Wanna know what I find sad? The modern perception of Superman is that he’s a cartoonishoy incorruptible, unrelatable, overpowered, demi-god boyscout who lords over us all without even realizing it. And yet what people themselves don’t realize, is that by this analysis, moderne society has begun to view Superman......the way Lex Luthor views Superman.
I really can't stand the "overpowered" argument because, if someone even thinks to say that, it indicates they're coming at Superman from completely the wrong direction, like his stories are Dragon Ball Z or something, where power levels and fights are what matter and what the story is centered on, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Superman is always strong enough to win because the fights DON'T matter, it's about the story and characters.
Honestly Superman's current situation as a father and husband honestly is the best update. In a way it puts him as almost a generation removed from the modern comics and puts him in the father roll
Thanks for the video content! Sorry for chiming in, I would appreciate your opinion. Have you heard the talk about - Lammywalness His Happiness Guide (erm, check it on google should be there)? It is an awesome one of a kind product for understanding what men really want minus the hard work. Ive heard some super things about it and my best friend Jordan at last got great results with it.
Superman and his family, the Fantastic Four, Peter and MJ, those family units gives hope AND a sense of home in their comic Universe. I'm not including the Batfamily thanks to their moody and sometimes rocky dynamic. And they are more like close friends that family.
The family is so important. As is the secret identity all together. For us to care what happens to Superman we need to care what happens to Clark Kent.
It's funny that so many people think Superman is only suitable for American morality, because the biggest fans of his I have the pleasure to know live in (& were born in) places like Vietnam, Puerto Rico, Mexico, & Australia. The things he stands for cross borders that too many people run away from when all they think about are the old propaganda comics. I'm lucky to have made so many friends of so many different backgrounds through a figure as truly unifying as Superman. He brings out the best in us.
That’s really great to hear man, and just proves that truth, justice and hope are simply universal constants, whatever side of the world you come from.
Thank you so much for this video, I don't think I've came across a better analysis of the character. I feel like I'm always alone defending superman, so it's really nice coming across things like this. One of the biggest arguments I run into is, "he's so Un-relatable." Which I find to be alarming. He's the ultimate outsider, which anyone can relate to feeling alone or simply feeling like nobody understands you. He's the embodiment of hope, he inspires us through his humanity, not his powers, which often times he's more human than we are. I fear he's rejected because of the guilt he can inflict; He's a character that immediately makes you question your moral code, Which is something we all run from. There's been a paradigm shift in our culture and because of it, we waste no time trying to tear down the image of superman. Simply put, it's easier to live our lives as shitty people and we don't like figures that make us second guess ourselves
It's funny but the culture you talk about actually serves to make Superman more relevant than ever. With society becoming more cynical, bright and incorruptible heroes are needed. For that reason it's important that new writers don't corrupt Superman's image - hence the trouble with Earth One and BvS.
+The Unintentional Fallacy I agree that our culture makes supes more relevant now, than maybe he ever has been...but do you think we will see it that way, or will people continue to lash out at the character, and corrupt his image.
Oddly, Injustice manages to avoid being a symptom of this problem as its mission statement was to make Superman into a villain. So it's an Elseworlds tale and not a story claiming to represent an update or more contemporary version of the character. It's also a surprisingly good story with some great moments. They really outdid themselves and I'm sure they''ll have another five years of tie in comics for the newly announced sequel.
While I could write a couple paragraphs regarding your analysis, I think a simple phrase will do and in fact be more effective than an overly long opinion piece: You get it.
He does? All I see is a video of labyrinthian, pretentious "analysis" in an attempt to hide the fact it's just another "not my Superman" bullshit tirade.
What is with new 52 trying to turn superman into batman. That is how you ruin superman's ideals/representation, just to make more money. being a boy scout is what makes superman, superman. It may not be as dark and gritty and attract as much attention, but the world's first superhero should't be turned to a cheap imitation batman.
You should read Greg Pak's run. He was the only guy who captured what Grant MOrrison was going for, and really mastered the Farmboy aspect of the character. Something I see most writers just boil down to "being nice and humble". And as a farmboy myself, I can tell you we're not that boring.
Stef Tep Brash and a bit cocky, but I wouldn't say rude. Plus it was an ode to his early GOlden Age days, the entire New 52 was a summation of all three incarnations. But when it came down to it, he would still have those heart to heart moments with the people he saves. Like when he helped them rebuild their apartments or stopped that train and talked to the kid who was suffering from abuse at the hands of his dad. It was writers like Johns and Lobdell that started the infamous Douchebag Superman that everyone hated.
