Can Superman control the power of his heat vision?

It's actually popped into my head recently and I'm surprised I hadn't thought about it before. Can Superman hold back the power of his heat vision, when fighting street levellers or allies or such? Or can he use it at "full" power all of the time?

Yes. He can. He can minimize it to lobotomize people. MoS Superman doesn't seem to have this ability though and he doesn't seem to have freeze breath powers. He more grounded I guess.

If you are refering to what Superman does in the BvS trailer then no. Superman was going for the kill there. His heat wave destroyed everything in its way.

He can manipulate it into a "scalpel", so I would say that he has a certain degree of control over its intensity. However, I doubt that he could manipulate it to the point that he could safely use it on a goon's head without killing him.

Yeah, he can also control range.

Yes. Superman can control his energy to such degree, that he can use his heat vision to cause massive destruction or methodical processes like surgery. Like when he had operated on Lois, in the New 52. And barely left a scar.

He has such control he can even make his heat vision invisible to the human eye, that or combine different types of vision like X-rays and Infrared (heat). That way he for example, can look through a solid object and then fire his heat vision to hit only what he wants to.

He can even combine his microscopic and heat vision to cause minimal damage. For example when he needs to patch something up that's so small or fragile that he needs to mend it on a molecular level.

So has control goes he has good control. He still hasn't fully mastered that power or the others mind you, but unlike Martian Manhunter that had millenia to master each of his powers, Superman is still learning.

Quoting Wraith: "You have no idea how powerful you're gonna become under this yellow sun, and the powers that you'll acquire given enough time".

@squalleon: @heavenlydarkdragon: Can he use it as mentioned in the OP, though? I've seen him use it in this fashion, but never as a "knock-out" beam against street levellers or such.

He has used it to slightly burn soldiers to drop their weapons.

I am pretty sure he can use it to give small burns but Superman's heat vision doesn't have "force" to knock out someone.

D'oh, didn't think of it like that, bit silly of me. But then again, I'm probably used to artists showing his heat vision as if it uses "force" against his enemies.

@redwingx: we don't even know if that was his. Look at difference of size when he shoots to when Batman dodges it.

Yeah, I remember some pics were it looks like Superman throws away his enemies. Artistic licence, I guess.

@nybreezy said:

You mean, MOS Supes can’t do it on such chirurgical level or he can’t control his heat vision at all? Cause if last, he was able to precisely use his heat vision to cauterize Lois’ wound.

Just wanted to say the same ;)

@sanohibiki: you're right, I forgot about that scene.

Yeah. He can focus it lightly enough to just take out cancer cells or strong enough to hurt DC's bricks.

It's not silly at all. Seeing that most of the times he fires his heat vision directly at someone, it's usually someone that can in one way or another take it, more or less. And has such it gives the impression that enemy in question is being pushed, but what's really happening is that the enemy has some level of high resistance, that allows him or her to absorb/dissipate a portion of the heat and not be burn or scorch.

Sometimes I've read people wondering, both in the N52 and in the pre-N52, if Superman can use Infrared and X-Rays, and he can basically see in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, then why doesn't he use Optic and Ultraviolet.

Usually when refering to optic vision power, I get the impression that some people would like to see Superman have a power more like that of the X-Man, Cyclops. Cyclops many times uses his optic blasts to push enemies away, even when used at full force it seems more like the targets are hit by a form of concentrated light, and causes damages due to sheer raw force and not heat. The only problem being that science has shown us, that although light can be use to propel objects away, the object has to have reflective properties and also if needed a high speed push, the object would have to also be able to handle the force&heat that's hitting it. So unless Superman had Cyclops unique ability to harden light and not emit any heat, using light would produce the same effects -although more powerful- has heat vision.

Has for Ultraviolet. It's well known in current industrial lasers, that ultraviolet lasers can cut more effectively through matter using less amounts of power, than optic lasers. The main problem with ultraviolet lasers is that the more power it's applied the more difficult it becomes to direct and contain the beam of energy. That it would be a nice add to Superman arsenal. Something I agree.

He can control it, in the comics and in the DCCU. During the flashback to when young Clark is hiding away in the closet at school, he heats up the door knob without actually shooting anything from his eyes. Also, when he first uses heat vision against Faora and Namek it's very defined and clearly two "neat" beams, but when we see him use it to melt that steel beam in the fight with Zod (who's heat vision was much bigger both times he used it, than Supermans first go), it's bigger and much hotter. And in the Dawn of Justice trailer, his heat vision was big enough to engulf Batman's entire body if he hadn't moved. So yeah he can control it