Superman in Dawn of Justice

[Agent Z]

No one is saying he is omniscient or psychic. He doesn't have to be. He just need to use the powers that he has. He has x-ray vision. Use it dummy. If you had you'd found the bomb... But you were distratected

He didn't know there was a bomb to begin with. He had no reason to think it was there. You're blaming him for not finding something he didn't even think to look for in the first place.

[Francisco]

He didn't know there was a bomb to begin with. He had no reason to think it was there. You're blaming him for not finding something he didn't even think to look for in the first place.

And that's one of the problems with Superman in BvS... He doesn't think

[misslane]

And that's one of the problems with Superman in BvS... He doesn't think

He likely thought that the Capitol has a security system that is well-designed to detect such threats. But come on! It's not as if we see Superman survey every building he enters in every comic, television show, or movie. The worst you can say about Superman, who's only been at this 18 months at this point, is that he is too naive and trusting. It's a hard lesson to learn, but I'm sure in the future he won't trust security measures and people quite so much.

[Lightning Rider]

That scene didn't showcase any struggle at all. Superman stood there a bomb went off and everyone died... Because he wasn't paying attention. Because he is dumb and can't use his powers properly unless Batman or (lois) one of the really smart characters tell him what to do. In MOS he was using his x-ray vision like it wasn't anybody's business but in BvS and for that particular scene they decided he won't use it anymore

I'm not talking about during the scene (which by the way is a very serious one, as Superman is going to a hearing at which he stands accused for the deaths of several men in Africa. He clearly has a lot on his mind).

I'm talking about afterwards. He says to Lois, "I'm afraid I didn't see it because I wasn't looking." His innocence and faith in humanity is being tested, and he's not sure how to approach being a symbol of hope in a cynical world in which people are willing to commit such acts of terror just to tear down a man (albeit a super one) who wants to do the right thing. That's internal struggle that creates an interesting question about how such a moral superhero could exist in a post-9/11 world, and contrasts a very pure figure in pop culture with a skeptical society.

He doesn't think..? Should he turn his x-ray vision on all the time? Should he assume everyone human in a public place is armed?

Also, when did Lois or Batman tell him what to do in terms of using his powers? Who instructed him to launch Doomsday into space? Who told him to get into a heat-vision war with Doomsday? Who told Superman to stab Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear?

[Doctor Know]

I would like to point out that in Captain America Civil War, Captain America ALSO fails to see a bomb he should've seen but was distracted. As a result a dozen or so people died when Scarlet Witch sent Crossbones skyward into the building.

Superman gets raked across the coals for making mistakes, and yet other characters get away with making the same mistakes. It's like people want a perfectly flawless hero in Superman.

[Francisco]

I would like to point out that in Captain America Civil War, Captain America ALSO fails to see a bomb he should've seen but was distracted. As a result a dozen or so people died when Scarlet Witch sent Crossbones skyward into the building.

Superman gets raked across the coals for making mistakes, and yet other characters get away with making the same mistakes. It's like people want a perfectly flawless hero in Superman.

Does Cap has x-ray vision? Did he rammed Cross-bones against that building?

[Francisco]

I'm not talking about during the scene (which by the way is a very serious one, as Superman is going to a hearing at which he stands accused for the deaths of several men in Africa. He clearly has a lot on his mind).

I'm talking about afterwards. He says to Lois, "I'm afraid I didn't see it because I wasn't looking." His innocence and faith in humanity is being tested, and he's not sure how to approach being a symbol of hope in a cynical world in which people are willing to commit such acts of terror just to tear down a man (albeit a super one) who wants to do the right thing. That's internal struggle that creates an interesting question about how such a moral superhero could exist in a post-9/11 world, and contrasts a very pure figure in pop culture with a skeptical society.

He doesn't think..? Should he turn his x-ray vision on all the time? Should he assume everyone human in a public place is armed?

Also, when did Lois or Batman tell him what to do in terms of using his powers? Who instructed him to launch Doomsday into space? Who told him to get into a heat-vision war with Doomsday? Who told Superman to stab Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear?

No one is saying he should use his x-ray vision all the time. He could've simply scanned the whole room when he entered it. The same way he does in almost every comic/movie he has been shown in. He does have super speed. Why didn't he react when the bomb went off? Why didn't he use his cape to contain the explosion? He just stood there. That could have been the awesome moment of the movie but no.. Let's be tragic for the sake of tragedy and looking moody and stuff.

[Doctor Know]

Does Cap has x-ray vision? Did he rammed Cross-bones against that building?

No, but Cap has eyes which he could've easily seen the suicide vest and trigger in Crossbones' hand.

Besides, Scarlet Witch was trained by Cap. Her blunder is equally his blunder.

[ekrolo2]

No, but Cap has eyes which he could've easily seen the suicide vest and trigger in Crossbones' hand.

Besides, Scarlet Witch was trained by Cap. Her blunder is equally his blunder.

