Do too many superheroes do this...

[Gpoliceman]

Hello,

This isn't an in-depth question, so I'll make it short and sweet: Do too many superheroes (in Marvel and DC) have the ability to fly?

I was looking at a bunch of posters I have in my room of superheroes and it dawned on me that far too many superheroes have the ability to fly.

I even think some superheroes get the ability to fly for strange reasons. Take Iceman for example. Iceman doesn't EXACTLY fly, but because he can create ice under his feet, he can create a giant walkway underneath him to basically take him as high as he wants to go, and thus basically give him the power to fly. Take the Human Torch for example. Just because he turns into a ball of flame, how does that give him the power to lift off into the air? If I doused myself in gasoline and lit myself on fire, I would not gain the ability to fly (cue laughter). Take the Hulk for example. Supposedly, because of his super strength, he can jump like fifty miles in one leap. Well, Shaq (the basketball player) is huge too. Does he jump further than everyone else in the world because of his size? No. So does it make sense that the Hulk can kinda fly?
And isn't it Rouge's power to suck the life out of anybody she touches? Sure she can suck the mutant power out of mutants she touches, but she doesn't keep them forever. So why can she fly? Why can Storm fly? Does she call upon the wind to flow up her buttocks and pick her up and move her around?

Let's take a look at DC. As everybody knows, Martian Manhunter has a billion powers, and flying is one of them. Why do Martians get to fly? Who knows. Could it be because when comic book writers create new characters they always think "well, my character HAS to be able to fly!". And should Batman get rid of those grapple guns? Sure they were cool in the animated series, but once again, it makes it appear that every super hero must be able to fly.

What do you think?

Gpoliceman

[BCVM22]

Take the Hulk for example. Supposedly, because of his super strength, he can jump like fifty miles in one leap. Well, Shaq (the basketball player) is huge too. Does he jump further than everyone else in the world because of his size? No. So does it make sense that the Hulk can kinda fly?

And isn't it Rouge's power to suck the life out of anybody she touches? Sure she can suck the mutant power out of mutants she touches, but she doesn't keep them forever. So why can she fly? Why can Storm fly? Does she call upon the wind to flow up her buttocks and pick her up and move her around?

Respectively;

Hulk is able to jump like he can because his gamma radiation-altered leg muscles are so immensely strong, they're like a pair of huge pneumatic apparati, i.e. he's able to push off the ground with enough force to propel himself in the air.

It's true that Rogue does not normally retain powers she absorbs, however, during the time that she was a villain working with Mystique, she engaged in combat with Carol Danvers, better known as the Avenger Ms. Marvel (and called Warbird today), and somehow permanantly absorbed Carol's invulnerability, strength, and flight ability. In addition, she also absorbed Carol's mind, leaving Carol's personality stuck in Rogue's head for a time. Carol has since recovered and is still semi-active in heroing, however Rogue retains the abilities absorbed from her.

Storm is able to fly by, in theory, generating upward winds strong enough to lift her. The cape-wings present in so many of her costume incarnations function as upward-propelling sails of sorts.

[Reirden]

LOL, I actually found that pretty amusing. It does seem a lot of times that superheroes have to fly.

When heroes are trying to get their liscense at the DST (Department of Superhero Travel), it's probably mandatory they can fly in order to get an 'A-Class' lisense. If not, they get a 'B-Class'. And then there are those cool guys that break the law with abilites close to flying like Iceman and Spider-Man. I'm sorry, I'm getting too into this. Even gave heroes a ripoff of the DMV...

Seriously though? Yes. Far too many superheroes can fly nowadays, it doesn't even seems special.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!... Aw, who cares?"

[Jor-El]

Here is a list of superheroes who cannot, or could not, fly:

1. Batman
2. Robin, all incarnations
3. Batgirl, all incarnations
4. Nightwing
5. Huntress, all incarnations
6. Black Canary, all incarnations
7. Sandman (deceeased)
8. Sand
9. Wildcat
10. Atom Smasher
11. The Atom, Al Pratt
12. The Atom, Ray Palmer
13. The Flash, Jay Garrick
14. The Flash, Barry Allen (deceased)
15. The Flash, Wally West
16. Plastic Man
17. Elongated Man
18. Blue Beetle
19. The Question
20. Green Arrow, Ollie Queen
21. Arsenal
22. Green Arrow, Connor Hawke
23. Hourman, Rex Tyler
24. Hourman, Rick Tyler
25. Mr. Terrific, Terry Sloane
26. Mr. Terrific, Michael Holt
27. Dr. Mid-Nite, Charles McNider
28. Dr. Mid-Nite, Pieter Cross
29. Spider-Man
30. Daredevil
31. Wolverine
32. Cyclops
33. Beast
34. Storm
35. Gambit
36. Captain America

It should be noted that Superman started off not flying, but just leaping really high and far. In the pre-Crisis universe, Wonder Woman could only fly with her invisible plane. In Peter David's much-missed Supergirl series, after Supergirl was powered down, I believe that she could not fly either, but I may be remembering incorrectly. Starman I (Ted Knight), Starman II (1951), Starman III (Mikaal Tomas), Starman IV, (Gayvn), Starman VI (David Knight), and Starman VII (Jack Knight) all needed some kind of device to help them fly. Stargirl uses the cosmic rod to fly. Green Lanterns need the ring to fly. Jesse Quick and Johnny Quick could fly a little with their speed force formulas back in the day. I don't know if Fire or Ice could fly. Hawkman and Hawkgirl are flightless without the Nth metal technology. Steel (John Henry Irons and his niece Natasha) needs the suit for flight powers.

That's a lot of heroes who can't fly.