Shadowfly321 New 52 gets a lot of shit, but there are great stories for the character there. Grant Morrison's Action Comics does a great job at introducing a brash but well intentioned Clark using his powers during his early years and learning in a way that doesn't feel slow or oddly paced; by the time Morrison introduces the insane Anti-Superman squad, the time traveling Legion of Superheroes, and even goddamn 5th Dimensional Imps, Superman was much closer to the pre-New 52 version. I especially loved the issues with Krypto. Greg Pak also did amazing stuff with Superman and Geoff Johns didn't do half bad either. It really depends on the writer and story, but the New 52 Superman wasn't bad.
In my opinion "whatever happened to the man of tomorrow " was only meant to be the ending to the silver age Superman not as a rule to the character moving forward ,it was an ending to an era long gone also even in that story Superman was willing to kill some criminals who murdered Lana lang and Jimmy Olsen so even that story kinda contradicts itself.
I think one of the most important things that we've forgotten about Superman is that it was never about Superman. It's always been about us. Superman is basically a god, looking out over humanity. Clark is his commentary on our "mild mannered" (read: "weak and fragile") nature. His greatest nemesis, Luthor, wasn't a monster or a mutant, he was just a man; an A-typical, alpha-male, sociopath... just like every other CEO and politician on Earth. The god who pretended to be a man vs. the man who thought he could be a god. Superman is the omnicient narrator, commenting on the futility of mankind, but still somehow maintining hope for our pitiful species. That's why he's "The Man of Tomorrow." He is what we could be, if all the Clarks of the world stood up to the few Luthers who control us all. Making Superman more like Batman - more like us - is an insult to the Man of Tomorrow; an insult to our hope for the future of humanity. That, after all, is what Superman is: hope. Our hope that maybe, some day, we can be better than we are now.
Complaints that Superman is "Overpowered" miss the point entirely. Superman's invulnerability is absolutely key to his existence as an aspirational figure. In the real world, sometimes we _have_ to kill or hurt other people. Superman is invulnerable, so he doesn't need to kill in self-defence. He doesn't need shelter, or food (in most versions, at least), or medicine. The various frailties and weaknesses that we, as humans, suffer from and which can drive us to violate our moral codes don't apply to Superman, so he _can_ be pure and incorruptible. Just like other mythological figures who can embody ideas and principles by virtue of being fictional, Superman can show us an ideal to strive for. At the same time, it allows us to say "Okay, we're not Superman. We can't be perfect. We're going to make mistakes, but that's okay". This is why films like Man of Steel piss me off so much. Is it possible to construct a scenario in which Superman has _no choice_ but to kill someone? Yes. It's really not that difficult, either. But if that's your goal, then you don't get Superman.
Great video. I love Superman -- my favorite DC character. There's no reason he can't be very popular again today. All he needs is the right creative team to do him justice and give him relevance. It was only a few years ago that people were saying a certain patriotic shield bearing Avenger over at Marvel was stodgy, unrelatable, and possessing of old fashioned morals too. But now look -- with a couple great films and a couple great runs by Ed Brubaker and Rick Remender in the comics, Captain America is one of Marvel's most popular characters again. This could easily happen to Superman.
I’ve always found the parallels between Superman and Captain America to be just perfect, I do hope Superman can find a modern audience the way Cap has. Stuff like this is what makes the combination of the two possibly the best thing to come out of the not so well remembered Amalgam Comics.
Great video. I know it's my childhood speaking right now but, the JL/JLU superman was the version i loved. He held hope, frustration, dread, concern and love. Very likeable character the way we got him in the cartoons.
The man of tomorrow is always sent back to the start. Always forwarded in time. His greatest tragedy then becomes his inability to raise the men of tomorrow he had inspired into creation. He may inspire them but there will clone a time where the Superman succeeds them.
As you said that nowadays modern people love Darkness and all those in our real world and want the same in the comics and novels and movies, does these thoughts bother you for the decline of Superman and moral values at the time he was created and now when dark characters like Batman is on the verge of success than Superman? It is only a common question related to the modern day psychology.
+The Unintentional Fallacy Yaa, but For a decade you noticed... Every time only Superman dies (Flash and Hal Jordan also)...... in comics as well as in movies..... And others just see and make it completely normal...... and then .....hey here comes Superman again. But not for Batman except Christopher Nolan's Batman's Trilogy movie ending in which only Batman quit.
