Superman gets a bad rep because of Batman...

[Cmbmool]

I think MoS was miles ahead of the current superhero movie wave, too. It was serious and attempted to tackle some serious issues in a age where, it seems, people assumed a superhero movie had to be a fun, dumb, loud bombastic adventure with lots of snappy one-liners. Yknow, the Marvel method. Then movies like Logan and Deadpool hit, and Marvel got more serious with Infinity War-Endgame.

It can definitely be argued that Superman doesnt fit that "dramatic" mold the way Logan does (a total fair critique) but I also dont think MoS was as far off from the character as people think. It was just far off from what people expected (and what they expected was another Donner clone). I believe that, in time, people will look back at MoS and see it for the quality movie it is, rather than bitching because it didn't give them another dose of Donner. History will validate that film, though I dont think BvS or JL will ever be seen in a better light.

MOS maybe looked backed on Cinematic wise, but as an actual Superman film it may always be debatable.

[Jim Kelly]

If Batman or even Superman is really what people aspire to be then we're screwed. I looked up to Muhammad Ali, I thought he was a hero, but I never aspired to be like him.

I think what most people like about Batman is the freaky costume and the gadgets. And, because of the TV shows and movies, they like all those weirdo villains--although personally, I much prefer Batman the detective and wish the villains were toned down.

What most people like about Superman is his mythic origins, the great powers and for some people it's the romance with Lois Lane.

Maybe we aspire to have cool costumes on Hallowe'en, nifty gadgets to show off to our friends and a wonderful romance in our life. We might even want to empower ourselves--but realistically we know that Batman and Superman are impossibly over-powered and you'd drive yourself crazy trying to be like that.

We shouldn't aspire to be just like them--and some of the things that fascinate us about them are all the ways they are screwed up and making life much more difficult for themselves than it needs to be. That's an interesting story. The story of THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE is fascinating, that doesn't mean I want to have his life.

We don't always tell stories as a way to instruct people on how they should behave or to reflect the values of our society.

[Ascended]

MOS maybe looked backed on Cinematic wise, but as an actual Superman film it may always be debatable.

Entirely possible, the film does have plenty of flaws after all, and a very particular approach to Superman that isn't going to be for everyone no matter what year it is or how old the movie is.

Time will tell, of course. But I'm sure there will be, if nothing else, a segment of people who argue over that movie indefinitely. I mean, the Donner Superman films hit decades ago, the first one came out before I was even born (and I'm getting close to 40), and we still argue about whether Zod was intended to die at the end, or whether Clark turning back time was a viable creative choice, etc etc. Fans will always find something to argue about and be annoyed at. But the general public? They might someday come to see the beauty in MoS, if the specter of Reeves slips and new interpretations become more acceptable. Or they might not. We'll have to re-visit this in another few decades and see.

[mikelmcknight72]

As much as I love Superman II, and I love it a lot, that element was just bad writing. Loving parents would never doom him to a have to choose between love and duty. They'd want him to have a shot at both just as folks in the military, the police, the fire department, etc, have a shot at both. If his biological parents truly felt the way the movie depicted, then he should have said " screw them!". It was bad writing.

Re: I don't think Superman gets a bad rap in the comics. Mostly, the problem is that very few adaptations get the character right. Too often, it is because the writer either doesn't appear to understand the character or doesn't appear to like the character. The closest I'd say he gets to a bad rap is that he's so very good, and some folks just love to hate what is good and love what is bad. Batman is, comparatively, the bad boy.