Why You Would Not Want Superman To Reverse Time! (Because Science w/ Kyle Hill)

SURPRISE BECAUSE SCIENCE CHANNEL! Subscribe now and click the shiny notifications bell so you don’t miss out on all things science and pop culture.

Superman has many powers, but one of his most iconic scenes features one of the craziest with his reversal of time! But could this power be far more deadly to everything? Kyle takes it for a spin on this week's Because Science!

Because Science every Thursday.

Artist: Andrew Bowser

Learn more:

[Nerdist]

*The "Kyle is wrong!" FAQ*

1. Many pointing out that if Superman was as high in the atmosphere as he appears in the scene (I said he'd want to be as close as possible), then his speed WOULD get close to light speed. This is true! BUT...

2. We unfortunately can't have it both ways. If Superman flew high enough to make his travel FTL (~6, 000km up based on the revolutions and the time), the Earth would stop rotating backwards the instant he slowed down. It doesn't. And if he was this high, he wouldn't be able to attempt another popular interpretation: physically turning the Earth backwards (at least, much less so than he could by flying through the atmosphere). Both cases are why I considered him to be as sub-LS and as low to the ground as possible. For the cool stuff we can learn!

(UPDATING) -- KH

[ClaudioLuiz]

"Is Lois really THAT important?" Oh gosh, I laughed so hard at this!

[brooksdanielgary]

OH MY GOSH, THEY GOT A NEW GUY!! IT'S... just Kyle with glasses. I see what you did.

[ItsZorroDood]

Maybe he used a plothole to go back in time.

[kingkasper]

I disagree with the premise that turning back time is one of superman's craziest powers with the weirdest implications. In Superman #125’s “Superman’s New Power!” from 1958 he shot mini supermans out of his

[AkiraSanBeer]

"Well Lois is dead; guess I'll go destroy the earth then....

[JerrDias]

As a filmmaker, I always understood that scene as an alegory to time travel. I believe Donner and his crew had discussed a lot how to do it in an interesting aesthetic way. Not everything in film has to be taken literally.

[xteuk]

In the hypothesis of Superman's reversing time by crossing the speed of light, how can we really say the scene duration is 17 seconds ??
This can't be measured that way, BECAUSE of time dilatation.
Supposing the scene is rendered with superman's point of view, seeing the earth "slowing down" means that superman's relative velocity is in fact HIGHER than 0.5c in earth's referential. Because it's taking him less time for each rotation.

[Kaleban]

I always figured that the Earth isn't literally slowing down, but that it's what Superman would perceive happening.

He's traveling backwards in time, and so is seeing the Earth reverse.

He overshoots a little bit, so has to reverse his spin to get to the point he wants to be at to save Lois.

Pretty sure the director didn't overthink it and literally thought Supes could reverse time like a cartoon character, but the above was how I rationalized it so that Superman didn't Death Star the Earth.

[joseandrecastro]

All right i'm early, i want my heart from science Thor!!!

[ninjojinjo]

I freaking love this series. The editing and the humor cracks me up so much... and I'm not even a huge fan of comic superheroes.

[vsGoliath]

So here's a better question. If Superman could fly so fast he reverses time, why couldn't he fly fast enough to catch both missiles that Luther launched?

[xen]

Kyle - Your ending reminded me of a thought experiment I did awhile ago. The setup was, what would happen to someone standing on the beach in Chicago when the earth stopped rotating for 1 sec, and then restarted at it's original speed. There are dunes due east across the lake that I always thought they'd pancake into due to momentum, but then I thought about terminal velocity, wind speed and wondered, would they actually make the distance before the earth caught back up with them and they fell "harmlessly" into the lake.

[Wingdnadlla]

Professor Thor Can you talk about the Science needed to make Spartans from halo or how slip space works

[Aquascape_Dreaming]

Yup, I agree with everything you said. But at the same time I always took that scene to be nothing more than a visual representation of a power the Kryptonians had somehow mastered but forbidden. I loved that scene because it was such a powerful display and captured the heart of what Superman was trying to acheive. Granted, you're here to analyse what is shown, not what it's supposed to represent... Awesome video, though!

[DeDraconis]

@6:34
There's no earthly way of knowing
which direction we are going.
There's no knowing where we're rowing,
or which way the river's flowing.
Is it raining? Is it snowing?
Is a hurricane a-blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing,
so the danger must be growing.
Are the fires of hell a-glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?!
Yes! The danger must be growing,
for the rowers keep on rowing.
And they're certainly not showing...
any signs that they are slowing!

[CinderRoses]

Went back in time to watch this whole video already, great job Kyle

[vladitious]

This is genuinely my favourite series on YT, always a pleasure.

[digunder]

from what I learned, he flys so fast and travels through time into the past, reversing time or the planet is just a visual aid

[thomasmoore]

I've always been curious as to what would happen if the crust of the earth sloughed off from the mantle. Not that the crust just broke apart or suddenly got subducted, but simultaneous disconnection of all crust/mantle connection points but the crust stayed intact. Hypothetically, what would happen? How or would the rotation shift, what effects would we feel, what could happen when it reconnected? I think it would be something similar to Superman's earth-spin. Anyway, neat vid.