Superman. Just mention the name and a bunch of people will crawl out the woodwork to tell you everything wrong with him. Or what they don’t like. Or how he should be better. Or changed. Or how the Justice League movie sucked…
Now I am a fan of Superman – I like Clark Kent, and I like Superman. And yes, I know that you probably
a) don’t care, or
b) care too much and are going to tell me why I shouldn’t.
And in every ‘conversation’ I have had about this topic, it’s always gone one way…
“What superheros do you like Kyle?”
“I like Superma..”
“Oh no, he’s terrible, and in this TED talk I’ll…”
So what better use of a forum where no one can talk over me to explain just why I like him! It’s win-win-win for me. And maybe you too.
Superman as an idea appeals to me. Here you have the strongest being on a planet, one whos power is completely unmatched in almost every facet, and the one thing he chooses to do is serve. With all the power in the world, he helps. If that is not a powerful message, then what is?
As Clark Kent, he chooses to remain inconspicuous, to not draw attention to himself. He does not boast, he doesn’t try to be the big man. When you are the best, or the strongest, you never need to tell people that you are. Just look at adverts for Lamborghini… That’s right. They aren’t really advertised on the same scale as McDonalds or Ford.
The very idea of being strong without boasting, humble in your accomplishments, letting your actions speak for your character – that’s something we should all aspire to.
Instead, our modern superheros are all flawed, or gritty. They stumble through life as we do, rising to greatness but then getting caught up in this atmosphere of cynicism that seems to have crept into our shared consciousness.
In a world like this, Superman is set apart as a beacon of hope. He shows us what we can aspire to be. He lifts us above ourselves.
All the power in the world, and he chooses to help, to submit. To me, it shows a humility that we should all aspire to.
And that is why I like Superman. He holds a mirror up to humanity, and shows us how good we can be.
3 Comments
Simone · February 26, 2020 at 15:12
So… I was thinking.
Superman is all that is good, right? He’s basically 100% good?
Do you think that in this day ‘n age, people reject good things because it makes them feel bad in comparison?
You know… like the crab bucket?
Jeremy · February 24, 2020 at 14:27
I agree with the idea that Superman should be a beacon of hope and show humanity how good it can be, but I think recent portrayals haven’t done that at all. Man of Steel was more of a Clark Kent story, but without much focus on what he’s actually going through or thinking about. Batman vs Superman was essentially the complete opposite of what makes Superman an interesting hero. Good post!
Kyle · February 24, 2020 at 18:25
I agree – the recent portrayals have fallen short. In saying that, Man of Steel was amazing from the perspective of Superman witnessing ultimate destruction for the sake of destruction. And how that shaped him as a character. Batman V Superman has a good movie in it somewhere… One day, we’ll get the Superman we deserve. I just hope hes played by Henry Cavill again.
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