I dislike Superman
POSTED BY: AnthonyT
UPDATED: Monday, March 9, 2026 17:54
VIEWED: 22488
PAGE 2 of 7
From the soon to be published (cross yer fingers!) novel The Defenestrator by Kevin Haggerty:
Good evening everyone and welcome to the Saturday night meeting of Super Persons Anonymous, “Heroes and Villains Healing Together”, my name is Clark K. and I’m a recovering super person.
(Hi, Clark.)
They asked me to chair the meeting tonight, but before I get into my story (which I know most of you are probably sick of hearing by now), I wanted to read a passage from the Big Book of Bruce W.
This is from the chapter “Taking Off the Mask One Day at a Time.”
Quote:Wow.
Whether we chose the role of villain or hero as a reaction to the origin trauma, we all have this in common: we have all lived violent and emotionally chaotic lives. Those of us who have taken on the hero’s mantle may find this most basic of truths the hardest to take in. As heroes, we may participate in the destruction of whole city blocks or throw villains literally “into the next county,” and yet by our own reckoning nobody dies, nobody’s maimed, no one is paralyzed for life and absolutely no one cries. It is only the villain’s violence, in the hero’s view, that is “senseless” and can actually hurt people.
I was so wrapped up in that shit. You know, “truth, justice and the American way,” while the whole time I was lying to everybody I knew! It amazes me now that I never saw the hypocrisy in all that.
I remember the first time I threw a bus. There was this alien...thing, I mean, person with tentacles and beams shooting out of his or her eyes, and he or she was obviously in crisis, very emotional, tearing down power lines and destroying property. This person, whose name I never even thought to discover (I think the papers simply called him or her “Monster X”) was easily taking everything I could dish out up to that point and without thinking I lifted a parked bus and hurled it.
It wasn’t until years later--after I’d been out of the lifestyle--coming to these meetings for about a year, when I was looking up old newspaper articles in the library and I found out that the driver of the bus had died that day. His body was found in the bus wreckage, it had been his lunch hour and he had been taking a nap on the back seat.
Musta been a pretty sound sleeper.
The papers blamed his death on the alien person, of course. The only thing more powerful than the denial of us super heroes is the denial of the press that chronicles our exploits. The papers always make it sound like all I ever did was show up and give my enemies some tough talk, maybe roughed ’em up a little bit before they surrendered.
I wonder sometimes if the papers really loved and believed in me so much, or if they were just scared out of their minds!
The paper noted that the bus driver had no surviving relatives, that he was childless and his parents were both dead. That really hit me hard. You know, it was like, this could have been me. Only now he was dead. Because of me.
Well, I started researching everything at that point. I was obsessed with exposing what Bruce calls the “inner villain,” looking for evidence of all my unacknowledged victims over the years.
I know we’ve all been there.
Anyway, having exhausted all the terrestrial libraries and news gathering agencies, I started moving out of the solar system into the larger galaxy and that’s when I found out the truth about my origin. As you know, Bruce in the Big Book puts a lot of emphasis on the so-called “origin” as the defining moment of our disease. The origin is the central trauma in the life of a super person that forever cuts us off from our ordinary humanity and with it, any hope of a normal existence. Our sense of self is so devastated by this trauma--whether it’s a bite from a radioactive animal, a freak bombardment of cosmic rays, or the double homicide of our parents as we look on helplessly--that we reconceive ourselves as the embodiment of the trauma. We even tend to rename ourselves after this force or creature that stole our lives from
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I like Superman, I can't really tell you why, it definitely depends on who's writing him as someone else said. I think he's more interesting as Clark Kent actually, which is why my favorite Supermans are from Smallville and Lois and Clark.
I will say though that I agree with both of your examples of problems with the character. Kryptonite is often written as an inconvenience, and that's not right. I believe there was an episode of Lois and Clark where Superman had a kryptonite bullet inside him and he was completely powerless, unable to even move, and slowly dying. It was only because Lois was able to get the bullet out and get it far away from him that Superman survived. That is how powerful kryptonite should be.
