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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 8487658" data-attributes="member: 2209">I agree that Superman is a generally poorly explained super, a human looking alien who gains power under a yellow sun who is strong and tough but also just gains unconnected non-thematic super powers of laser eyes and x-ray vision and non-jumping flight. It is a pretty poor narrative explanation.Still once you have him well established, he is well established and saying he just does any weird new power naturally comes across as jarring, so looking at him causing illusions in some continuities is jarring for those not familiar with those continuities. Explaining it with random power-inducing (red?/blue) kryptonite might be an established narrative explanation. Being a big established part of pop culture since the 30s adds to him being accepted as is with his weirdness while departures are jarring. Also generally in superhero contexts there are people with specific super powers and people without them. Just because superman can break through brick walls you wouldn't say anybody can. You would generally say OK, give me a thinly explained narrative origin for your ability to bust through walls (super tech suit, bit by a radioactive spider, magic gem gave me power, but not I am a person who lifts weights).A good example of a narrative magic system with limits would be the animated series Avatar the Last Airbender. I've watched the original series but not Kora or the movie so my understanding is from there. You expect the different benders to do thematic elemental control magic and martial arts adjacent/integrated magic. There is air bending for getting height and epic fire bending for hand jets to fly, but there is no teleportation. There is no summoning of creatures.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 8487658, member: 2209"] I agree that Superman is a generally poorly explained super, a human looking alien who gains power under a yellow sun who is strong and tough but also just gains unconnected non-thematic super powers of laser eyes and x-ray vision and non-jumping flight. It is a pretty poor narrative explanation. Still once you have him well established, he is well established and saying he just does any weird new power naturally comes across as jarring, so looking at him causing illusions in some continuities is jarring for those not familiar with those continuities. Explaining it with random power-inducing (red?/blue) kryptonite might be an established narrative explanation. Being a big established part of pop culture since the 30s adds to him being accepted as is with his weirdness while departures are jarring. Also generally in superhero contexts there are people with specific super powers and people without them. Just because superman can break through brick walls you wouldn't say anybody can. You would generally say OK, give me a thinly explained narrative origin for your ability to bust through walls (super tech suit, bit by a radioactive spider, magic gem gave me power, but not I am a person who lifts weights). A good example of a narrative magic system with limits would be the animated series Avatar the Last Airbender. I've watched the original series but not Kora or the movie so my understanding is from there. You expect the different benders to do thematic elemental control magic and martial arts adjacent/integrated magic. There is air bending for getting height and epic fire bending for hand jets to fly, but there is no teleportation. There is no summoning of creatures. [/QUOTE]

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