by Manuel Garcia
The superhero, the big blue boy scout, the man of steel, the man of tomorrow,
Superman, the most iconic superhero there is, you’re probably coming up with a picture
of him in your head right now, but are you truly seeing him? From recent interpretations
of the character, I believe that he has been misunderstood for a somewhat “god,” which
is completely false. If you pay close attention you’ll see that a man, who is from space
and is a literal alien, is more human than anyone else.
Superman, the most iconic superhero there is, you’re probably coming up with a picture
of him in your head right now, but are you truly seeing him? From recent interpretations
of the character, I believe that he has been misunderstood for a somewhat “god,” which
is completely false. If you pay close attention you’ll see that a man, who is from space
and is a literal alien, is more human than anyone else.
Not only has the character been mischaracterized but he hasn’t had a lot of
opportunities to be shown in the right light, at least not in the mainstream. Yes,
Superman has “stronger” powers than most heroes, but this doesn’t mean he isn’t
flawed, instead of flaws coming from his physical side they instead show up mentally.
Even though he has an insane amount of abilities, no matter what, he can’t save
everyone. This is one of the many things that builds that character/humanity within him
and allows him to connect to more people than the average human can. A great
example of both of these topics is in Superman: Birthright, where in the beginning, Clark
Kent is an independent journalist in Africa, where he befriends Kobe, an activist for his
tribe trying to free themselves underneath another tribe. This causes conflicts between
the two, leading to violent attacks and when Kobe gets the chance to speak for his tribe to
the public, his tribe is attacked; Clark goes over and helps but once he gets back, he’s
too late and finds Kobe dead. I think this is a great example because instead of being a
“white savior,” Clark is instead trying to be in Kobe’s shoes and understand the
importance of this movement to these people, both showing his humanity and the
discourse he faces when facing dire situations.
Even though he has an insane amount of abilities, no matter what, he can’t save
everyone. This is one of the many things that builds that character/humanity within him
and allows him to connect to more people than the average human can. A great
example of both of these topics is in Superman: Birthright, where in the beginning, Clark
Kent is an independent journalist in Africa, where he befriends Kobe, an activist for his
tribe trying to free themselves underneath another tribe. This causes conflicts between
the two, leading to violent attacks and when Kobe gets the chance to speak for his tribe to
the public, his tribe is attacked; Clark goes over and helps but once he gets back, he’s
too late and finds Kobe dead. I think this is a great example because instead of being a
“white savior,” Clark is instead trying to be in Kobe’s shoes and understand the
importance of this movement to these people, both showing his humanity and the
discourse he faces when facing dire situations.
This is what makes him so inspirational, his ability to connect and resonate with other
people, not just in Metropolis, but with real people. He’s a literal alien, struggling to find
where he belongs. All these things begin to weigh down on his shoulders, weight that
most people would crumble under, so how does he do it, it isn’t because he’s made of
steel. It’s something more human than that, it’s his loved ones, they’re the ones who can
pick him back up, bring him back to life and give him the hope that he is able to
give back to the world. We see it in Superman: Red and Blue, where Jonathan Kent
tells Clark how proud of him he is and how much he loves him growing up, allowing him
to then give love back to the world. These are the things that make him super, not the
powers but the man that is inside, the human that lies within him.
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