Superman In Therapy Storyline Question

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

I guess some of you are fine with killing criminals when they are defenseless, powerless, and are physically incapable of carrying out threats they make. Or that possibly posing a future threat is enough to commit murder.

Can't argue why a specific murder is wrong with people that are pro-premeditated murder out of fear and wanting revenge.

[Francisco]

If the criminal is a genocidal maniac then yeah. I have no problem with said criminal being executed. Because of consequences and all that stuff.

[theoneandonly]

I guess some of you are fine with killing criminals when they are defenseless, powerless, and are physically incapable of carrying out threats they make. Or that possibly posing a future threat is enough to commit murder.

Can't argue why a specific murder is wrong with people that are pro-premeditated murder out of fear and wanting revenge.

one must not bring real world analogies while discussing fictional characters but do you feel that Hitler should have been imprisioned instead of being executed for war crimes and genocide?

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

one must not bring real world analogies while discussing fictional characters but do you feel that Hitler should have been imprisioned instead of being executed for war crimes and genocide?

Yes.

While wanting to kill him would be unequivocally understandable, actually doing so would not be justice. When someone doesn't pose an imminent threat, killing them isn't morally justifiable even if they are the worst person to ever exist.

Somewhat on topic, in Superman #22, the holocaust was actually brought up by Superman in comparing the action's of the Kryptonians to that of the Nazis, with Superman saying that even the holocaust paled in comparison to what the Kryptonians did. Byrne, as classy as ever.

[JAK]

Ok.... so many of you know that I have no love at all for Superman #22. The comic, imo, was a mistake - offset only by the sheer gi-normous wealth of story and mythos-expansion that came after.

It's not that Superman can't handle a story like that... I just don't like the can of worms it opens up. To me, Superman finds a way. He figures something out. That's why he's Superman. It's not a cop out or "the easy way", it's hard. But his super brain can handle it.

My problem with Superman #22 is the same as MoS for the most part - with the story putting him there. MoS is made worse by the fact that I knew good and well they'd never properly address/resolve it like they did in the comics, but anyway...

....

....

That having been said... Superman, even as early in his career as this was, had seen some pretty miraculous stuff. Them getting their powers back would not be out of the realm of possibility in Superman's mind. At that point in the story, it's war - with billions as casualties already and many more a distinct possibility. Soldiers who come home with horrible images in their dreams wouldn't have seen a tenth of what he'd seen these three do. It's easy for us to say "it'd never happen," but in the comics world where nothing is really permanent... can you really ever say it for sure?

He had no Fortress to hold them yet. Little concept of the Phantom Zone at all, save what Jor-El might have showed him (and Lex from the PU) and no way yet to re-create it. So he can't take them home, he has nowhere they can be kept (not to mention no way of knowing what his Earth's sun will do to their then-domant powers - he can't take the chance). He also can't just leave them; assuming they don't get their powers back, they'd starve to death. In that respect, green k is as much a mercy killing (of a sense) as it's an act of war.

So... as much as I hate Superman #22.. what he did was the only real option he had. They weren't coming to his universe, not after what happened and what could happen. They were dead either way.


And all THAT having been said, I was glad to see it wiped from his history, but the rest kept. Someday, I'd like to see how they squared that circle in their heads, lol

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

If there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that we needed another thread to become about Superman and killing.

[Kuwagaton]

Well, technically there's no need for a thread on anything. But you did participate in the bulk of the discussion on killing.

If we're just talking about Superman in therapy, the only other thing I can think of is Action #374, the third of a four part story where Superman gets amnesia, forgets Clark, and takes on a bunch of other identities. He goes to a psychiatrist to help him figure it out.

[Agent Z]

You'd think the League would have someone in-house for something like that instead of outsourcing. Consider the counseling sessions between Black Canary and the team in the Young Justice show. Something like that would probably better serve Superman than going to a therapist who doesn't even know that he works at a newspaper.

Isn't Guy Gardner a social worker or something? Maybe he'd be a good choice.

Outsourcing is actually the better option. It means a more objective party than an in house one. A therapist is not supposed to be your friend. A League member would be far too close to judge the situation dispationately.