Of all the powers he has thanks to Earth's yellow sun, one may be Superman's most underutilized. An ally of Clark Kent showed that even when exposed to red solar rays, Kryptonians have a power that gives them a serious advantage.
Superman wouldn't be worthy of his heroic identity if he didn't have the abilities to back it up. Thanks to the sun's yellow rays and Clark Kent's Kryptonian physiology, the hero's been bestowed with powers far beyond those of any mortal being. Flight, heat and x-ray vision, and an entire panoply of powers for the hero to use. However, Superman has weaknesses that can diminish his tremendous strength and durability. Kryptonite in all of its forms can greatly weaken Clark's strength, and the reality-warping properties of magic also affect him. Worse, red solar rays can bring Superman down to human level and make him as mortal as anyone else.
But even when facing the power-stealing nature of a red sun, it seems that Kryptonians have a fortunate workaround. In Supergirl #46 by Sterling Gates, Greg Rucka, Jamal Igle, and Eduardo Pansica, Supergirl and her allies, the Kryptonian heroes Nightwing (aka Chris Kent) and Flamebird (aka Thara), have been captured by Supergirl’s gold kryptonite-powered villain Reactron. While Reactron made it seem like he was preparing to take the three to answer for a supposed attack on Metropolis, Kara's nemesis has actually been hired to execute all three in order to facilitate a cover-up. After Reactron kills the government's Squad K unit, he prepares to murder Supergirl. However, Nightwing tells his partner Flamebird to get ready to attack. While the team's red sun collar inhibit most of their powers, it apparently didn't affect Chris' tactile telekinesis, which allows him and Flamebird to easily turn the tables on Reactron.
While the most famous of tactile telekinesis is Superboy, it’s a power also shared by Superman. With a telepathic range limited to what he touches, Superman and other Kryptonians can easily lift overwhelmingly huge objects with ease. It's amazing to see that red solar radiation apparently doesn't have an effect on this power, despite how it dampens the other powers of Kryptonians. This makes a strong case for tactile telekinesis being the most important of Superman's many powers.
When a hero has as many abilities to their name as Superman does, it’s hard to declare one the best. After all, super strength and flight are extremely useful. But red sun radiation gets rid of all those powers easily, so they’re not as handy as previously thought. Tactile telekinesis, on the other hand, can somehow overcome this classic Achilles’ heel and give Superman or any Kryptonian an advantage when they need it most. If Nightwing’s telekinesis can survive red solar rays, it could potentially withstand gold kryptonite or even magic. On its own, tactile telekinesis might not be that impressive, but the power's resiliency might make it one of Superman's best hidden secrets.
