What's the use for superman's cape?

Answer 1

What a great question! Why don't people ask good questions like this more often?

There's some interesting history behind Superman's cape. He always had it; from the first time he was introduced, in 1938.

The first explanation for Superman's indestrucitble cape (and his entire costume) was that they were made of indestructable material from Krypton. It was not his cape that he was wrapped in for the voyage to Earth, but his baby blankets! which Ma Kent unravelled (they were knitted or crocheted) and reknit or re-crocheted the fiber into the costume.

As Superboy grew to Superman the fabric stretched (because he wore it ALL the TIME under his other clothes, and presumably the same thing would happen to Supergirl as she grew from a preteen to a woman. But I digress.)

The PURPOSE of the cape was to have a pocket (which he otherwise doesn't have in his costume.)

[Can you envision a scene where someone said, "Hey Superman, you have to PAY for that window you broke with your sonic boom, flying at super speed!" "Gee, sorry," Superman replied. "I don't have any cash on me right now, could I mail you a check...?"]

He also carried his Clark Kent clothes in there. (Even Spider Man was shown carrying his Peter Parker outfit along, in a little webbing-knapsack, for goodness' sake! Where'd you think he got the idea...?) The Kent suit was chemically treated to be resistant to friction heat, so Supes could fly around without burning his clothes to ashes.

[Also, a little known fact, when young Clark started using glasses to pretect his secret ID, and used his heat vision for the first time with them on, the glass melted! He had to find a couple rounded pieces of super-plexiglass from the broken window of his rocket, to make into a pair of glasses that he could use his super vision through! Actually, the heat vision is problematical. When Superman was first introduced, he didn't have it. He just had good, sharp vision. Then, he sort of 'graduated' to being able to see things that were hidden, and this became x-ray vision. Then, some dumb writer got it mixed up and thought that he was projecting beams from his eyes and seeing the reflection, akin to radar, rather than just seeing through things by means of background radiation, or something like that. So, the next writer had Superman use "the heat OF his x-ray vision" to burn or melt things. And that developed into a laser-like projection of energy that Superman could use as a ranged-attack capability. So, you see how he kept on getting more and more powerful, and why it was necessary to cut him down to size!]

At the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths (The DC 'reboot' of the universe, for Superman's 50th anniversary and to straighten out all that messed-up continuity), it was established that the costume was made of ordinary Earth fabric. Superman had a sort of 'force field'-- it was never called that, but Ma Kent mentioned that she noticed that clothes next to his skin never got dirty or torn.

The cape was a different matter, however. It wasn't in contact with his skin and wasn't covered by the force field. For the first year or two after his reintroduction, the cape kept getting torn, burned, shredded, etc. Clark had to have a whole row of them in his closet!

(He probably had to call his mother and say "Gee, sorry Ma, but I just had another fight with Bizarro, and I'm all out of capes! Can I stop by for the weekend?" And his mother would say, "Oh, Son, why do you have to keep getting into fights with other boys...? Why can't you behave decently, the way your father and I raised you...?")

Eventually there came a time when Firestorm the Nuclear man used his atomic restructing powers to make Superman's costume indestructible. I guess the readers howled so much that they had to bring it back. Or it was causing continuity errors of its own: (Hey, Superman tore his costume in the last issue and didn't have time to repair it, now he's on TV at the White House and his costume is in one piece! What gives?)

Anyhow, I don't know if they changed the costume again since then. I hope this answers your question.

There are one or two other matters that you should know. There was a story done in honor of Siegel and Schuster, who created Superman. In the story, aliens wiped out the concept of heroism from the human species in the past. Thus, in the present, there were no heros, and nobody to resist their invasion.

But two teeneagers, who wanted to dream of characters for a story, came up with a guy who could protect them from the bad guys. They put a costume on him that would show his muscles. They put an S on his chest to show that he was Strong. They put boots on him, to protect his feet when he ran fast. And they wanted him to fly. They decided that wings would look silly, so they put a cape on him-- "...to catch the wind!"

