Superman and the doubt of an iconic slogan today

Superman is one of the world’s oldest superheroes, but the Man of Steel has changed with the times and his old motto hasn’t changed with him.

Superman is one of the world’s greatest heroes and wields one of the most iconic power sets in the DC Universe. From his untold strength to his incredible hearing, Clark Kent wields abilities far greater than any mortal man. And while the Man of Steel is still faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, his ability to jump tall buildings in a single bound no longer carries much weight.

The “Best pt in the world”. The 5” backup story by Tom King and Belén Ortega in Wonder Woman #8 highlights the outdated nature behind Superman’s world-famous saying. Discussing her “uncles” with a samurai during a time-travel adventure, Lizzie Prince fails to complete Clark’s fan-favorite catchphrase and says, “I forgot. It’s like a thing that jumps, but does it fly? Don’t know. I do not understand that”. While this is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek moment to establish the new Wonder Girl’s closeness to her superhero family, it does raise a valid point. After all, Superman doesn’t jump around much these days.

Superman can do a lot more than jump

As the ultimate superhero, Superman’s physical attributes are arguably the strongest in the DC Universe. Since his powers have only grown since his debut in Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Describing Clark as “faster than a speeding bullet” or “more powerful than a locomotive” are possibly an understatement, but it’s his jumping ability that really stands out. Even if he couldn’t fly, Superman still wields powers that can destroy planets. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that the Man of Steel has legs strong enough to jump over a skyscraper.

In his initial debut, jumping was Kal-El’s primary means of transportation, and his ability to fly was not officially stated as canon in the comics until 1944’s Superman #30, by Don C. Cameron, Ira Yarbrough, and Stan Kaye. But in the decades since, Superman’s power has grown exponentially to the point where he is one of DC’s strongest beings. Considering he has abilities like microscopic vision and his solar flare in his arsenal, Lizzie Prince is absolutely right that Superman’s incredible jumping abilities simply aren’t as notable as they once were.

Man of Steel’s obstacles are much greater in modern times

Superman will always be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and capable of jumping tall buildings in a single bound.. But Clark Kent has long proven that he’s capable of more than that, and while the catchphrase is an iconic piece of Man of Steel history, it simply doesn’t have the same impact that he used to have. Nowadays, Superman can do a lot more in a single jump than simply jumping over tall buildings.