I can feel a Superman renaissance coming. People are getting tired of the evil Supermen and are ready for a hero who just wants to help people. An animated series is coming, Superman is finally returning to the big screen with a writer who loves the character, Superman and Lois is great, and people are waiting for a hero like the Man of Tomorrow to reignite their passion for superhero movies and content
That's a pipe dream fanboy. Superman has even more haters now. I would like to thank death battle for being the catalyst that started this all :). I hate Superman and his fanboys.
@@gak1146Fr.... I hate how they lump Omni-Man, Honelander, and just about every other character similar to Superman who is more complex than he is into "they're just evil superman" Its just a shallow, surface-level take on characters who are clearly way more than just being generic evil supermen And it just reaks of their insecurity
To be fair to Clark, Santa canonically exists in the DC universe. He invades Apokolips every year, breaking through all their defences, just to deliver coal to Darkseid
One of my favourite superman lines is when Martha asks if he is eating healthy foods and taking care of his health. Then he answer: - Mom, please, I'm the Superman - And I am still your mother
I always loved the animated series episode where Clark "dies" in a car explosion while investigating a case and his father said he might have to accept that Clark is dead and he says something like "But I AM Clark Kent! I'd lose my mind if I had to be Superman all the time!" Or a Lois and Clark episode where he says "Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am". I hate that the dark and gritty craze in the 2000s gave this perception that Superman was out of style or too old fashioned. Meanwhile Marvel is like "Here's a character who's literally out of style, is always sincere and the flag is part of his costume. He's also one of the most popular and coolest live action characters we have"
Agreed. I feel like they need to approach Superman a little like Spiderman in terms of acting. We often talk about the Spiderman actor needing to be a good Parker and a good Spiderman as if they're two entities. I think the same of Superman, the actor needs to be a good Clark as well as a good Superman. I also quite frankly don't buy into the idea that people find Superman boring when he's quite literally top 3 most popular superheros of all time. Arguably 1. Superman's original movies were also very well received.
@@minorears5205 I think the problem is that you have the iconography of Superman being THE hero, but it's the same reason most people's favorite character isn't usually the main character. Few people say that Harry Potter is their favorite Harry Potter character. The more I learn about Superman, the more I realize we need more people like him.
Writers don't like to write a character who is actually morally sound. Who has a moral spine that he won't bend for even the smallest comfort. That's why many seem to like writing stories for anti-heros or similar... It's easier if your character can break the law every now and then and not have to uphold it all the time.
Omni-Man is definitely more like General Zod than Superman. Alien general with Superman powers viewing humanity as beneath them, planning only to conquer the Earth? That’s Zod.
You think Zod is a bad guy? He is just a dude who wants to protect his people. But, the bad thing is he does it no matter what is the cost going to be. Imagine yourself as a kryptonian.
@@itsdopebro Bro, even for Kryptonian standards, Zod is a bad guy. Why do you think he’s one of Krypton’s most dangerous criminals and so dangerous that he was put in the Phantom Zone by the very Kryptonian council in the first place? He may have had noble intentions of saving his dying race, but his genocidal attitudes towards humans is still inexcusable and entirely evil. I’m sorry but Zod is still an evil guy no matter how much he wants to save his race. Jor-el is proof that being Kryptonian does not excuse shitty behaviour and evil actions.
It makes me sad that people don't understand Superman. He's a compelling character that doesn't get to shine in a lot of stories for the casual audience. He's really cool and down to earth. People think I'm crazy when I say Superman is interesting.
To make a compelling a superman story is to have clark kent/Superman Struggle with something and to show his inner side, inner humanity. Unfortunately, sometimes different creators forgets about that, and just simply give up on him by saying "We don't know what to do with him". This shows how unimaginative they are in storyline wise.
Snyder superman:💪🗿 , critics superman: 💪🤓 These reviews are misleading, they think the best superman iteration is a avg joe with powers, basically the Super stands for nothing but super power. Man of steel showed superman struggling with things that most people or even other super heroes won't. It showed a completely different character development cycle. Here, Super stands for much more, there're more to it.
YEAH Superman should feel alive in the world he is. They should be oppressive regimes complaining at the UN about him saving their people. He should also be clark he has to wake u and clock in for work. he should be keeping up relationships. That is why spiderman has worked because Sam raimi adopted him well at first. He is a guy who should be succeeding in life a brilliant guy with all the powers and smarts BUT HE HAS TO FIGHT Villians in the middle of the Night and tomorrow he shows up late for his class or he is behind on rent and he is also struggling in this unhealthy lifestyle of being there not because he should but be because he chooses to. If they went the spiderman route I feel like he would succeed much more. Even Look at Captain America he is a good person but he is also has struggles where he is out of time and the world he fought for has succeeded but his time has passed. The writers act like this characters are not beloved and they have to change them to appease their haters which isolates the majority who were already fans.
I want to say this respectfully...I never thought I'd see a *Batman-fan* talk so positively and respectfully about *Superman.* We need more of this in the fandom. Great video!
Yeah it’s not like both fans clash over which character is better because they both are good in their own ways. Being a Batman fan or a Superman fan isn’t always a battle of philosophies but also which type of character you PREFER.
You know Batman, he focuses on work more than any holiday. I mean for crying out loud in Arkham Origins, he was working overtime on Christmas season to stop all the rouges, Joker included
@@Jamfrog35 To be fair, he couldn't just say "Let them search for me, I'm gonna have dinner with Alfred and go to sleep, good luck!" because, as he says himself, they'd put innocents in danger to attract his attention, so he had to work overtime. And lo and behold, that is exactly what happens with Firefly.
As a Superman fan, I always get a chuckle whenever someone is surprised to hear a Batman fan talking well about Superman... even Batman fans themselves. As far as I can tell, both camps basically feel about the other like our favorite characters do: Batfans think Supes is a great person but idealistic and Superfriends think Batman is a BAMF but a little self-destructive.
In the comics Batman and Superman generally like each other - it is not surprising that their fans would like the other character as well. The two characters don't fight that often - they usually work together pretty well.
@@LastBastian Unfortunately you guessed wrong. It's a common acronym that means Billionaire who needs Adopting because of his dead Mother and Father. But you were close!
Superman is an interesting character because he has more power than most other people, yet he chooses to use it to help others rather then benefit himself. It’s more interesting to see a character go against the idea that “power corrupts” rather then embracing that idea. I also love the friendship between Superman and Batman.
Superman has no need for money, wealth, food, etc. and being heroic has lead to statues being built of him, people seeing him as the ultimate hero and looking up to him, people throwing him parades... If anything, Spider-Man is more admirable than him.
@@friedfrog5447yeah that's the point even though he clearly doesn't have human limits he still tries to be human and be a humble person. I'd rather pick a god who is humble rather than a kid who still has a lot of experience to be learned yet and be susceptible to human corruptness
I think both characters are great but it is Superman’s ability to remain humble, calm, and optimistic is what puts him a little higher. Even though he has the power to overthrow the world he doesn’t. He sees the value in humanity and all living creatures in the world. Superman makes it his goal to give people hope. Hope in themselves. He’s not leader he’s a guide to show people how it doesn’t matter who you are, whether you have cosmic powers or a disability, you can still live a good life and help others live a good life too.
Clark/Superman is actually very chill, down-to-earth dude who has his attachments, vulnerabilities and flaws. He might be almost invincible physically, but his inner world is the most interesting side about him. Especially as you mature.
The starman meme is the best thing that happened to Superman. It just highlight the selfless nature of his character by mirroring it in real people actions.
This video perfectly captures the essence of what Superman is. Clark Kent isn't Superman's mask. Superman is the Mask of Clark Kent. He's just a guy who was raised with good values and does his best to help people because thats what he was taught. He's supposed to be a Symbol of Hope and the Betterment of humanity. Great Video 10/10
I’d say there’s sort of three sides here instead of two, there’s Farmboy Clark, Daily Planet Clark, and then there’s Kal-El Superman Daily Planet Clark is definitely in some ways a mask, Clark is trying to hide in the role pretty clearly. It’s not to the extent of what Bruce does with his Playboy persona, but it’s there Farmboy Clark is who he grew up as and is in a lot of ways his true identity but not fully given he doesn’t tell the world he is Kal-El aka Superman. Kal-El Superman is really in a lot of ways him fully realized and in embracement of both his Earthly roots and Krytonian origins. Obviously he does still hide his identity for private reasons, but Superman is who he is at the core, he’s not putting on a mask or a performance that’s who he is unchained Both Farmboy and Superman are basically both equally him, but just expressed in different environments and circumstances if that makes sense
Dude, I have been making thos argument for years and years. "Superman is unrelatable!" Yeah, no shit. He's an alien with god-like powers. CLARK KENT is the guy in the uniform. He's a country boy from Kansas. He has a lot of BIG guns, and NO, he will not hand them over to tyrants. His parents and Lois remind him every day that he is as Human as the rest of us. That's why I HATE the idea of a Supes/WW relationship. And on THAT point: WW is similar. With all of her power, it's mortal men that she gravitates to. Trevor and Bruce. I actually like BnD more than I like CnD Both Clark and Diana can find understanding from the other. That's what makes them great FRIENDS. It's their admiration of the "spirit" and determination of "mere mortal" Humans that drives them to represent the best of Humanity. Clark has Lois and his parents. (Heroes like Steel and Green Arrow and Batman aside) Dianna has known Trevor, and now Bruce. (Other heros aside). The point is, CLARK is relatable. If writers understoid this, and made Superman a side character, the could tell stories that the general public would enjoy.
