After decades of dark and “realistic” superhero adaptations that sometimes feel less mature than the comics they’re modeled after, it’s good to know that there are people out there who still understand the appeal and importance of a paragon hero. Superman has gone from the most popular example of what a superhero should be to being a common target of criticism in the 21st century by people who think that a character needs to be morally dubious in order to be interesting. Superman was too good. He was too powerful. He wasn’t realistic because his beliefs and motivation were always rooted in selflessness and kindness. People wanted something “closer to reality”, and so we got alternate universes and comic runs like Injustice. We got dozens of Homelanders and Brightburns and an entire franchise of Zack Snyder’s (Mr. “Batman could get raped in prison in my movies”) interpretations of Clark Kent. We got dark or evil superhero parodies that lauded themselves as “mature deconstructions” by people who read one issue of Watchmen and didn’t realize that Rorschach wasn’t supposed to be the good guy. And after decades of the same regurgitations making the same arguments being successful and popular, we finally get a film that understands what Superman is supposed to be.
Superman is a power fantasy. The detractors are right about that much. It is the fantasy of what could happen if a person with unimaginable strength decided to use it for good. In a world where deeply evil and powerful men tread on the lives of others with no concern or consequence, Superman is the manifest desire to see a single person be strong enough to stand up to them and tell them “no”. He is the hope that there is still a way to make the world better and that anyone can make a difference. He is the belief that it’s never too late to try and save a life.
“We thought that by making your world more violent, we would make it more “realistic,” more “adult.” God help us if that’s what it means. Maybe, for once, we could try to be kind.”
- Grand Morrison in Animal Man, 1990.
You may not be Superman, but if you would like to help alleviate human suffering around the world, please consider donating to the World Central Kitchen, which provides food assistance to the hungry in places like Gaza, Ukraine, and other parts of the world.