+The Unintentional Fallacy one non topic related question..... Do you think that Vince Vaughn could be good for the Role of Superman in next films...???
Wow so we'll put. I couldn't agree more with this brilliant understand of what the man of steel is about. The last lines in the injustice story say it all. Wonderful video.
I feel that on the other other hand, the New 52's Truth arc does some stuff right by bringing him back to the basics and having him standing up to societal injustices at some points, as well as showing how Superman touches people
This was excellent. I'm not very fond of Man of Steel but its a film I've always felt had some brilliance buried underneath. I highly recommend the fan edit 'Man of Steel: A Symbol of Hope'. It was recently released and it does a lot to recontexualizing that film in a light much more similar to your preferred take on the character.
I probably walked into this video with the wrong expectations due to the title but I felt like this video meandered around the concept of what Superman stands for from a writing standpoint. I was expecting this to be about the actual story Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow.
It doesnt matter if the character of superman fades at some point. What Superman stands for is a naive but pure belife that mankind can be good. This belife lives in all of us regardless if we think its true or not. There will always be people that are selfless and that dedicate their lifes to serve others. Look at helpers in developing countries, look at nursers, doctors, social workers and more. Good still exists and will always, at least in some form, exist. Thats the message Superman stands for. Looking at it that way, superman is indestructible even in the real world.....
I have stumbled across your youtube Channel and I am really impressed with your analysis. You have really encapsulated what is the appeal of Superman as a character in popular culture and how recent iterations of the character are just ill conceived and wrong. I recommend you read Tom de Haven's novel, It's Superman, which is based in the 1930's.
Damn... always disliked superman without even reading a comic from him just because he seemed boring, with this video you showed me his qualities are those not too unlike the ones found in my favorite hero, Spider-man, a symbol of hope, no matter how hard the times get his uplifting attitude... Jesus, I'm gonna start reading Superman
The problem with your "all powerful" Superman is that he becomes extemely ignorant the moment you actually turn your brain in. Like a moment in All-Star when he brought tiny kryptonians to cure kids from cancer, yet couldn't do it much early (like before he get space cancer hismelf), or make tiny kryptonians to develop tiny bots to cure cancer around the world what-so-ever. Or in Superman The Movie whe he turns back time only when and right before a moment when Lois killed. Or that he don't have to eat/sleep/doesn't REALLY have a moments of self-doubt and self-crises, yet takes break half of the time to work as a reporter.
I feel the problem with the New 52 Superman is that they are trying too hard to have a modern day Golden Age Superman, the problem is that the writers think that what made Golden Age Superman so popular was his attitude. In reality it is what he represented at that time that made him popular, a powerful man who fought for the little guy, stood up to white collar crooks and gangsters and even corrupt politicians and generals. If they want Superman to be successful again the best way to do it is by making Superman a representation of the oppressed fighting the oppressors but without the needless attitude change back. Sure Golden Age Superman had an attitude but we are so use to Superman's much kinder view of the world that they should keep that because it feels realer, it is Superman.
For a while I’ve had a rough look on the world and people since 2020. I was as dark and angry as the Bat. Now, I want to be hopeful again. Bravely imaginative, and optimistic as Clark. Now, I think I can write for both Bruce and Clark.
I've always felt that the two most cartoony versions of Superman are the two versions critics tend to think are the least. These are his young days, immediately after Siegel and Schuster created him, and the Superman of John Byrne's Man of Steel. Siegel and Schuster's Superman because he's basically a power fantasy, even if he does have less power than he does now or in the Silver age. He still runs around setting the world straight without any thought about the ethics of his actions. Then John Byrne's Man of Steel because he was depowered so he could be easier to write so again, he wouldn't have to worry about the ethics of his actions.
The funny thing is all the people who say that superman is unrelatable and try to make him more dower and flawed, they actually make him less relatable. You now have an unstoppable god without that strong moral compass. That's not relatable, that's scary. That's pretty much every politician out there and we love those guys, right? Most of the heroes that can kill get away with it are far less powerful than superman they are closer in power to a human so the idea that they'd have to resort to murder is more understandable. Superman is above that, he saves people he doesn't kill people.
Exactly! Well said! I love Superman because as a person who aims to make the world a better place and to be a strong force for light and hope, Superman embodies that and he also represents the universal morality that is helping others and letting people who are pessimistic or cynical know that life doesn’t have to all be doom and gloom. Which is why I’m not really a fan of the Dark Age of Comics, because I prefer inspirational and hope filled comics that inspire us to be our best selves, and Superman is the biggest example of that.