And they believed in Superman so strongly, that it overcame the effects of the aliens' hypnosis, and Superman reappeared to save the day.

While this was a great story, there have been some kids throughout the years that thought Superman was able to fly because he was wearing a cape, even as someone answered this question. And, sadly, through the years, there have been kids who put on capes and jumped from high places, expecting to fly, and died as a result.

So, protect the little kids you know who read comics. Warn them that only Superman can fly.

Answer 2

Super Man Cape

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What's the use for superman's cape?

Answer 4

The Cape was a way to make him stick out as Superman.
Supes has confidence issues so he needs to place big red S symbols on all his stuff. He is the Donald Trump of Comics

Answer 5

It flutters in the wind to make flying look more dramatic. Of course as we learned from the Incredibles, all capes are disasters just waiting to happen! :)

His original cape was actually made from the blanket his parents wrapped him in, when he was sent to earth as a baby.

Answer 6

It's technically there for Aesthetics. However, the cape symbolizes the Gemini Mother Earth.

Cape = C(AP)E
C(AP)E = CE with AP inside
CE = Gemini(C/3/3rd Sign) Sun(E/5/Leo
AP = Non-PA = Non-Father = Mother

It's referring to Mother Earth.
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Force = MA = Mother

Jesus Christ was a of Noble Birth
Kal-El was of Noble Birth

CHRISTopher Reeve is born 9/25
C+H+R+I+S+T = 77
77 = IR on the Periodic Table

RI = Rhode Island inducted 5/29

If RI = 529, then 925 is IR

That's why the other state inducted in the United States on 5/29 is Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is the Da(IR)y State
Wisconsin is the th(IR)tieth State
Rhode Island is the th(IR)teenth State

The Cape is what Kal-El was wrapped in when he landed on Planet Earth the th(IR)d Planet.

That Blanket is the cape that he wears around him. It symbolizes the Mother that gave b(IR)th to him and is still a part of him following him around even after she's dead.

Because Superman is Jesus Christ and the V(IR)gin Mary was human, it refers to when the Virgin Mary dies and how Jesus Christ as Superman will continue on.

The Cape is a reminder of the mother or the Gemini Mother. That's how you get Gemini as the Twins for the Pair (Pa/IR).

It's a really beautiful, but sad, story that reflects how parents all eventually die. That's why Marlon Brando was cast as the "GODfather" and as Jor-El.

That's why the mother in the new Superman movie was Eva Marie Saint.

- Saint = Sainthood
- Eva = E/VA = VA = IR in Spanish (Third Person)
- Ma(RI)e = Virgin Mary

Notice how I said C(AP)E where the AP is inside
You see that hidden theme with the RI in Ma(RI)e.

That's why in Astrology when you say Virgo, it translates to V/IR-IR(Go-Spanish).

V/IR IR = Sun(V/5/Leo IR IR = Sun IR IR
Sun IR IR = Sun Gemini(2) IR
5/29 is in the Sun Sign of Gemini

That's why when Christopher Reeve made his final appearance on "Smallville" with Tom Welling, his character was Dr. V(IR)gil Swann.

It's talking about the Swan that evolves. Virgil = Virgo = Virgin.

That's how you get the song "Superman" by Five for Fighting. Five means the 5th Sign for Leo, whose Ruling Planet is the Sun.

God gave up his only Son.

Son = S/On = Superman(S) Activated(On)

God = Go/D = IR(Go-Spanish) Mother(D/4/Cancer/Eternal Mother)

Answer 7

in the original movie, it was to help hide a hydraulic arm from being seen by viewers. confused? look below.

In the Superman flying sequences, the actor Christopher Reeve was supported by a hydraulic arm protruding from the screen. Like his shadow, the arm was concealed by his body.

Answer 8

Keeps his butt from sticking out while he's strutting around in his tights.

Answer 9

it's actually for aero dinamics other wise he would not be able to get up to the speeds he is able to the friction on his body would slow him down, ok im just pulling you leg lol

Answer 10

I think he wanted to make a fashion statement. A little bird told me that everyone would make fun of his small a** because of the tights so he decided to cover it up.