10 Times Superheroes Used Time Travel To Save The Day

Occasionally, a hero doesn’t succeed in their goal, either because they’re too late or make a critical error. Fortunately, many comic book heroes live in worlds where time travel exists, offering a chance to fix things.

Many superheroes have used time travel in their stories – whether intentionally changing the past to fix mistakes or getting unexpectedly lost in time. There are countless examples of this in comics, movies, and TV shows.

Superman Rewinds The Earth

In Richard Donner’s 1978 film, Superman, the movie almost ends tragically when Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a missile that causes an earthquake, seemingly killing Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Luckily, Superman (Christopher Reeve) is able to save her by flying around the Earth so quickly that he reverses the planet’s rotation, undoing the damage.

The conclusion to this story has become famously bad, largely because it doesn’t make much sense. However, it takes place in a world where a super-powered alien protects everyone, so really, anything is possible.

The Fantastic Four Journey To Ancient Egypt

Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic, is one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe, so it’s not surprising he’s built a time machine. However, the Fantastic Four actually first traveled through time using a device created by Doctor Doom, as seen in Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #19.

The Fantastic Four journey to Ancient Egypt hoping to find a way to restore Alicia Masters’ sight. There, they clash with Pharaoh Rama-Tut, another time traveler from the future, who imprisons them and develops feelings for Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. They eventually break free, but are forced to return to the present without the cure Alicia needs.

Wolverine Travels To The 1970s To Stop The Sentinels

A 1981 story arc in Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men, called “Days of Future Past,” depicts a grim future where mutants are violently persecuted and imprisoned in camps. To prevent this terrible future, Kitty Pryde uses her powers to send her consciousness back in time to change the event that starts it all.

This storyline, created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, inspired a popular movie. In it, Kitty Pryde uses her powers to send Wolverine back to the 1970s. Her mission: stop a future where the world is taken over by robots designed to hunt mutants called Sentinels. Traveling through time, Wolverine encounters younger versions of familiar faces like Charles Xavier and Beast.

Batman And The Flash Trace A Mysterious Button’s Origin

According to current scientific understanding, true time travel isn’t about moving backward or forward in this timeline. Instead, it’s more like traveling to different, alternate realities. A good example of this idea in action is the 2017 comic book story Batman/The Flash: The Button, written by Joshua Williamson and Tom King.

As a huge DC fan, I remember this story leading up to the Doomsday Clock event so well! It all starts with Batman and The Flash finding this creepy button – a smiley face with what looks like blood smeared on it, and they figure out it belonged to The Comedian. Turns out, it’s from another dimension! They use the Speed Force to trace where it came from, and it throws them right into the Flashpoint timeline. That’s where things get really wild – Bruce meets a version of his dad who became Batman after his son was killed, and his mom… well, she became a seriously twisted version of The Joker. It was a total mind-bender!

Green Lantern Helps King Arthur Fight A Dragon

It’s always entertaining to imagine a modern superhero transported back to medieval times, similar to a story in All-American Comics #72. Published in 1939, the tale features Alan Scott and his companion, Doiby Dickles, being called upon by Merlin to assist King Arthur in battling a terrifying, fire-breathing monster that’s plaguing Camelot.

The Green Lantern soon learns the strange truth: the dragon is actually Roger Bacon, an English scientist trying to create gunpowder. This invention proves crucial in stopping a wicked knight and safeguarding a Chinese delegation. As a reward, the delegation helps recharge his power ring, enabling him and Doiby to travel back to their own time.

The Avengers Retrieve The Infinity Stones

Many fans consider 2019’s Avengers: Endgame to be the high point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film begins with the heroes realizing that Thanos (Josh Brolin) destroyed the Infinity Stones right after wiping out half of all life, seemingly leaving the world with no hope. But five years later, they uncover a possible way to fix things: time travel.

Once Tony Stark, or Iron Man, successfully refines the technology, the Avengers create a plan to go back in time and collect the Stones. Their goal is to bring these Stones to the present and undo the devastating event known as the Decimation. This becomes possible when Scott Lang, Ant-Man, unexpectedly returns from the Quantum Realm. Though he experienced only five hours, five years had passed in the outside world, and his return triggers the team’s discovery.

Doctor Strange Puts Himself And Dormammu In A Time Loop

Even though Doctor Strange is a powerful sorcerer, he sometimes needs to rely on his wits to win. A humorous scene in the exciting climax of the 2016 Marvel film, Doctor Strange, directed by Scott Derrickson, perfectly illustrates this.

In order to make Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, abandon his attack on Earth, Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) creates a time loop that repeats endlessly until Dormammu finally gives in. Interestingly, Cumberbatch pulled double duty in this scene, both portraying Doctor Strange and providing the voice for Dormammu.

Batman & Robin Visit Ancient Rome

Even the classic versions of Batman have explored time travel as a way to battle villains. A great example is the August 1944 issue of Batman, written by Joseph Samachson and illustrated by Dick Sprang. Titled “It Happened in Rome,” the story sends Bruce Wayne and his sidekick, Dick Grayson (Robin), on an adventure to ancient Rome.

I was so excited to learn how Batman and Robin first traveled through time! It wasn’t with a time machine right away – that came later with Professor Carter Nichols’ help. Instead, Professor Nichols developed this amazing psychic method that sent their minds back to the past. That’s how they ended up in ancient Rome, where they quickly discovered a really nasty scheme involving some corrupt nobles.

Wonder Woman Finds Herself In Prehistoric Times

For someone like Wonder Woman, who comes from a race of immortals, the idea of time travel might seem unnecessary. But surprisingly, in one of the first issues of her comic book, written by William Moulton Marston and illustrated by Harry G. Peter, the heroic princess unexpectedly found herself transported to a different time – completely by chance.

In a 1942 issue of Wonder Woman, Diana Prince—Wonder Woman—is attacked by a giant gorilla named Giganta. Giganta was transformed into a human by a scientist named Professor Zool using a machine called the Evolutionizer. During the fight, the machine breaks and sends both Wonder Woman and Giganta back to the prehistoric era. Luckily, Giganta realizes that Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth can fix the machine and bring them back to the present.

The Legends Specialize In Time Travel

When talking about time-traveling superheroes, the crew from Legends of Tomorrow always comes up. The show’s main idea revolves around following this group of unlikely heroes – who call themselves “The Legends” – as they journey through history.

This team has traveled through time and space, encountering figures like Jonah Hex in the Old West and experiencing the glamour of 1940s Hollywood. Their unique ability to literally undo mistakes and prevent tragedies makes them the ultimate problem-solvers.

2026-01-11 07:43