+Επανεινωνδας Κοσμας Huge Daredevil fan - just finished watching Season 2 today. Very keen to look at Waid and Samnee's Daredevil run which is actually what got me into comic books to start with. Hopefully I'll get to do some Marvel videos soon as I probably look a bit DC biased right now.
+The Unintentional Fallacy never read the Waid stuff. I'm way behind on my comic reading. I think I have it in my storage somewhere. I'll give it a spin. thanks for the tip. As for the series; there is so much that is so good about it and for me that's what makes what's bad about it stand out so much to me; Daredevils lack of physical grace. His radar sense and expanded sense made him a perfect candidate for martial arts. He should feel every attack coming and his reactions should be anticipatory. Instead we have a punch for punch brawler. I get the argument that he's still learning but I don't buy it. He should be a master at this age. Then there's the over emotional Kingpin. Instead of a calm calculating string puller who goes unnoticed as he takes over the underworld, we get a lunatic brute who completely loses it every time you mentioned someone he's attached to. I can buy the idea that the new woman in his life changed him, though I would have preferred an established Kingpin first to better juxtapose the change. But his over the top reactions to anything said about his mother makes me feel that this is a guy that would have lost it several times during his rise and the press and cops would know about him. In season 2 Punisher started off incredible. A short Punisher is not my first option but they did it so well I don't mind. But then they took some weird cliche twists near the end with the Blacksmith and it lost a little luster for me. Elektra was just all wrong for me. Miller have us the perfect intro for her. There was no need to stray from that.
+Επανεινωνδας Κοσμας What I really appreciate about the show is that we get to see some actual courtroom drama which for my money is one of the most important aspects of Daredevil. Sure it's not a perfect realisation of the comic books, but I much prefer the somewhat grounded approach to the shows that are more cartoonish like Arrow or Agents of Shield. Definitely my favourite thing from the MCU.
Most of those “heroes” were meta commentary on modern anti-heroes and 90’s-esc tropes, Magog being the “edgy Superman” of the parodies. The fact that a number of them were villains re-fitted with new costumes and names is pretty telling to, I liked that touch.
Man of steel was inspiring. Seeing him struggle thru human choices human struggles was very inspiring. He had to face complex moral choices to become the that hero. Its not his moral compass that not makes him Superman either. What makes him superman is that he could use his power to do anything, rule over us with a iron fist, recreate his home planet. But he doesnt, He helps us he saves us from the threats and protects when we don't deserve to saved at times, but he still does. Man of steel movie didn't change superman, just put him in a real world setting that mirrors our own.
Man these videos are awesome! I agree 100% Superman shouldn't be treated as a "relatable" character by making him flawed, he is suppose to inspire us to be like him therefor Giovanni Pico's quote in All-Star Superman (I love that philosopher by the way). Comic books are a wonderful escape from our fucked up world, we should make our world lighter and more like that of the superheroes' and not the other way, where we make the comic book world more rotten and similar to our world's real shit...
SO MUCH YES! I went into Batman v. Superman with high hopes of Superman developing into the inspiring character I remember as a kid, but what I got was probably one of the most hollow, hypocritical, and mistaken renditions of the character. Batman v. Superman is a great Batman movie, but in my opinion the worst Superman movie to date. Your knowledge is copious and your insights are incisive. You've just gotten a new subscriber, sir :)
I LOVE the video, but! If we go by Morrison’s reading of the character, that Superman’s moral perfection is an extension of, and made possible by his limitless power, wouldn’t it NECESSARILY cut him off from his moral perfection by cutting him off from his powers?
Though I disagree with you on MoS to an extent, this is a brilliant analysis of the character taking into consideration multiple generations of comics.
What an amazing analysis of the Superman psyche! Great work. I personally liked how they took Man of Steel...however, I took to liking it based on the idea that this would be his darkest moment, from which he would learn his true role in the world, as a strong moral character that knows how deep the abyss can be. With BvS though, instead of his character learning from this, he was instead made to embrace the darkness, rendering him far from his idealistic self. Strangely, tho, we DO have a strongly moral, hopeful and somewhat anachronistic superhero in the film world: Marvels Captain America. That it took another company to fully realise Supermans moral strength should be a mark of shame against DC.
+Karth38 Very true. Man of Steel looks pretty good next to BvS.
