Delving into the realm of capes and superpowers, a team of San Diego City College professors assembled to envision the potential real-world applications of iconic superheroes like Spider-Man and Wonder Woman.

Professors Shane Haggard, Lisa Chaddock and Lisa Will led the discussion on the science and impact of superheroes to a packed house on Sept. 26. 

The 90-minute presentation featured a variety of superheroes like Iron Man, Harley Quinn, and Batman. The panel touched on 13 different superheroes and teams in total.

They spent up to 10 minutes discussing each hero’s specific powers and how they may play out in real-world scenarios. 

If the Flash was to run down the streets of San Diego, for example, he would destroy the pavement underneath him.

The panel touched on some abilities, like Wolverine’s healing factor, and discussed how humans compare to these heroes in the real world. 

“Doctors actually do talk about people and their healing factors, and how there are some medical conditions like Type 1 diabetes that affect this factor,” said Will, who teaches physics.  

Some powers, like Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth, didn’t have an easy answer but the professors tried to explain the most popular powers and utilities to the best of their ability.

“What about the lasso of truth, is that a chemical?” Chaddock asked Haggard, who specializes in chemistry. 

Harggard simply replied: “No, it’s magic.”

The panelists provided visuals on a projector screen for each hero they discussed. Multiple photos of the hero at hand were on each visual, alongside some bullet points to move the conversation along.

In case you missed the presentation, it might not be the last chance to attend one like it.

“We try to do a talk about science and comics or Star Wars every semester,” Haggard said. “More than likely, next semester, you’ll see another one.”