Every time I get into a discussion about the most recent movie I bring up the ridiculousness of Superman lifting a fucking mountain made of kryptonite. He simply can't do that, he is powerless in it's presence, that was just bad writing.
Same for the going back in time. I'm glad he's never done that again since, because it makes no sense. Superman has enough powers without time travel.
"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."
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The "real" Superman is not the movie versions, it's the TV series with George Reeves and Noel Neill from the 50's. I grew up watching that show every day in reruns. That Superman had emotions and feelings, and he was not always perfect. The early B&W years presented some very adult-natured and dark themes. 
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Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:You don't like the 1978 film Superman?
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
I dislike Superman, and I think the first and last movies illustrate why he is an uninspiring hero.
I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way, or if I was unique in my dislike for the character (at least as portrayed in film.)
If that's true Tony, you are dead to me.
Can't he just be severely wounded to you? Can he have a limp to you? Why's he gotta be dead to you?
AURaptor's Greatest Hits:
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.
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Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Quote:
He is boring.
...and yet here we all are discussing him. Perhaps the word you're seeking is that he is a 'frustrating' character/hero...?
I'm no comic book expert but I find the more popular superhero's somewhat samey anyway. Batman, Superman, Spiderman, X-men etc... You never really have any sense that they'll die or be defeated. But that's kind of the point isn't it?
I tend to find Superman only interesting as Clark Kent. And if I'm honest I only really enjoyed the second Superman film with Christopher Reeve. The others i'm somewhat indifferent to, but I think that in part is down to some poor film-making.
There is plenty of material in the character though and SMALLVILLE has gone some way into exploring that. And for the most part I'd say successfully too.
But to answer your question as to what it is I like about him...
Well it is the fact that he is alone in the world.
Cartoons - http://cirqusartsandmusic.blogspot.com
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Superman is interesting because he has all this power and yet he can't overcome his selfish nature. He could spend every waking moment saving people. Instead he lives a dual life as Clark Kent. He's so lonely being the last of his kind (ok there are other kryptonians but there aren't many) that he creates an identity to try to get some human companionship. He constantly struggles between being the ultimate hero or creating a life for himself. He struggles between telling the people he cares about who he really is or sticking with the false identity. He's pretty far from perfect.
Let's face it super heroes more or less aren't going to die. If they are going to die it's going to be a big event specifically to make their death have a big impact. Most of the time they'll be revived eventually anyway. A dead superhero doesn't sell comics. So, for the most part they're all invincible.
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Hoo boy. I'll be brief because I have tonnes of stuff to do and I could easily be here all day.
My problem with the Superman movies (and every TV series except the Timmverse) is that they're all firmly Pre-Crisis. Pre-Crisis Superman was a cardboard cutout of the Ideal Superhero. The first Superman stories were in media res --he was already a costumed hero, Lex Luthor was already his enemy, Jimmy Olsen was already his younger pal, Lois Lane was already his girlfriend --the traditional Superman backstory was all filled in piecemeal after the fact, and every incarnation of Superman since then has defaulted to that status quo.
He's Superman who disguises himself as Clark Kent, a meek, self-effacing wimp. Lex Luthor is an Evil(tm), obscenely wealthy genius who wants to destroy Superman. Lois Lane is an ambitious reporter who wants the scoop.
Post-Crisis Superman is much more interesting. He is Clark Kent, an intelligent, courageous, and savvy guy who wears an admittedly ridiculous costume to protect his privacy (and his friends and family), as he struggles to live up to the code of honour, compassion, and human decency inculcated in him by his parents. Lex Luthor is a businessman first and foremost, a self-made son of Metropolis who truly loves the city as his home, and who has very valid philosophical reasons for wanting Superman as far away as possible. Lois Lane is the tomboyish black sheep of her family, who has struggled so hard to get away from her career-military father that she hasn't realized all the things she sacrificed.
