So, what is *your* take on Superman?

[sunofdarkchild]

Well, I think that the existence of another Kryptonian, regardless of when he/she shows up, does make Supes a bit less special. But I'm guessing that's just me.

And seeing him defined by his relationships is an interesting angle. Who would you do it? From those characters POV perhaps?

Having Kara at all is just a concession to the fanboys. I've never seen a version of her that I thought worked either on her own or in the context of the Superman world. If anything I'd have her be closer to Linda Danvers instead of to Clark. The moment she is introduced it becomes much harder to establish close relationships between Clark and other characters that aren't romantic, since he doesn't need human friendship as much if he has a blood relative around all the time, so those human relationships have to be established before Kara can be introduced no matter what.

Defining Superman by his relationships is mostly about having the focus on those relationships. For instance, Jimmy is 'the pal.' Perry is 'the mentor.' The Planet staff are 'the peers.' Turpin shows how the police view Superman. Lois is the one Clark wants to prove his worth as a man to, instead of his worth as a Superman. Linda is the 'little sister' and perhaps the one who gets him into and out of trouble like Moses and Ramses in Prince of Egypt. Conner is the 'little brother' who needs Clark to mentor him. Steel is the ordinary human inspired by Superman to do extraordinary things. The league all view Superman as an inspiration and role model. All these people have a defined role is Clark/Superman's life. He interacts with each of them differently, and they all view him differently. Like, for instance, how in Team Superman from 1998 Connor thought Superman stood primarily for truth, Steel thought he stood for justice, and Linda thought he stood for hope.

In this context, when Superman goes to space, these people on earth miss him. If he dies, they all mourn him. If his secret identity is discovered, most of them are at risk. And if a threat too big for Superman appears, he can call in the help of 'team Superman.'

[sunofdarkchild]

As a 'fanfic-'

Superman debuts, having adventures around the world and in Metropolis. Clark starts out making a living by writing adventure novels based partly on his actions as Superman. This allows him to spend the vast majority of his time as Superman, only sleeping a few hours a week. He starts out viewing himself as a godlike figure. Perry White, upon reading the novels, sees how much investigative research must have gone into them and tries to hire Clark to be his foreign correspondent, meaning that both as Clark and as Superman he has more international adventures. Becoming a reporter makes him spend more time as a man and to view himself as such.

At the Planet he meets Lois, Jimmy, and other staff. Lois is initially dismissive of the fiction writer turned reporter, and when an overseas investigation leads him to try to uncover Intergang in Metropolis, her beat, she starts to see him as a rival. Jimmy develops his signal watch which causes Superman to appear in Metropolis much more often than anywhere else. Clark's international scoops bring a lot of buzz and lead to the Planet's first profits in years.

Soon afterwards either Cadmus or another group (maybe Luthor) creates the Matrix version of Supergirl, and after a fight and her suffering injuries Clark either takes her to the Kents if they are still alive or takes care of her himself for a while. They become like siblings and she fully becomes Supergirl once she's ready to move out. After that there episode where Matrix and Linda Danvers merge occurs.

When Clark spends more time overseas again Lois misses him and starts to realize her feelings. Steel makes his debut. Cadmus tries to create a more exact replica of Superman than Matrix and clones Connor. The 'team Superman' is unofficially formed.

The big battles usually happen overseas where there is much less collateral damage than there would be in Metropolis. Metropolis itself is where the more personal conflicts takes place, either because his friends are involved or because it is against someone like Luthor. And during this all he goes into space as many times as seems appropriate.

[Slim Shady]

I wouldn't change too much. I'd make the Kents alive. Jimmy Olsen would be a bigger role. Perry too.

I'd throw in more down to Earth stories. Saving people from burning buildings and whatnot. Strong, confident, huge heart. I think I'd find time for Krypto too.

And when him and Batman get into their eventual disagreement he would kick Batman's ass.

[Agent Z]

The moment she is introduced it becomes much harder to establish close relationships between Clark and other characters that aren't romantic, since he doesn't need human friendship as much if he has a blood relative around all the time,
'

Um, this makes no sense. People interact with people outside of their family all the time. Clark having a blood relative doesn't make his friendships with other people any less important. Especially, since would pretty much be a stranger to him.

I wouldn't change too much. I'd make the Kents alive. Jimmy Olsen would be a bigger role. Perry too.

