Superman is a great character because he’s so much more than a strong guy in a cape. I think the idea that he is just that is what a lot of people get hung up on. “Oh Superman’s boring, he’s too nice, he’s too good, he’s not interesting.” Any time I hear this I just want to scream at them and tell them how wrong they are. And more often that I should admit, I do. My theory is that they haven’t even read Superman. And I’m usually right. Superman is Clark Kent, Kal-el, and Superman. Stay with me here. Clark Kent. The good natured farm boy who was raised by two loving parents in Smallville, Kansas. He’s a decent, kinda nerdy, humble guy who doesn’t stand out. Sound familiar? Like it reminds of that person in the mirror? Yeah, it should. Clark Kent is US. Clark is the nerd who does what’s right and doesn’t get the recognition. Clark is the guy who is good at a lot of stuff, but doesn’t get noticed. He’s the guy loves the beautiful girl at work and can’t seem to get her attention because of the big strong guy in the cape she’s in love with. That’s Clark Kent. The mild-mannered reporter. Kal-el. The alien sent to earth who is just a little bit different. The immigrant with the american dream. Kal-el may be an alien, but how does that make him any different than us? We’ve all felt alienated. We’ve all felt different, and that we need to hide who we are to fit in. We feel like there’s nobody else like us. We’ve been to new places, started new schools and jobs and gone to new countries where we are very much out of our element. Kal-el is this person in all of us. Diametrically, Kal-el is also the person Superman was supposed to be. If he had stayed on Krypton, who would he have been. Who could he have been? There’s a lot of story potential that comes from this too. Superman. The hero. Superman is the guy we all want to be. He’s strong, he’s fast and he can FLY! Love him or hate him, you would be Superman if you had the chance. He’s what we all wish we could be. The nerd who can take off his glasses and be strong and get noticed. He’s also an ideal. This is where people find him too alienating. They can’t seem to be able to connect with the idea that a man with all the power in the world would use his strength to help others and not for personal gain. And if that concept is too foreign to you, than you are beyond help in many ways. I think the idea of this guy who just wants to do good and help others is a beautiful idea. But there’s also the action hero side of Superman. He may want to do good, but he’s a strong dude and he’s not afraid to hit something. He’s a man of action of justice. And he will fight for what’s right. People say that Batman is the most relatable character because he’s human. As much as I love Batman, I disagree. I don’t know too many humans who are infinitely wealthy, driven by vengeance, and pathologically broody. Superman is a regular guy who happens to have a good heart and Superpowers. The best Superman stories use Superman’s humanity and his relationships with others. And by humanity, I don’t mean he’s all troubled by woes and burdens all the time. That’s not humanity. Humanity is being a real person with friendships, a job, ideas, and yes, problems. So that’s who Superman is. The mild-mannered reporter, the strange visitor, and the man of steel.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 17:22:19 +0000
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