Superman’s Magic Weakness Has A Major Loophole He’s Finally Exploiting

WARNING! Spoilers for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #36

Kryptonite is Superman's most notable weakness in DC lore, but another that's consistently weighed him down is magic. Time and time again, Superman has struggled when confronted with magic, but a recent shift in his outlook has sparked a change in his strategies against it. Now, Superman has just uncovered a clever way to break out of magical restraints, and it levels the playing field for the Man of Steel.

In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #36 by Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands, Superman finds himself held underwater by magical restraints that keep him bound to rocks. Lori Lemaris, his mermaid ex-girlfriend, tries to help him break free to no avail. Despite Superman's best efforts, he can't bypass the magic that's keeping him locked up.

Magic has long plagued Superman as a seemingly unbeatable weakness, but just as all hope seems lost, he realizes that this weakness isn't as insurmountable as he's been led to believe. Indeed, Superman can conquer magic by exploiting a loophole he'd never noticed before.

Superman Is Weak Against Magic, But He Isn't Completely Helpless

With His Kryptonian Strength, Superman Can Break Free From Magical Traps

Superman's weakness to magic is inherent to Kryptonians, as mystical abilities have a history of leaving them vulnerable. However, in this comic, he demonstrates that there are ways to navigate that vulnerability and emerge triumphant despite the odds. He does so by harnessing his strength and breaking himself out of confinement, though not by damaging the magical cuffs that hold him in place. Since Superman can't combat the magic itself, he instead channels his power to destroy the rocks that are anchoring the restraints, thus circumventing his usual limitations with some quick-thinking and Kryptonian might.

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While Kryptonians are indeed known to be at a disadvantage against magic, the weakness isn't cut-and-dry. In actuality, rather than it being a weakness in the vein of Kryptonite or red sunlight, magic affects Superman and his fellow Kryptonians in the same way it would affect an ordinary human being. Superman is weak to magic as much as anyone else, which means it isn't specifically targeted towards his physiology and thus can be worked around under certain circumstances. By targeting the rocks instead of the magic itself, Superman shows that having determination when faced with magic instead of admitting defeat goes a long way.

Superman's Attitude Towards Magic Has Evolved Over the Years

His Newfound Acceptance of Magic Is Helping Him Find Ways to Beat It

For a long time, Superman has been wary of magic due to his body's inability to protect him from its effects. Thus, his weakness to it has been framed as far more dire than it may truly be. This disdain for it gets called out in Superman #18 by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell, in which Superman has been stripped of his powers and forced to walk the Dark Roads with prominent magic-user Zatanna. More than anything, he doesn't hate it because of his physical weakness against spells, but rather because of how inconsistent its rules are and his inability to comprehend it fully.

That dislike of magic changes when Superman accepts the call of the map he and Zatanna are following, and it ultimately helps him find his way back to Lois Lane. Upon reuniting with his wife, Superman says, "I love magic."This moment, along with his confrontations with magic throughout his travels on the Dark Roads, help Superman come to terms with magic not being entirely bad. With these insights in mind, he's tried his best to understand it rather than write it off altogether, and it seems that open-minded development has carried over into the "World's Finest" continuity as he thinks his way through magical threats.

Superman Keeps Learning More About Magic and How to Deal With It

Unlike Kryptonite, Magic Doesn't Weaken Superman, So He Can Conquer It

Magic can hurt Superman since his alien biology doesn’t protect him from it, but it doesn’t always strip away his powers to the degree of other elements he's vulnerable to, so he's realized that he isn't at a complete loss when faced with it. On the other hand, Green Kryptonite deprives Superman of his strength, setting it apart from his magical weakness. Now that Superman has changed his perspective on magic and discovered that he can beat it in innovative ways by putting his mind to it, he should be able to overcome most magical traps with ease.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #36 is available now from DC Comics!

Superman

Created By

Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics

Alias

Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent

Alliance

Justice League, Superman Family

Race

Kryptonian

Franchise

D.C.

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