I'd throw in more down to Earth stories. Saving people from burning buildings and whatnot. Strong, confident, huge heart. I think I'd find time for Krypto too.

And when him and Batman get into their eventual disagreement he would kick Batman's ass.

This is more or less my opinion too. Though I'd have Jonathan dead if we must have one family member die and him and Bruce would merely argue not physically fight.

[sunofdarkchild]

Um, this makes no sense. People interact with people outside of their family all the time. Clark having a blood relative doesn't make his friendships with other people any less important. Especially, since would pretty much be a stranger to him.

It doesn't have that much of an effect on the relationships he's already formed. It makes it harder to form new relationships. Why would a writer introduce a step-sibling with Kara around? Would a young hero staying with Clark actually stick around after the initial storyline when Kara has the 'younger family member under Clark's wing' niche filled? Once that emotional need for family is filled, narratively future relationships simply can't be as close. It would be like introducing Damian as the first Robin and only afterwards introducing Dick, Jason, and Tim. Maybe in a 'real-world' context it could work, but narratively the problems are obvious.

[Agent Z]

It doesn't have that much of an effect on the relationships he's already formed. It makes it harder to form new relationships. Why would a writer introduce a step-sibling with Kara around? Would a young hero staying with Clark actually stick around after the initial storyline when Kara has the 'younger family member under Clark's wing' niche filled? Once that emotional need for family is filled, narratively future relationships simply can't be as close. It would be like introducing Damian as the first Robin and only afterwards introducing Dick, Jason, and Tim. Maybe in a 'real-world' context it could work, but narratively the problems are obvious.

I don't see how it makes forming new relationships harder. Even if the new one isn't as close as Kara - which I highly doubt anyway - so what? I could say Clark's relationship with Batman isn't as important as his relationship with Lois but the Superman/Batman friendship still has its fans. I really don't see how it is a narrative issue at all.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

I'd give him a slightly different origin. Change how Krypton was destroyed. Jor-El is a geologist who discovers some strange radiation at the planets core and when he probes deeper, he discovers there's a bomb left over from the Kandorian war at the center. He goes to the governing council to tell them what he's found but they dismiss him by saying a bomb that old couldn't still be active. Later he finds out the council knew about the bomb all along and built a ship to save themselves. The reason he detected the radiation is because it's about to blow. Knowing there is no way to deactivate the bomb or save the rest of the planet, he decides to steal the ship along with his brother Zor and their families. The ships system is already programmed for Earth because the council planned to go there and make themselves gods by killing off or enslaving humanity.

Just as the ship takes off, the governing council finds out and orders it shot out of the sky. Just as the ship leaves the atmosphere, Krypton's "world cannons" hit the star drive damaging it and causing it to blow up. Jor-El, in a panic, puts his son in an escape pod and sends it off, already pre-programmed for Earth. Along with records of his journals and a complete history of Krypton. Zor does the same for his daughter. Just as the parents get into their escape pods, the ship blows up. And then the planet not long after. Killing the council and everyone else.

Kal's ship crashes on Earth in the middle of the night, causing an electrical disruption knocking out all of Smallville's electricity. The Kents go into town the next day and on the way back, Martha sees smoke coming from the north forty. Jonathon runs out and finds the ship. Because the council wanted to take over Earth quickly, there are solar collectors inside the ship. A month later, Jonathon has buried the ship and Martha goes upstairs to wake little Clark from a nap when she finds him floating above his crib. She panics and runs and gets Jonathon. The official story they told everyone was that they literally found him on their doorstep. A couple years later, a two year old Clark lifts up a dresser to recover a lost toy car. As the years go by, Clark has to learn to control his "gifts". It takes most of his childhood to master flight. The vision powers don't come along until puberty. By the time he is eight, he can lift the tractor over his head. His parents are reluctant to let him go to school with other kids and almost take him out altogether when he gets into a fight in kindergarten and breaks a kid's arm.

Then, when Clark is seventeen, he is helping his father fix a tractor when he hears a little girl crying on the railroad tracks. Her leg is stuck. Clark sees a train coming and runs to help her. Getting there just as the train does, he shields her with his body, wrecking the train. Clark wants to know why he can do these things. The "found you on the doorstep" excuse isn't cutting it anymore. So Jonathon finally decides to show Clark the ship. That is when he finds his fathers journals and history and learns the truth of his identity. Clark goes off to college and travels the world reporting on various events. Often getting involved in dangerous situations and getting "lucky" to get out of them alive. But he's getting tired keeping his abilities a secret. Finally, after he gets a job at the Planet, he goes to report on a fire and notices that some people are trapped on a top floor and the department can't reach them. This is when he decides he must use his powers. So he flies up and rescues them. But because the fire burned off most of his clothes, no one recognized him. And he got out as quickly as he could.

