[The Frozen Reptile]

As long as we talk science, all wavelengthsof light are all over space. He shouldn't be able to travel in space at all due to the prescence of red sun radiation everywhere.

[Darkseid Is]

As long as we talk science, all wavelengthsof light are all over space. He shouldn't be able to travel in space at all due to the prescence of red sun radiation everywhere.

I've never gave this much thought but I've always just assumed a run sun is very rare. Who knows...

[DochaDocha]

As long as we talk science, all wavelengthsof light are all over space. He shouldn't be able to travel in space at all due to the prescence of red sun radiation everywhere.

Does it matter if he's bombarded simultaneously by yellow and red? I don't know if there's a consistent, set rule about that.