Physicist Breaks Down Superhero Physics From Movies & TV | WIRED

Rhett Allain, a physics professor, explores the physics behind superhero feats in movies. He discusses the impracticality of the 'superhero landing', where a character lands with one knee, one fist, and a foot on the ground, which is hard on the knees and not advisable for real-life situations. He also explains kinetic energy, as seen in Black Panther's suit, which absorbs and stores the energy from bullets to use later. The concept of recoil is introduced with Wonder Woman's deflecting of bullets, which in reality would result in minimal impact due to the low mass and high velocity of bullets.

The script continues with an analysis of Superman's ability to lift a building, suggesting that increasing the contact area would be necessary for such a feat. It then moves on to Spider-Man's web strength, explaining that the force exerted by the webs may not be enough to hold a boat together. The Iron Man suit's micro thruster rockets are proposed as a more effective solution. The section concludes with Captain America's terminal velocity, describing how he reaches a constant speed during a fall due to the balance of gravitational force and air resistance, and how adjusting his body position can affect his falling speed.

This paragraph delves into the concept of net force as demonstrated by Iron Man's strategy to prevent a chain of people from falling. It also touches on the disintegration effect seen in 'The Boys', questioning the physics behind a character running through another. The Incredibles' scene of running on water is critiqued, suggesting that rapid foot movement would be required to generate enough force to counteract gravity. Lastly, Iron Man's flight is discussed, highlighting the importance of thruster placement for stability.

The script examines Groot's ability to protect others by creating a rigid sphere, suggesting that a crumple zone could absorb impact better. It also discusses the concept of force pairs, as seen in 'The Defenders', where super-strong characters must consider the direction of their punches to avoid being propelled backward. The paragraph concludes with a brief look at Superman's X-ray vision, pondering the scientific plausibility of such an ability.

In this final paragraph, the focus is on the physics of combat, particularly Captain America's use of Thor's hammer in 'Avengers Endgame'. The windup motion before swinging the hammer is analyzed to explain how it increases the hammer's speed and thus the impact force. The summary acknowledges the entertainment value of unrealistic physics in superhero movies, suggesting that complete realism might detract from the fun.