The media wants to know who this mysterious man was that saved those people. Lois publishes a story calling him a "Super-Man". It is after that that Clark goes home and decides he can't hide anymore. That is when Martha decides to make him the suit. And the Superman is born! Luthor initially has no opinion of Superman until he stops one of his arms deals to a terrorist group (yes, in this universe, Luthor is largely a weapons manufacturer). Meanwhile, an alien presence that "collects" rare species sees the reports about the Superman on Earth and recognizes him instantly as a Kryptonian. So it comes to Earth to collect him. The creature, the last survivor of Colu, is a brain-like creature that collects cities and species from dying cultures. It tries to take Superman but he defeats it's probes so instead, it decides to take the entire city with him in it instead. Superman defeats the creature, saves the city, and finds the last survivors of Kandor in a globe. In an act of forgiveness for the destruction of his planet, Superman saves the Kandorians from the Coluan.

Throw in references to a proto-Batman Bruce Wayne watching the news about this new "Superman" in Metropolis, Someone finding a green glowing rock in Smallville, and Superman burying the ship in a cave in the arctic, and that would be my origin for Superman.

This is very detailed. Another fanfic in the works here. You really should flesh it out and publish it somewhere. I can see there are a few silver-ages details thrown in there mixed by some more modern elements of your own. A healthy mix. One little thing: I took the liberty of correcting the name of Brainiac's planet (the way you wrote it means ass in Spanish ).

Ok, first up is that Supes exists in his own world. No shared Universe period. No Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. Only other heroes are those that are a part of his mythology. Also Clark is the only living Krptionian. Kara, Zod are reimagined differently.

The Clark's life in Smallville is the same. Kents find him he befriends Lana, Pete and a young Lex. Calrk ends up working at a social media/News agency called the the planet.com as a cyber security person. He can work either from home or at theplanet's hq. Where ever he wants to. Lois works for it a host for a web news show The Fast Lane with Lois Lane. It is similar to the Daily Show but more focused on real journalism. She is Clark's neighbor, realizes he is Superman and starts dating him early. They eventually get married.

Lois's father is a scientist and the CEO of Lanecorp a tech firm. Lex is his protege and kills Sam and takes over Lanecorp. The other villains are the Enchantress who is controls a large portion of Metropolis, Brainaic who is an AI from Krypton. Also some new villains. Kara is still Supergirl but belongs to another alien race. Zod is Krypton's version of the Devil. A supernatural force of evil.

Clark is part of a prophecy that Krpyton would destroyed and would reborn on another world. It stated that the Last child if Krpton would have a child who destroy Zod and be the mother of New Krypton. Clark and Lois have that child. Her name is Laura Kent.

Oh, I like it. Nice twist on Sam Lane there. So, I figure there's a chance that Kal and Kara's parents are alive? As for Zod: pretty cool. Hadn't thought of Zod that way. I also dig that Clark wouldn't work as a reporter but as the Planet's network security guy. It's interesting.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Depending on the direction of the convo, maybe it got moved to a fanfic section.

Really? It was before 2014. Could still be somewhere? I looked up al the threads started by me and I found none.

Humorously. There's something that's so funny about old fashioned Superman, the first superhero. I'd probably be most influenced by Siegel, Maggin, Bates, Casey, and Schultz.

Schultz? The one from the triangle era, I suppose? Interesting. Yeah, I remember a few things of his run. As for the rest, can't go wrong there.

The animated series got it right. Post crisis but featuring the Legion.

Between DP, outer Metropolis, Smallville, Supergirl, and the Justice League, Superman should have a ton of friends.

Everywhere.

What blew my mind is Blackrock came back recently. Superman has dozens and dozens of enemies. I like seeing them updated and having their ideas strengthened. Just no more toymen.

Game breaking is okay... until they run out of ideas with it. Simple Kryptonian powers, high intelligence. Flying to the moon shouldn't be effortless.

Just the one, I guess. Setting doesn't matter even if the arctic one is classic.

