What do you see in Superman

[catman]

Some sees dream in him, others see power in him.
What do you see in him?

For me, He is the ultimate embodiment of altruism.

[Superlad93]

He's fun, uninhibited fun and imagination. Possibility incarnate. There's also the power fantasy that goes along with it. He has the power to do anything he wants. Lastly it's that great idea that somewhere out there there's this dude who's just willing to go the extra mile, never give up or back down, all to just unselfishly help out in whatever way he can.

He's the ultimate rebel in almost every way. Gravity and it's corresponding laws of physics can't keep him, chains can't hold him, and yesterday wont stop him. He's progress, always battling against what makes us complacent and less than we can and should be. He is always keeping us from that doomed planet he escaped.

In the end I just see a really good idea.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

What I said in my old "Who Is Superman To You?" thread:

"Superman’s about a lot of things. It’s about someone who wants to protect the people around him, to give them a chance, because he lost everything himself once; only through the love of two people he never knew and the love of two people who would take in an alien did he have his own chance at life, and he can’t give any less to the people around him, because he knows better than almost anyone how precious and fragile life can be. It’s about a ‘god’ who trusts in humanity to save itself. It’s about a man with power who understands that this does not exclude him from social responsibility and his endless duel with a man so twisted he believes the point of power is freedom from helping others. It’s about a hero who doesn’t afford himself the same faith he extends to those around him, but learned to connect with and reach out to others. But most of all, it’s about someone other than us, above us, among us but not one of us, whichever is preferred, who from his privileged vantage point can see the best in us we have forgotten in our struggle to survive, and is inspired to do all that he can by our efforts, in the hope of showing us what we can all do to help one another.

My vision of Superman as a character is a pretty complex one, and based in part on my own thoughts more than what’s been seen in the comics themselves. The way I see him, he’d have been ‘alien’ from a young age due to that Kryptonian brain, and with the onset of his super-powers and all that comes with them, he’d become even more isolated. The thing is, I think this is what makes him a hero. Essentially on his own, not entirely capable of interfacing with human society at that stage and away from what flaws there were in Kryptonian culture, he came up with what amounted to a perfect system of ethics (some of this was in Maggin’s Superman novels). And this is where the Kents come in.

To me, Kal-El would have been a hero no matter what: even when raised in radically different circumstance, such as in Red Son or The Dark Side, his good nature wins out. That’s part of the appeal, in my eyes: free of bias, an intellect as great as his naturally comes to the conclusion of doing the right thing. But that wouldn’t have been enough. It was the Kents that taught him humility, compassion, and just what those around him are capable of even without his great powers. I think Superman would have been a hero of some sort with or without the Kents, but it is entirely because of them that he is “the World’s Greatest Hero”, as opposed to “that one helpful alien guy that’s kind of weird”, or more likely, “our benevolent Super-Overlord”.

(Speaking of parents, I prefer a relatively idealized Krypton, where the only flaw was that it believed it couldn’t fall apart. It has a “mystic kingdom” feel that way, but more than that, it kind of makes the immigrant theme twisted if Superman is sent from an awful Elsewhere to Earth (America), both because that’s pretty insulting, and because it, to me, reduces him. If everything that makes him great other than the powers comes from Earth, than he isn’t a man better than us trying to lift us up, he’s exactly as good as we can be, and just trying to pay off a debt for making him great. Interesting, a good idea for another character altogether, but not Superman, who loves his adopted parents but keeps statues of his natural mother and father 50ft high in the Fortress, and inspires an entire Legion to one day come together to celebrate their differences in his name, instead of just going Earth #1.

Similarly, keeping in mind the “everyman but on a massive scale” metaphor, my vision of Superman’s relationship to Krypton is like that of a child smuggled out from a country on the brink of collapse. ‘My’ Superman has Supergirl and Krypto and the Phantom Zone and detailed records of and artifacts relating to Krypton, but only the single ‘goodbye’ message from his parents, and the citizens of Kandor are in Morrison’s cryo-sleep. He’s not alone in the same way as J’ohn J’onzz, but he’ll never know his immediate family, and he can’t go home again.)

It’s when he moves to Metropolis that things get interesting, as he essentially splits into three personalities, which consolidate over time into two. There’s the Clark he shows to everyone around him, mild-mannered, sniveling Clark. This serves two roles: this identity, funny enough, is the ‘alien’ that observes humanity from a dispassionate distance. But more importantly, this Clark reflects his fears about himself, as a naïve, lonely, clumsy fool who will never really fit in. There’s Superman, playing up his own best qualities, in a certain way as much playing a role as much as he does at the Planet. And there’s the humane man underneath with the utmost faith in those around him but afraid to reach out. This is where he begins.