I could careless about rural America raised Clark Kent, and I despise his relationship with Lois Lane. His character is relatable. It's just so, so, cliche and boring. Characters like Martian Manhunter, Doctor Manhattan, and Doctor Fate are astronomically more interesting, I'd even take Bizzaro over him. Let Doomsday take him out permanently. It would make better universe.
@@shadysif6220Get help kid Such hatred for a fictional character is genuinely concerning Also Superman is not boring, you just never a an actual good comic about him
@@Crimsonlord-mc5ss That's a logical fallacy. Try again. Preferably without allowing your emotions to get the better of you. If you can't, I understand. We all have limitations.
@@shadysif6220 my emotions were out of genuine concern, I have not seen such hatred for characters who committed mass genoc*de.Superman, a person who just wants to help other because he likes making people's lives better Just read the Superman quest for world peace comic it's free online Just because someone is not relatable doesn't mean they are boring
@@Crimsonlord-mc5ss So let me get this straight, some guy says he doesn't like Superman and your first thought is to claim he's "hateful" and mentally compromised. Yeah you're the community of love i see, big love.
Great video, and I agree 100%. People who say "Superman is boring. Superman is overpowered, and Superman is unrelatable" don't really know anything about Superman. Man of Steel got a lot right, but also a few key things completely wrong. When you look at him as a person, he's way more ordinary and relatable than Batman. DC occasionally finds writers who do get Superman, Grant Morrison, John Byrne and, proving to be the best, Mark Waid. The JL animated series definitely got Batman, Superman and all those characters right. It isn't even that hard, it's just that stupid people, in positions of authority keep getting the wrong people to make Superman films ( well, since Richard Donner got him perfect in 1978 - I saw that movie when it came out, as a 7 year old and it made me a Superman fan for life).
When it comes to live-action, the latest movies might not completely understand Superman, but I think the tv shows do him well. Both Smallville and Superman & Lois have great adaptions of Clark Kent. The E-38/Prime Superman isn’t done too bad either
Best superman was from the DCAU, aka the Timm Verse. That set of shows works perfectly at portraying the best of DC heroes without a lot of convolution and redefining characters for a 'modern audience'. It fits perfectly within its own bubble as a reference for how to portray the best of DC.
A lot edgy guys love the idea of a "Punisher-type" hero. An Anti-hero. Or a straight up villain. We need more heroes like Captain America, Superman and Nightwing in media. Someone who brings hope. Someone we can look up to.
Superman has a certain level of "tactile telekinesis" which extends lines of force over greater area to keep things like planes from just crumpling on contact with him.
that's one of the things that makes him more versatile than shazam. shazam has similar power levels but stuff is in danger of crumpling if he exerts enough force to lift or stabilize something large. in some sense shazam has a bigger "world of cardboard" problem than superman does.
There is another Superman-like character in Japan. From the Land of Light he comes for the sake of Righteousness, he came to us from the star. Ultraman!
you are so right. that is why Christopher Reeves is the best superman live action ever, and the best thing currently is Tyler (well the guy in superman and lois) they seem to get him pretty well. btw. i have always said for many years. superman is different. that Superman is actaully the mask and clark kent is the hero. Superman was literally the only major superhero who doesn't hide his face. . also, many writers try to say he is like the story of jesus, however, that is actaully incorrect /wrong. Superman is much closer to the story of Moses (he was written and created by 2 jewish guys afterall) so think about it. moses and superman both were born an put in a vessel of some kind to another place they were not part of. and they both grew up not being who they were supposed to be born as and moses also loved family/peole etc.. oh and one thing you said in the video. Superman still believes in santa . well. that is because superman IS santa . think about it. On christmas day, santa must be able to carry the weight of something like 500,000 lb of presents, whom would have the strength necessary for this? superman (he did move the moon several miles in a few seconds in superman 4) santa delivers presnets in 24 hours all over the word to what 300 million houses? the speed required to do this would be insane. well in superman 1 we see clarck flying around the world 8times per second. he has the speed to do it. also the decelration and accelration of such things at these sppeds would kill most. but superman is invulnerable. santa knows whan you are sleeping, knows when you are awake. superman has telesopic/xray visions as well as super hearing of the entire world. he can preform these feats. Superman starts with S, Santa starts with S, their alter egos are Clarck Kent and Chris Kringle/ CK/CK where does santa live? the north pole. Where is the fortress of solitude? The north polle. Also. superman even stops and rescues cats from trees and so forth. his kndness and love of all are similar to sanat and who do you think santa does the other 364 days a eyar? reight?
If your Superman isn't the kindest most hopeful person in whatever room he is in then you have failed to adapt Superman. I wish this video had more views
I have to say it's really sad to see in some of the comments a lot of people think Zack Snyder's Superman is genius. Just objectively speaking, and if you were to read some of the source material, you would realize that Zack Snyder's Superman is objectively the polar opposite of what Superman should be. I think here in the west our society has gone so downhill that we have to look up to characters that are so tragic and beneath us for us to enjoy them, but the point of Superman is that he's a role model and a person who's supposed to be better than us. We're supposed to aspire to his ideals, his morals, his kindness and his fairness. Superman does need to be deconstructed or killed for us to care about him, he just needs to be a kind, polite man who shows us that there's always a better tomorrow. Superman is actually a very simple character but people just over complicate him. Characters like Batman, Spider-Man and a lot of marvel characters are driven by tragedy. One specific moment happens in their life that then projects them to become superheroes and it's usually a tragedy. Superman is driven by love and kindness because he was embraced by love and kindness by the Kents. And in a Superman story he can have conflict. He can question his morals sometimes. But above all else, we know he's going to do the right thing and show us a better way. I think the real reason people don't like Superman is that they're intimidated by him in some way and take out their insecurities on that character because deep down they know they'll never be like Superman. Just the harsh truth but I genuinely believe that. Because Superman is actually very similar to a character like Captain America and Spider-Man and yet people like those characters. So what's the problem with Superman? Well nothing. I think Superman has just been so misrepresented in the media over the past 10 years that people stopped caring about him. There's room for all different types of characters, tragic characters and characters who are embraced by love. There's nothing wrong with Superman and there's nothing wrong with the tragic character like Batman. There's room for all forms of storytelling and different types of characters. Not every character needs a tragic back story. And I don't think Superman needs to be driven by tragedy for us to like him, and I think that's the one thing Snyder got wrong.
No, Superman is better than you. Don't project your insecurities on others. Superman is a boring OP Mary Sue. With that post, I could see some one as weak as yourself needing someone like Superman. Superman fanboys are vile people.
I don't agree :/ A character is loved and interesting for people when it's relatable. We need to see something real in the stories we read/watch about, in order to appreciate them in a deeper way than just "wow, that's fun". An incorruptible Superman is not relatable for mature people, because when you stop being young and naive you understand that no one is really incorruptible. This world and its pain are able to destroy every man's soul, if that man is unlucky enough. Superman is great just as long as he reminds us about the best of humanity. But if he becomes like Jesus and he simply stops being curruptible, then he stops being relatable... he stops being human, because all humans are complicated and their ability to be good is precious just because staying good is not a simple path for them. There is no humanity or reality-connections in a character which is simply flawless and meant to be good in ANY situation. It works with religion, not with a story about a superMAN. The most important lesson we can learn from Zack Snyder is that everyone can fall (even Superman, even Batman with his no-killing rule) and that's exactly the reason why fighting against evil is important. Snyder's movies did not want to just show a kind man flying around like "life is easy, and there is always a solution for every situation" ... he wanted to make us think how a REAL Superman would be in OUR REAL world. What would a kind man like Clark do when a situation has no solutions? Cause you know, that's how reality works, sometimes there is not a "right" choice to be made. And a character like Clark kent can't be really relatable if he lives in a universe whose writer always saves the day giving him a way out from difficult situations, in order to allow him to make the most morally satisfying choices. That universe would be completely different from our universe, cause our reality doesn't work like that. Snyder's Superman is not different from the Superman you all love (maybe he's just a little less happy, because he has to deal the sadness of our reality during his life, and he doesn't live in a happy fairy comic book)... it's the world he lives in to be different. Cause that world works exactly as our world does, and it forces him (just as our world forces us) to make his choices even when there is not a simple way out
I personally love Superman and so much feel exactly what your saying. The reason those don’t work as Superman Critques is because they just aren’t anything like Superman. They are like modern “darker Superman” but not like actual Superman. Whenever I hear a discussion about the best Superman movie I always say “Superman vs The Elite” because you get to see Superman, not just as a “Jesus figure” or just some brute but having to deal with a real moral question of is the world to “dark” for Superman? And more to the point - Should Superman just kill his enemies? And the story flat out says No and let’s us really dig into the mindset of Clark and why he’ll never give up and never stop having hope for humanity and for a brighter future.