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The Unintentional Fallacy not true, in BvS he actually saves people and learning from his past mistakes, while only finding opposition from politicians questioning his authority, those that see him as alien and those who were harmed during Black Zero event. And he still doesn't let Lex Luthor die from a fist of Doomsday and sacrifice his life to stop Doomsday, in the end bringing even Batman to the light. If that's not Superman, I don't know what is.
do you know what i hate about contemporary Superman myth? There is a mentality that "Superman must be evil if you want to make it fun" when they make Batman incorruptable and Lex Luthor & Joker sympathetic. They called it "deconstruction" but I call them "lack of imagination" and "lazy". A lame movie like Brightburn which had popularity among nerds proved my point. There are plenty of spaces for Superman: make him as who he is: a down-to-earth and inspiring journalist. I don't know why people will find a honest journalist with a normal upbringing much less "relatable" than a narcissistic billionaire that dress up like a bat.
+Doug Keller Thanks Doug! I don't have a twitter account at the moment, so far I've been more concerned with the quality of the videos than marketing or social media. But I might set one up soon. Stay tuned.
+TIWAI vautier I wanted to include a larger section about Secret Identity in the video but I couldn't fit it unfortunately. Suffice to say it's one of my favourites and quite unique amongst Superman stories. It also succeeds in highlighting how fiction can impact the world in very real ways which I certainly appreciate.
Personally, I don’t hate the dark and edgy Superman, I think the reason people dislike him is because he is only The Man of Steel in name only, he is not really the stereotypical idea of Superman
I'd recommend the Legends of a Dead Earth annuals from years back. One was Superboy, the other Adventures of Superman I think. Aliens attack Earth and kill Lois. Superman just gives up. Most Superheroes do. But he comes back, only to be killed. But Superboy takes over to honor him.
Man of Steele could have worked in my opinion. There's moments of brilliance in there but its bogged down by all the writing mistakes you highlighted here. Trim certain scenes, re-edit them, cut lines, and change the coloration to bring a more hopeful tone could have went a long way to showing the potential the film had.
WOW this was sooo good just shared it with some friends of mine, Superman is a task for most writers cause they get caught up in the times their living in the pre52 Supes is said to take over what are your thoughts on that? Another Good Superman story to read are the mini stories tales of Krypton which should how hard life was on the planet in it's prehistoric ages .
+Anti-Dogma AmGod I'm pretty happy with the return of Pre-52 Supes. DC tried something new with the New 52 and I applaud the gusto but it never really made sense with the rest of the continuity. I hope they have a good editorial explanation for where he's been. I'll definitely give those Krypton tales a look. Thanks for the tip!
+Anti-Dogma AmGod I'm pretty happy with the return of Pre-52 Supes. DC tried something new with the New 52 and I applaud the gusto but it never really made sense with the rest of the continuity. I hope they have a good editorial explanation for where he's been. I'll definitely give those Krypton tales a look. Thanks for the tip!
Wow just came across this by my curiosity. Nicely said and presented. I've subscribed. Incidentally to make old supes here more relatable to modern audiences. Simply reduce the Volume of his powers. By doing so writers won't have to rely on Kryptonite to even the playing field, so to speak, between him and most of his antagonists human or otherwise and it will also give reasonable cause for a Justice League.
Superman cannot save the world alone, he is not fast enough, neither strong enough, his example does not inspire many world leaders, His computers and superrobots aren't capable to coming up with all the Solutions un enginering and human genetics, as Clark Kent no matter how Manny cases of corruption he uncovers if the justice system is flawed the white collar criminals run away. So I think from the get go The Justice League Is needed even if Clark is in All Star level of power, even tho all the leaguers have the same problems as Supes does. They can achieve more as a collective. Clark is a reporter, a scientinst, a storyteller, a good friend, leader and political figure, and he takes the hard choices, the rocky path in believing un redemption, truth and justice, and that's takes the efforts of all of the people of the DC Earth. I don't need a depowered Clark, I want to read stories with a Smallville who does the maximum to do the best.
ty for this tho i may not agree with every thing you say i agree with most of it. also batman v superman when lex says a god cannot be all powerful and all good or cannot be all good and all powerful another way for them to try to tell you superman needs to change and kill be more of a anit hero etc.
Great video, congratulations, although I disagree with your analysis of MOS (to me, it really captures Superman in it's basic form, but hey it's your opinion) Other than that, great job.
+amaxamon It's a sad reality that the out of continuity stories always end up being the best ones. Editorial policies being what they are it's not that surprising but at least DC and Marvel are willing to publish these elseworlds scenarios.
