I guess this could apply to any superhero that has self propelled power of flight why do they fly horizontal and not vertically if their flight powers aren’t dependent on propellant like iron man.
What do you think?
I guess this could apply to any superhero that has self propelled power of flight why do they fly horizontal and not vertically if their flight powers aren’t dependent on propellant like iron man.
What do you think?
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It is so Batman can sit on his back.
I would assume it’s possible but more added air resistance would mean flying is harder means more strength used. Where as horizontal flying is like a knife cutting wind as opposed to a flat board pushing through the sky.
The only answer is: Because they want to.
Now you could then ask why do they want to, but that is kind of subjective. For Supes, it might be because he’s raised in an Earth environment, and the citizens of Earth think aerodynamics are important, so a human flying vertically doesn’t make sense. Clark thinks the same, even though it doesn’t really impact his own flight.
You’re just more aerodynamic that way. It probably doesn’t make a ton of difference for someone like Superman, but there’s not really any reason to do it the worse way on purpose.
It feels more natural and is less awkard. Like I could walk with my arms raised up all the time but I probably won’t do to the reasons listed.
Why do rockets and bullets point in the direction they’re heading? Same thing. It’s more aerodynamic, so you’ll be faster, use less effort, and feel more comfortable.
For the record, we see most flying heroes can float forwards upright, we just don’t see them using it at speeds because of how much worse it is.
Superman often flies super sonic and when you do that you create a shock wave. A shockwave is loud and can be damaging. Above all Superman is a good guy so by minimizing his cross section by flying horizontally he does less damage.
For the same reason spaceships do the same: it’s what the audience is used to.
Aerodynamics! For Superman, it’s probably almost entirely a comfort thing–helps the air move past his body faster and with less resistance or whatever. For less powerful characters, effort expended and speed come into play
In Batman Beyond when Superman shows up, we actually do see him fly vertically without issue catching up to the flying bat-mobile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScFmeSFLi9E
Superman can fly supersonic so it’s likely the in-universe explanation is that he does it out of consideration to not create shockwaves as he moves about so fast. Though this is never acknowledged as all forms of media seems to act like high speed doesn’t generate shockwaves resulting in injuries or damage to everything around our superfast heros.
In the comics the answer is more a limitation of the medium, each panel is a still-image with limited space so they can’t clutter it with too much information. If the character’s body is positioned horizontally, and you add speed lines then your brain more easily to recognize it as the character flying towards somewhere.
If they are standing vertically which is more associated with standing in place. Adding speed lines to that might make it look like they are just standing/floating in a really windy spot. The cape blowing backwards just adds to this.
Easier to avoid hitting something when flying low.
Fly vertically and you’ll be constantly having to make sure your high enough that you don’t accidentally kick something, which depending on the superhero in question would result in either unwanted damage to property, or braking your legs.
If there’s say a building coming up, you need to be say 6 foot above the building, which can be hard to judge at speed and against a potentially empty horizon.
Fly horizontal and to avoid hitting something you only have to make sure you’re not facing it head on.
They still fly horizontally when higher up to make sure it’s muscle memory. If they are constantly swapping back and forth that’s room for a mistake.
By lying face down while flying, Superman can more easily see what’s happening on the ground.
Analogy to diving, I guess.
Now I wanna see him fly feet first, or even cannonball!
Oh, and Indian Superman.
Aerodynamic and it looks weird, also it will be hard to lookdown while flying vertically
Others have pointed out aerodynamics still apply, but someone rapidly approaching your location in a standing position without moving a muscle is kind of intimidating and feels more alien
Easier to see what’s under him, vertical he would have to crank his neck down all the time which is uncomfortable, and his whole body would obstruct the view as well
Multiplying front surface increases air resistance and bug density. https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2010-05-06
It looks cooler. Superman doesn’t just fight crime. He’s a symbol of hope. And he wouldn’t be a very good symbol if you just saw the bottom of his feet.
probably because it’s more comfortable?
Looks cooler
The terrible Supergirl TV show kinda address this.
Supergirl can force herself through the air, but aerodynamics are a thing and she is liable to be blown off course. So she flies flat, with a cape to help her balance.
She doesn’t need to fly flat with a cape for balance, but doing so is much easier and helps her get where she wants to go instead of being rocked by turbulence.
I always thought it was strange myself. Because originally he didn’t fly, he jumped tall buildings. That’s up and down mostly.
Kind of surprised no one mentioned how Tighten flies in megamind.
Pure vanity. Force choke doesn’t look half as badass when you’re cupping his balls.
Because it looks much cooler. Even superheroes want to look cool. Why do you think he wears a cape?
Less intimidating and scary to the mortals.
That was figured it was because for Superman flying is a feat of strength. He needs to position his arms and legs and uses muscles and just the right way to create his own gravitational momentum and propel himself forward.
Lets him see what’s going on where all the people are.
Would you rather do your job lying down or standing up?
It’s probably more comfortable
Aerodynamics aside, you’ll also have better visibility directly downwards, as Superman is often helping out those below him on the ground it probably makes a fairly big difference
Superman flying in fetal position?
Anyone?
It’s an extension of his early jumping ability and the aesthetics of it which has been folded into the actual worldbuiding of how his flight work like we see in Man of Steel, he’s just most comfortable as he learned that way, unless Starro’s controlling him or he’s cosplaying as Powdered Toast Man or something.