I wouldn't call that Cap's blunder, his blunder is not bringing Vision onto the mission for seemingly no reason. Give his ability to fly, become intangible and his sheer strength, it would be a no brainer to have him on an anti-terrorist operation (and we know they know its an anti-terrorist operation for the newspapers shown).

[DiceRoll]

No, but Cap has eyes which he could've easily seen the suicide vest and trigger in Crossbones' hand.

Besides, Scarlet Witch was trained by Cap. Her blunder is equally his blunder.

Yes, her blunder of...saving Cap everybody on the ground that would've been caught in the blast. Tell me, who did Superman save in that courthouse, again?

[Lightning Rider]

No one is saying he should use his x-ray vision all the time. He could've simply scanned the whole room when he entered it. The same way he does in almost every comic/movie he has been shown in. He does have super speed. Why didn't he react when the bomb went off? Why didn't he use his cape to contain the explosion? He just stood there. That could have been the awesome moment of the movie but no.. Let's be tragic for the sake of tragedy and looking moody and stuff.

Sorry, I've read plenty of Superman comics, they don't usually depict him scanning every room he is in, and it's a perfectly ordinary assumption that government security could detect a bomb. Use his cape to contain the explosion? Yeah, magic cape, that would have gone down well with audiences. It seems like he didn't even know it was a bomb until it was far too late. Superman has some level super speed, but the only thing he probably could have done from that position is watch everyone burn in relative slow motion once the bomb was already set off. Even the Flash would struggle to evacuate a room once the bomb has already gone off. It wasn't tragic for the sake of tragedy, it was meant to dramatize Superman's struggle with public acceptance and create a gap between his own idealism and society's cynical reality, while establishing Lex as a murderous schemer who will go to any lengths to accomplish his insane goals.

Conflict is at the heart of every story, in one way or another. Maybe you and others want a comic book movie where nobody dies and Superman never fails to save the day 100%, and never doubts himself. To me, that would be a disservice to the character and the world of superheroes. Not every DC movie needs to be this dark, but there's room for exploring heroes in a dark place before they rise above it. The comics themselves validate that. Kingdom Come, Peace On Earth, Birthright, Red Son, For Tomorrow, Confidential, on and on.

[adkal]

No one is saying he should use his x-ray vision all the time. He could've simply scanned the whole room when he entered it. The same way he does in almost every comic/movie he has been shown in.

That last sentence is hyperbole.

Anyway, even if he had scanned it, what would you have wanted him to do if the wheelchair was x-ray opaque?

He does have super speed. Why didn't he react when the bomb went off? Why didn't he use his cape to contain the explosion?

There was a reaction just before the explosion when he realised what the Senator had realised (and considering he had had no direct interaction with Lex (as Superman) it was a good realisation), but

- This Superman isn't as fast as some other versions of Superman (this one wasn't quite 'faster than a speeding bullet' when he got tagged in Smallville in Man of Steel, for example)
- In such an enclosed space, he likely would have harmed anyone he tried to save (or anyone close to anyone he tried to save)

He just stood there. That could have been the awesome moment of the movie but no.. Let's be tragic for the sake of tragedy and looking moody and stuff.

I agree, it could have been, and part of me wishes there had been something like that happen in the movie, but this is a Superman that doesn't even have superbreath (even though his father could hold his breath for ages on Krypton...

[DiceRoll]

Sorry, I've read plenty of Superman comics, they don't usually depict him scanning every room he is in, and it's a perfectly ordinary assumption that government security could detect a bomb. Use his cape to contain the explosion? Yeah, magic cape, that would have gone down well with audiences. It seems like he didn't even know it was a bomb until it was far too late. Superman has some level super speed, but the only thing he probably could have done from that position is watch everyone burn in relative slow motion once the bomb was already set off. Even the Flash would struggle to evacuate a room once the bomb has already gone off. It wasn't tragic for the sake of tragedy, it was meant to dramatize Superman's struggle with public acceptance and create a gap between his own idealism and society's cynical reality, while establishing Lex as a murderous schemer who will go to any lengths to accomplish his insane goals.

Conflict is at the heart of every story, in one way or another. Maybe you and others want a comic book movie where nobody dies and Superman never fails to save the day 100%, and never doubts himself. To me, that would be a disservice to the character and the world of superheroes. Not every DC movie needs to be this dark, but there's room for exploring heroes in a dark place before they rise above it. The comics themselves validate that. Kingdom Come, Peace On Earth, Birthright, Red Son, For Tomorrow, Confidential, on and on.

Didn't he once evacuate a city when a bomb went off?

[Guy1]

Didn't he once evacuate a city when a bomb went off?

Correction: When a Nuke was going off!

[misslane]

Didn't he once evacuate a city when a bomb went off?

Correction: When a Nuke was going off!

Did this evacuation happen before or after the bomb/nuke went off? In other words, did Flash know about the bomb/nuke prior to evacuating the city? If, for example, the bomb/nuke was on a countdown or still had moments to travel to its detonation target, then I'm not sure how the situations are similar.