Morrison's New 52 version is solid.

I see nothing wrong with foreign correspondent.

Cool. I like that you mentioned "everywhere" for the place of his adventures. Frequently, he's depicted as a superhero of Metropolis, when he's the protector of Earth (and even other places in the galaxy/ universe, dammit). I miss that.

Also, yeah, the Arctic fortress is THE classic version, but your comment reminded me of For Tomorrow and the Suerman run that followed, in which Suoes built a new fortress in the Amazon and considered building more "sanctuaries" around the world. I don't know if that would work, but it could be interesting. So, if your Version of Superman were to have a fortress located in a place other than the Arctic, where would it be?

I would mix up the villains a little bit too. Toyman is now an international terrorist who uses things like remote control cars and planes to kill his targets. Attach some C-4 to a small plane and send it into a building. Prankster would be like Superman's version of the Joker. Some psycho just out to get Superman's attention for the sake of getting his attention. And if he has to kill people to do it, so be it. Terra Man would be a xenophobic terrorist who hates all aliens and wants to drive Superman off Earth. He also has a militia. I kind of like the idea that someone suggested a while back that Parasite is more of a victim who kills for survival than a psychopath. A reluctant vampire would be a good description of him. Maxima would be Maxima. Superman is her ideal mate and she threatens to destroy the Earth if he doesn't agree to marry her. Metallo would be a government operative sent by Amanda Waller and Argus to "test" ways to kill Superman but he fuses to his suit and removing him would kill him.

His relationship with Batman would be adversarial at first. Superman sees him as a violent vigilante who puts petty street criminals in the hospital with, in some cases. permanent damage, and tried to arrest him. Batman uses things like sonic devices and flash bombs to distract Superman but of course this only slows him down temporarily. When one of the Batman's villains attacks Metropolis (probably Joker), he has to let Batman help him and they grudgingly accept each others methods. Eventually, as time goes on and they get to know each other a little better, they become friends. Pete and Lana were the only people in Smallville who know Clark's secret. Both of whom have known him since kindergarten.

Zod was a secessionist who didn't like the fact that the Kryptonian government wasn't willing to hunt down and kill all the Kandorians after the war. His army left with him. When he finds out that Kal has the last living Kandorians, he demands that Kal turn them over so he can kill them. Kal refuses. He threatens to kill all life on Earth if he doesn't. Basically forcing him to make a choice between the Kandorians or the humans. Supergirl is only slightly older than he was when she left Krypton. He was about one and she was about three. Her ship crashed a few years after Kal did in the town of Midvale, not far from Smallvile. She was adopted by the Danvers who named her Linda. So her full name is Linda Lee Danvers. Unlike Clark, she didn't grow up knowing about her powers. But she was an exceptional athlete in school and the best at everything. Until her x-ray vision kicked in. When Superman first appeared, that was when she first suspected there was a connection between them. He helps train her in the use of her powers.

Lois is so adversarial to Clark, she is almost unlikable at first. She is also a frequent target of criminals who don't like her investigations. She learns Clark's secret when he is forced to save her from a car bomb. After this, she helps cover for him. Eventually falling in love. Wonder Woman is distrustful of "man's world" but she respects Superman more than anyone else because he is as honest as he appears. The only man she ever met who is. The rest of the super-hero community sees him as the top dog. He's the first and most powerful. The government doesn't trust him and wants to find a way to control him. Superman is reluctant to work with them for this very reason. Kryptonite is rare but it is scattered all over the midwest. You can find it if you go looking for it but you have to really put in an effort. Most chunks are only about the size of a dime. The biggest they get is the size of a fist.

The Legion isn't really part of his history but he is a part of theirs. The entire team was formed because of him. He teamed up with them maybe once at about sixteen but had his memory wiped afterward. They left him a ring as a memento but he doesn't really remember where he got it. Things like Dark Knight and Kingdom Come are considered potential futures for this universe. The Justice League would consist of him, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Vixen. With a "floating" roster of reserve members as needed.

Oh, I like this. Your takes on these guys are original and feel very contemporary. Get writing a fanfic already!