I actually hate that movie because it really simplifies the entire ethical question and just depicts the "heroes" willing to kill as utter psychopaths. It's basically a strawman. Like, I agree with the underlying ideas and premises of the movie, but the execution is just horrible. Hell, Superman isn't even a "NEVER kill!!!" type of hero in the comics, he's a "Always try to find another way!" type of character. The difference between him and the Elite shouldn't be the very willingness to kill but the willingness to search for better solutions as much as you can. Superman absolute does kill some villains in the comics, just not most of them because it makes no sense for him to do so. He kills Doomsday because that is literally a monster that cannot be reasoned with. He would have no problem killing Darkseid. Etc. etc. Superman doesn't kill about 99.99% of the time because he always finds another way but when there is no other way, he would do it. He's not Batman whose no-kill rule is less ethical and more psychological.
Creators always focus on the spectacle of Superman, but forget that he's a small town guy. He grew up here on Earth, and learned his values from Ma and Pa Kent. I don't like when they kill off his parents in movies or shows. Feels like cheap drama.
I have never understood why people don't understand the glasses. I have one arm, a huge beard, and live in a town with under 2000 people and have been mistaken as new in town because I was wearing glasses.
context also makes a big difference. a lot of people would have trouble recognizing their aunts and uncles and cousins if they met them unexpectedly in a non-family setting. it does not seem at all odd that marty mcfly's parents did recognize him as calvin klein.
I always wanted to be like superman when I grow up but now I realize I've just turned into darkseid the difference is just that I'm mortal weak and coward . And I would love you to look at metro man as well.
Well Done! I am so joyful that you put the Christmas episode in this!!! It is the one episode that I understood myself to be the one that allows every writer to understand that Clark Kent is Clark Kent who happens to become and be called Superman. It is probably my favorite episode. That Clark is so excited and runs to this father shouting that he always gets to turn on the Christmas tree - that a man so powerful, a man who has seen dozens of aliens - he is one himself standing in a room full of aliens, Watchtower or his home, it is the most joyous moment in many of these stories; he revealingly looked at his parents with confusion saying, "...you mean Santa wrapped them...?!!". How could any parents not be so in love with such a child? That is the real Clark, the man who loves being an Investigative Reporter, who will give it is all to save one life, who remembers others, considers them.
I would argue that the “Jesus imagery” also comes from a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. Jesus is the type of guy to sit down with you and talk about your hobbies, or eat a meal with you and just talk about whatever. Yes Jesus is God and Yes He is Lord, but he’s also humble, kind, loving and honestly Superman is very similar to Him. And that’s why I love Superman because I love Jesus. P.S to fellow Christians who see this, if I mess up my theology please tell me and I’ll edit the comment
@@NoCluYTYeah. Golden age Supes was basically a riff on a basic concept of a futuristic hybrid of Moses and Sampson. Some Christians believe in "typology" such that God foreshadowed the first coming of Jesus in certain attributes of the great men and prophets of the Old Testament. Not sure how many of the later Superman writers were coming at it that way, but I do tend to appreciate when Superman seems to echo it whether planned or not.
The fans of "Man of Steel" would never understand Superman, as well as what Snyder got so wrong about Superman. He is a compassionate and empathetic character in the first place, in any of his fight with another super being he would try to take the fight as far as possible from any city or populated landscape, so that it doesn't harm people or property. But nah, Snyder is ok with showing Superman casually destroying things around.
And Man of Steel haters have to resort to lying, apparently. Superman DOES try to take the fight away into space. And you know what happens? Zod throws him back down to Earth. Remember, this is not a trained and experienced Superman, this is Superman first week on the job. I completely agree that Snyder made him way too cold and just failed at his characterization most of the time (not all, but most), but I don't see why we should just lie about the movie in order to criticize it more.
@@HUNTR11 Man Of Steel was a masterpiece General Zod was perfect and Superman's grief and rage after he was forced to kill Zod and basically be the last of his kind Jonathan and Martha Kent were especially excellent and Martha telling her son to do what is righteous and that he doesn't owe anything to the world nor is being a hero his duty she trusts him with that much power and that is excellent
I couldnt ever really be compelled to like the super hero stuff, then again the stories have been motifyed, rewrite, retried, and retconned so many times.. superman, batman, wonderwomen.. their all like.. nearly 70 years old now, no property stays good for that long. Im happy that people can still enjoy stuff like this, just not for me. But very good case study, incredibly informative.
My friends named one of their twins Greyson. I ran wild with Robin and Batgirl onesies, but they weren't comic fans and simply didn't get it. I need to reintroduce Robin and Nightwing gear while she's young. Maybe she'll get it.
FINALLY people are waking up to how Superman misinterpreted often and bastardized. He's not some sullen edgy dark A Hole, he is hope incarnate. He's a country boy with honor doing the right thing. People say that Clark Kent is the costume and Superman is the rea persona. That isn't true Clark Kent is the true person that's going out saving the day.
Knowing the extended story of Invincible Omi-man always gets named as an evil Superman but later he more so becomes an inbetween of Superman and Homelander as he was raised with the mindset of Homelander but his time on earth shaped him to gain more of Superman's mindset which makes his character change a lot later on.
Clark sometimes is just happy sitting on the porch back in Smallville watching the sun race down below the horizon; coloring the powder blue sky with yellows, reds and orange hues.
The decline of the understanding surrounding Superman's character started with the writers themselves. Even some writers struggle to make flat characters interesting. Superman, a near perfect flat character, was found to be challenging to make a good story on. It does not mean that it is not possible. The best Superman iteration in modern film is not Superman, but Captain America. In addition, the most damaging addition to Superman mythos is Doomsday. Their confrontation is just a pure physical challenge for Superman, just pure spectacle in storytelling for the sake of shock value.
Thank you for this study of Superman! I grew up with this character inspired by the matured humanity expressed via George Reeves interpretation on the television series. However, I was truly surprised to learn that ,originally, as conceived, The Uberman was a villain. Thus these" flawed" adaptations I find compelling juxtaposed to the ideal we strive for. Once again, thank you for sharing this study, and triggering discussion...❤
I gotta say that I liked the Man of Steel version of Clark Kent/Superman. I didn't find him gloomy and brooding. Clark seemed very confused. He had all these powers showing up in his youth. Then Pa Kent tells him that he is really an alien from another planet. That he has to keep it a secret because, he doesn't know what society and government would do to him. Clark was raised by good people and has powers that can help. But his father wants him to not interfere and possibly expose himself. Clark watches his father die in a tornado, that he could have rescued, but Pa Kent told him now. Yeah, this Clark Kent is going to have some issues. Notice when he discovers his biological father Jor-El and he explains to Kal-El/Clark/Superman his Kryptonian heritage. Clark seems to lighten up. Then he has Lois Lane who discovers who he is but will keep his identity a secret. Then Clark Kent meets other people from Krypton, who were alive when his biological parents existed. Finally people like him, but only to find out that they have bad intentions for his home of Earth. This has to take Clark on an emotional roller coaster. Clark now has decide to rid the Earth of his Kryptonian brethren to keep humans safe. Clark Kent a farm boy, ends up having to kill General Zod to keep a family from being murdered by his heat vision. Clark at heart isn't a soldier or anything like that. The guilt pains him. Now the aftermath of the fight between General Zod, the Kryptonian army, and Superman devastated Smallville and Metropolis. Not everyone sees Superman as a hero for saving them from the Kryptonians. There are going to be many people with many different opinions of Superman. From adoration, fear, hatred, love, respect and everything in between. Even Batman thought Superman was an alien possibly trying to take over the Earth. Yea, some things needed to be fixed in the DC films.
I think this is why the Reeves Superman is so special and my personal favorite. Sure, he’s strong, but you can tell by his interactions with people that he is just a nice and caring man. He’s not an all powerful being people praise like a god. He interacts with police as if he were one of them, he solutes people, he smiles with kids. Hell, just look at the very end scene of the movie. After turning in Luthor, he waves to the warden and says “good night”. That sounds like a friend saying a goodbye rather than someone demanding respect. And you can see it in the way he smiles while flying. This is why I think this is one of if not the best version of Superman
It like the newer viewings took that line from Kill Bill about Superman as fact about Superman when it was just Tarentino blowing hot air out of his ass. Forgetting Superman arrived to Earth as a Child and was Raised on Earth as a Human by human parents, Superman is as much of a Disguise to him as clumsy Clark Kent.
