Superman is awesome. Full stop, I really enjoy the character, how could I not? Superman is the archetypical superhero. Without him we wouldn’t even have the modern idea of the superhero. Every single character that has followed after him has been either a reaction to, subversion of, or reinforcement of the things the character stands for.

Lately, there has been a trend of featuring the Man of Steel as an evil tyrannical despot. For some, this portrayal is the only way they can look at a character they perceive to be “boring” or “overpowered”.

I believe much of this trend has been done by writers that either don’t fully understand Superman or are lazy/bad and need to use it as a crutch. Now that said, I don’t have a problem with evil Superman expies such as Homelander from The Boys. That is a great example of an evil Superman, showcasing what happens when you are raised like some lab rat versus by a kind couple in the middle of Kansas.

I believe the current wave of evil Superman depictions can trace themselves back to the video game Injustice; Gods Among Us. In the game, the story showed members of the Justice League brought to an alternate version of Earth where the Joker tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane and in turn, Superman kills the Joker. Superman then becomes a powerful dictator ruling through fear. This plot works for a fighting game. After all, you need a reason for your characters to fight.

Many people do seem to forget (and spoilers for a nearly decade old game) that the problem of the evil Superman is ultimately solved by bringing the regular DC universe Superman over to topple his regime.

Unfortunately, many seem to take the wrong ideas from this game and get attached to the whole glowing red eyes thing….speaking of...

Zack Snyder seems really onboard with hinting towards the evil Superman bit. Now I don’t believe this is what Snyder thinks the default for the hero should be, but the “Knightmare” sequences from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the recent Snyder Cut of Justice League lift a lot of visual cues from the Injustice games. Snyder (and others) seem largely drawn to this idea of Superman as a god among men, with many depictions calling to mind the ideas of the Greek Pantheon. They can’t fathom the idea that someone so powerful can be good. I think some of these creators try to move away from what makes Superman great. The thing that made Superman an icon, a pop culture fixture and an inspiration to so many…his humanity.

Superman is not boring. I want to put a moratorium on that notion right now. Superman has been called a “boy scout” and “boring” for his ideas of what constitutes justice. Now we could talk about the original Golden Age Superman stories where he regularly fought for the little guy by intimidating, and some cases, outright threatening bankers, land lords, corrupt politicians. Those moments were defining for that era, but were largely moved away from in the post-WW2 era that has since defined modern Superman depictions.

Instead, I’d like to turn attention to a few more recent stories that I feel “get” the character of Superman in ways no other authors have managed.

The first of these stories is “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?” written by Joe Kelley and later adapted into the animated film: Superman vs. the Elite. The story involves Superman confronted by a new group of heroes called the Elite who use more violent methods to fight crime and kill criminals. The public gets behind the Elite and their methods, but Superman naturally condemns their actions. This comes to a head when Superman faces off with the Elite and puts on a terrifying display, taking down each member, one by one, apparently killing them. Superman however reveals this was all a misdirection. He wanted to show the dangerousness and ultimate pointlessness of violence and hatred. The Elite’s leader Manchester Black tells Superman he is living in a dream world, to which Superman replies: “Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear…until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share - I’ll never stop fighting. Ever.”

That’s Superman, but we aren’t done. The next story, All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly, is the best story for showing Superman’s character.

In All-Star Superman, our hero finds himself dying due to his cells absorbing high levels of solar radiation. Given only one year to live, Superman chooses to spend that time with Lois and to better the world. One of the most powerful panels in the comic comes in issue #10.

A teenage girl stands atop a build, she drops her phone and braces herself to jump. Superman shows up behind her. He says: “Your doctor really did get held up, Regan. It’s never as bad as it seems. You’re so much stronger than you think you are. Trust me.”

Despite knowing he is dying, with the weight of the comic’s events on him, Superman still takes the time to comfort one person and lift her up.

Superman is an alien, an immigrant from the stars raised in the heartland of America. He isn’t a god trying to be better than those around him because he already believes in how great we can be. Superman does good for goodness sake. Where many believe that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and “might makes right”, Superman shows us that “power reveals” and “might for right”.

I think many readers and writers like to get hung up on Superman’s powers and abilities when describing him as “boring”, but forget that Superman’s strength is his greatest quality.

The strength to be kind. The strength to be patient. The strength to be human.

Have any pressing comic/ movie/pop culture questions you’d like answered? Have a topic you’d like to see covered? Email all inquiries and suggestions to me at calley@poncacitynews.com.