Superman may be the Man of Steel, but it turns out that Clark Kent is actually a lightweight when it comes to holding his booze.
Thanks to his powers, Superman cannot be harmed by conventional means. Bullets bounce off of his skin. Fire won’t burn his flesh. Even deadly poisons have no effect on his solar-infused Kryptonian physiology. So, it goes without saying that Superman can’t get drunk… as long as he has his superpowers.
Whenever he loses those superpowers, however, it’s a different story. Because Clark Kent possessed superpowers for his entire life (in most storylines), he never had to build up an alcohol tolerance. Unfortunately, this means that when he loses his powers through magic, Gold Kryptonite, or his solar flare power, it’s actually really easy to get the Last Son of Krypton drunk.
In both the comics and movies, Superman has had an ambiguous relationship with alcohol. Christopher Reeve’s Superman politely told Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane, “I never drink when I fly” during their interview. In Superman III, however, a counterfeit-Kryptonite-infected Superman drank a lot of liquor in a bar and showed he could be a pretty mean drunk. More recently, Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh’s Superman were both shown drinking and even working in bars, but seemed to suffer no ill effects from the alcohol.
In the comics, it’s established that Superman gets his main nutrients directly from the sun, meaning he doesn’t even need to eat or drink, although he’s capable of doing both. He generally doesn’t drink alcohol, turning away Lois Lane’s offer of wine and brie during one of their initial meetings. This changed in recent years, however, thanks to the introduction of Superman’s new “solar flare” power.
This power enabled the Man of Steel to expel all the solar energy out of his body at once, essentially turning him into a living bomb. While this was an effective power move, it also left Clark powerless until his body could absorb sufficient amounts of solar radiation. During this time, Clark was essentially human, letting him experience all the joys and frailties of regular life. To everyone’s surprise, Superman felt this temporary power loss was a gift as he could finally feel the full spectrum of human sensation and even found eating and drinking a much more pleasurable experience without powers.
Unfortunately, the Justice League decided to take advantage of this by giving Clark a night out on the town. Clark ended up in a bar with the League, took one sip of his light beer, and promptly became so drunk that he started babbling about how his new super flare power would encourage bad guys to be less bad before he passed out on the table. The League found this hilarious and commented that Superman has the alcohol tolerance of a flea. Clark woke up the next morning with a fraction of his powers and a massive hangover. Although he still managed to take down some criminals, the pounding in his head made him swear never to go out drinking again.
Given that Superman does lose his powers on a semi-regular basis, it’s actually very possible that Clark Kent could get drunk every now and then. Due to his weak alcohol tolerance, however, Superman likely stays away from bars as a rule – which is a good thing for the rest of us. Considering how dangerous regular humans can become when under the influence of alcohol, an inebriated Superman is likely a danger Clark Kent would rather spare the rest of the world.
Related Topics About The Author
Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.
Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.
Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.
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