My favorite quote "If Tests Were Easy, They Wouldn't Be Tests." (Superman's humanity really shines through the best in touching introspective moments like this) [SUPERMAN #5].
I really like this explanation of Superman and Clark Kent, but I think audiences won't resonate with either. I personally think that the comics fans who hate Superman and like the evil supermen, deep down, they want to be like the evil supermen. They want to be a godlike being who gets to look down on the rest of humanity. It's a power fantasy And there's always going to be more evil superman fans than Superman fans
I agree with a lot of what you said here in how a lot of people don't get Superman. However, I'm excited to see the public reaction to the rest of Omniman's arc, the writing of the Invincible comic is a great example of both a deconstruction and reconstruction, because Kirkman and Walker really get the person-ness of the character Clark Kent. Spoilers: Omniman willingly goes to supermax space prison after Mark finds out he's been living a few months on a bug man planet as their ruler he says he did a lot of thinking and becomes a much more humble and somber character constantly worried about how he will (if ever he can) atone for the things he's done in the name of the dead Viltrum empire. He convinces a number of the Viltrumites to live on earth (mostly vice versa), not just to repopulate their numbers but convinced that living with humanity, away from the society they grew up in where they saw themselves as gods over the rest of the universe and reinforced that feeling any way they could, will make them experience and feel the better parts of humanity, until they want to embody it themselves.
0:26 Superman killed Doomsday numerous times, would willingly kill Darkseid and many others. He isn't Batman, he doesn't have "no killing rule" (not like Batman follows it perfectly either)
i love it, when faced with the fact that hes going to die and there is no cure, rather than spend the rest of his time on himself, he saves everyone else. While he couldnt cure his cancer, he cures every child in the hospital of theirs, he stops a teenager from killing themselves, he is there for everyone, not just for world ending people.
Imagine being a powerful god like being living on a planet where most of the popluation cries out for you when all hope is lost and you having the power to handle just about anything. Yet at the same time you cannot be everywhere all the time and living with the burden of not being able to save everyone no matter how much you want to. That is an incredible burden and something simply not explored enough in the main stream (movies, shows) and its a disservice to a great character. Supermans greatest weakness is also his greatest strength and its his humanity.
It's pretty messed up when Quentin Tarantino, who is known for making morally ambiguous movies, can articulate what makes Superman so great through the eyes of an antagonist better than Snyder or the many writers of Superman have in their own words over the last decade and a half. They even nerf Superman and still can't write a compelling story so I don't want to hear how Superman is just too OP. He's a god living among man trying to fit in and finds reasons every day as to why humanity is worth defending. The symbol on his chest is supposed to represent hope but it might as well represent tacos because no one has connected us to that aspect of Superman in awhile. Kill Bill vol. 2, Bill describes Superman's personality of everything that humanity can offer, and that his alter ego, Clark, is how he sees humanity. Shy, timid, unsure of himself, always second guessing. And it's a reminder that one of Superman's greatest struggles is that no matter how hard he tries he still has a hard time seeing himself as human and that part eats at him. As someone who moved to a different state when I was in school and lost all of my friends and had to make new ones that part resonates with me about Superman.
Personality wise I think Christopher Reeves Superman nailed it. At the end of Superman 2 when he put the flag on the capitol and told the president he’d never fail America again gives me goose bump just thinking about it!
Superman should take Batman and Damian to his parents' home for Thanksgiving. It might give them an insight into what they are missing. Constant combat without relief leads to PTSD. How sad that hope, optimism, faith, and decency are regarded as boring.
Tbh I kinda despise that bit after final crisis I would expect superman to be more sad or nostalgic than angry, Grayson is someone he likes and batman's son so that viceral reaction from Clark seemed off to me. On everything else more or less I agree and liked the video.
Of course he was off. Superman wouldn't be threatening Nightwing with his heat vision for doing something that was literally necessary anyway AND his full right to do. He's not an asshole, ffs. And Batman HAD to keep existing because if Bruce Wayne AND Batman die at the same time, it can be suspicious. But if Batman keeps showing up, then he appears to not have been Bruce at all.
Any comic suggestions? I really like your video and i have been meaning to get into his comics. Btw: the editing and the script of the video is great. Great work!!! Wait, i just realized. Santa is real. What are you talking about?
This. Superman is supposed to be an optimistic meditation on human nature. The point is that he stands tall even after seeing the worst humanity has to offer.
i love the contra between batman an superman, batman is batman and bruce wayne is the mask, while superman is not superman but clark kent a normal man with extraordinary power. the play of colour like supes is bright and use primary colour and batman is dark, the view on justice itself, on the cruelty of the world. there's actually a lot, perfect match perfect best friend.
00:00 Correct 00:00 Also correct 00:1300:1500:21 He is wearing the costume and the symbol, is a kryptonian that has the same name and title and comes from dc. As far as I am concerned, that is superman. There is nothing to misunderstand since in DC (and marvel), characters are more like placeholders for writers to whatever character they want. The most consistent thing about a character is their name and probably their general costume and power set. Everything else is changeable due to how many writers tend to write them.
Good representation of Superman exists out there. The 4 Christopher Reeve movies, Superman the Animated Series, Superman and Lois just to name a few things.
I’ve been a huge Superman fan since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be like Superman. I’ve never been a fan of the evil Superman or one that kills I want superman vs the Elite, Superman is DC
I can feel a Superman renaissance coming. People are getting tired of the evil Supermen and are ready for a hero who just wants to help people. An animated series is coming, Superman is finally returning to the big screen with a writer who loves the character, Superman and Lois is great, and people are waiting for a hero like the Man of Tomorrow to reignite their passion for superhero movies and content
That's a pipe dream fanboy. Superman has even more haters now.
I would like to thank death battle for being the catalyst that started this all :).
I hate Superman and his fanboys.
Haters gonna hate
The comics are killing it right now and James Gunn is pretty plugged into them, fingers crossed!
@@gak1146 It's just a silly harmless fanfic "what if" video. It's not canon to either of DB or DC canon.
@@gak1146Fr.... I hate how they lump Omni-Man, Honelander, and just about every other character similar to Superman who is more complex than he is into "they're just evil superman"
Its just a shallow, surface-level take on characters who are clearly way more than just being generic evil supermen
And it just reaks of their insecurity
To be fair to Clark, Santa canonically exists in the DC universe. He invades Apokolips every year, breaking through all their defences, just to deliver coal to Darkseid
Santa a professional hater more hating than Kendrick on drake fr fr
lmao
Bros wages war with the embodiment of evil to complete his naughty list
He was never confirmed to exist in the DCAU, that’s why it’s more unusual for him to believe in Santa there.
Santa alling with the new gods for the greastest battle in the century (he forgot to deliver coal in the last year, so now he needs to give in double)
8:39
Powerful last line
“When I was a kid I wanted to be like Superman, now I only hope I can be like Clark Kent.”
Brother wrote poetry
One of my favourite superman lines is when Martha asks if he is eating healthy foods and taking care of his health. Then he answer:
- Mom, please, I'm the Superman
- And I am still your mother
I always loved the animated series episode where Clark "dies" in a car explosion while investigating a case and his father said he might have to accept that Clark is dead and he says something like "But I AM Clark Kent! I'd lose my mind if I had to be Superman all the time!"
Or a Lois and Clark episode where he says "Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am". I hate that the dark and gritty craze in the 2000s gave this perception that Superman was out of style or too old fashioned. Meanwhile Marvel is like "Here's a character who's literally out of style, is always sincere and the flag is part of his costume. He's also one of the most popular and coolest live action characters we have"
Agreed. I feel like they need to approach Superman a little like Spiderman in terms of acting. We often talk about the Spiderman actor needing to be a good Parker and a good Spiderman as if they're two entities. I think the same of Superman, the actor needs to be a good Clark as well as a good Superman.
I also quite frankly don't buy into the idea that people find Superman boring when he's quite literally top 3 most popular superheros of all time. Arguably 1. Superman's original movies were also very well received.
@@minorears5205 I think the problem is that you have the iconography of Superman being THE hero, but it's the same reason most people's favorite character isn't usually the main character. Few people say that Harry Potter is their favorite Harry Potter character.
The more I learn about Superman, the more I realize we need more people like him.
Writers don't like to write a character who is actually morally sound. Who has a moral spine that he won't bend for even the smallest comfort.
That's why many seem to like writing stories for anti-heros or similar... It's easier if your character can break the law every now and then and not have to uphold it all the time.
Omni-Man is definitely more like General Zod than Superman. Alien general with Superman powers viewing humanity as beneath them, planning only to conquer the Earth? That’s Zod.
Absolutely. It tells me immediately that someone never read the comic when they call Omni-Man an evil Superman and it is so frustrating.
Mark is Superman
Nolan is General Zod.
You think Zod is a bad guy? He is just a dude who wants to protect his people. But, the bad thing is he does it no matter what is the cost going to be. Imagine yourself as a kryptonian.
