Why does Magic Affect Superman?

[Randy Jackson]

I've heard all my life that Superman has two weaknesses: kryptonite and magic.

As a radioactive piece of rock from Superman's home planet, kryptonite having an effect makes a reasonable amount of sense, at least as a basic concept (I won't go in to how there seems to be so much of the stuff).

However, I do not remember an explanation as to why magic has an effect on the man of steel. I'm sure some sort of reason was put forth my Weisinger and his crew, but I don't know that I've actually heard that explanation.

[The Baron]

I've never seen an explanation for it, either.  there's no "real life" rules for magic, so the explanation can just be that magic affects because it affects him, which is no explanation at all.

[Luke Blanchard]

According to DC Comics Presents #18 (guest Zatanna, written by Gerry Conway), throughout history Homo Sapiens and Homo Magus have interbred, so most people have some Homo Magus inheritance. But Superman, a Kryptonian, does not, and is therefore more vulnerable to magic than normal people.

[Eric L. Sofer]

Luke is right (and that was backed up by an issue of Justice League of America - sorry, I don't recall the issue) But magic is extra dimensional, so that might be an explanation; it affects EVERYONE not involved in the magic dimension. In World's Finest 208, Dr. Fate noted that removing Superman's vulnerability to magic would be difficult, but possible. Infusing the Man of Steel with that extra dimensional force that Dr. Fate, Zatanna and Zatara, the Phantom Stranger, etc. all shared could have introduced him to that "magic dimension" - and made him resistant.

Remember, Superman's susceptibility to magic isn't like Kryptonite. Its presence and use doesn't weaken and kill him; instead, it affects him the same as it affects Earthlings. So a hypnotic spell would affect Superman the same, magic chains would trap him the same, and Skeletor would have a field day (ref DC Comics Presents #47.) Also reference Mordru vs the Legion of Super-Heroes (Adventure Comics #369.)

Commander Adam would likely have a better description, but that's MY take on the subject.

[Commander Benson]

Eric L. Sofer said:

Remember, Superman's susceptibility to magic isn't like Kryptonite. Its presence and use doesn't weaken and kill him; instead, it affects him the same as it affects Earthlings. 

My old friend Eric is essentially correct in this statement.  However, there were some fine distinctions that got lost after Bronze-Age and later writers took over Superman and got stuck on ways to incapacitate him.

As the Fogey said, the original idea was that Superman was as susceptible to the effects of magic as anyone else.  However, magic, by its mere presence or use, didn't diminish his super-powers.  By example, Mr. Mxyzptlk could magically transform Superman's body into that of Bouncing Boy---the Man of Steel's invulnerability couldn't resist that.  However. If Mxy materialised a boulder above Superman, when it fell, it would shatter against his indestructable noggin, just as any other hunk of rock would.

The modern concept of Superman's weakness to magic would have that boulder fall and make him go, "Ow!  Owwie!  Owwie!  That hurt!" because it's a magic boulder.  But that's not the way it originally worked.

The idea used to be that the Caped Kryptonian was vulnerable to the enchantment of a mystic object, but not necessarily to the object itself.  For example, if confronted by King Arthur's blade, Excalibre---which possesses an enchantment permitting it to cut through anything---aye, the sword will slice through Superman's super-costume, his super-skin, and his super-flesh.  However, if the Man of Steel could get his hands on Excalibre, he could crush it with his super-strength or he could melt it with his heat vision.  He would not just crumple up, moaning, "Oh, oh, oh, it's magic . . . ohhhhh."

Much like the established fact that green kryptonite did not remove Superman's invulnerability to everything else was forgotten or ignored by later writers, so were the subtle distinctions in the Man of Steel's susceptibility to sorcery.  It's too easy an out for modern writers to have anything magical just make Superman curl up into a ball.

[Randy Jackson]

Thanks Commander, I always know I'll get the goods from you.

So, if Superman fought Thor, could he destroy Mjolnir? Could lightning from Mjolnir affect him?

[Commander Benson]

So, if Superman fought Thor, could he destroy Mjolnir?

We know that Mjolnir does not have an enchantment of indestructability.  It has been damaged; for example, in Journey Into Mystery # 118 (Jul., 1965), a force beam from the Destroyer sliced the hammer in twain.  Therefore, Superman certainly has the capability to destroy Mjolnir, either with his super-strength or his heat vision.

Could lightning from Mjolnir affect him?

The pertinent enchantment of the hammer permits Thor to manipulate the weather elements, such as lightning.  Therefore, Superman could shrug off lightning cast by Mjolnir just as he could any naturally occurring bolt.

Even if we allowed that Thor's hammer created lightning, without a specific enchantment, it still shouldn't affect Superman.

Perhaps a more clear example would be if, through some circumstance, say Superman were to intercept the magic lightning summoned when Billy Batson yelled, "Shazam!"  The Man of Steel would be transformed into Captain Marvel because that is the magic lightning's specific enchantment.  But, otherwise, he could not be harmed by it.