Comic Superman has drama and character development and depth that no film or TV portrayal has ever managed to capture.
-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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"...and yet here we all are discussing him. Perhaps the word you're seeking is that he is a 'frustrating' character/hero...?"
Hello,
Yes, perhaps it is the sense of wasted potential. He isn't just boring in these portrayals. He's less than he should be. There is a fundamental disconnect between me and anyone who enjoyed the Superman film (or the most recent), and I've never understood how to bridge the gulf.
"You never really have any sense that they'll die or be defeated. But that's kind of the point isn't it?"
Well, for me, at least a part of the enjoyment is when the writer finds ways to test that faith. Some of my favorite hero portrayals include stories where the hero loses in some way. Stories where victory- if achieved- is expensive, bloody, or painful. If not every time, then at least some of the time.
"From the soon to be published (cross yer fingers!) novel The Defenestrator by Kevin Haggerty:"
This sounds like a good piece of work that treats superheroes as people. I'll look for it when it comes out.
"Batman is boring. A rich vigilante that wallows in misery(as displayed in the last two movies). About as interesting as a tooth ache."
Well, inquiring minds will disagree. I enjoy that Batman's motivations are relatable. In most portrayals of Superman, his motivation is ill defined.
"I don't think Superman is a bad character at all, but poor writing can ruin anyone."
That may indeed be the case. I've been continuously dismayed about how the celebrated Superman films have treated the character. Perhaps a better writer would make all the difference. But in the absence of that better writer, I haven't been able to grasp the love for the film version.
"decides to take them to the top of a mountain and strand them there. It was implied that they would not/did not survive."
That would be an interesting story to see and explore, since it would add something profound to the character.
"Superman is interesting because he has all this power and yet he can't overcome his selfish nature."
That's interesting, because I never understood why Superman wasn't much more selfish. Something I wanted to see on Smallville but didn't get to see was a rebellious, selfish bastard who could do anything he wanted... and who learns through some event or series of events that he wants to live his life a different way. With the exception of some mind-altered/possession episodes, we saw a nearly flat character trajectory. Good restrained superkid becomes good restrained superman. It was a great disappointment to me.
"Comic Superman has drama and character development and depth that no film or TV portrayal has ever managed to capture."
It may be that I should abandon big and small screen portrayals and return to comic books. When I was a lad, comic books were entertaining but they usually weren't very good. They were either episodic or they were like soap operas, and any significant character development was usually undone with a magic reset button at the end of each episode or the end of a series. Are they really much better now? I keep hearing about witches or god-beings who wave their hands and cause all of reality to re-arrange itself. It sounds like the reset buttons have just gotten bigger. Is my perception off base? Should I pick up a comic again?
--Anthony
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There are big bads like witches and god beings cluttering up the joint, and bad retconning/reboots, but a number of more recent reboots have tried to give flatter superheroes more depth and humanity.
There are mixed results.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DarkerAndEdgier
But, there has been some interest in improving the stories in comic books and redeeming the literary value of the medium. Frank Miller is pretty well known for good writing, though his work after Sin City is not considered very good, and Neil Gaiman is another favourite if you lean more towards human whimsy, mysticism, and mythology.
And, of course, there's also manga, which if you can get past the art style, translation issues, and weird crap like lolicon, hentai, and guro, they probably have some of the best comic book drama out there right now.
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Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
In most portrayals of Superman, his motivation is ill defined.
Considering his limitless power he has a few choices:
The choice to do good-which is noble, and helpful to mankind.
The choice to do evil-which is totally against the character of Kal-El.
The choice to not use his powers-which would be a waste. Doubt Clark Kent could live with himself if he didn't try to help our planet.
Doing the right thing is his motivation. Struggling between two identities is his plight(why couldn't he be Superman 24/7?).
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70's TV FOREVER
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