In June of 1938, we were introduced to the first proper superhero, Superman. He’s been one of the main faces of comics ever since. But if you ask people what they think of the red and blue boy scout, they’ll tell you they just don’t find him interesting. Today I’m here to talk about why this character is still important, and why he’s so much more interesting than people give him credit for.
Why People Think He’s Boring
Barely anyone reads comics, that’s not some hot take, its just a fact. Peoples perceptions of these characters are not based on the comics. They’re based on movies and tv, and unfortunately, he’s really boring in that medium. If you take one look at Superman in tv and movies, he’s portrayed as this godlike character who’s only motivations are to be a hero because he has nothing better to do, and bang Lois Lane. In Man of Steel, he’s an emotionless god who is devoid of personality. In the old Christopher Reeve movies, he at least has a personality, but his motivations are still surface level.
Common Arguments For Why He’s Boring
- He has no motivation to be a superhero, the earth isn’t even his home planet, why would he want to save it?
- He’s overpowered
- Superman is who he is, Clark Kent is his mask
Why Those Arguments Are Wrong
- He left Krypton when he was a month old. Earth is all he knows, his friends his family all live there. When he was growing up the Kents taught him to be the kind of person to always help out, to do whatever it takes to make sure people feel safe with you around.
- Conflicts in a Superman story should have nothing to do with the action. It has to do with the emotional conflict and the crazy bizarre adventures that can happen when you’re someone like him.
- His powers didn’t manifest until he was in his late teens, and he had no clue about his alien origins until then. For those years he was Clark Kent, he had ordinary struggles. This part of the character is always glossed over in the movies, and it really sucks because it’s really important.
What Makes A Good Superman Story
If you have never read All-Star Superman, you are missing out on probably the best Superman story to date. The best moments from that story isn’t Superman fighting giant monsters, its the moments between characters. The cover of the book sets the tone for the story. Unlike most books that put him in an action pose, he’s up in the clouds, in a comfortable position, looking down on the city, deep in thought. The story actually makes him three times as powerful, but it also makes him smarter, and more curious. These changes don’t affect the plot. They just show how little Supermans power matters as long as the story is well written.
How I Would Make A Superman Tv Show
I would make a tv show instead of a movie because a show gives you much more time. In a movie, you only have two hours with the character, but with a tv show, you can have at least eight. There would be two episodes dedicated to life on the farm. Just getting to know Clark before he becomes Superman, and really understanding what the characters are about. At the end of the episode, Clark’s powers manifest and he learns he’s an alien. The next episode is him and his parents trying to come up with a costume, and him learning how to control his newfound abilities.
Then he later finds a job in Metropolis, and there he meets Lois Lane, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen. The reason we wait to get to Metropolis is that Clark’s character always revolves around Lois in other adaptations. So we need to see him without her, what he’s like, and flesh out his motivations more. Obviously the big bad is Lex Luthor, but make him actually Lex Luthor, not the riddler, as they did in BvS.
Conclusion
Superman is a character we can all look up to, he’s not an emotionless god. He’s just a guy trying to lend a helping hand. People need to give way more credit to the Man Of Steel. Because when you see him, you know you are safe. You know that he’s there to help and that you’re never alone.
Nice one mate