[666MasterOfPuppets]

If I had my way: Superman would truly be the last son of Krypton.
He would be naturally stronger, faster, tougher, with greater stamina and higher intelligence than any human or humanoid in the galaxy (or in the universe)
All due to genetic manipulation and eons of evolutive adaptations to survive in the harsh environment which was Krypton. He would be naturally invulnerable and when injured would heal quicker. stuff like that. Even if no yellow solar is present. But when in the presence of yellow/white/blue solar stars the last son of Krypton would become a god in human form. He would be able to travel interstellar distances under his own power. Because my Superman is a cosmic adventurer. He won't be bound to planet Earth. When needed he would reach beyond the limits of the known universe to face the unknown and battle the darkest evils. Kryptonite would be the only sure way to kill him. Magic unless extremely powerful would be useless against him.

My Superman is a scientist and an inventor. His Fortress Of Solitude would be a mixture of lab, workshop and museum where he will expend his free time expanding his understanding of the universe, inventing and creating new things and sciences.
In time he will be responsible for the creation of Supergirl, Powergirl and Superboy. They will be humans whom he will bestow powers similar to his.

My Superman would live a civilian life as Clark Kent in the United States and he will have his regular cast of characters: Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Cat, Lana and Pete (childhood friends) The Kents would be already dead but he will interact with them via flashbacks. Steel John Henry Irons will be his partner and science collaborator. Interaction with Batman would be minimal. I'm convinced that Superman has nothing to win and a lot to lose by hanging out with Batman.

My Superman would also have other civilian identities around the world and civilian friends around the world as well. He would be like a man with a million faces. Intervening subtlety to save lives in places where he can't act openly.
My Superman will have a voice at the United Nations. World governments would respect and fear his power. A few would try to conspire against him and undermine his mission but not a single one would dare to challenge him openly. So there's not government sponsored mass murder or ethnic cleansing in the DC universe Earth after awhile of course, cause I want to tell a few stories of Superman dealing with that sort of thing and using his intelligence to find a solution to that. I want him to be the harbinger of a new utopia on Earth. He will suffer setbacks and from time to time make a few mistakes but he should never give up and/or adopt a passive attitude regarding world's affairs.

Action Comics: Cosmic stuff, fighting Darkseid and the new gods/the Antimonitor/Alien invasions/Interstellar wars/Space opera type events/team ups

Man Of Steel: International matters, political intrigue, social commentary, real world stuff with a twist. Superman, Clark Kent and The man with the million faces turning the world into an utopia.

Superman: The main man interacting more closely with his cast: Lois, Jimmy, Lana, Perry, Smallville folks, doing mundane stuff with a sci-fi twist

Whoa. The man with a million faces? That sounds awesome! It also can bring an interesting story where someone thinks they've seen him somewhere else and starts digging. A bit of mystery/conspiracy stuff.

Also, I agree with a lot of stuff in your take. For example, how he got his powers. Something like that is in my origin story. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, if he's alien then he's alien, right. He should not be portrayed as a "mutant", which is the feeling I get when I read many of the current and past Superman stories.

I don't know. I like him equal parts farmboy and alien god. Clark should only partway be a disguise IMO.

I'd rather have his parents alive than dead, or at least Martha.

I see. I agree. The Clark we see in Metropolis would partly be a disguise, because he still fights for truth and justice by doing his work as a journalist.

Not sure about his adoptive parents, though. In my case, they're dead.

I like him part journalist part scientist space god. I think he works better without the Kents when he is an adult. It adds to his mystic. imo To have them in his memories. From time to time have him remembering something that happened at the farm. some important lesson learned from them and tied up to a current situation.


I completely forgot about Lex and the rogue's gallery. Lex as other have said; should be a mixture of (secretly crooked) businessman Lex, mad scientist Lex and xenophobic Lex. My Lex would be the smartest human and also the most egocentric. He should represent the best and worst aspects of humanity and perhaps the greatest challenge to Superman's mission on Earth. It would be great if from time to time they were forced to work together for the greater good. I'd also leave open the possibility for Lex to be redeemed. I will make it so that he is so smart that he doesn't actually has to kill people to get what he wants. Make it so that the only person he wants to kill (or remove) is Superman.

Cool stuff there. I like the "scientist space God" thing. It pretty much falls in line with what I have in mind for Superman, though.

Respectfully, I have to disagree on the alien god angle.

For sure, the alien bit is how they explain him having those super-powers--but I see that as being a lot like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's creations for Marvel. I never take their characters as serious examples of science fiction (contrasted with some of what Gardner Fox and John Broome created). Lee and Kirby just took any old science fiction trope to explain how a hero could have such powers--whether it was radioactive arachnids or gamma rays.