@@itsdopebropersonally, If i was a kryptonian and Saw Zod doing all that i'd be like "..." Because i'd be dead already
@@itsdopebro Bro, even for Kryptonian standards, Zod is a bad guy. Why do you think he’s one of Krypton’s most dangerous criminals and so dangerous that he was put in the Phantom Zone by the very Kryptonian council in the first place? He may have had noble intentions of saving his dying race, but his genocidal attitudes towards humans is still inexcusable and entirely evil. I’m sorry but Zod is still an evil guy no matter how much he wants to save his race. Jor-el is proof that being Kryptonian does not excuse shitty behaviour and evil actions.
There's a Starman waiting in the sky.
He'd like to come and meet us,
@@pffferphishe4731 But, he thinks he'd blow our minds.
@@FictionHubZA There's a Starman waiting in the sky.
@@spicywasab He'd like to come and neet us. But, he thinks he'd blow our minds.
@@FictionHubZAthere's a starman Waiting in the sky he's told us not to blow it but he knows it's all worth while
Superman is what he does to help people.
Clark Kent is who Superman is as a person.
It makes me sad that people don't understand Superman. He's a compelling character that doesn't get to shine in a lot of stories for the casual audience. He's really cool and down to earth. People think I'm crazy when I say Superman is interesting.
Same. I love Superman as a character and always disagree with his hates.
To make a compelling a superman story is to have clark kent/Superman Struggle with something and to show his inner side, inner humanity. Unfortunately, sometimes different creators forgets about that, and just simply give up on him by saying "We don't know what to do with him". This shows how unimaginative they are in storyline wise.
@@esthergift8373he's also been sued by a self deleter he saved.
That was an interesting fight...
Snyder superman:💪🗿 , critics superman: 💪🤓
These reviews are misleading, they think the best superman iteration is a avg joe with powers, basically the Super stands for nothing but super power.
Man of steel showed superman struggling with things that most people or even other super heroes won't. It showed a completely different character development cycle. Here, Super stands for much more, there're more to it.
YEAH Superman should feel alive in the world he is. They should be oppressive regimes complaining at the UN about him saving their people. He should also be clark he has to wake u and clock in for work. he should be keeping up relationships. That is why spiderman has worked because Sam raimi adopted him well at first. He is a guy who should be succeeding in life a brilliant guy with all the powers and smarts BUT HE HAS TO FIGHT Villians in the middle of the Night and tomorrow he shows up late for his class or he is behind on rent and he is also struggling in this unhealthy lifestyle of being there not because he should but be because he chooses to. If they went the spiderman route I feel like he would succeed much more. Even Look at Captain America he is a good person but he is also has struggles where he is out of time and the world he fought for has succeeded but his time has passed. The writers act like this characters are not beloved and they have to change them to appease their haters which isolates the majority who were already fans.
I want to say this respectfully...I never thought I'd see a *Batman-fan* talk so positively and respectfully about *Superman.* We need more of this in the fandom. Great video!
It makes no sense. Like, they have stated multiple times that they both have boundless respect for the other
Tf? They are the big two of dc batman and superman fans definitely like the other character as well
Yeah it’s not like both fans clash over which character is better because they both are good in their own ways. Being a Batman fan or a Superman fan isn’t always a battle of philosophies but also which type of character you PREFER.
Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are and probably always will be my favorite superheroes
I love the fact that he took Martian manhunter home. But left Bruce up there alone 😂
You know Batman, he focuses on work more than any holiday. I mean for crying out loud in Arkham Origins, he was working overtime on Christmas season to stop all the rouges, Joker included
Well Martian Manhunter has an interest in getting to know humanity and Batman has already seen it.
@@Jamfrog35 To be fair, he couldn't just say "Let them search for me, I'm gonna have dinner with Alfred and go to sleep, good luck!" because, as he says himself, they'd put innocents in danger to attract his attention, so he had to work overtime. And lo and behold, that is exactly what happens with Firefly.
Well, he actually asked to be left alone at the tower, so it wasn’t superman fault 🤷🏻♂️
As a Superman fan, I always get a chuckle whenever someone is surprised to hear a Batman fan talking well about Superman... even Batman fans themselves. As far as I can tell, both camps basically feel about the other like our favorite characters do: Batfans think Supes is a great person but idealistic and Superfriends think Batman is a BAMF but a little self-destructive.
In the comics Batman and Superman generally like each other - it is not surprising that their fans would like the other character as well. The two characters don't fight that often - they usually work together pretty well.
BAMF? ...What is that? Other than the noise Nightcrawler makes when he teleports?
edit: I think I've guessed it: Bad Azz Mutha-Fukka ....right?
@@LastBastian Unfortunately you guessed wrong. It's a common acronym that means Billionaire who needs Adopting because of his dead Mother and Father. But you were close!
@@xeltanni8999 ...wouldn't that be: BWNABOHDMAF ?
Lol
@@LastBastian It's also the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge in Germany
Superman is an interesting character because he has more power than most other people, yet he chooses to use it to help others rather then benefit himself. It’s more interesting to see a character go against the idea that “power corrupts” rather then embracing that idea. I also love the friendship between Superman and Batman.
Superman has no need for money, wealth, food, etc. and being heroic has lead to statues being built of him, people seeing him as the ultimate hero and looking up to him, people throwing him parades...
If anything, Spider-Man is more admirable than him.
@@friedfrog5447yeah that's the point even though he clearly doesn't have human limits he still tries to be human and be a humble person.
I'd rather pick a god who is humble rather than a kid who still has a lot of experience to be learned yet and be susceptible to human corruptness
@@iangabrielalcantara7756 what experience do you think Spider-Man hasn't learned? And Superman is succeptable to corruption
@@iangabrielalcantara7756 and Spider-Man also tries to be humble
I think both characters are great but it is Superman’s ability to remain humble, calm, and optimistic is what puts him a little higher. Even though he has the power to overthrow the world he doesn’t. He sees the value in humanity and all living creatures in the world. Superman makes it his goal to give people hope. Hope in themselves. He’s not leader he’s a guide to show people how it doesn’t matter who you are, whether you have cosmic powers or a disability, you can still live a good life and help others live a good life too.
Clark/Superman is actually very chill, down-to-earth dude who has his attachments, vulnerabilities and flaws. He might be almost invincible physically, but his inner world is the most interesting side about him. Especially as you mature.
If you can't be superman, be Clark Kent
The starman meme is the best thing that happened to Superman. It just highlight the selfless nature of his character by mirroring it in real people actions.
So true
This video perfectly captures the essence of what Superman is. Clark Kent isn't Superman's mask. Superman is the Mask of Clark Kent. He's just a guy who was raised with good values and does his best to help people because thats what he was taught. He's supposed to be a Symbol of Hope and the Betterment of humanity. Great Video 10/10
I’d say there’s sort of three sides here instead of two, there’s Farmboy Clark, Daily Planet Clark, and then there’s Kal-El Superman
Daily Planet Clark is definitely in some ways a mask, Clark is trying to hide in the role pretty clearly. It’s not to the extent of what Bruce does with his Playboy persona, but it’s there
Farmboy Clark is who he grew up as and is in a lot of ways his true identity but not fully given he doesn’t tell the world he is Kal-El aka Superman.
Kal-El Superman is really in a lot of ways him fully realized and in embracement of both his Earthly roots and Krytonian origins. Obviously he does still hide his identity for private reasons, but Superman is who he is at the core, he’s not putting on a mask or a performance that’s who he is unchained
Both Farmboy and Superman are basically both equally him, but just expressed in different environments and circumstances if that makes sense
I wish that the people that wrote the justice leage movies actually read the comics
Dude, I have been making thos argument for years and years.
"Superman is unrelatable!"
Yeah, no shit. He's an alien with god-like powers. CLARK KENT is the guy in the uniform. He's a country boy from Kansas. He has a lot of BIG guns, and NO, he will not hand them over to tyrants.
His parents and Lois remind him every day that he is as Human as the rest of us. That's why I HATE the idea of a Supes/WW relationship.
And on THAT point: WW is similar. With all of her power, it's mortal men that she gravitates to. Trevor and Bruce. I actually like BnD more than I like CnD
Both Clark and Diana can find understanding from the other. That's what makes them great FRIENDS.
It's their admiration of the "spirit" and determination of "mere mortal" Humans that drives them to represent the best of Humanity. Clark has Lois and his parents. (Heroes like Steel and Green Arrow and Batman aside) Dianna has known Trevor, and now Bruce. (Other heros aside).
The point is, CLARK is relatable. If writers understoid this, and made Superman a side character, the could tell stories that the general public would enjoy.
I could careless about rural America raised Clark Kent, and I despise his relationship with Lois Lane. His character is relatable. It's just so, so, cliche and boring. Characters like Martian Manhunter, Doctor Manhattan, and Doctor Fate are astronomically more interesting, I'd even take Bizzaro over him. Let Doomsday take him out permanently. It would make better universe.
