Superman, the first superhero. Spawning in 1938 from the minds of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the children of Jewish immigrants, targets of insecurity, and grandfathers of comic books. Superman represents all that is good, pure, and righteous, his name, symbol and story cross the boundaries of society and unite all readers and viewers under the idea that we too can aspire to be Superman. So why does Hollywood want to f$&% that up?
I recently watched the documentary "The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?", a film that follows the history of a cancelled Superman movie crafted by the likes of Kevin Smith and Tim Burton. It's a great watch if you have an hour and a half free, but the takeaway I have about that cancelled project is the same takeaway I've had about Superman since "Man of Steel", everybody wants to give their take on Superman. I'm reminded of that old expression, "why reinvent the wheel" or "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". What's wrong with just telling a story about Superman? Instead of telling the story different, why can't we tell it better? I think film directors have difficulty attaching to the more beloved Superman because of his lack of weaknesses. That's not regarding Kryptonite, it's regarding that Superman is "too good". Look at Iron Man, he's a superhero, but he has an attitude issue. Hulk is a superhero, but he's also uncontrollable in most cases. Even Batman, this pinnacle of mortal strength, is guilty of getting his allies harmed in his quest against crime. Comparatively, Superman stands on par with Captain America in the personality factor, and people don't complain about how "good" Cap is. So what's the deal? Maybe it's the fact that Cap is closer to being mortal, or that his tragedy is a bit more extreme than Superman's. I think the problem people have with Superman-taking modern sensibility to account-is that people can't except that someone with so much power can be good. That a God amongst men, doesn't take advantage of his power and instead is so morally straight. People can't except a good person unless that person is inferior.
Of course Superman's biggest flaw is that he can't be everywhere at once to take care of every problem, and for all his powers there are some things he can't control. Having the strength of a God and being a God are far different. But if he has no physical flaws, what are people supposed to attach to? I'm sure whether you're a comic book fan or not you have felt out of place before. Maybe you took a trip to another country, or you hung out with new people, or even back during your first day of school. Everyone has been an outsider at one point. That's Superman's life everyday. Obviously as Clark Kent he has friends, co-workers, family, and a human life, but ultimately all he can do is try to be human. The general consensus with DC Comics is usually this, "Marvel characters are people trying to be Gods, DC characters are Gods trying to be people". Superman is the prime example of that, always limited himself, being careful not to break cities. Everyone has something they keep pulled back, for the sake of reputation and sympathy towards others. Taking Superman by example, he teaches people not to misuse their power no matter how alien they feel. Even I-a person who grew up on Batman stuff-can still feel inspired by Superman during my day-to-day life. And that's what Superman truly represents, not just hope, not just good, he represents inspiration.
It would seem film makers can't get Superman just right: Donner got the closest, but his films obviously lack a draw-in for modern viewers. Singer replicated Donner's fantastical feel of Superman, but lacked the action modern audiences expected. Snyder understood Superman's power, but misheard the message. Even DC Comics-with their New 52 reboot-has crippled Superman to some extent. During the event "Convergence" the pre-New 52 version of Superman was written in such a way that fans begged DC to replace their new Superman with the old one. Superman isn't memorable for his power or his struggle, he's known for his character and the characters placed around him. Characters like his love interest Lois Lane, his best pal Jimmy Olson, and his archenemy Lex Luthor. People gravitate towards Superman because it's not just him in the story, it's his friends, his foes, the interactions he has with people less powerful than himself. What is more admirable than a man with all the power in the world choosing to stand beside the common man, rather than stand over him?
A child from another world is sent to ours and grows up to become a great hero to his adopted people. A story so old, even Moses did it first. We don't need Superman's origin reinvented because it is perfect at explaining why Superman is what he is. A young boy witnesses the death of his parents by common crime and trains himself to combat it, a teenager with great power fails to save his mentor and learns of his great responsibility, a woman from a untouched world climbs over the stereotypes of both men and women, a group of segregated people use their natural gifts to help the people who fear them. Comic book origins are timeless, they don't need gritty reboots or distant re-imaginings. We live in an age where movie and television effects are masterful, allowing these spotless stories to be properly presented. Superman is-and should be-exactly what he has always been. Not because readers and viewers don't need change, but because they need something timeless, something classic, something a little old-fashioned. Thanks for reading.
Funny. Superman is America's first superhero, an American icon, and upholds America's ideals of peace, justice and freedom. And he's an immigrant. Hope you're smiling as wide as I am.
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