I actually liked death of Superman. Ignore all the shock value and other behind the scenes reasons and you have a heroic last stand in which Superman does what he does best, saves the world, no matter the cost to his own life, when no other hero can, and pits him against a perfect antithesis, a destructive monster with all that strength and power, but none of the careful thought or morality, who in many ways, like Superman, is a complex idea represented by a simpler character.
People who criticize the Superman in MOS and BVS don't want any development for this character in movies, they want him to show up as the happy optimistic boy scout right from the jump....Sorry ,but realistically he would need development to get to this point ,and both Snyder and Henry said over and over adnauseam that this Superman is still developing ....Also superman killed Zod about 4 times in canon...even early canon...What I saw in MOS was an extreme moment that would traumatize him as far as killing...and having a situation written that requires the hard choice of killing a dangerous villain is very common .....Christopher Reeve's Superman went BACK to the diner after getting his immense power back and busted a pinball machine with the guy's head , I don't hear any complaining about that being "out of character"...not to mention him killing Zod and the other 2 by stripping them down to human vulnerability and knocking them down an endless icy abyss .In defense of Snyder's Superman,it is the "purist" to the lore that we've ever had on film. This superman has sacrificed his self for humanity in both movies, he is depicted as a selfless hero , especially in the "Martha" scene, asking to save another's life instead of his own. There were plenty of hopeful inspiring moments in MOS ....in fact this superman isn't dark ,his circumstances are, the current world is dark ...and he's conflicted ,just as the world is conflicted about him...Superman has always had the same critique for 75 years,that he's not "relatable"...well ,now thanks to Snyder he's relatable..who hasn't ever been conflicted? who hasn't gone through searching for who they really are?? Heroes develop ,they don't just show up as some perfect flawless angel ...People crack me up,they complain that there's no "character development" ...then in the very next breath complain about his inner conflict about how his great power fits in the world...you know..CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ...The exact things he went through in MOS and BvS ,he went through in early canon, in early canon ,not only was he conflicted ,but so were Johnathan and Marta Kent, there's an early storyline were Marta asks " If people react bad to different races, genders,foreigners ,just think how they will act toward an alien"...You hear all the time "Snyder is a good visualist,but not a good storyteller" well,here's a news flash...visuals are a large part of storytelling...and IMO he is an excellent and complex storyteller. Also , (this is what really makes Snyder's version the purist)-Snyder's superman is inspired by the same thing superman's creators were..the 1930's classic literature by Philip Wylie "Gladiator"., Wylie’s story is filled with heavy helpings of moral ambiguity, Gladiator comes off as a thoroughly modern and adult superhero story. Indeed, when the story was adapted for comics in 1976 by Roy Thomas and Earl Norem,(about 40 years after it inspired superman) it was published by Marvel in their adult-oriented black-and-white magazine Marvel Preview. In the original novel ,he is indirectly, responsible for the death of an innocent. He considers both a life of heroism,and a life of hiding and chooses, or stumbles into, something decidedly in-between. He wanders from place to place, from situation to situation, never coming to terms with who he is and the power that he possesses. All of the pathos that Zack Snyder summoned up in Man of Steel and BvS is lifted right from these pages. Hugo grows a beard** and goes to sea**. . Gladiator reminds me of a mid-eighties DC graphic novel written in prose, everything is dark and conflicted, erotic and bloody.~ And this GRIM tale is what inspired Superman's creators...and obviously Snyder ..But I guess going all the way back to what inspired superman in the first place ,makes Kal unrecognizable to the ignorant , the audio book of this novel is on youtube, in sections, if you watch video 2 onward , you will see Snyder's superman ,right down to the tiniest detail , this is the very core of superman...Snyder is taking about 3 movies to develop superman,yet he gets accused of "RUSHING"..and he certainly is not..I wish people would respect the idea of having an opinion by looking closer before forming one ,since opinion is such a valuable thing...but I guess having knee jerk reactions and jumping on the negative /critical band wagon is sexy these days.
What a reply! My friend you've written a short essay and I think you've made it very clear that I won't be able to change your mind though I do take issue with you criticising my opinion by applying your own. I think this video demonstrates that I did my research. Also, what does everyone have against boy scouts? "Boy scout" has been the go to insult since TDKR and man, I still think the scouts are cool as hell.