Lois is the one that ultimately changes this, or at least half of it. While she’s believed in ideals her whole life, she’s never really seen anyone living up to them. Then comes this being, this Superman, who changes everything. And what makes this relationship special is that she’s capable of looking at Clark Kent, the most pathetic man alive, staring him down and saying “You may have fooled everyone else, but I know you are the greatest being to have ever lived, and I’m going to prove it”. As she slowly comes to accept Clark as a legitimate part of who Superman is, he overcomes his one great fear in ultimately revealing himself to her: reaching out. By now, both have more or less been hammered into the people they’ll be for the rest of their lives together. Superman is who he really is, his experiences in the world reinforcing his beliefs and making him into the great man he once had to push himself into being, and Clark is the crusader he now knows he might have been as a normal man, now that he’s gained some faith in himself (this transition, from wimp to prize journalist, is the one major area I disagree with Morrison on, who seems to look at it in the opposite way). This solidity of personality isn’t a problem, as he doesn’t have to be dynamically ever-changing in the same way as Spider-Man, just complex enough that you can push on his character from a variety of different angles.

Superman’s sturdy. He’s a guy who will straight-up scold an angel if it steps out of line. He’s not cruel or at all disciplinarian though; maybe he relished combat as a young man first cutting loose, but he’s grown to see it as a losing proposition, a stopgap to achieving real change. He almost never raises a hand in anger, though he won’t let an act of cruelty go uncontested. But that part of him is just a matter of necessity: underneath is the guy who collects trophies from throughout space and time because they’re cool and will look good in his clubhouse and might impress his girlfriend, who plays with his dog and takes sick kids on rides around the world, who relaxes by watching solar flares with his telescopic vision. Even though he’s seen more of the universe than just about anyone, on both the largest and smallest of scales, he’s perhaps the most susceptible of anyone to being astonished by its wonders. It’s part of why it’s so easy for him to love us. And while he may doubt himself, he never doubts what he fights for. He knows he’s doing the right thing, because Ma and Pa helped teach him how.

As for as the smaller matters, I much prefer a Silver-Agey, ultra-powerful take on the character. Not just because of the storytelling possibilities (the cosmic threats, the additional touches to the mythology, dealing with lower-level threats in a very different way than most super-heroes when handed to a good writer), but because him being the most powerful around is the main thing that makes him unique. It’s summed up to me by a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Most superheroes are underdogs. Batman can be killed by a bullet, Spider-Man has all sorts of problems, Flash has a legacy to live up to, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman and Thor all have authority figures to answer to, and so forth. Their stories are all about triumphing over their circumstances. Superman has no limits beyond what’s imposed on himself. Even with other beings more powerful than him out there, he could just flee and start over on another planet, but such a thing would be unthinkable to him. He pretty much alone stands for what to do once we’re the ones with things in our favor, rather than struggling against forces from above. He can do that too, with enemies like Darkseid and Brainiac, but most of the time he’s about someone with power knowing what to do with it without provocation.

Grant Morrison, Elliot S! Maggin and Mark Waid have gotten the closest, to me, in defining him and matching the vision I have in my head. They have markedly different takes: Maggin’s is the most alien of the bunch, Waid’s the most ‘everyman’ish and humane, with Morrison, my own favorite, striking the balance between the two. But all recognize his personality, the wonder surrounding him, and his ability to inspire.

TLDR, and getting past all the pseudo-philosophizing and speculative characterization: He’s a man with gifts uniquely blessed to appreciate the wonders of creation as no one else can, yet just wants others to share in his experiences; a man who in his efforts learns to reach out to those he wants to help, to the point where he’d see it as worthwhile to live as one of them even as he wants to help them become better. He’s everything we want to be, and he’s here to make sure we never forget what that is, no matter the cost. He isn’t a lonely Last Son, he’s not a cold unyielding Man of Steel. Not to me. Those nicknames never fit right with me.

He’s the Man of Tomorrow."

Also, what Superlad said, as usual. The rebel bit was particularly inspired.

[Auguste Dupin]

He's fun, uninhibited fun and imagination. Possibility incarnate. There's also the power fantasy that goes along with it. He has the power to do anything he wants. Lastly it's that great idea that somewhere out there there's this dude who's just willing to go the extra mile, never give up or back down, all to just unselfishly help out in whatever way he can.

He's the ultimate rebel in almost every way. Gravity and it's corresponding laws of physics can't keep him, chains can't hold him, and yesterday wont stop him. He's progress, always battling against what makes us complacent and less than we can and should be. He is always keeping us from that doomed planet he escaped.

In the end I just see a really good idea.

Hooo. That's good. Reminds me of the first issue of Morrison's AC, when Superman escapes the police by jumping above a building and acop ends up saying to his collegue " We used to have laws in this town. Like gravity. Remember gravity?".
So yeah, Superman is someone who breaks limits. He isn't bound by laws, wether they're the laws of physics or the laws of men, but by his own moral code (who is based on his earthly education, so it turns out alright for us in the end). He's a passionate man who believes there's a right and a wrong in the universe, and that the difference isn't hard to make. He doesn't let the world imposes his rules on him, but ends up imposing his rules on the world. Not directly, not physically, not by ruling , but by example. After all, isn't the whole point of the Legion of Superheroes that Superman's moral values lead to the creation of the United Planets? In a way, Superman is a benelovent take on Nietzsche's Übermensch (who himself was not malevolent per say, despite what people often think, but more neutral): a man who gives meaning to a meaningless world through sheer force of will.
He's an archetype. The prince from a magic doomed kingdom who's raised by kindly farmers before learning of his true legacy and going to adventures. He's also a man of the people, defending the weak from the strong, a fighter who uses his bare hands to defend others against mad scientists, robots, mutants, and all the degenerate results of an out of control science.
He's a power fantasy. A man who does the impossible on a regular basis, but hides behind the disguise of a mild mannered guy (with many variations on the "mild mannered part").
He's an alien raised as an human, an individual who is a link between both of these worlds, without fully belonging to either of these.
Ultimately, he's a good man who believes power shouldn't be used to control others, but to help them.