Aerodynamics, flying like that, cuts wind resistance and makes him a smaller target in air combat.
He can and does fly vertically when he’s talking or lifting something, so it’s an option.
Try swimming completely vertically underwater. I don’t doubt it’s possible but it’s far easier to do so horizontally. I imagine air resistance makes it hard to move with great speed vertically, but usually when hovering or just flying slowly he can do it.
I thought for a minute you were asking whether superman should like scram jet but now I realize you are saying like should he fly like….. standing up? There’s still wind resistance and bugs and birds and even friction to deal with
I am reminded of the quote from hitchhiker’s about the vogon ships, that they “sat in the sky in the way bricks don’t”
Flying horizontaly distracts us from the deeply strange and unsettling nature of his reactionless drive flight powers.
Do you mean flying like the Pumaman? Standing up, relative to the ground?
Superman flies horizontally for the same reason we swim horizontally. Jump in a pool and swim to the other side while staying vertical.
What would be the advantage of flying standing upright?
Also, I think most people, Superman included, think of flying as being ‘horizontal’, not ‘vertical’.
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Only have to wipe the bugs off your face, not your whole self
I see a lot of “in universe” answers, but I think it’s also worth mentioning that superman was originally depicted in comics, ie: sequential art. There are a lot of tricks that comic artists use to depict motion via a series of still images or even a single image, and help their audience grasp what kind of action their art is depicting. The horizontal posture with arms forward helps convey that superman is moving quickly. You’ll often see superman depicted “flying” in a vertical posture if the artist is conveying that he’s hovering in place or moving slowly.
So with the understanding that he absolutely can fly vertically, but he chooses to fly horizontally, the question is instead why would he choose to?
Lots of potential reasons.
Its more comfortable or he just likes it.
Smaller cross section from the front makes it less likely for opponents to see him coming
Reducing resistance by being more aerodynamic. Likely doesnt matter to him in terms of speed but may just be more comfortable. Also would result in less surrounding damage from him passing for environment and bystanders. Him presenting his fist forward to further increase the effect likely means this is one of the bigger reasons.
Senses. Despite him being superhuman in terms of sight and hearing he DOES still have humanlike anatomy. Front facing eyes and forward curved ears mean it would still be easier for him to pinpoint problems while facing downward if he is flying high up.
Body mechanics. While he could fly any way he wants it likely just feels more natural to fly in the direction his head is in and away from his feet given that he usually starts flight by essentially pushing off the ground and moving upward. Might feel awkward or unnatural to completely shift his momentum to sideways rather than just curving himself in an arc from takeoff to landing. Just like any person doing any other action, with enough practice your movements will trend towards smoothness and efficiency rather than jerky abrupt movements even when unnecessary. Smoother motion is more forgiving in terms of exhaustion and joint health.
He WANTS to be seen from the ground. He has a giant symbol on his chest. He dresses in bright red and blue spandex undies. He wears a giant completely pointless fluttery red cape. The man wants to be seen and easily recognized, probably both for vanity and as a deterrent to enemies. Probably a lot harder to recognize the bottom of his shoes than a whole body in flight.
I don’t know why he doesn’t do it all the time, but at least once in Batman Beyond, Superman was, I think, controlled by Starro, and he just flew in a standing position.
He does fly vertically. How do you think he goes up and down in the air?
A few reasons!
Superman and other supers were probably inspired by rockets.
But as for practical reasons – wind resistance is the answer that comes to mind first. While it’s usually not a big factor for flying characters (unless they’re less experienced and/or not all that powerful, e.g. Oliver from Invincible, Homelander), it does still help to go faster, even if just a bit.
It’s also just more comfortable. If you fly like Superman, the air and oncoming debris only really hits your face, shoulders, arms – but when you fly vertically, it hits your whole front side. Again, negligible, but if you can be more comfortable then why wouldn’t you want to be?
To some degree they might also feel as if they are “propelling” themselves forward using their head or hands, depending on the pose, so putting those up front just makes more sense. Alternatively, if they propel forward using their feet (like Hancock), then keeping those in the very back makes the most sense.
In combat situations it’s just more logical to come in with your fists first, rather than your whole body.
And, finally – by now they’re probably just used to it. Characters that can fly like that probably started out using the horizontal pose because of comfort and wind resistance, but by the point that they got strong enough for those not to matter, they were just so used to it that they didn’t bother changing it up.
Anyone new who comes onto the scene and gets flying powers just looks at what other flying supers are doing (flying horizontally) or at the flying vehicles already in existence (planes, rockets) and copies that.
The superman pose we see him and Goku and Omniman flying in is extremely uncomfortable. It’s like standing upright then bending your head back fully 90 degrees, the human spine doesn’t bend that way without discomfort.
But Superman, Goku and Omniman aren’t human. Maybe the tendons in their necks bend differently?
He’s Aristotelian
real reason is because it looks more iconic and cool but in universe outside of the reasons listed like reducing mass for super sonic bursts it could also be like swimming.
flying in the sky i imagine would have a certain weightlessness like floating in water so might make it easier to go into a position more similar to swimming
In the CW Supergirl series, Kryptonians had to deal with aerodynamics and other aspects of physics, at least in Season 1 (please contain your eye-rolls). Hence the tight costumes, and the capes (which aided in turning).
I’ve got something you want to see then
https://youtu.be/KQwfFqZcyPc