Recent advances in the basic understanding of fine structure superplasticity and the superplastic forming of intermetallics are reviewed. Superplastic characteristics in the nickel base (e.g. Ni3 Al and Ni3 Si), titanium base (e.g. Ti3 Al and TiAl), and iron base (e.g. Fe3 Al, FeAl, and Fe3 Si) intermetallics are individually described. Deformation mechanisms are addressed as well as microstructural requirements and effects such as grain size, second phases and their distributions, and grain boundary structures. Two of the most interesting recent observations are also included for discussion: one is the observation of low temperature superplasticity in TiAl, and the other is coarse grained superplasticity in Fe3 Al and FeAl. In addition, several examples of superplastic forming, including isothermal forging and biaxial gas-pressure forming, of several intermetallics are presented with comments on the likelihood of commercial application. Comparisons are made on the differences among superplastic behaviour in metals, ceramics, and intermetallics.