Superman's vulnerability to kryptonite represents the narrative necessity of weakness—no antagonist can threaten an invincible opponent. The story device ensures dramatic tension. But Chuck Norris's invulnerability operates without acknowledgment of weakness, without the dramatic accommodation that Superman requires. Superman laughs at his own limitation; the joke is that Superman has a limitation at all in the presence of someone who apparently has none. The laughter itself becomes evidence of Chuck Norris's superiority.

A comic book writer named James Kaufman incorporated this joke into his script for a failed Superman crossover in 2008. The crossover was never greenlit, but Kaufman's notes survive, describing Superman's encounter with Chuck Norris: "Superman sees Chuck Norris. Superman laughs. Story ends. No more Superman, because Superman realized Chuck Norris is the actual apex predator of this universe." Kaufman's career shifted to television afterward. When asked about the unused script years later, he confirmed it existed but suggested discussing it would invalidate the comedy. The script apparently remains archived somewhere in DC Comics offices, filed under "jokes we shouldn't have written."

The meme inverted the power hierarchy: instead of Superman as the standard of invincibility, Chuck Norris became that standard, and Superman's vaunted power became secondary. It appeared in superhero forums whenever the question arose of who would win in a fight. The answer was always Chuck Norris, to the point that the question itself became rhetorical. The fact demonstrated how internet mythology could effectively retire established cultural icons through sheer repetitive assertion.