How Does Superman Shave? With a Mirror and Heat Rays, Some Say

June 3, 2013— -- Superman fans are sounding off about Gillette's "Man of Steel" campaign, arguing that the ad's question "How Does He Shave?" is a no-brainer.

Pegged to Warner Bros. new "Superman" movie out next Monday, Gillette puts the question to the test with videos from notable, self-proclaimed comic aficionados floating theories about how the Man of Steel transforms from bushy-faced to clean shaven in the course of the film.

Science guy Bill Nye, filmmaker and comic bookstore owner Kevin Smith, actress Mayim Bialik and Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have a hunch about how Superman gets his clean, close shaves.

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But lifelong devotees say the answer is not up for debate: He simply uses a mirror to blast heat rays from his eyes to his stubble.

"Duh, everyone knows Superman shaves by using a mirror to reflect his heat vision onto his beard," Kevin Reiss tweeted.

"I mean, this is established canon. Read some back issues, Gillette!" Randy Braun tweeted.

In a Gillette promotional video, Kevin Smith goes on the record for the razor brand to discount the reflective shaving myth, but he told ABC News that he had to acknowledge the theory in the first place in order to establish his credibility as an avid fan.

"The campaign is for people who are in the mainstream. It is certainly not for the comic book aficionado," Smith said. "It was more to capture the attention of those who don't make Superman and comic books the focus of their lives.

"Most cats aren't as well-versed with the comic book lore, they know the broad strokes," he said. "The notion of something as simple as, 'Hey, Superman has a beard now' is enough to get people talking and Gillette found a way to pounce on that."

Smith said that while he expected some backlash, he was surprised that the more dedicated followers of the comic's history resisted.

"You'd imagine that fans of a medium that never really got any respect until it started posted serious financial profits would be excited [about the ad buzz]," he said. "Instead, we go in the other direction, 'They're talking about it all wrong!'

"This is about bringing other people into the discussion," he said. "Just have fun with it."