It isn't that his flaws aren't obvious. It's quiet obvious. His flaws never bridge a connection to a larger audience because writer brush it aside do not use it as a struggle which clark keeps having to fight. The real never ending battle for truth. They want their saint or boyscout or whatever
- he dreams of a perfect life with a gal and a family. On a planet where he wouldn't be considered outsider. While in reality he keeps everyone at arms bay including the girl he loves and lies to.Then he wonders and cries about, why lois lane prefers superman who is honest, over clark kent the persona which is a big sham. He moans about his "solitude" . The entire persona makes it clear that the real clark kent who is called superman is bloody fraud. He himself is the reason he alone.
- As said, when he goes on around yammering about hopes and dream with a bullet proof skin. Sprouting or lecturing ideas loudly without understanding what people go through. (this is late silverage thing and something that became insufferable in postcrisis)
- He is vigilante. Who doesn't give a damn about laws or rules,if it is harmful to people. He isn't accountable. Neither does he answer to any authority. He is beast who breaks chains.
- He was a strongman who used to love a challenge.
- He has anger issues. Can get pissed off and be a tad bit excessive. Treat it like it is.
- Even, the family thing
These are all his flaws. All things i get from books. But, clark is always given a pass. It isn't even through legitimate means. But, instead of making those apparent. Most writers don't bother tackling them. They just write it of so that they get an example, a saint, a boyscout for others.
This is what normally happens. When someone points out how easy it is for clark to be brave because of the bulletproof skin and muscles made out of hotair from the sun that constantly gets stronger. His nonsensical answer is "i fight people stronger than me, all the time. You can do the same". Blah! Well good for him. But it ain't a bloody struggle for him to stay alive all the time. This is why superman is hard for many to connect with. Writing like this. He should have just stayed quiet and not proclaim anything. Atleast, look guilty or say quietly i do fight stronger people. But, Not as an accomplishment.
clark being shitty about rejection
They shift the blame like in the first instance to lois, to the world.. Etc. Which is absolute garbage . If you want connections it is your duty reach out,not of the others. Start treating clark kent for the fraud he is with his fake persona. Show clark as the wrong one. Don't go "the lois is just superficial and doesn't see clark" nonsense. Yes, there is some truth and lois is flawed but that isn't why clark is rejected. Clark's fortress of solitude is his own making both literally and figuratively.
The yammering nonsense with bullet proof skin ala postcrisis . Nobody gives it back to him for that. I would love to see someone from his own corner go upto him and say "shut f--k up superman!!!If you want to save us, then save us. Don't pretend like you have the right to lecture me, when you don't know what it's like being me. do what you want. But,don't you dare lecture us from up there on mount olympus". Have him actually start to shut up, not try to be some example for others.
He needs to be critiqued.Stop caricaturirising his philosophical adversaries and people who point out his flaws as "just bad guy" like sam lane who calls him out on being a beast without chains, Manchester black regarding broken system causing suffering superman even with power not doing anything but furthering it instead, Arion on a discussion about his choices in saving people and his thought processes.. Etc be genuine about these things. Make it compelling so that people find it engaging. Stop brushing things under the carpet.
Start treating superman like a vigilante. He is. Sure, have daily planet as pro superman. But, there needs to be something of a reverse which biased like the former but has a point. My idea would be a daily star. There should be a tension between superman and police. There should be times when police does go after him. It should be an uneasy alliance with superman being friends with non-corrupt ones like turpin or sawyer. Superman isn't an ally of the law, only the people. If he is being touted as a brand for charities as stuff. Have him face the superficialness of that world.At worst, clark becomes bigger darkseid who destorys everything with his contempt for control. Clark keeps some chains and learns to tame himself. Have this be a real struggle with the flaw.
Have him challenge himself to escape the existential boredom and give him a purposes. Yes, clark would always be on the look out for a purpose or a goal. Because otherwise an immortal guy like him would surely fall into the abyss of apathy. Him unlike vandal savage devotes himself to bettering himself instead of taking over the world.Have this be an actual struggle. If he gets obsessed he becomes brainiac.
Superman has fangs,for better or for worse. Have him actually struggle with his fangs. Have hims struggle with his anger and excesses. Make it sympathetic so that people can actually understand. Not like the justice league cartoons where he gets passive aggressive without warnings. Stop treating like those fangs don't exist. Many writers do this. Especially if batman is in the room. Superman would absolutely get pissed if you tug on his cape for too long.Stop treating him like puppy,when he is dangerous. All great men are.
Start blaming clark as a family man. If he messes things up with mon el or chris or conner or kara or jon. It is absolutely his fault. Give him **** for it. Don't pretend like he is the victim, when he is not the one who suffered. If mon el gets stuck in phantom zone by Clark's hand. It is absolutely on his hands.Stop erasing family so that he can be absolved. If clark fails to go after chris it is his fault. If clark doesn't accept conner or if jon gets stuck in a volcano in space, he is being shitty. Have him actually try to redeem himself. Don't brush it aside. This goes beyond just his kids to people that look upto him like dick, wally, now damian(not exactly. But those two have gotten closer) .. Etc. For instance, when goku was being shitty piccolo gave him hell for it. Goku actually had to redeem himself by sacrificing himself for his child. Start a treating a shitty dad like clark as the shitty dad. Have him actually take responsibility or atleast bring it up.
The lost children
To add to the conversation why batman is attractive to people and why people choose him as an example over clark.
Clark is always perpetuating a saint image and trying to set an example. He fails. Bruce doesn't try and succeeds.