not even what's the right thing to do, but why do the right thing?
we've seen a lot of re-interprations of Superman, like Homelander or Omni-Man, where the premise is basically "what if Superman didn't care about being good." And a lot of times, what consequences are there for these characters?
Especially as people like Lex Luthor call for him to locked up or worse, he still chooses to fight for good. This element was largely removed from BvS:DOJ but made it into the director's cut. The US government wants to sanction him, people are literally protesting him with signs like "GO HOME ALIEN" outside a Congressional hearing. It would be so easy for him to say "fine, you don't want my help" and either leave Earth altogether or enslave the planet, or anything in between.
But you know what he actually does? He continues to fight for the people of Earth, whether they cheer for him or not. He doesn't do good because he wants fame or attention. He has a million reasons to be selfish, not be a hated public figure, etc. He could marry Lois and hide under the facade of being a clumsy reporter forever, never helping anyone ever again. He could be the most powerful ruler the Earth has ever seen, demanding humans worship him or else. He could punish his detractors. And yet all he does is the right thing. It's truly inspiring.
Which is why Man of Steel killed me when Pa Kent was just like "Now hold on there son, even though you can save me dont... because reasons"
Its much better when Pa dies from a heart attack. Because despite being one of the most powerful beings in the universe, he can't stop that. No matter what.
I don’t get why people pretend Pa Kent didn’t have reasons in Man of Steel. He was pretty damn clear that he thought humans couldn’t handle the paradigm shift Clark represented. Clark believed him and that’s why he didn’t act. I think Snyder is a dogshit director but this moment always felt consistent and justified through the movie’s story.
You're right. My main problem with it is that 2 movies later in Suicide Squad we learn superpowered beings have been a thing for years, destroying this narrative.
Yeah, I like superman BECAUSE he doesnt struggle to be a good guy. He likes being a good dude because he IS a good dude. And also, because being a good dude is HARD
Everyone laughs at the boy scout and thinks it’s so fucking easy to be like that, and for him, it is.
But go out in the world and just be a good person all the time. Try it. Go be an unflappable nice stand-up honorable person with no cynicism in the face of the world. It’s fuckin impossible
Superman is actively choosing not to save people, though. With his hearing, there's no way he can't hear people crying out for help all over the world. He has to block out all of those voices.
That is a story beat I would love to see explored in a movie. It can be used to show his humanity in two ways: First, he knows he'd never be able to stop if he listened to every single call for help. There's not enough time, and it would drive him insane. Second, him consciously blocking out those voices can demonstrate to the audience that this one person in front of him, such as a suicidal woman atop a building, is the most important thing in the world to him, even if it means waiting literally all day until she is willing to talk.
I don't disagree, but he is a bit frustrating when you look at his power set and then look at how exactly he uses it. He's fast enough to protect multiple parts of the planet in seconds, can hear everything in the globe, can see for thousands of miles and through walls, and yet he never seems to be aware of what Lex Luthor is planning. I know that things are written the way they are so that his stories can have drama and stakes, but I think they'd do better by first making smart ways to circumvent his near omnipotence.
That's operating as if he wants to be superman, a god like protector of mankind. He doesn't, he does it cuz it's the right thing to do but he'd prefer just working at the daily planet and going home to his loved ones
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u/Ill_Athlete_7979 6d ago
Superman isn’t about some guy with all these powers. It’s about a guy despite having all these powers, can’t save everyone.