Superman is the savior of the world. Not just once, not just twice, but multiple times. He did save us from our inevitable death. But the movie ended there. Not just this movie most of the movie's end when the villain is dead. Unless there is a new villain to give a plot for the second movie giving rise to a series of movies. But let's imagine otherwise. Let's imagine superman happily married had his super kids and lived enough to see getting old to see what happens.
What will happen When the superman gets old?
Superman the Iconic character by DC comics possess following powers. Let's see what happens to these when he gets old.
Superhuman strength: Superman has incredible strength, allowing him to lift heavy objects, including cars and buildings, with ease.: when he gets old, he will lose the ability to superhuman strength. And he will become a normal human strength and eventually a child's strength. His performance scale will drop down from hero to zero near his death. And he would need some help to get food into his own mouth.
Superhuman speed: He can move, react, and fly at incredible speeds. And when he gets old, slowly he will become a slow-moving snail, and take ages to cross the road. And if he lived up to 200 you will be able to see him on a wheelchair, struggling to get up and move onto his own bed. Speed is a limiting factor even for the superman when he is old.
Invulnerability: His body is nearly impervious to harm and can withstand extreme forces and temperatures. Of course, does this mean immortal? If he is immortal, there will be a no world for him to save at the end of the next billion years, when the sun ceases to exist. His solar power battery will ultimately die, and he will become vulnerable to all the forces of extreme universe and temperatures. And who knows ultimately, he will be happy to age and die, when endless saving of human beings seems to be an impossible task as they are inherently vulnerable, and he cannot do more.
Flight: Superman has the ability to fly and maneuver through the air at will. When he gets old superman will lose the ability to fly gradually, his flight speed and rise above the earth will gradually reduce and ultimately he will hardly be able to levitate above few feet. He will need to use common transportation if he did not save enough to travel in a car and have to burn some fossil fuels like almost all of us. He would become a destroyer of our planet indirectly like all the rest of us in this respect.
Superhuman senses: This includes enhanced hearing, sight, and the ability to perceive events happening far away. These superhuman senses will start to fade away, and he will need the help of television to see the news happening around the world. He would need telephone to hear some of his grandchildren talking from other side of the town. And of courses he will visit the optician one day for a pair of glasses. Not once, not twice, but again and again. If he outlives his senses, he will eventually become deaf or blind or both and will need the help of a caregiver.
Heat vision: He can emit beams of intense heat from his eyes. Once he starts to lose this ability to emit beams, he would be no longer dared to fight the new evil who is present in the world. And he would use a heater to make a cup of tea and a fireplace and some blankets to keep him warm in the winter.
X-ray vision: Superman can see through solid objects, with the exception of lead. I saw a comic image once the old superman on a wheelchair is using his x ray vision to see the naked bodies of his nurses in his homecare. They use lead protection against such intruding into their privacy. But most likely is that super Xray vision is going to fade away and like earlier becoming normal vision and later impaired vision.
Superhuman breath: He can exhale powerful gusts of wind and freeze his enemies with his breath. Like all his other powers his superhuman mint breath will become a normal exhalation with normal smell. So, anyone would not want to feel this unless he brushes his teeth daily or someone else does this for him when he is too old to care for himself.
That was long, and it summarizes what is possibly going to happen to superman when he gets old. Superman series began on television in 1948 and the first actor who played the superman Kirk Alyn is now two decades since he passed away in 1999. And I am sure he faced some of the consequences of old age like everyone else. What did we do? Instead of facing the reality we replace the image of superman with a new actor. And fool us with stories, and teach our kids an impossible dream, until they learn harsh truth on earth by themselves.
Superman in real life.
Have been there a superman in your life? Most of us have this person, or persons whom we looked at when we were kids. My father was my superman figure. Over the years I have seen his authority loose its strength and he is no more a superman he used to be. Day by day I see he is getting older and when I see his old photos sometimes, I forget how fast he has aged and has become an old superman. And it brings tears to my eyes when I know what it is like to become an old superman wanting to be helped to get his own feet.
If you do not have a father figure, just do not worry. You will find most of our super humans in elders' homes. On their wheelchairs with lost superhuman abilities, struggling for the day and night to sleep. We are very good at hiding our old super men and super women in those dark places that we rarely see them in public places.
In summary
Finally, if you look at yourself, you will find out what a fool you have been thinking that you are a superman. This will reduce the ego. We crave for a beautiful vacation on a summer holiday on Bora Bora Islands. Everyone craves this. Sometimes I look at this thought and go on a vacation on my imagination. And then I see, the vacation is going to end, and I will be stuck at the end of this life like an old superman in some corner of an old house. What is the use of such a vacation? This is the life we all have to think about before our superhuman strengths are weakened.
Thank you for reading: when the superman gets old.
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