DeaconBlues wrote:
Thanks for the link, zer0!
I suppose that stopping, then reversing, the rotation of Earth so quickly would raise inertia issues with all those people (and buildings, and seismic fault-lines, and...) spinning around in one direction at just under 1000 mph, then suddenly having the planet do the exact opposite.
The other question I had was: How, exactly, is flying around the planet really fast supposed to change its rotation in any way whatsoever???
#6, the disguise question, actually got a fair lampshading in the first issue of Blackest Night, when Barry Allen/Flash and Hal Jordan/Green Lantern were standing over the grave of Batman, and the issue of how they hide their identities came up. "Clark slouches, wears glasses and clothes that are two sizes too big, and raises his voice an octave."
Frankly, I always took the movie time travel issues as follows (gotta know something in-depth of Superman lore, though).
1. He didn't spin the Earth backwards. Rather, it was how the movie depicted Superman going so fast that he went backwards in time.
2. If he could go so fast, why didn't he stop both missiles? Well, Superman's powers are not physical, they're mental. Strength of will is how he does most anything. Stopping missiles didn't induce enough stress for him to produce the speed needed. The rage over losing Lois, however, did motivate him to fly fast enough to break the time barrier.
Still, that they show him saving Lois but the earthquake never happens creates a valid continuity paradox that never gets addressed.