Neither did Siegel and Shuster waste too much time on explaining how Superman could have his fantastic powers (and the explanation changed a couple of times)--they used Krypton as the all-purpose excuse for those powers. They were creating a Man not an alien. He's supposed to be the Man of Tomorrow--essentially what we could all be in the future.

I see what you mean. Reminds me something I read about what Siegel and Shuster had in mind for Superman's origin (but got scrapped): he actually comes from the far future. Actually, that's the ending that Grant Morrison gave to Mark Millar for Red Son.

However, since it's another planet and all, I do think the alien aspect should be fleshed out more.

Now it happens that Krypton is a fabulous bit of fantasy and it allows for some wonderful little Tales about its past. That's all great. But again, Krypton works best as a metaphor. It's not supposed to be so alien that we can't relate to it. It has to be enough like our own planet and Kryptonians have to be enough like Earth humans that we get something from the analogy. There needs to be meaning in Krypton's history and its fate that relates to our experience here on this planet.

I can see writers building a few bridges between alien societies and us, so we can relate to them in a way. They could even look different but have the same problems and dilemmas we do. Martian Manhunter is an example.

As far as being a god goes, while I like Superman to have some really impressive powers, as a character I see him akin to the tragic heroes I learned about in high school and in university. In the Greek and Shakespearean tragedies, the heroes are trapped between the world of men and the world of gods. That's their tragic condition. They can't be at home in either world and all their struggles come from that.

Not that Superman should be so tragic. But to the degree that he needs some dramatic tension in his life, then I think this is what his situation boils down to.

He can never settle down and be happy like regular human beings (so marriage is out for him), but neither can he abandon the Earth and live a life somewhere else where everyone is the same as him (such as on New Genesis). The human nurtured by his adoptive parents Clark Kent is attached to this world; yet, he never feels fully accepted into our society. Which is why he has to dress up as Clark to get comfortable with regular folks. And when his alien nature needs some alone time, Kal-El goes off to his Fortress of Solitude to indulge that aspect of his character.

Oh, but he wouldn't be a god in the strict sense of the word. We just use that term in order to convey a sense of his power levels. But I think I understand. Perhaps given those crazy power levels, in some circles he would be considered a god. Nothing wrong with that in my book, though.

I like the idea that Superman has evolved past weakness, moral and physical. His morality, he created himself by adopting the best bits of all of us. I like stressing the Kents but someone mentioned, that's too narrow. So yeah, from Saturn Girl to Ma Kent. Superman has learned how to be good. (I do like those epic morality stories, so fatal flaws have to play out.) Power, speed, and wits that's Superman to me. I like the idea that Superman doesn't suffer from the vanity that Gods struggle with. I really love the idea that at his most extreme, he can process his universe like Dr. Manhattan, but since he's Superman, he doesn't go mad. He likes people.

Interesting. So you're saying your version, in time, could acquire H'El-like powers? If so that would be interesting. And yeah, it's cool that his values are so strong that no matter how powerful he is, he remains humble.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

So about my Elseworlds ideas, I was thinking to try as an ending pushing Superman as a stepfather or an adoptive father at the end instead of the common biological father in many Elseworlds, I was also thinking of having him have one Elseworlds story where he ends up falling for and getting with Lyla as someone who takes his side against General Zod in a JLA vs. Phantom Zone Kryptonian War. Just some crazy ideas out there.

Another idea is that he and Lois keep Chris Kent (Lor-Zod) instead of that short canon stint.

Crazy ideas indeed, but good. Regarding Chris, yeah. It bothered me back then that they got rid of him so quickly. Another proof that DC can't go through with the ideas they themselves introduce.

I think of Superman has conquering things gods struggle with, but still have a hard time with Terra Man. Plus where's Beppo?

Hehe, Beppo? How would you introduce Beppo? I'm genuinely intrigued.

I like more "man" in Superman. As a kid I'd read old Bronze Age back issues and think it odd that he worked at WGBS rather than the Planet. But now that setup really appeals to me, partly because there was such a well-developed supporting cast. I really miss that focus on Clark's everyday life. And I loved that Clark so loved being a hero; he was a guy from an ordinary background who got to do good and have the most crazy adventures. An evil space cowboy riding a flying horse might show up. While I don't think modern comics need to be quite that silly (at least on the regular), I wish there was still that sense that anything could happen.

