Most of us like Marvel movies. But is what we see in them realistic on a scientific level? Can the things that happen really happen and situations like those seen in some of these great super productions? A scientist has analyzed classics like Iron Man, The Avengers or Spider-Man to give you his opinion.
Normally when we go to the cinema and see a superhero movie, or if we see the Marvel movies on Disney+, we decide to disconnect. Because if you sometimes think too much, you end up ruining the experience. But now, in the cold, it doesn’t hurt to know what a scientist like Jim Kakalios has to say, who is not only an important physicist, but also has been reading comics for a long time. Next we share with you what he says of some of the Marvel movies that you have surely seen.
Hombre de Hierro
In the first movie, when Tony Stark builds his “ultimate” armor, we hear the character say that he’s using an alloy of gold and titanium with the intention that his suit won’t freeze when he ascends too high (you remember the scene, right? ).
But the scientist comments that these alloys, in the real world, are normally used in dentistry, for teeth, and they are not exactly resistant. So it doesn’t sound very credible. However, he does recognize that most of the elements of the armor are real and, in particular, he talks about the veracity of the helmet and its mental connection with its technological system. In addition, he compares it with the work that is being carried out at the University of Minnesota, where they are already developing techniques that allow the waves generated by thought to be collected to convert them into commands.
Of course, nobody thinks that having a fusion reactor in the chest is possible. Kakalios makes it clear that if we could pack the power of multiple nuclear power plants into a reactor that size, in a matter of months the whole world would have Iron Man suits. huge that should be connected to power the device. So no, in that sense Iron Man has his dose of imagination.
spider-man 2
The scene in which Peter Parker stops the train at the moment in which he could have caused a very serious accident ends with a favorable result due to the great force of the nets that the hero shoots. But is it really feasible that they can resist the force of the train?
To do this, the scientist suggests that you need to know a lot of data. It is necessary to know the speed with which the train started in its displacement, its mass, the diameter and the nets that Spider-Man throws. He says that, once he did the calculation, he found that the superhero webs should have a force of 1,000 megapascals. And he was surprised, because he checked all the data thoroughly to really make sure if what was happening in the movie was realistic or not. In the end, he has to admit that he is, since the tensile strength of spider silk is 1,200 megapascals, so Spider-Man would have had the capacity and even a little more than what he wanted. I needed the feat from him.
As a way of trying to ensure that science always comes first, albeit with a bit of humor, the scientist mentions that it is unrealistic for him to throw the nets from his wrists. But as he himself says, it is a detail that can be left aside as creative freedom.
Doctor Strange
Here Jim Kakalios talks about multiple dimensions and parallel worlds. He confesses that it is true that there are scientists who are supporting this type of theory and who believe that it is something real. But, beyond that, what the physicist emphasizes is that there is no possibility that gravity can be altered in the world as seen in the film. He defines it as simply “something magical.”
Returning to the issue of alternative worlds, it is an aspect that he admits to be complicated and that should be considered more as probabilities than as having seen other dimensions. Actually, the film itself seems to be unclear about the idea that they are two totally different things. According to the physicist, it would be possible to calculate where an electron would be at a given moment in space and time, although you would never know its exact location. Therefore, it would be complex.
avengers
The subject that the physicist focuses on is the way Thor’s hammer impacts Captain America’s shield. The first thing he mentions is that there is an error in the physical approach to the manufacture of the shield, since in the movies it is mentioned that it is made only with vibranium. But in the comics, it is an object that is made of vibranium and steel.
The reason you need steel in the construction of the shield is, as Kakalios says, so that it provides a large volume of rigidity and strength. At the same time, the vibranium, as detailed in the movies, gives you the ability to absorb vibrations. For this reason, he is able to absorb the blow of Thor’s hammer without being damaged.
Since the energy is never destroyed, but simply transformed into something else, when the hammer hits the shield it ends up generating ultraviolet light. What happens is that sound waves go in and light comes out, a type of process that exists in the real world. This confirms that the vibranium of the shield is a material that, if it existed, would be classified as sonoluminescent.
Avengers: Endgame
Finally, the physicist wanted to comment on something that he knows has generated criticism among Marvel fans and that has a good scientific explanation. How could it be that Captain Marvel hadn’t aged at all considering that more than 20 years had passed since her previous appearance?
The explanation is simple and uses Einstein’s theory of relativity. The famous scientist said that all observers have to agree on the value of the speed of light, whether they are moving or not. In the movie, what could have happened is that Captain Marvel moved at a level close to the speed of light for six months, but never reached it. That would have implied that the time spent on Earth during her displacement would be out of those 24 years that elapsed between the time she received the help notice and when she arrived on the planet.
As you can see, the Marvel movies are more convincing than you could imagine from a scientific point of view. Actually, it sounds like they’re trying really hard to make everything that happens have a good foundation in reality! Of course, there is some fantasy, because after all, we are talking about comics and superheroes. But it’s good to see that it all makes quite a bit of sense.