@@shadysif6220Get help kid
Such hatred for a fictional character is genuinely concerning
Also Superman is not boring, you just never a an actual good comic about him
@@Crimsonlord-mc5ss
That's a logical fallacy. Try again. Preferably without allowing your emotions to get the better of you. If you can't, I understand. We all have limitations.
@@shadysif6220 my emotions were out of genuine concern, I have not seen such hatred for characters who committed mass genoc*de.Superman, a person who just wants to help other because he likes making people's lives better
Just read the Superman quest for world peace comic it's free online
Just because someone is not relatable doesn't mean they are boring
@@Crimsonlord-mc5ss So let me get this straight, some guy says he doesn't like Superman and your first thought is to claim he's "hateful" and mentally compromised. Yeah you're the community of love i see, big love.
Great video, and I agree 100%. People who say "Superman is boring. Superman is overpowered, and Superman is unrelatable" don't really know anything about Superman.
Man of Steel got a lot right, but also a few key things completely wrong.
When you look at him as a person, he's way more ordinary and relatable than Batman.
DC occasionally finds writers who do get Superman, Grant Morrison, John Byrne and, proving to be the best, Mark Waid.
The JL animated series definitely got Batman, Superman and all those characters right. It isn't even that hard, it's just that stupid people, in positions of authority keep getting the wrong people to make Superman films ( well, since Richard Donner got him perfect in 1978 - I saw that movie when it came out, as a 7 year old and it made me a Superman fan for life).
cynicide: posts
me: time to watch all his videos again
When it comes to live-action, the latest movies might not completely understand Superman, but I think the tv shows do him well. Both Smallville and Superman & Lois have great adaptions of Clark Kent. The E-38/Prime Superman isn’t done too bad either
I think Smallville did a good job of understanding Superman. Tom Welling nailed it.
Great video analysis that shows an understanding of who Clark Kent aka Superman is as a character and as a hero.
Best superman was from the DCAU, aka the Timm Verse. That set of shows works perfectly at portraying the best of DC heroes without a lot of convolution and redefining characters for a 'modern audience'. It fits perfectly within its own bubble as a reference for how to portray the best of DC.
A lot edgy guys love the idea of a "Punisher-type" hero. An Anti-hero. Or a straight up villain. We need more heroes like Captain America, Superman and Nightwing in media. Someone who brings hope. Someone we can look up to.
You sound like a child.
@@matthewtartt9422
YOU sound like a child.
@@matthewtartt9422 Found the edgy one
@@matthewtartt9422 sure grandma lets get you to bed
Basically you're saying we need more chumps, the punisher is probably the most realistic hero there is
Superman has a certain level of "tactile telekinesis" which extends lines of force over greater area to keep things like planes from just crumpling on contact with him.
that's one of the things that makes him more versatile than shazam. shazam has similar power levels but stuff is in danger of crumpling if he exerts enough force to lift or stabilize something large. in some sense shazam has a bigger "world of cardboard" problem than superman does.
Lore of Superman is Misunderstood momentum 100
There is another Superman-like character in Japan. From the Land of Light he comes for the sake of Righteousness, he came to us from the star. Ultraman!
you are so right. that is why Christopher Reeves is the best superman live action ever, and the best thing currently is Tyler (well the guy in superman and lois) they seem to get him pretty well.
btw. i have always said for many years. superman is different. that Superman is actaully the mask and clark kent is the hero. Superman was literally the only major superhero who doesn't hide his face. .
also, many writers try to say he is like the story of jesus, however, that is actaully incorrect /wrong.
Superman is much closer to the story of Moses (he was written and created by 2 jewish guys afterall)
so think about it.
moses and superman both were born an put in a vessel of some kind to another place they were not part of. and they both grew up not being who they were supposed to be born as and moses also loved family/peole etc..
oh and one thing you said in the video. Superman still believes in santa . well. that is because superman IS santa .
think about it.
On christmas day, santa must be able to carry the weight of something like 500,000 lb of presents, whom would have the strength necessary for this?
superman (he did move the moon several miles in a few seconds in superman 4)
santa delivers presnets in 24 hours all over the word to what 300 million houses? the speed required to do this would be insane. well in superman 1 we see clarck flying around the world 8times per second. he has the speed to do it.
also the decelration and accelration of such things at these sppeds would kill most. but superman is invulnerable.
santa knows whan you are sleeping, knows when you are awake.
superman has telesopic/xray visions as well as super hearing of the entire world. he can preform these feats.
Superman starts with S, Santa starts with S, their alter egos are Clarck Kent and Chris Kringle/ CK/CK
where does santa live? the north pole.
Where is the fortress of solitude?
The north polle.
Also. superman even stops and rescues cats from trees and so forth.
his kndness and love of all are similar to sanat
and who do you think santa does the other 364 days a eyar? reight?
christopher reeve
@@0biwan7 he is the best superman ever period
@@Johnadams20760 spell his last name correctly please
@@0biwan7 oh just shut up
If your Superman isn't the kindest most hopeful person in whatever room he is in then you have failed to adapt Superman. I wish this video had more views
I think the world needs Superman now more than ever.
I hope he gets some writers who understand the character, and he makes a comeback.
“When I was young, I wanted to be Superman. Now I can inly hope I can be like Clark Kent”
Beautiful
I have to say it's really sad to see in some of the comments a lot of people think Zack Snyder's Superman is genius. Just objectively speaking, and if you were to read some of the source material, you would realize that Zack Snyder's Superman is objectively the polar opposite of what Superman should be. I think here in the west our society has gone so downhill that we have to look up to characters that are so tragic and beneath us for us to enjoy them, but the point of Superman is that he's a role model and a person who's supposed to be better than us. We're supposed to aspire to his ideals, his morals, his kindness and his fairness. Superman does need to be deconstructed or killed for us to care about him, he just needs to be a kind, polite man who shows us that there's always a better tomorrow. Superman is actually a very simple character but people just over complicate him. Characters like Batman, Spider-Man and a lot of marvel characters are driven by tragedy. One specific moment happens in their life that then projects them to become superheroes and it's usually a tragedy. Superman is driven by love and kindness because he was embraced by love and kindness by the Kents. And in a Superman story he can have conflict. He can question his morals sometimes. But above all else, we know he's going to do the right thing and show us a better way. I think the real reason people don't like Superman is that they're intimidated by him in some way and take out their insecurities on that character because deep down they know they'll never be like Superman. Just the harsh truth but I genuinely believe that. Because Superman is actually very similar to a character like Captain America and Spider-Man and yet people like those characters. So what's the problem with Superman? Well nothing. I think Superman has just been so misrepresented in the media over the past 10 years that people stopped caring about him. There's room for all different types of characters, tragic characters and characters who are embraced by love. There's nothing wrong with Superman and there's nothing wrong with the tragic character like Batman. There's room for all forms of storytelling and different types of characters. Not every character needs a tragic back story. And I don't think Superman needs to be driven by tragedy for us to like him, and I think that's the one thing Snyder got wrong.
Underrated comment
No, Superman is better than you. Don't project your insecurities on others.
Superman is a boring OP Mary Sue.
With that post, I could see some one as weak as yourself needing someone like Superman.
Superman fanboys are vile people.
I don't agree :/
A character is loved and interesting for people when it's relatable. We need to see something real in the stories we read/watch about, in order to appreciate them in a deeper way than just "wow, that's fun".
An incorruptible Superman is not relatable for mature people, because when you stop being young and naive you understand that no one is really incorruptible. This world and its pain are able to destroy every man's soul, if that man is unlucky enough.
Superman is great just as long as he reminds us about the best of humanity. But if he becomes like Jesus and he simply stops being curruptible, then he stops being relatable... he stops being human, because all humans are complicated and their ability to be good is precious just because staying good is not a simple path for them. There is no humanity or reality-connections in a character which is simply flawless and meant to be good in ANY situation. It works with religion, not with a story about a superMAN.
The most important lesson we can learn from Zack Snyder is that everyone can fall (even Superman, even Batman with his no-killing rule) and that's exactly the reason why fighting against evil is important. Snyder's movies did not want to just show a kind man flying around like "life is easy, and there is always a solution for every situation" ... he wanted to make us think how a REAL Superman would be in OUR REAL world. What would a kind man like Clark do when a situation has no solutions? Cause you know, that's how reality works, sometimes there is not a "right" choice to be made. And a character like Clark kent can't be really relatable if he lives in a universe whose writer always saves the day giving him a way out from difficult situations, in order to allow him to make the most morally satisfying choices.
That universe would be completely different from our universe, cause our reality doesn't work like that.
