It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... sigh... Superman. Superman is a fictional character that was invented by a couple of high school students in Cleveland, Ohio in 1933 and sold to DC (Detective Comics) in 1938. The Superman comics took off in the 40s as the mild-mannered Clark Kent, who was secretly the titular ultra-powerful vigilante, won the hearts of the American people in a country torn by uncertainty and war. And why not? He could literally do anything: shoot lasers from his eyes, pick up heavy objects with ease, fly faster than sound, etc. One writer once commented that Superman has whatever powers he needs to save the day. Sounds pretty cool, right?
Well, here is where my gripes with this iconic hero come into play. Superman is quite literally a god among men. He can do anything, defeat anyone, and overcome any obstacle without much difficulty. His only weakness is a rare green rock that has a somewhat inconsistent effect on him, depending on plot convenience. Do we ever really think that Superman is in danger?
<<His only weakness is a rare green rock that has a somewhat inconsistent effect on him, depending on plot convenience. >>
The point of my problems is this: we can't identify with him. He is so powerful and so unbeatable and so good and so incorruptible (with notable exceptions, i.e. Injustice), that we just can't identify with him as a person as well as say, Batman for instance. Superman is boring because of this--he's just too, well, perfect. Even death cannot overcome the "Man of Steel." In every way, he has some kind of impossibly lucky break that will always bring him back to fight another day.
Superman is, in the end, a hero that is simply a role model to aspire to rather than a hero that can be identified with. We don't see him change as a dynamic character. Even in modern incarnations of the Man of Steel we don't see much change. He is so good and so steadfast in his morals and motives that we never get to see changes stick. I can see many opportunities to help this character move beyond his current identity of just a 'good guy,' but unfortunately, Hollywood has yet to utilize them.
(Pragmus Alpha)
CEO of Pragmus Media
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