Originally Posted by
Ascended
Considering how messed up Clark himself is, yes.
All-Star just repackaged old Silver Age stuff for a modern audience. Nothing in that story was new, thematically. And actually, back then, Bruce was much closer to Clark's morality and strength of character as well. He wasn't a broken wreck of a human, he was an actual hero, and didn't become the pile of crazy he is today until the 80's. And the DCAU, as someone else said, repackaged a lot of Clark's stuff for Batman.
Oh, Clark's had plenty of falls. Exile, as you mention, For Tomorrow, Dominus, tons of others. He's had plenty of existential crisis's, questioned himself, his actions, the world around him, etc etc etc., just like everybody else. He's had big falls and small ones. But he mans up and doesn't let those bad days define him.
Depending on the version? Dead planet, dead Kents, dead cousin, locked his "brother" in the Phantom Zone for a thousand years, killed the last remaining members of his own species, trapped millions of people (including his wife) in the Zone for over a year, has watched both Smallville and Metropolis be destroyed, he's had marriage problems, questioned his own sanity, died (a couple times actually), had to walk away from his dream life because it was just a dream and not real.....do I really need to go on? And of course, none of us can appreciate what it's like to be the last of your entire species, or have to deal with the unrelenting stress of hearing the whole world crying out for help and knowing you can't save them all.
Depends on the person, I'd think. The scene in All-Star that you mention with Ragan, tons of people who suffer from depression and have attempted suicide have talked about how much that scene meant to them. There's letters and essays about how that scene prevented someone from killing themselves. I've been in a very similar boat, and even at my absolute worst Clark was an inspiration.
Ask Ragan from All-Star. She didn't think she had the strength either.
He reached me too. And I really didn't have the strength either, but the example of this fictional character still spoke to me.
You put too much meaning behind the name. He's not a saint, and has never, ever, in his publication history lived up to that ideal. Clark has never even tried to. Sainthood isn't Superman, that's just what he means to other people. He's a dude who does his best to help others, regardless of his own problems. Nothing more, nothing less. Do good to others, and every man can be a Superman.