Snyder's Superman is not different from the Superman you all love (maybe he's just a little less happy, because he has to deal the sadness of our reality during his life, and he doesn't live in a happy fairy comic book)... it's the world he lives in to be different. Cause that world works exactly as our world does, and it forces him (just as our world forces us) to make his choices even when there is not a simple way out
@@Loptr-17you spamming the same comment over and over again won’t help your point
@@Loptr-17Zack Snyder showed Superman being just an allegory for Jesus. The same thing you keep claiming on how that doesn’t make him relatable.
I personally love Superman and so much feel exactly what your saying. The reason those don’t work as Superman Critques is because they just aren’t anything like Superman. They are like modern “darker Superman” but not like actual Superman. Whenever I hear a discussion about the best Superman movie I always say “Superman vs The Elite” because you get to see Superman, not just as a “Jesus figure” or just some brute but having to deal with a real moral question of is the world to “dark” for Superman? And more to the point - Should Superman just kill his enemies? And the story flat out says No and let’s us really dig into the mindset of Clark and why he’ll never give up and never stop having hope for humanity and for a brighter future.
IKR? Imagine a live action scene with that type of story, now that to me would be fantastic. is it preachy? yes, but that's the point!
I actually hate that movie because it really simplifies the entire ethical question and just depicts the "heroes" willing to kill as utter psychopaths. It's basically a strawman. Like, I agree with the underlying ideas and premises of the movie, but the execution is just horrible. Hell, Superman isn't even a "NEVER kill!!!" type of hero in the comics, he's a "Always try to find another way!" type of character. The difference between him and the Elite shouldn't be the very willingness to kill but the willingness to search for better solutions as much as you can. Superman absolute does kill some villains in the comics, just not most of them because it makes no sense for him to do so. He kills Doomsday because that is literally a monster that cannot be reasoned with. He would have no problem killing Darkseid. Etc. etc. Superman doesn't kill about 99.99% of the time because he always finds another way but when there is no other way, he would do it. He's not Batman whose no-kill rule is less ethical and more psychological.
Creators always focus on the spectacle of Superman, but forget that he's a small town guy. He grew up here on Earth, and learned his values from Ma and Pa Kent. I don't like when they kill off his parents in movies or shows. Feels like cheap drama.
If you want a great representation of Superman, watch Superman and Lois.
Yup! I need to catch up to the show, but I love what I’ve seen!
Yuck!
I have never understood why people don't understand the glasses. I have one arm, a huge beard, and live in a town with under 2000 people and have been mistaken as new in town because I was wearing glasses.
context also makes a big difference. a lot of people would have trouble recognizing their aunts and uncles and cousins if they met them unexpectedly in a non-family setting. it does not seem at all odd that marty mcfly's parents did recognize him as calvin klein.
I always wanted to be like superman when I grow up but now I realize I've just turned into darkseid the difference is just that I'm mortal weak and coward .
And I would love you to look at metro man as well.
Well Done! I am so joyful that you put the Christmas episode in this!!! It is the one episode that I understood myself to be the one that allows every writer to understand that Clark Kent is Clark Kent who happens to become and be called Superman.
It is probably my favorite episode. That Clark is so excited and runs to this father shouting that he always gets to turn on the Christmas tree - that a man so powerful, a man who has seen dozens of aliens - he is one himself standing in a room full of aliens, Watchtower or his home, it is the most joyous moment in many of these stories; he revealingly looked at his parents with confusion saying, "...you mean Santa wrapped them...?!!". How could any parents not be so in love with such a child?
That is the real Clark, the man who loves being an Investigative Reporter, who will give it is all to save one life, who remembers others, considers them.
I would argue that the “Jesus imagery” also comes from a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. Jesus is the type of guy to sit down with you and talk about your hobbies, or eat a meal with you and just talk about whatever. Yes Jesus is God and Yes He is Lord, but he’s also humble, kind, loving and honestly Superman is very similar to Him. And that’s why I love Superman because I love Jesus.
P.S to fellow Christians who see this, if I mess up my theology please tell me and I’ll edit the comment
Originally Superman was meant to be more of a Moses allegory. As the original writers were Jewish from my understanding.
@@NoCluYTYeah. Golden age Supes was basically a riff on a basic concept of a futuristic hybrid of Moses and Sampson. Some Christians believe in "typology" such that God foreshadowed the first coming of Jesus in certain attributes of the great men and prophets of the Old Testament. Not sure how many of the later Superman writers were coming at it that way, but I do tend to appreciate when Superman seems to echo it whether planned or not.
@@NoCluYT Yes. Even on the surface, like he comes to Earth as a baby in his basket (spaceship). The Moses allegory is pretty obvious most of the time.
The fans of "Man of Steel" would never understand Superman, as well as what Snyder got so wrong about Superman. He is a compassionate and empathetic character in the first place, in any of his fight with another super being he would try to take the fight as far as possible from any city or populated landscape, so that it doesn't harm people or property. But nah, Snyder is ok with showing Superman casually destroying things around.
And Man of Steel haters have to resort to lying, apparently. Superman DOES try to take the fight away into space. And you know what happens? Zod throws him back down to Earth. Remember, this is not a trained and experienced Superman, this is Superman first week on the job. I completely agree that Snyder made him way too cold and just failed at his characterization most of the time (not all, but most), but I don't see why we should just lie about the movie in order to criticize it more.
Summed up perfectly
In terms of personality, Omniman and homelander are more like watered-down versions of Darkseid with a little humanity sprinkled in.
And that! That is why Superman isn't boring - he's everything you should want to be. Fr
They absolutely dick rode Batman for the past damn near 20 years. Its the reason why Superman was always easier to pick on ..
Zack Snyder and Injustice have done irreparable damage to Superman
Henry Cavill is literally the most accurate iteration of Superman
Edit: You can stop replying, I'm done with this.
@@Preußens_Gloria agreed 💯
@@Preußens_Gloria Not at all. Not dissing Henry but the writers portrayed him horribly imo.
@@Preußens_Gloria he's an amazing actor and choice for superman but the writing he was given was not a good version of superman
@@HUNTR11 Man Of Steel was a masterpiece General Zod was perfect and Superman's grief and rage after he was forced to kill Zod and basically be the last of his kind Jonathan and Martha Kent were especially excellent and Martha telling her son to do what is righteous and that he doesn't owe anything to the world nor is being a hero his duty she trusts him with that much power and that is excellent
Superman is hope, a friend, a guy who just wants to help.
But people have turned him into a sad, egdy weird macho persona.
I couldnt ever really be compelled to like the super hero stuff, then again the stories have been motifyed, rewrite, retried, and retconned so many times.. superman, batman, wonderwomen.. their all like.. nearly 70 years old now, no property stays good for that long.
Im happy that people can still enjoy stuff like this, just not for me.
But very good case study, incredibly informative.
My friends named one of their twins Greyson. I ran wild with Robin and Batgirl onesies, but they weren't comic fans and simply didn't get it. I need to reintroduce Robin and Nightwing gear while she's young. Maybe she'll get it.
FINALLY people are waking up to how Superman misinterpreted often and bastardized. He's not some sullen edgy dark A Hole, he is hope incarnate. He's a country boy with honor doing the right thing. People say that Clark Kent is the costume and Superman is the rea persona. That isn't true Clark Kent is the true person that's going out saving the day.
Jesse Owens INSPIRED Superman Blessings and HUGS 👑💜
8:11 I mean, Santa DOES canonically exist in the DC verse soo
Knowing the extended story of Invincible Omi-man always gets named as an evil Superman but later he more so becomes an inbetween of Superman and Homelander as he was raised with the mindset of Homelander but his time on earth shaped him to gain more of Superman's mindset which makes his character change a lot later on.
Clark sometimes is just happy sitting on the porch back in Smallville watching the sun race down below the horizon; coloring the powder blue sky with yellows, reds and orange hues.
The decline of the understanding surrounding Superman's character started with the writers themselves. Even some writers struggle to make flat characters interesting. Superman, a near perfect flat character, was found to be challenging to make a good story on. It does not mean that it is not possible.
The best Superman iteration in modern film is not Superman, but Captain America.
In addition, the most damaging addition to Superman mythos is Doomsday. Their confrontation is just a pure physical challenge for Superman, just pure spectacle in storytelling for the sake of shock value.
Weirdly enough Metro man is the best subversion of the Superman trope.
The reason they love superman evil is because it's what their human emotions control them. Superman controls his emotions
Thank you for this study of Superman!
I grew up with this character inspired by the matured humanity expressed via George Reeves interpretation on the television series.
However, I was truly surprised to learn that ,originally, as conceived, The Uberman was a villain. Thus these" flawed" adaptations I find compelling juxtaposed to the ideal we strive for.
Once again, thank you for sharing this study, and triggering discussion...❤
I gotta say that I liked the Man of Steel version of Clark Kent/Superman. I didn't find him gloomy and brooding. Clark seemed very confused. He had all these powers showing up in his youth. Then Pa Kent tells him that he is really an alien from another planet. That he has to keep it a secret because, he doesn't know what society and government would do to him. Clark was raised by good people and has powers that can help. But his father wants him to not interfere and possibly expose himself. Clark watches his father die in a tornado, that he could have rescued, but Pa Kent told him now. Yeah, this Clark Kent is going to have some issues.
