Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for James Gunn’s Superman
James Gunn’s Superman is now playing in theaters, featuring a brand-new Man of Steel as he uses his impressive abilities to make the world a better place. Played by David Corenswet, the DCU’s new Superman possesses all the classic Kryptonian powers one would expect. This includes the ability to hold his breath for an impressive amount of time.
In James Gunn’s Superman, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) unleashes a multi-layered plot to kill Superman. This master plan involves Lex’s superpowered enforcers known as Ultraman and Angela Spica’s Engineer, both of whom are deployed to kill the Man of Steel following his breakout from Luthor’s pocket universe prison. During this battle, it’s revealed just how long the DCU’s Superman can theoretically go without oxygen.
James Gunn’s DCU Reveals Superman Can Hold His Breath For A Full Hour
But What About The Original DC Comics?
During Superman’s brawl with Luthor’s metas, The Engineer uses nanites to completely cover the Man of Steel’s head. As the nanites enter his throat and lungs, one of Luthor’s techs confirms Superman will suffocate and die in minutes. However, it’s also confirmed that Superman could theoretically go without oxygen for a full hour had he been able to take in a full breath of air.
Ultimately, Superman manages to get high enough in orbit that the nanites freeze before barreling back down to Earth, knocking out the Engineer on impact. This allows him to remove the nanites so he can breathe again, right before Superman faces Ultraman one-on-one. However, the original comics offer a different answer when it comes to the upper limits of Superman’s ability to hold his breath.
While there has naturally been some variation over the years depending on the writing and specific scenarios in the comics, Superman is generally capable of much longer periods without oxygen, like when he ventures into deep space. On the page, Superman is capable of holding his breath for days or even weeks if needed. This is due to his Kryptonian physiology being far more reliant on solar energy.
However, that doesn’t mean that Superman holding his breath for such long periods is all that comfortable. On occasion, Superman has been shown using a breathing apparatus in space. That said, Superman can greatly adapt to various environments as a Kryptonian when necessary, including those without oxygen.
One of Superman’s post-credits scenes has Kal-El and Krypto looking at Earth from the moon (inspired by the comics). I suppose an hour is enough time for lunar sightseeing. However, I do hope LuthorCorp underestimated Superman’s ability to hold his breath or was factoring in his Kryptonite poisoning, especially if the DCU’s Superman heads into space for any extended period in the future.
James Gunn’s Superman is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.
