How fast is Superman in combat?

Depends on his morals/ mindset

Not a battle

Not a battle

Move to Superman board's

@saren or god_spawn or @vance_astro please

Not a Battle

Below light speed according to WW.

I'm going with 5% to 50% light speed.

I just said massively hypersonic. They don't really say how fast he's fighting at all the time.

I have to say 5-50% as well simple because a lot of the times he doesn't fight super fast, he just brawls with the other guy

Sub-Light.

Fast enough to steal your girl before you know it.

In combat. he is as fast as he has to be. seriously.

Although I will say he's definitely faster than light. Being able to walk around in a fraction of a nanosecond like nothing has changed makes him much FTL.

He has multiple on panel nanosecond reaction feats pre-52 so that's at minimum light speed if he is trying. So I would say FTL not much FTL but his travel speed is much FTL.

Fast enough to make any scans of Deathstroke bouncing around him like it was nothing PIS...

Fast enough to land enough blows in a half a second to end thor.

Massively Hypersonic.

5% to 50% lightspeed.

I'm pretty sure that's an very, very, high showing. Especially given Supreman's power level at that moment in time, and there being several feats that contradict this.

@dccomicsrule2011 Superman was portrayed as much weaker in the 80's

That is exactly why I have such a hard time accepting that feat.

Superman was getting smacked around by a Mammoth who couldn't even lift 50 tons, whooped by a vampire, wrecked by weather manipulating machine, and hurt by hydrogen torpedoes shot by Gizmo to the back, and I'm supposed to believe he is that fast compared to his later incarnations?

lightspeed/below lightspeed (80-99%)

I think his reactions and knee jerk movements are FTL, however, his actual combat speed is light speed at best. The way I see it, combat speed is a combination of thought speed and reaction speed. It can be as fast as the characters thoughts since a voluntary synapse must fire in order to move. But combat speed cannot be as fast as reaction speed since reactions, knee jerk movements are involuntary. The only character with combat speed as fast as his reactions that I can think of would be Noh-Varr. IIRC his white running ability shuts of his consciousness allowing him to run on pure instinct.

As fast as he needs to be. Based on the general showings of speedsters or people with super speed in general, I take them as mentally capping their speed as the need arises, which explains why Superman is fast enough to catch bullets one second but is slow enough to be tagged by someone like Mammoth, who has no real speed. Toss him in a fight with say, Wonder Woman or another Kryptonian and he'll regulate his body accordingly.

This theory of mine was somewhat confirmed during the Grounded storyline where Superman had to consciously speed up his level of perception because Barry-Flash was moving and talking faster than he could register prior to the mental adjustments.

From what I can tell he only seems to be hypersonic to massively hypersonic in terms of combat speed,although he is able to travel and see/think/talk/perceive at much greater speeds. If this weren't true, then he wouldn't have been beaten all those times when bloodlusted/mind controlled, nor would (any) Flash make comments about how much ridiculously faster he is than him. Not that being massively hypersonic is in any way slow, mind you.

This sums up my view as well.

Faster than light, not by any stretch of the imagination. Sam Lane would never be able to hit Superman if he were that swift. He might be as fast as light in outer space where there's little to no friction but not on earth.

Seems logical

I don't see that he is FTL or faster than FTL in combat speed. He gets tagged too often by Mongul and other slower characters for this to be the case. Flight speed, sure....FTL.

Fast as he needs to be, he adjusts and anticipates his opponents based on their power and how much of a threat they are by calculating an estimate on how much he needs to exert, since he doesn't like going all out for anyone with few exception, man is like Goku in a sense except he doesn't enjoy the battle.

@bezza: It's called PIS, when they w2nt him to fight at potential, he isn't usually touched.

I like this explanation lol

@superguy1591:

So every time Superman gets hit, its PIS? I don't think so! Sure, when he is going all out he's very, very fast, but his combat speed is a tier below the Flash or Zoom.

Edit, my answer could be summarised as follows; Not Lightspeed, but fast enough!"

@bezza: Not every time, most times though.

Nah it's as much as he wishes it.

55 - 80 percent Max

When flying – massively FTL, but when fighting – sometimes it goes to “I forgot to use superspeed”. Most likely massively hypersonic with going into lightspeed on some occasions imo.

You got to remember that Superman isn't the character trying to surpass his limits, he's the guy willingly limitating himself, because even he doe he doesn't know the full extent of his powers, more than once he has been seen flying way faster than light.

Well if we were to translate that to how fast he would be in combat, he would be faster than the Flash, the problem is that he isn't the Flash. He doesn't have an inercia-dampening field like the Flash has. And not only that, he's way more resiliant than the Flash.

Imagine him throwing a punch at someone at light speed, or even hypersonic speed, if we account Superman's invulnerabilty, the sheer force of the impact level would be atomic, multiple weapon of mass destruction level of destruction.

So Superman never fights at his full speed, he can't.

So, going back to the question at hand, Superman in a combat situation is has fast has he sees he can be.

@demonknights: What does this have to do with Thor ?

I voted 55 to 85 but he is really as fast as the writer wants him to be.

I think 5-50. I've always figured He gets tagged because he needs to actively speed up his perception and body to move at fast speeds as he lacks flash ability to do this quickly, or Diana's reflex training.

Well, the title asks how fast superman is in combat and i answered by saying how fast he is....sooo...what do you think

But you didn't have to include Thor since he is not relevant to the discussion...I think that that's the point.

I used thor as a measuring point. I can do that with anyone. Problem?

Perhaps his max combat speed is around light speed..

To me it more sounds like you were just trying to piss people off or troll.

Oddly enough you chose to do it to a common rival counterpart that Superman is put up against,not just "anyone",but whatever.

He can move so fast he made my bowels dropped into flaccid!

@cameron83: nah. I just used him as a tool to measure supermans speed. I dont care who my facts offend.

It certainly didn't offend me,if that's what you are implying.

On a second note,I am not sure I believe that...at all. You know,considering that it still stands as being a bit unnecessary,especially when it sounds like the intent was to instigate an argument or reaction....especially considering word choice ("....end Thor")

@cameron83: youre not required to believe me.

Good to know?