Notice when he discovers his biological father Jor-El and he explains to Kal-El/Clark/Superman his Kryptonian heritage. Clark seems to lighten up. Then he has Lois Lane who discovers who he is but will keep his identity a secret.
Then Clark Kent meets other people from Krypton, who were alive when his biological parents existed. Finally people like him, but only to find out that they have bad intentions for his home of Earth. This has to take Clark on an emotional roller coaster. Clark now has decide to rid the Earth of his Kryptonian brethren to keep humans safe. Clark Kent a farm boy, ends up having to kill General Zod to keep a family from being murdered by his heat vision. Clark at heart isn't a soldier or anything like that. The guilt pains him.
Now the aftermath of the fight between General Zod, the Kryptonian army, and Superman devastated Smallville and Metropolis. Not everyone sees Superman as a hero for saving them from the Kryptonians. There are going to be many people with many different opinions of Superman. From adoration, fear, hatred, love, respect and everything in between. Even Batman thought Superman was an alien possibly trying to take over the Earth.
Yea, some things needed to be fixed in the DC films.
"Superman has all the same powers" Eh, debateable, but he's close enough.
I think this is why the Reeves Superman is so special and my personal favorite. Sure, he’s strong, but you can tell by his interactions with people that he is just a nice and caring man. He’s not an all powerful being people praise like a god. He interacts with police as if he were one of them, he solutes people, he smiles with kids. Hell, just look at the very end scene of the movie. After turning in Luthor, he waves to the warden and says “good night”. That sounds like a friend saying a goodbye rather than someone demanding respect. And you can see it in the way he smiles while flying. This is why I think this is one of if not the best version of Superman
I love it, dude why this video didn't get more views is literally beyond me!
It like the newer viewings took that line from Kill Bill about Superman as fact about Superman when it was just Tarentino blowing hot air out of his ass. Forgetting Superman arrived to Earth as a Child and was Raised on Earth as a Human by human parents, Superman is as much of a Disguise to him as clumsy Clark Kent.
My favorite quote "If Tests Were Easy, They Wouldn't Be Tests." (Superman's humanity really shines through the best in touching introspective moments like this) [SUPERMAN #5].
I really like this explanation of Superman and Clark Kent, but I think audiences won't resonate with either. I personally think that the comics fans who hate Superman and like the evil supermen, deep down, they want to be like the evil supermen.
They want to be a godlike being who gets to look down on the rest of humanity. It's a power fantasy
And there's always going to be more evil superman fans than Superman fans
This is why Smallville should be the standard for telling a Superman story. Just my opinion
I agree with a lot of what you said here in how a lot of people don't get Superman. However, I'm excited to see the public reaction to the rest of Omniman's arc, the writing of the Invincible comic is a great example of both a deconstruction and reconstruction, because Kirkman and Walker really get the person-ness of the character Clark Kent.
Spoilers:
Omniman willingly goes to supermax space prison after Mark finds out he's been living a few months on a bug man planet as their ruler he says he did a lot of thinking and becomes a much more humble and somber character constantly worried about how he will (if ever he can) atone for the things he's done in the name of the dead Viltrum empire. He convinces a number of the Viltrumites to live on earth (mostly vice versa), not just to repopulate their numbers but convinced that living with humanity, away from the society they grew up in where they saw themselves as gods over the rest of the universe and reinforced that feeling any way they could, will make them experience and feel the better parts of humanity, until they want to embody it themselves.
That’s why Taylor from Superman and Louis is the second best Clark Kent
Well.... Apparently Santa is an actual thing in the DC universe, so it makes sense Clark still believes in him.
0:26 Superman killed Doomsday numerous times, would willingly kill Darkseid and many others. He isn't Batman, he doesn't have "no killing rule" (not like Batman follows it perfectly either)
Santa does exist in Superman’s universe. He once tore through all of Darkseids planetary defenses just to give him lumps of coal.
The last sentence goes hard.
i love it, when faced with the fact that hes going to die and there is no cure, rather than spend the rest of his time on himself, he saves everyone else. While he couldnt cure his cancer, he cures every child in the hospital of theirs, he stops a teenager from killing themselves, he is there for everyone, not just for world ending people.
Imagine being a powerful god like being living on a planet where most of the popluation cries out for you when all hope is lost and you having the power to handle just about anything. Yet at the same time you cannot be everywhere all the time and living with the burden of not being able to save everyone no matter how much you want to. That is an incredible burden and something simply not explored enough in the main stream (movies, shows) and its a disservice to a great character. Supermans greatest weakness is also his greatest strength and its his humanity.
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be Superman. As an adult, I can only hope to be Clark Kent" That hits hard
WHO drew Supes like that at 4:05 ???
Incredible
Great upload this one! Thank you 🙏🏼
“When I was young, I wanted to be Superman.
Now, I only hope I can be like Clark Kent.”
What a powerful line
It's pretty messed up when Quentin Tarantino, who is known for making morally ambiguous movies, can articulate what makes Superman so great through the eyes of an antagonist better than Snyder or the many writers of Superman have in their own words over the last decade and a half. They even nerf Superman and still can't write a compelling story so I don't want to hear how Superman is just too OP. He's a god living among man trying to fit in and finds reasons every day as to why humanity is worth defending. The symbol on his chest is supposed to represent hope but it might as well represent tacos because no one has connected us to that aspect of Superman in awhile.
Kill Bill vol. 2, Bill describes Superman's personality of everything that humanity can offer, and that his alter ego, Clark, is how he sees humanity. Shy, timid, unsure of himself, always second guessing. And it's a reminder that one of Superman's greatest struggles is that no matter how hard he tries he still has a hard time seeing himself as human and that part eats at him. As someone who moved to a different state when I was in school and lost all of my friends and had to make new ones that part resonates with me about Superman.
Personality wise I think Christopher Reeves Superman nailed it. At the end of Superman 2 when he put the flag on the capitol and told the president he’d never fail America again gives me goose bump just thinking about it!
Superman should take Batman and Damian to his parents' home for Thanksgiving. It might give them an insight into what they are missing. Constant combat without relief leads to PTSD. How sad that hope, optimism, faith, and decency are regarded as boring.
Batman and Superman are best friends
Freaking GREAT video. Superman truly doesnt get the respect and admiration he deserves. New subscriber.
Tbh I kinda despise that bit after final crisis I would expect superman to be more sad or nostalgic than angry, Grayson is someone he likes and batman's son so that viceral reaction from Clark seemed off to me. On everything else more or less I agree and liked the video.
Of course he was off. Superman wouldn't be threatening Nightwing with his heat vision for doing something that was literally necessary anyway AND his full right to do. He's not an asshole, ffs. And Batman HAD to keep existing because if Bruce Wayne AND Batman die at the same time, it can be suspicious. But if Batman keeps showing up, then he appears to not have been Bruce at all.
“When I was young, I wanted to be like Superman. Now, I only hope I can be like Clark Kent.”
Damn. I felt that.
Any comic suggestions? I really like your video and i have been meaning to get into his comics.
Btw: the editing and the script of the video is great. Great work!!!
Wait, i just realized. Santa is real. What are you talking about?
I'm convinced that if Superman met Homelander it would break Clark's heart in two and his first instinct would still be to give John the other half.
This. Superman is supposed to be an optimistic meditation on human nature. The point is that he stands tall even after seeing the worst humanity has to offer.
the superman fro the superman and lois show is pretty good
You are 100% correct. The worst part of watching Superman, is the bad writers who despise him.
You would have earned a like from me for the last two lines alone. Well done.
“Pa, that’s my job!”
I love this cinnamon roll so so much 🥰😆
i love the contra between batman an superman, batman is batman and bruce wayne is the mask, while superman is not superman but clark kent a normal man with extraordinary power. the play of colour like supes is bright and use primary colour and batman is dark, the view on justice itself, on the cruelty of the world. there's actually a lot, perfect match perfect best friend.
Nice outro.
Great writing.
00:00 Correct
00:00 Also correct
00:13 00:15 00:21 He is wearing the costume and the symbol, is a kryptonian that has the same name and title and comes from dc. As far as I am concerned, that is superman.
There is nothing to misunderstand since in DC (and marvel), characters are more like placeholders for writers to whatever character they want. The most consistent thing about a character is their name and probably their general costume and power set. Everything else is changeable due to how many writers tend to write them.
No people has low key forgotten all the powers bro has
Not really.
Good representation of Superman exists out there. The 4 Christopher Reeve movies, Superman the Animated Series, Superman and Lois just to name a few things.
One nickname he kind of enjoyed = The Big Blue Boy Scout
I’ve been a huge Superman fan since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be like Superman. I’ve never been a fan of the evil Superman or one that kills I want superman vs the Elite, Superman is DC