I wouldn't mind seeing more development in his relationships with humans. Perhaps not only at work. It would be interesting to see them just hanging out and talking stuff. In turn, this could also be done with the other JL members. I think there even was a one-shot years ago showing just that.

I don't want Superman's philosophy to be completely worked out. His experiences and his powers give him a unique insight on life, so he probably has some very profound ideas, but I think he's still trying to figure it out for himself and decide what is the good life (in Plato's terms).

Yes Superman has a code--founded on principles he learned both from the Kents and from his biological parents--but that can only serve him so far and his mission will take him to places no Superman has gone before. So Superman can learn and grow and change. And he's not the type to preach to others and tell them how they should live their lives. He's knows enough to know he doesn't have all the answers.

Oh, I agree with this. He can see/ perceive things no other being can, so that gives him a more profound view on life. That's why I liked the "soul vision" introduced by Waid in Birhtright.

I can see your point, but I think the alien god concept is being taken a bit too literally by you.

To me Superman is "the one eyed-man in the land of the blind". For much of his life Clark is experiencing things no one else can and things for which no human language has ever had to invent words to describe. He's the three-dimensional being trying to explain up-and-down to the two-dimensional inhabitants of Flatland. By the nature of his powers and his experiences he can never be ordinary Clark Kent. He can hang out at the water cooler with his fellow Planet staffers trading small talk, but with whom does he discuss what Jupiter smells like or the color of melting snow. Even at his journalistic best, it is probably beyond Clark's ability to describe his worldview in any way we could relate to it.

It's not about Krypton vs Earth or Superman needing alone time. It's about Superman as someone who shares our values and emotions but not our limits and thus is always waiting for us to catch up to him.

Excellent. Very well said, Jon.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

My Superman is someone who has a strong personal moral code matched with an equally strong belief in self-determination. He knows for himself that using his powers to help others is the only path. He doesn't have a choice about being Superman because he simply lacks the ability to stand by when he can help someone else out. It's not something he thinks about, it's something he finds himself doing before he has time to think. It actually takes an effort for Clark not to step in and help.

The one thing that at points will motivate Superman not to step in and help is that he understands there is a line between helping those who need it and helping those who want it. As much as it hurts him to see it happen, Clark will not force someone to accept his help if that person is determined to harm themself. He will try to talk the jumper down from the edge of the building. He will offer to help them in whatever way he can. He may even intervene to keep them from hitting the ground while he is present. But at the end of the day he will accept that he can't watch over that single person 24/7 or force them to get medical help.

And thus same philosophy applies to groups of people. Clark Kent can write a dozen stories arguing that Candidate X is not someone anyone should support. But Superman can't intervene to remove Candidate X from power if he fairly wins the vote. And as much as Superman might want to topple dictators across the globe, he recognizes that unless the people of a region are ready to support a decent government, every time Superman takes out one bad leader he only creates an opening for another bad leader to step in.

Plus while Superman is sure of his own values- he won't impse them on others. You need to share his beliefs in order to apply them. It isn't a case where he wants you to do what is right out of fear or blindly following him.

Great stuff here. And yeah, depending on the case, we could see him in the Fortress (or in Jupiter, or the moon, or the bottom of the Marianas Trench) pondering the implications of intervening in certain matters (not only terrestrial, but in other planets/galaxies as well). Reminds me of the words Jor-El said to him in Superman: The Movie and even what he said to Lois in Suoerman Returns. Lots of people everywhere clamoring for a savior, but do they really need one?

Prior to Crisis--as a kid, teen and young adult--I was always looking for ways that Superman could be more cosmic. The fact he was limted to yellow sun systems--and maybe a few other solar systems, but I think under green and blue suns his powers were diminished--that was something that bothered me. I wanted him to find ways to up his power levels so he could go all over the universe. Maybe he could have a yellow sun ring like the one Nor-Kan had in Kandor or he could get a GL ring from the Guardians or he could use his old Legion flight ring.

These were the sort of problems that consumed my imagination back then.

So it seems weird to me that some readers are so focused on Superman the Earthbound social worker. While that's a plank in his platform and has inspired some good stories, it's never the thing that I worried over. I always wanted more astounding science adventures beyond the unknown into forbidden worlds of time and relative dimension in space.