Eh i think being called a boyscout should be termed as a sign of respect rather then offence., It means you a good person. One thing I love about Supes is that he is this symbol of an incredible good guy
John Wonder in my opinion ever since the grim era of comics, especially after the death of Superman, the guy has been placed as a cultural icon, raised to heights of near perfection and regarded as the saints of comics. From my knowledge of Superman is a guy that tries his best. That's it. Like Alan Moore said "This is imaginary...", meaning different takes on Superman should be allowed and be explored to see how that affects the man of steel. This means having a Superman that within himself has all the reasons to uphold his standards is as viable as a Superman that maybe does not from the beginning or the middle or maybe it clicks at the last second. I think we can all agree that its hard to come across a wealth of Superman comics because the guy is just harder to write because of expectations he has to live up to. These expectations can always make a good story like we have seen done in Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman but that it being done that way does not take away from the quality of a story from a Superman that has to by himself learn the lessons he has to uphold. In MoS, we are introduced to a Clark Kent who is simply confused, then in search for answers and then given an answer which then raises more questions. The young Clark believes is not human. In his controversial conversation with Jonathan following him saving the students in the bus, Jonathan's parental instincts kick in advising his son to engage in caution before engaging in a situation because of the situation that may occur as a result. In this case, one students mother already believes Clark to be divine. Already casting expectations of the perfect on a child. Jonathan believes Clark is not ready for this kind of projection so much so that he sacrifices himself to keep Clark safe from it. After all, this is a teenage Clark who is shown to be susceptible to emotions as much as the next teenager and so it is expected that the weight of responsibilities that would fall upon him would be great. Removing the assumptions we know about Superman, to the Kents, the possibility of a secret identity is not even considered because well, why would they? Even if he was to use his powers, it would be assumed that it would be done as Clark Kent still. The film establishes many times that this is a learning Superman. I love All Star Superman but it is not without its flaws. My biggest problem is the portrayal of Clark as some bumbling idiot so to keep his secret safe. I find this to be a problem because it raises the question of how Superman views Clark Kent to be the alternate identity even though it was Clark that made Superman and not the other way around. In MoS, it is made clear that even though Clark puts on the suit or takes it off, he is still Clark Kent with the only difference being now he can now break the sound barrier. The demise of Zod at Clark's hand was unavoidable as soon as he was not a absorbed into the phantom zone. The decision to write the story in such a way is controversial, I agree, but this does not take away from the effect of the event on the characters or how the characters interact with the event. As soon as Clark killed Zod we saw a deeply hurt Clark who clearly suffered from the act. He wept. Unlike many "heroes" you compared him to, Clark shows sadness, not anger, regret and not justification. So no, the ends did not justify the means in MoS as Clark cried immediately. He was not happy with the choice he made but he would not have been any happier with the other choice presented by Zod. Unlike in What's so funny about truth, justice and the American way, in MoS Clark is not blessed with inexperienced, cocky antiheroes on another planet with the futuristic technology to block people's powers, he has to use the limited knowledge he has to fight against military veterans hellbent on destroying his world. Clark in this story more than nearly sacrificed his life for a world that mostly made life hard for him, but also sacrificed his history and his people to give humanity their chance. Throughout the movie, we see a Clark Kent who is trying his best in every situation and even with his powers learns that he is not immune to pain. He is from his experiences learning and growing even if those lessons are harsh, I think his reactions to those lessons matter as much as those lessons as well. So, Clark killing Zod was bad but the sadness after is what I expect from a hero who had no choice. He tried his best. Zack Snyder's Clark Kent is a Superman.
John Wonder After wall that though, I think that development is overrated, I think learning more about a character is more important. All Star Superman has a Superman set in his "traditional" beliefs. We do not really see a growth in the character but we just learn more about him which was amazing. In this story, he has all the wisdom he could possibly need but we just get to see him use them which was an amazing experience. I love All Star Superman, Man of Steel and Batsman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (ultimate edition).
