Who Is Superman, To You?

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Bringing this back, as it was lost with the last forum. Figure with new members and old ones who may have rethought, it's worth reviving to let everyone know where they stand, and help articulate for our own sakes.

Basically, in a sentence or an essay or whatever, describe who Superman is to you: what he means, what you think he's like, how he's supposed to work. Whatever. If you just answer X creator or story that's fine, but be prepared to defend. I'll repost mine to go first and set an example.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

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 the 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.

[manduck37]

To me, Superman represents the brightest possible future, being the best person you can be, and making the world a better place by being a part of it through altruism and compassion. What I love most about Superman is his compassion for all living things, even those that hate him, and that he always works to make the world better. He uses his vast powers not for selfish reasons, but rather to just give to the world and help improve it. Superman is an excellent role model for both kids and adults alike. Use the gifts you were given to make the world a better place. It's his ideals that I strive for.

To bring it all together, Superman is what we should all strive to be. He's the best of us. On the surface, it may seem like we could never possibly be like him. Though really, by using our unique gifts to elevate our selves, it's easier to be him than we know. We can all be Superman.

I'm glad you brought this topic back, Dispenser of Truth. Great post, by the way!

[Billy Batson]

A DC Comics character™.

[Kid A]

Wish-fulfilment hero who can do the impossible.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

A DC Comics character™.

This is correct.

[Pharozonk]

A character that was ruined in a recent big blockbuster movie.

[KurtW95]

Superman is the personification of truth, justice, and the American way.

or

Despite being an alien, Superman is the most human character living in the DCU.

[Superlad93]

Superman to me is...well...he's a lot of things to be quite honest. You can sum him up in just a few words like "action", "heart", "wonder", "hope", and "tomorrow" if you wanted to and you'd have my Superman.

He's big ideas, big heart, big fun, and big adventure. If I had to put names to it I'd say he's Doc Savage the perfect man, Santa Claus, Doctor Who, Einstein, John Wane, Elvis Presley, and Hercules all rolled into one but better than them all. He's always moving always doing always thinking. ACTION ACTION ACTION! It doesn't matter if he's Superman or Clark he's always saving the world in some way (loved Morrison for spotlighting and putting words to this). He can't help but be a hero. He always moves forward.

One big thing is that he takes no crap from anyone. But he a gentleman of the highest order, and caring and compassionate too. He greets you with a hand shake and a big corn fed smile cuz till you show him otherwise you are his friend and he has nothing but love for you. He's got the will power that would make a Lantern green with envy. It's never over as long as he's still willing to fight and he never loses. He's a bit of a tough guy even after he's softened up after his younger years.

Powers: Pretty much whatever level is cool with me. My only stipulations are that he's got to have that intellect, gotta be a master at using his powers in creative ways, and he's gotta be the best of the best regardless of power level. Like EVERYONE knows who he is and knows not to mess with him and if they don't know well....in the words of a great comedian "you gon' learn today, gon' learn today!"

Edit: typed fast fixed some errors.

[Auguste Dupin]

Wish-fulfilment hero who can do the impossible.

Pretty much. Superman is a character based on the notion that even the dullest person can hide a "superman", that we all ,behind our depressing "normalness", are unique individuals that people would benefit from actually knowing.
He's the ultimate immigrant, escaping a gruesome fate in an "old world" to get a new life in a new world, while having to deal with his difference and his origin.
He's a textbook example of the Campbellian Hero, who obtained "mastery of the two worlds" and became savior figure.
He's a man who help those who can't help themselves.
He's a fantasy character fighting over the top threats and saving the day.
He's an american icon who can't get away with anything else than being "Space Jesus", while people complain about him being "Space Jesus", generally without seeing the contradiction.
He's a comic book character who can fly.

[Auguste Dupin]

Superman to me is...well...he's a lot of things to be quite honest. You can some him up in just a few words like "action", "heart", "wonder", "hope", and "tomorrow" if you wanted to and you'd have my Superman.

He's big ideas, big heart, big fun, and big adventure. If I had to put names to it I'd say he's Doc Savage the perfect man, Santa Claus, Doctor Who, Einstein John Wane, Elvis Presley , and Hercules all rolled into one but better than them all. He's always moving always doing always thinking. ACTION ACTION ACTION! It doesn't matter if he's Superman or Clark he's always saving the world in some way (loved Morrison for spotlighting and putting words to this). He can't help but be a hero. He always moves forward.

One big thing is that he takes no crap from anyone. But he a gentleman of the highest order, and caring and compassionate too. He greats you with a hand shake and a big corn fed smile cuz till you show him otherwise you are his friend and he has nothing but love for you. He's got the will power that would make a Lantern green with envy. It's never over as long as he's still willing to fight and he never loses. He's a bit of a tough guy even after he's softened up after his younger years.

Powers: Pretty much whatever level is cool with me. My only stipulations are that he's got to have that intellect, gotta be a master at using his powers in creative ways, and he's gotta be the best of the best regardless of power level. Like EVERYONE knows who he is and knows not to mess with him and if they don't know well....in the words of a great comedian "you gon' learn today, gon' learn today!"

That is also very much how I like my Superman served.

[Kid A]

Superman to me is...well...he's a lot of things to be quite honest. You can some him up in just a few words like "action", "heart", "wonder", "hope", and "tomorrow" if you wanted to and you'd have my Superman.

He's big ideas, big heart, big fun, and big adventure. If I had to put names to it I'd say he's Doc Savage the perfect man, Santa Claus, Doctor Who, Einstein John Wane, Elvis Presley , and Hercules all rolled into one but better than them all. He's always moving always doing always thinking. ACTION ACTION ACTION! It doesn't matter if he's Superman or Clark he's always saving the world in some way (loved Morrison for spotlighting and putting words to this). He can't help but be a hero. He always moves forward.

One big thing is that he takes no crap from anyone. But he a gentleman of the highest order, and caring and compassionate too. He greats you with a hand shake and a big corn fed smile cuz till you show him otherwise you are his friend and he has nothing but love for you. He's got the will power that would make a Lantern green with envy. It's never over as long as he's still willing to fight and he never loses. He's a bit of a tough guy even after he's softened up after his younger years.

Powers: Pretty much whatever level is cool with me. My only stipulations are that he's got to have that intellect, gotta be a master at using his powers in creative ways, and he's gotta be the best of the best regardless of power level. Like EVERYONE knows who he is and knows not to mess with him and if they don't know well....in the words of a great comedian "you gon' learn today, gon' learn today!"

Wish we had a like button for these kind of posts.

[dupersuper]

[Tra-EL]

Superman, to me, always taught me to honor those around us with class and pride. To always put the positive spin on things when things go array and always stay true to being a guiding light in all things dark. To put trust and admiration to every unique individual and always give them a chance and put your hope and trust into both good and bad. His gentle sense of character, but yet, sternness in body language teach's people a sense of respect that beams through his posture that represents an inviting spirit to be open to the possibility of guidance and faith to personal humility, a humility that can be learned from by any walks of life. When faced with an ugly situation, to always forgive, forget but always remember to take the correct action plan that would benefit those involved and to always be ready for a challenge. His sense and strength is only an added bonus to something that cannot be replaced by any other hero created. His heart. So, to me, Superman represents HEART.

[Tra-EL]

Despite being an alien, Superman is the most human character living in the DCU.

I've always said this about Superman. Though he's alien, you won't find a more human character, which is all things ironic and is the reason why Superman is the greatest hero of all time and, quite frankly, the most relatable that people refuse to see at his core.