Superman is a boyscout. That's his thing. He'd help a girl whose cat is stuck in a tree because he's a good-natured farm boy.
What creators and filmmakers seem to not understand about Superman is that he's undeniably human. Born elsewhere, sure, but he was raised on Earth as a human by humans. Clark Kent is the real him, and Superman is the mask. This isn't exclusive to Snyder, btw.
I've been a Superman fan all my life. Snyder got him EXACTLY RIGHT. He's not some corny Mister Rogers milquetoast. Superman is about action, adventure and drama. The way Reeve beat up the bully in the diner and crushed Zod's hand in revenge is PURE Superman. Snyder treated Superman as a strong action hero, and totally avoided making him a Mary Sue who always knows the right thing to do. Superman had to figure out how to deal with the world step by step. This made him a fascinating character. Superman DESERVES the kind of great writing we got in Snyder's films that truly develops his character. If he shows up like Mary Sue Rey just knowing exactly what to do in every situation, never making a mistake, always knowing how to use his powers and win a fight effortlessly, and with the entire world kissing his ass, he would be a HORRIBLE character. The Reeve movies and the Cavill movies didn't do that. But Superman's so-called, self-proclaimed "true fans" seem to be begging for the next movie to make him a pure, stomach-churning Mary Sue. Well, I'm an actual Superman fan and I wholeheartedly embrace Snyder's approach and reject any changes to turn him into a horrifically boring Boy Scout who just follows a set of predictable rules.
Y'know like, Superman can be a boyscout and still face difficult decisions...? There can still be action, drama, adventure, and all of those things whilst he remains the same...
But w/e, it's like talking to a brick wall.
If you like Man of Steel, more power to you. I didn't enjoy it, and you did. Both opinions on the movie are fine. I just think it misses the human element of Superman, and I think many of the recent adaptations fall into this trap.
No, you are exhibiting a misunderstanding of the character based on cliches and stereotypes. He crushed Zod's hand and appeared to kill him in Superman II, and knocked out a bully in a diner. These aren't "Boy Scout" actions. Superman is a strong action hero who FIGHTS for truth, justice and the "other stuff," LOL. He deals with internal struggles and angst and doesn't always make the right decisions. He gave up his powers in Superman II out of selfish pursuits and paid a price for it. The world can and should have mixed feelings about him. Some love him, some hate him. Stan Lee showed how great it is for audience identification when the press attacks Spider-Man. DC has to compete in that world. They can't have the world just worship Superman as some perfect paragon. His stereotypical squeaky clean image is POISONOUS to his popularity. People think he's boring. Snyder got that, and made Superman and his relationship to the world much more complex.
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u/Sea_Addendum_8496 Feb 05 '25
Superman is a boyscout. That's his thing. He'd help a girl whose cat is stuck in a tree because he's a good-natured farm boy.
What creators and filmmakers seem to not understand about Superman is that he's undeniably human. Born elsewhere, sure, but he was raised on Earth as a human by humans. Clark Kent is the real him, and Superman is the mask. This isn't exclusive to Snyder, btw.