Flight.

He used to leap. Then he flew.

Superman couldn't fly when he debuted in Action Comics #1 (1938): he could leap about an eighth of a mile. He flew first on radio (1940) and in the Fleischer cartoons (1941), and was clearly flying in the comics by 1943. Comics have never fully explained how; most stories credit the same yellow-sun energy behind all his powers.

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Updated 6 November 2026 · 7 sources

Above a sea of clouds at sunrise, the horizon gently curving

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Leap. Lift. Fly.

In 1938 he could only leap, an eighth of a mile at a time. Radio and cartoons got him flying.

In depth

The full story.

Flight is the power everyone associates with Superman, so it surprises people that he didn’t have it at first. This page explains how he got off the ground, how the comics describe his flight, and what limits it.

Could Superman always fly?

No. In Action Comics #1 (cover date June 1938), Superman could leap about an eighth of a mile, run faster than an express train and lift a car, but he couldn’t fly.

When did Superman start flying?

Superman flew in other media before the comics caught up:

Medium	When	What happened	Confidence
Radio	1940	Flying by the second episode of The Adventures of Superman	Likely
Animation	1941	The Fleischer cartoon “Superman” makes flight his signature	Likely
Comics	May 1941	The Kleefeld on Comics timeline dates the first flight to around here	Likely
Comics	1941	Hovers in Superman #10, drawn by Leo Nowak	Disputed
Comics	May 1943	Flies “like a bird” in Action Comics #60	Likely
Comics	October 1943	Full, controlled flight in Action Comics #65	Likely

In short: Superman leapt in 1938 and was flying by the early 1940s, and the radio show and the Fleischer cartoons got him airborne first. The often-repeated story is that the Fleischer animators found leaping looked silly on screen. You may see Action Comics #13 (1939) named as his first flight, but no reliable source confirms it, so we leave it out.

There’s a British footnote too: the cover of the UK comic Triumph #772 (5 August 1939) shows Superman flying, years before the American comics made it official. See Superman and Britain.

How does Superman fly?

The comics have never fully explained Superman’s flight. Most stories credit the same stored yellow-sun energy behind all his powers, and some describe it as a kind of personal gravity control. Because there’s no single canon explanation, we don’t present any one theory as fact.

What are the limits of Superman’s flight?

Superman’s flight has the same limits as his other powers. It fails under a red sun, weakens near green kryptonite, and fades when his stored sunlight runs low. See Superman’s weaknesses for how each one works.

Superman’s best flight moments

Flying to the sun: in All-Star Superman #1 (2005) he flies close to the sun and is overcharged by it.
Racing the Flash: their first race, in Superman #199 (August 1967), ends in a tie. The comics usually give the Flash the edge in later races.
Turning back time: in Superman: The Movie (1978) he flies round the Earth to turn back time. It’s a film-only moment, not a comics power, and fans still argue about what the scene really shows.

Superman’s flight on screen

Superman: The Movie (1978) famously promised audiences they’d believe a man can fly. In Superman (2025), David Corenswet’s take-offs are punchier and faster. See our Superman movies in order guide, and for the powers he uses in the air, see super-strength and heat vision.

Era by era.

The same Superman, rewritten for every generation.

Golden Age (1938–1956)

In 1938 he leaps about an eighth of a mile. Comics historians date the first flight to around May 1941, he hovers in Superman #10 (1941), he flies like a bird in Action Comics #60 (May 1943), and full flight is clear by Action Comics #65 (October 1943).

Silver Age (1956–1970)

Flight is routine and enormously fast, powered by the yellow sun once that explanation arrives around 1960.

Post-Crisis (1986–2011)

Flight stays a core power, sometimes described as a kind of personal gravity control. There's still no single agreed explanation.

Rebirth and today (2016–)

Flight is a given for Superman and the wider Super-family, including his son Jon Kent.

Radio and animation

The Adventures of Superman radio serial has him flying by its second episode in 1940, and the Fleischer cartoon 'Superman' (1941) makes flight his signature, reportedly because leaping looked silly on screen.

Film

Superman: The Movie (1978) sold itself on believing a man can fly. Superman (2025) gives David Corenswet a punchier, faster take-off.

Questions.

Could Superman always fly?

No. In Action Comics #1 (1938) he could leap about an eighth of a mile. Flight arrived on the radio serial (1940) and in the Fleischer cartoons (1941), where leaping looked odd. The comics adopted full flight around 1943.

How does Superman fly?

The comics have never settled it. Most stories put Superman's flight down to the same stored yellow-sun energy that powers his strength and speed, and some describe it as a kind of personal gravity control. There's no single canon explanation, so treat any detailed 'science' of his flight as one writer's version.

When did Superman first fly in the comics?

There's no single agreed first-flight issue. The Kleefeld on Comics timeline dates it to around May 1941, Superman hovers in Superman #10 (1941), he flies like a bird in Action Comics #60 (May 1943), and full, controlled flight is clear by Action Comics #65 (October 1943). Radio and cartoons got him airborne first.

Why did Superman start flying?

The usual explanation is animation. The Fleischer studio, making the Superman cartoons in 1941, reportedly found that leaping looked silly on screen and had him fly instead. The radio show already had him flying from 1940, and the comics followed over the next few years.