If nothing cuts or hurts superman because he's steel, how come his hair and nails aren't freakishly long?

Question

Am I the only one that's curious about this? In the new movie, I saw a bullet bounce off his eyeball. Come on now you guys. I know they're asking for a suspension of disbelief, but gimme a break. Won't his turds just clank around in the toilet and not flush? I think the guys at DC Comics got some splainin to do.

Answer 1

There is an comic issue where Lois instructs Clark to "scrape his face." He goes into the bathroom and turns on an electric razor while using his heat vision to trim his beard. (Superman shaves by using his heat vision and a reflective surface from his Krypton spaceship. For his nails no mirror needed.)

Superman's hair is indestructible and can neither be cut nor can it grow in Earth's atmosphere. (S No. 132, Oct 1959)

Any attempt to cut Superman's hair by ordinary means results only in the shattering of whatever scissors are being used, but Superman can cut his own hair when absolutely necessary by subjecting it to the concentrated power of his own X-ray vision. In a red-sun environment, however, where Superman has no super-powers, his hair loses its indestructibility and begins to grow. If Superman undertakes a mission to a red-sun Planet, it is best for him to shave and trim his hair before returning to the yellow-sun environment of Earth, where his hair will once again become indestructible.

Similarly, Superman's fingernails and toenails, which are indestructible and do not grow in the earthly environment, do grow and are destructible on Planets revolving about a red sun.

Answer 2

Why would Superman need to shave, trim nails, etc.?? He doesn't grow any older, and so shouldn't have to. I guess he could use heat vision, but that wouldn't make much sense either, would it? Because he's powerfull enough that he could fly into the Sun - Isn't he impervious to all elements when he is under the Yellow Star? (excepting with kryptonite, of course) This is indeed a quandry for the philosiphers and comic book aphicionados.

Answer 3

His hair and nails don’t grow on Earth, only in Krypton-like environments. But he DID have freakishly long hair and nails, more than once! He was affected by Red Kryptonite (back in the day, in the 60’s) and they grew out. Supergirl (who was still alive then) said he looked like the Super Wild Man from Borneo.

Supergirl and Krypto (who was actually from Krypton and had the same powers that S-man and S-girl did) focused their COMBINED heat vision on his hair and nails to give him a shave, haircut and manicure.

He also had long hair and a beard once when he was travelling through space, IIRC, he was some sort of gladiator captive of a bad guy, maybe Mongul. The planets they traveled to, he had no powers and his hair grew. He had to shave before he got back to Earth, and for a time, he had a mullet.

The subject of Superman’s turds was never dealt with in the comics, however, considering that he has been able to eat things like rock and metal, presumably he has such a super good digestive system that there is little or no waste.

Finally (and you can probably find this on line) check out Larry Niven’s classic essay, “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex” for a discussion of the big S-man’s sexual problems.

14 JAN 07, 1922 hrs, GMT.

Answer 4

Actually, in Adventures of Superman Annual 6 that led into Superboy Annual 1, it was revealed that Superman would need to weaken himself with Kryptonite to cut his hair.

As far as his excretions, I am not sure they would be as invulnerable since they are made of earthly foods that have passed through his digestive system.

Overall though, it is a book of fiction. More so in the movies it is revealed that the reason Kryptonians are so powerful and invulnerable on earth is because of the Yellow Sun making their Cells so dense.

Superman could also go to an intergalactic barber?

Good questions though. Sometimes though, when they make a movie or book like this, they want you to believe something so much, that they try to avoid the little day to day things that could contradict the whole premise.

Answer 5

I have heard of the other explanations (using heat vision, hair not grow).

However his hair did grow long for a while.

How does he cut it (or his nails)?

1) Goes to the bottle city of Kandor where he has no powers.

2) Since he is vulnerable to magic, a magic hair cutting and grooming kit would talke care of the problem.

3) Grooming items from Kandor/Krypton or Krypton like world would do the trick.

4) Exposure to a small amount of Green Kryptonite would weaken him enough so he could do the deed.

Just my 2 cents.

Answer 6

First, it's fiction, use your imagination buddy. Second, I don't think the guys at DC Comics knew you were gonna over analize the movie. Third if it bothers you that much then when Epic Movie comes out, go watch it cause Superman does get hit in the eye and hurt in that one.

Answer 7

His skin is tought due to high amounts of vitamin D which he absorbs from our sun. However hair is made of dead skin, whihc does not use up the same solar produced body vitamins, hence his hair is not super strong as his skin. The name "Man of Steel" is just a saying that the newspapers in his comic world applied to him because of his toughness.

Answer 8

he shaves trims his nails and cuts his hair himself with his heat vision and some mirrors.

I never said it made sense, but that is what they have said in the comics,

Answer 9

That would be nice to know. Furthermore, how did he father a child? Wouldn't he of just blasted louis lane's head off?

Answer 10

It's only a comic book story, move on!