Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Which Superhero Film Has the Most Unrealistic Physics [IGN]

Perhaps the world’s most famous astrophycisist Neil deGrasse Tyson has explained which superhero movie has the most unrealistic physics, and the title belongs to a DC classic.

Tyson told ComicBook that “it’s definitely Superman,” the original 1978 version starring Christopher Reeves, in which the Man of Steel flies backwards around the earth so fast that it turns back time. “I mean, please,” Tyson said.

“Okay, so he flies backwards around earth. Time reversed. Had he slowed down Earth and stopped it, he would have killed a billion people because all the oceans would have washed up onto the continents and this is all in the interest of saving Lois. In terms of violation of all known laws of physics, that’s peak.”

In the film, Superman manages to stop one missile hitting the east coast of the U.S. but fails to stop another on the west coast. His beloved Lois Lane is killed in the aftermath, and he reverses time by flying around the earth backwards to bring her back.

Tyson commented on some other properties too, including Marvel’s Doctor Strange, but said he prefers the likes of Rick and Morty because it uses actual scientific logic behind its character’s escapades.

“The rest are sort of magical things that maybe one day we’ll figure out how to do,” Tyson said. “Like Doctor Strange. You see, I prefer Rick from Rick and Morty because when he opens those portals he uses real science, whereas Doctor Strange uses magic.”

As for Superman, scientists actually worked out in 2015 that the Man of Steel would need to fly at 660 miles per hour, or 98% of the speed of light, in order to reverse the earth’s rotation. He’d also need to multiply his mass by 13.7 million though, and even then wouldn’t turn back time.

Image Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.