DC Confirms Iconic Superman Power Is No Longer Canon
DC Comics has been making massive efforts to clean up its canon of late, establishing timelines and fixing lore inconsistencies, and Superman hasn’t been spared from these changes and clarifications. Now, DC has confirmed that one of the Man of Steel’s most iconic powers is no longer canon.
While turning back time through super speed is a feat typically associated with DC’s Flash, Superman has also exhibited this overpowered ability throughout his 88-year history across movies, television, and comics. The most famous example of the Man of Steel pulling off this incredible feat comes from the 1978 Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve, where Clark flies around Earth at incredible speed and causes time to reverse.
Superman using his inhuman speed to travel through time has also been seen occasionally in the comics, particularly during the Silver Age. And while the Man of Steel’s incredible speed translating into time travel has largely fallen out of DC's narratives over the years, the fact that there are multiple instances of it across film and comics has always left the door cracked open for this ability and where it may appear next.
Metropolis · Daily Planet Edition
Superman
Trivia Challenge
🌏OriginsLast son
☠VillainsKneel!
⚡PowersInvincible
🎥FilmsBelieve
💫LegacyHope
01
Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?
✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.
02
Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?
✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.
03
Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?
✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.
04
In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?
✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.
05
Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.
06
After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?
✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.
07
As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?
✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.
08
This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?
✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.
Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record
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Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth?
However, DC Comics is now slamming that door shut, as the comic publisher has made it clear that such a feat is well outside the Man of Steel’s capabilities. This confirmation of DC saying farewell to this ability appears in the pages of the recently released Batman / Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1, a mega-sized issue brought to life by the combined talents of writers Mark Waid, Tyrone Finch, and Mark Russell, and artists Pat Boutin and Clayton Henry.
DC Confirms Superman CANNOT Reverse Time With His Super Speed
Comic Page Comes From DC's Batman / Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1 (2026)
If you’ve been keeping up with DC Comics, then you may have noticed that the comic publisher has been putting a strong emphasis on cleaning up its canon and mainstream timeline, correcting inconsistencies and providing confirmations and clarifications where needed. Mark Waid has played a major role in spearheading this effort through his various titles, most notably The New History of the DC Universe.
The purpose of Waid’s The New History of the DC Universe was to create a new, unified “official” history of the DC Universe that could make sense of nearly 90 years of constantly changing continuity and produce one coherent timeline. However, Waid’s New History project isn’t the only one providing clarifications and helping iron out lore inconsistencies, as his Batman / Superman: World’s Finest has also contributed to this larger effort on a smaller scale.
Batman / Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1 is the most recent example of this, as it firmly closes the door on the “Can Superman use his superspeed to turn back time?” question. In this issue, Batman, Superman, and Flash find themselves trapped in a Faraday cage with no means to escape. In an attempt to find a way out, Barry engages in some brainstorming, which leads him to suggest that Clark try spinning in circles so fast that he spins back time.
This is an obvious nod to 1978’s Superman, when the Man of Steel flies high above Earth and begins flying around the planet at tremendous speed to turn back time, with the movie depicting this feat as Earth, and therefore time, spinning backward. However, the comic quickly shuts down this possibility, as Batman replies to Barry’s suggestion by saying that he’s going to pretend he didn’t hear that, implying the stupidity of such a suggestion, while Superman outright asks, “How does that make any sense?”
Here, DC Comics is both firmly closing the door on this ability for the Man of Steel, confirming he cannot use his speed to time travel, while also good-naturedly poking fun at the 1978 movie. So, for now at least, Superman fans can go forth knowing without a doubt that this ability is outside of DC canon.
Batman / Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1 from DC Comics is now available to read!