Is Superman invulnerable to light sabers?

Question

I overheard this question while in line to see Superman Returns and thought it was funny. My friend said light sabers would only affect Superman if it's power sorce was kriptonite. What do you think.

Answer 1

This is an EXCELLENT question. Let's look at it in some detail.

Various villains have used Kryptonite, or things made of Kryptonite or Kryptonite powered weapons, against Superman.

Kryptonite alone will kill Superman. It paralyzes him and causes him intense pain. Kryptonite fever will eventualy kill him, just like intense radiation poisoning will kill a human. Note that Superman is particularly susceptible to Kryptonite, that is, while Kryptonite is dangerous to humans (Lex Luthor got cancer after wearing a Kryptonite ring to keep Superman away from him), it works on Superman much faster and more intensely.

Criminals have even shaped Kryptonite into bullets. They will harm Superman-- BUT, they will not penetrate his skin! Making them into bullets is only a means of getting the Kryptonite close enough to Superman to affect him. Usually, what happens, is that they impact his body, shatter and there are tiny particles spread all around, which are harder to get rid of than picking up one piece and removing it. This makes it harder to protect Superman from a K bullet than just a death trap with a chunk of Kryptonite.

Having said that, remember that Kryptonite is a radioactive metal which makes a good power source. Metallo was powered by Kryptonite. It weakened Superman so that Metallo could use his own super strength against Superman without Superman being able to fight back efffectively, except at range, throwing things, or using his heat vision.

In a classic story, The Sun of Superman, he had to track down a cosmic creature that fed on Kryptonite and flew around in space. Superman noticed, "Kryptonite must make excellent starship fuel! I'm flying at ten times the speed of light and the thing is catching up to me!"

But there is a problem. When Kryptonite energy is changed into a different form of energy, it is no longer Kryptonite; no longer deadly to Superman. While it made Metallo super strong, if Superman had not been weakened by the leakage of Kryptonite radiation frm Metallo's chestplate, Superman would not have been weakened. It was not Metallo's strength alone, but the K radiation that made him a tough enemy for Superman to beat. (Mongul, who beat Superman on sheer strength alone, was much stronger than Metallo. )

So, if the lightsaber was powered by Kryptonite (instead of some sort of rechargeable battery), it could weaken him until he could be affected by the heat of the beam/blade-- but ONLY if the power conversion chamber was allowing some of the Kryptonite radiation to leak out.

If the beam/blade of the lightsaber contained Kryptonite energy itself...? I'm not sure. It has never been established that K radiation is thermally hot.

There is one other way a lightsaber blade could affect Superman. It has been established in the comics that Superman gets his powers at least partly from the yellow sun, and does not have his powers under a red sun. It has also been shown that energy from red stars will affect Superman to some extent.

[I suppose that he needs to be receiving yellow solar rays continuously, and if there is either not enough yelow solar rays (too far from a yellow sun) or there is so much red sun energy around that it clogs up his solar power receptors, so to speak, then his powers are weakened. (He still has some power due to the lesser gravity of Earth, and it may take a while for his reserve supply of solar energy to run out. But lasers emitting red sun rays have been show to affect Superman at various times.)]

So, the best bet would be a lightsaber powered by (not made of ) Kryptonite, and emitting a red beam/blade at the same frequency as a red sun. Then his invulnerability would be reduced to the point where he could be cut by it. Superman would then be reduced to staying at a distance and using his heat vision or throwing things. And he can throw big things.

You would have to hit him by surprise, and you would only get one shot at it. That's why I think a Jedi could not beat Superman with a lightsaber.

With mind tricks using the Force, it's a different story. It is not made explicit, but it is generally understood that many of Superman's powers are psionic in origin. I could see a Jedi using telekinesis to keep Superman suspended in mid-air and not able to fly anywhere. I could see a Jedi playing with Superman's mind and making him unable to see the Jedi or target on him. If a Jedi could reach into Superman's heart, the way Darth Vader did to people, then they might be able to hurt him or kill him. (It has never been proven that Superman's internal organs are invulnerable.) Once you've got him down, then try the lightsaber. But don't count on it alone.

Please understand, I like both superman and the Jedi. I would much rather not see them fight. But this was a very interesting, very intriguing question. Keep on asking!

Answer 2

Ok, since there are so many points that need to be clarified here, allow me to answer in the form of a play.


Q: Can Superman be cut by "A" LIGHTSABER?

Y: Depends where he is, in relation to the Yellow Sun of our Star System. Remember, Star Wars is in a completely separate galaxy from ours. If he is on their turf, then he probably doesn't have the freakishly specific wavelength of sunlight he needs for his Kryptonian Chemistry to create that freaky reaction turning him from an ordinary human (not Earthling human, but in comics, they are practically identical biochemically) to a minor God. If lightsabers find their way to Earth... then it gets trickier to figure.

In Episode I, Qui-Gon and Anakin use lightsabers as soldering torches on a steel-like metal. One can assume that Star Wars steel is much much stronger than Earth steel. Since no one knows exactly how much stronger, and where on that spectrum Superman's fully solar charged resistance is, it is valid to say that Lightsabers MAY cut Superman over time. You cannot rule it out on precedent.

Q: What about a Kryptonite Powered Lightsaber?

Y: While Lightsabers are powered by a sort of battery, all lightsabers are focused through a crystal. A variety of crystals can be used for lightsabers, giving them a variety of colors, and a minor difference in strength and energy flow. It is reasonable to assume that a kryptonite crystal could also be used. When you consider how many other things can be combined with kryptonite effectively, I think it is almost certain that a kryptonite lightsaber would cut through superman as if he were a regular man.

Q: Can Superman bleed?

Y: Yes, he bleeds quite often actually... though it is usually because he is swapping punches with something roughly as strong as he is.

Q: But Superman can stand inside the sun! How can a lightsaber burn or cut him?

Y: He can stand inside OUR sun. No other stars. And he can only do that, because it is his power source. In fact, he is probably overloading with power at that point, and is many times more powerful than he is on Earth. But don't forget, if Superman is inside a cave or a vault or a basement for a few days, he starts to slowly lose his powers (in his wikipedia article somewhere - as well as Alien V. Superman crossover series). He needs direct sunlight, or else he becomes human.

Q: Could Superman be Jedi Mind Tricked?

Y: Definitely not. Superman is extremely intelligent, as such he would be immune to Force Mind Magic. However, he might be susceptible to all other forms of Force Magic.

Answer 3

I think light sabers would kill Superman if a JEDI was using it. Remember the original Superman series? He used to stand there and take a bullet, but would duck when the person through the gun at him. So he has other weaknesses.

Answer 4

Yep! Light sabers are made out of Light, so that won't affect Superman, but on the other hand, he is allergic to Kryptonite.

Answer 5

If the light sabers were made from the radiation of kryptonite. Yes it will cut Superman.

Answer 6

Superman is invulnerable to light sabers. Light sabers operate on two "D" cell batteries.

Answer 7

I think that Superman can withstand a light saber but the odds of him encountering one are 1 in quadrillion.

Answer 8

wow. some people are real jerks when they answer! i'll try not to be... i think it would effect superman in someway, i mean, the man CAN bleed, no? but at the very least, a light saber could be used to cut off his clothes & then he'd be in the middle of metropolis, naked. i'll bet that would have some psychological effect on the guy.

Answer 9

The question is irrelevant. Superman is on Earth, and in present day. Light sabres were from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Answer 10

Superman is one powerful dude but the light sabre, in the hands of one schooled in the force, could allow for a good fight.