At least, that's my take on it.

So, if Superman fought Thor, could he destroy Mjolnir?

We know that Mjolnir does not have an enchantment of indestructability.  It has been damaged; for example, in Journey Into Mystery # 118 (Jul., 1965), a force beam from the Destroyer sliced the hammer in twain.  Therefore, Superman certainly has the capability to destroy Mjolnir, either with his super-strength or his heat vision.

Could lightning from Mjolnir affect him?

The pertinent enchantment of the hammer permits Thor to manipulate the weather elements, such as lightning.  Therefore, Superman could shrug off lightning cast by Mjolnir just as he could any naturally occurring bolt.

Even if we allowed that Thor's hammer created lightning, without a specific enchantment, it still shouldn't affect Superman.

Perhaps a more clear example would be if, through some circumstance, say Superman were to intercept the magic lightning summoned when Billy Batson yelled, "Shazam!"  The Man of Steel would be transformed into Captain Marvel because that is the magic lightning's specific enchantment.  But, otherwise, he could not be harmed by it.

At least, that's my take on it.

[The Baron]

Billy: "Oh, goldarn it!"

Commander Benson said:

Perhaps a more clear example would be if, through some circumstance, say Superman were to intercept the magic lightning summoned when Billy Batson yelled, "Shazam!"  The Man of Steel would be transformed into Captain Marvel because that is the magic lightning's specific enchantment.  But, otherwise, he could not be harmed by it.

Perhaps a more clear example would be if, through some circumstance, say Superman were to intercept the magic lightning summoned when Billy Batson yelled, "Shazam!"  The Man of Steel would be transformed into Captain Marvel because that is the magic lightning's specific enchantment.  But, otherwise, he could not be harmed by it.

[Captain Comics]

The original idea was that Superman was as susceptible to the effects of magic as anyone else. 

This is how I remember it.

And as a lad I further extrapolated that magic would be extra useful against Superman because, being Superman, he didn't behave as other humans did. By which I mean, if somebody threw a rock at you, you'd duck; Superman wouldn't, because he's spent 35 years (or whatever) NOT ducking rocks, because they don't ordinarily hurt him. When he's as vulnerable as you and  me, the Li'l Capn thought, he would be extra vulnerable because he didn't have a lifetime of instincts telling him to duck, to not touch the hot stove, to take cover, etc.

But I made all that up to help me through some bad stories. Mainly I remember it as "Superman is as vulnerable to magic as I am."

Perhaps a more clear example would be if, through some circumstance, say Superman were to intercept the magic lightning summoned when Billy Batson yelled, "Shazam!" 

This actually happened in a very famous comic book, which I guess the Commander (who famously stopped reading after the Silver Age) has not read. It's called Kingdom Come, and in the climax, Superman and Captain Marvel tussle, and one trick that the Big Red Cheese has that the Man of Steel doesn't is the magic lightning. So he pounded Superman by saying "Shazam" again and again while standing/flying between Superman and the thunderbolt.

I will not reveal the ending. Find a used copy, Commander, because I think you'll like (most of) the story.

[Randy Jackson]

I'm surprised Mark Waid would make that mistake -- or was his interpretation different?

[Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas]

There were other writers portraying Superman as particularly susceptible to magic.

Kingdom Come's scene is itself perhaps a reference to the 1978 story where Karmang manipulated Captain Marvel into fighting Superman.  It is not shown outright that Superman would be vulnerable to being hit by Shazam's lightning bolts, but Captain Marvel and Shazam clearly believe him to be.  The writer is Gerry Conway.

Denny O'Neill wrote Superman #343 in 1980, where Moximus' magic is clearly shown to weaken Superman by its very environmental presence.  Roy Thomas also wrote a 1984 story (All-Star Squadron #36, IIRC) where Earth-Two Superman is more vulnerable to the magical influence of the Spear of Destiny than most other heroes.  It was an attempt at explaining why the JSA and other powerhouses did not stop WW2 short.

Mostly the weakness to magic seems to have been perceived as a convenient substitute for the presence of green Kryptonite.  Silver Age and Bronze Age Superman could be difficult to challenge.without some sort of handicap.

Around the same time Superman sometimes met Q-Energy, which also weakened him and was in fact usually described as "similar to Kryptonite radiation".  It had very few appearances and seems to have been abundant in the Qward dimension.  I suppose it offered a more sci-fi alternative to Kryptonite and magic weaknesses.  

This reminds me of a time in the early 2000s when Kurt Busiek was seeking ways of challenging the Vision.  Much like Superman, Vision can be difficult to truly challenge.  All too often he is removed from the fight entirely so that other, less unbeatable characters can save the day.

It is indeed difficult to write a character that should logically be capable of facing most challenges at his own leisure at no discernible personal cost.