THIS /\/\/\/\. And sometimes it's not even Earth as a whole, but just Metropolis. And that always annoyed me a great deal. My conclusion about that is that DC got (and still does) the whole "human side" of Sperman wrong.

Researching about kryptonite, I have seen that there are many types of it.. Yes, I know, some types of kryptonite only exist in other worlds.

But I hope we never get to that point of having 10 types of kryptonite(for example) in the world to stop superman... It is a term that I hope DC COMICS never abused too.

With the rest I am fine.. Except with Lois..

A lot of fans are not able to see any of them with another couple... I don´t hate Lois. but I think people should be more open to seeing them with other couples.. For that reason Superman/Wonder Woman had no better success..

Agreed. I don't want to see 10 different kinds of Kryptonite. The green K is enough.

As for Lois, I can see her as his best friend. Perhaps they dated a few times in the past, but it didn't work.

I really like Kryptonite and the red sun radiation weakness. Especially kryptonite, what's poisonous to the Man of Tomorrow? Fragments of his past. That's why I also agree that his parents, birth and adoptive should be gone. He's on his own.

Interesting analogy, although I'd make Kryptonite his only weakness. One that he will eventually overcome.

[adrikito]

Agreed. I don't want to see 10 different kinds of Kryptonite. The green K is enough.

As for Lois, I can see her as his best friend. Perhaps they dated a few times in the past, but it didn't work.
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kryptonite, red sun, magic(there any more?).. With those weaknesses Had Enough .. It is fortunate that usually only used green, with 5 types of active kryptonite in the world for example Superman would lose much to face their enemies, it would be easy the enemy had any of them.

I do not know many types of kryptonite but I think red is the worst ... Although.. they have tried to use it with some villain? Or always it has been used for the good acts so evil?

I understand what you say about Lois ... until 2 years ago thought the same ..

Now in the current situation .. If Superman return.. Repeat the same couple in different situation.. I'm sorry I'm not interested.. I think people would get tired too. For that, I prefer single or return with Diana.

[DieHard200904]

kryptonite, red sun, magic(there any more?).. With those weaknesses Had Enough .. It is fortunate that usually only used green, with 5 types of active kryptonite in the world for example Superman would lose much to face their enemies, it would be easy the enemy had any of them.

I do not know many types of kryptonite but I think red is the worst ... Although.. they have tried to use it with some villain? Or always it has been used for the good acts so evil?

I understand what you say about Lois ... until 2 years ago thought the same ..

Now in the current situation .. If Superman return.. Repeat the same couple in different situation.. I'm sorry I'm not interested.. I think people would get tired too. For that, I prefer single or return with Diana.

Red has random effects ranging from making him go berserk to invisible skin and who knows what, never the same effect twice in a row. I call it roulette Kryptonite for a reason.

About the vast potential of the multiverse, stuff can be different because the existence of infinite universes is like the video game Bioshock Infinite, where each different set of decisions makes a different universe, different person, etc. Variation does occur in terms of how a person appears to be in age, who he/she apparently marries, etc. That's what a multiverse creates.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I don't think H'El on Earth would have seemed that strange to Silver Ag/Bronze Age Superman. Think about what that guy could do. Time Travel, Supervision, Manipulate his breathe in a way that seems telekinetic. His microscopic vision with heat vision, what couldn't he do? Super hypnotism,,,it's all fair to me too.

Speed, power, vision, strength, and wits, not a little bit, a Super amount. Those powers all manifest from those basic gifts that Superman has. I'll never get that Superman has to be Mr. All Around-er but second in this, second in that,,,but not, Superman. Why does it have to be fair. He gets to play Superman in the room. That's why Dr. Manhattan makes sense as a Superman analogue.

[Agent Z]

I don't think H'El on Earth would have seemed that strange to Silver Ag/Bronze Age Superman. Think about what that guy could do. Time Travel, Supervision, Manipulate his breathe in a way that seems telekinetic. His microscopic vision with heat vision, what couldn't he do? Super hypnotism,,,it's all fair to me too.

Speed, power, vision, strength, and wits, not a little bit, a Super amount. Those powers all manifest from those basic gifts that Superman has. I'll never get that Superman has to be Mr. All Around-er but second in this, second in that,,,but not, Superman. Why does it have to be fair. He gets to play Superman in the room. That's why Dr. Manhattan makes sense as a Superman analogue.

Why doesn't it have to be?