[manduck37]

Every once in a while this thread pops up. I always enjoy seeing everyone's answers. For me it's altruism, compassion, never giving up, and using your gifts to make the world a better place. Add in the crazy cosmic adventures and doing the impossible and it doesn't get any better for me. You always hear the expression power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well not Superman. He's the ultimate force for good. That's the short version of my previous answer to this thread.

[Lexrules]

Truth, Justice, and The American Way...

[Jim Kelly]

I see that red and blue work well together as oppositional colours--with yellow accents. I see that A shapes and V shapes work well to create a sense of dynamic force. I see that it's good to combine curvilnear forms (spit curl, muscles) with angular forms (straight nose, angled posture). Essentially comic books, being static, need contrary values to create a sense of motion in a motionless medium.

[The Beast]

An amazing power fantasy.

[Lois]

A hero that you can really believe in.
A hero with heart and love for his adopted planet.
His relationship with the love of his life Lois Lane, her acceptance of him as both Clark Kent and Superman.
His love for his adoptive parents, the Kents.
Will always remember this:
Yes, you can believe a man can fly.

[Powerboy]

Some sees dream in him, others see power in him.
What do you see in him?

For me, He is the ultimate embodiment of altruism.

I'm not in a mood to get into a lengthy speech. But I grew up on him as the Hero's Hero not just in power (though that was true too) but that even other heroes looked to him as their role model. He was a role model to me or a set of ideals. Not exclusively of course but he was Superman.

Later, he became a symbol of an ideal perhaps unattainable but a guideline or road map. Even when he becomes more "realistic", I love it as long as the ideals are still there and striven for. He's one of those heroes who, sometimes, my knee-jerk reaction is to say, "No. Superman wouldn't do that." At other times, I'm more prone to say he would given certain conditions where he was still doing all he could to maintain his ideals.

He is one of those mythological/ archetypal characters for me.

[Pharozonk]

A symbol of morality that represents a brighter future.

[Jon Clark]

When written well Superman is the embodiment of ideals. He is a man who cannot be restrained except by his own moral code and who has a moral code that he actually adheres to. He doesn't terrorize people into obeying. He doesn't use his powers to put himself ahead of other people. He chooses to turn all his advantages into ways of helping others.

Whether it's a product of his super-senses and super-intelligence or just a quirk of his own nature- Superman sees the choices between good and evil clearly. And he just wishes he could everyone else to see with his clarity.

[kimchimafia]

Wow, what do I see in Superman? Hard to answer that when the character and icon has been around for three quarters of a hundred years. The guy's has had countless of stories, adaptations and writers who still continue the legend (for better or for worse). So, taking in everything that I know about the character, I believe he is Truth, Justice and the American Way. He may not say that or even particularly fight for that anymore but I still see that those three define the character as a whole. With Superman's stories focusing on our ideals, our power fantasies and morals, our fears, the beauty and the ugly parts of humanity, there is no better comic superhero that I know of which shows truth better than the Man of Tomorrow. Every writer who has come along with Superman opens up, even just a little bit. From Siegel to Byrne or to anyone today, Superman is a character that demands the creators to be truthful to themselves and that's because he sprouts out from fantasies, dreams and ideals.

And you can't have Superman without Justice. From the start, Superman has been fighting "evil" that has either been represented by criminals/gangsters to alien warlords. For every great wrong, to all evil doers who trod on the weak and helpless, to bullies, Superman is there to make it right. And of course, Superman is dependent on the writers to bring out their own view on justice and how it should be delivered. It also forces the audience to confront their own ideas and feelings about the subject too which is why Superman fans will never ever stop arguing about what or how Superman should do to make things "right".

Finally, I see Superman as distinctly American. Not the flag wearing, God Bless America sort of the way but instead how his conception, popularity and origin makes the character a part of America's cultural heritage. And nothing can take that away from the character. I remember Maggin said something about the reason why comic superheroes and specifically Superman has been almost uniquely enjoyed so much success and boom in the U.S. of A. It was something along the lines of "America's rather premature culture in a modern age that produced those archetypes and tall tales were also things Europe and Asia were over with hundreds of years ago" being the main reason why superheroes and Superman came alive there. Really, the character's place of origin has distinctly marked him as an unique product of America and that isn't a bad thing. Same thing goes for so many other heroes and characters all over the world that have their unique cultural stamp.

So yeah, I see the 76 year old Superman as Truth, Justice and the American Way.