The problem with MoS, and BvS is that you barely see him be human towards other people. He's either always arguing with someone as clark kent, or they treat him as some god and he stares off in the distance as people are worshipping him for whatever reason. There's nothing about the superman in these movies that solidify him as a human being we should aspire to be more like, instead it's just him sulking, running away when people need help, and contemplating if he should even be superman. That's not character development, his character doesn't change from MoS all the way through BvS. They just do a complete 180 in justice league. They keep telling us that he is this "beacon of hope" but there are few and far scenes in the movies to support this claim. He's treated more as a plot device rather than an actual interesting character. "Oh, we need this to happen to him so we can do this". They try to paint him as realistic, but it just comes off as boring. He had all his life growing up in Kansas building up relationships to realize the man he wanted to be, his parents should have raised him with that thought in mind, and he should have grown up knowing what he was capable of doing. He could be inexperienced in the movie, but that doesn't mean change up the core ideas that make up superman. You want to know something? Zack Snyder hated the idea of superman, he's one of those people that can't fathom the idea of there being someone who has no other reason to be good other than to be good. That's why giving him a reason of why he has to be good is so detrimental to his character. It just makes him just like any other superhero and in turn it becomes the event that makes him who he is rather than him deciding for himself that it's what he wants to do. This 3 movie arc you're talking about is complete bs, there is no noticable difference in the way he acts in MoS and BvS. Zack Snyder has him be the same for 2 movies and then kills him. But his 3rd movie is supposed to be where he is fully realized as superman yet at the very beginning they unsuccessfully try to paint him as classic superman in footage that seems to be before he died. Zack Snyder had no plan, he and his writers were just like, "How do we make superman more like batman?" Purist my ass
Wanna know what I find sad?
The modern perception of Superman is that he’s a cartoonishoy incorruptible, unrelatable, overpowered, demi-god boyscout who lords over us all without even realizing it.
And yet what people themselves don’t realize, is that by this analysis, moderne society has begun to view Superman......the way Lex Luthor views Superman.
I really can't stand the "overpowered" argument because, if someone even thinks to say that, it indicates they're coming at Superman from completely the wrong direction, like his stories are Dragon Ball Z or something, where power levels and fights are what matter and what the story is centered on, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Superman is always strong enough to win because the fights DON'T matter, it's about the story and characters.
Carlos D Rodriguez Ego.
Then maybe Lex Luthor is right!
@@driveasandwich6734 No you didn't
Society is like Lex Luthor then?
Honestly Superman's current situation as a father and husband honestly is the best update. In a way it puts him as almost a generation removed from the modern comics and puts him in the father roll
I can confirm his statement as a black without the basic family unit a lot is bad in every community it's sad but I wonder how things will turn out.
Thanks for the video content! Sorry for chiming in, I would appreciate your opinion. Have you heard the talk about - Lammywalness His Happiness Guide (erm, check it on google should be there)? It is an awesome one of a kind product for understanding what men really want minus the hard work. Ive heard some super things about it and my best friend Jordan at last got great results with it.
Superman and his family, the Fantastic Four, Peter and MJ, those family units gives hope AND a sense of home in their comic Universe. I'm not including the Batfamily thanks to their moody and sometimes rocky dynamic. And they are more like close friends that family.
The family is so important. As is the secret identity all together. For us to care what happens to Superman we need to care what happens to Clark Kent.
It's funny that so many people think Superman is only suitable for American morality, because the biggest fans of his I have the pleasure to know live in (& were born in) places like Vietnam, Puerto Rico, Mexico, & Australia. The things he stands for cross borders that too many people run away from when all they think about are the old propaganda comics. I'm lucky to have made so many friends of so many different backgrounds through a figure as truly unifying as Superman. He brings out the best in us.
That’s really great to hear man, and just proves that truth, justice and hope are simply universal constants, whatever side of the world you come from.
The biggest fans of Superman come from Iraq
Thank you so much for this video, I don't think I've came across a better analysis of the character. I feel like I'm always alone defending superman, so it's really nice coming across things like this.
One of the biggest arguments I run into is, "he's so Un-relatable." Which I find to be alarming. He's the ultimate outsider, which anyone can relate to feeling alone or simply feeling like nobody understands you. He's the embodiment of hope, he inspires us through his humanity, not his powers, which often times he's more human than we are. I fear he's rejected because of the guilt he can inflict; He's a character that immediately makes you question your moral code,
Which is something we all run from. There's been a paradigm shift in our culture and because of it, we waste no time trying to tear down the image of superman. Simply put, it's easier to live our lives as shitty people and we don't like figures that make us second guess ourselves
It's funny but the culture you talk about actually serves to make Superman more relevant than ever. With society becoming more cynical, bright and incorruptible heroes are needed. For that reason it's important that new writers don't corrupt Superman's image - hence the trouble with Earth One and BvS.
+The Unintentional Fallacy I agree that our culture makes supes more relevant now, than maybe he ever has been...but do you think we will see it that way, or will people continue to lash out at the character, and corrupt his image.
+The Unintentional Fallacy I'd like to hear your thoughts on the "injustice" games and comics.
+Joshua Mcchristian I think we're due for a Superman revitalisation any day now. Hopefully the film studios get the message.
Oddly, Injustice manages to avoid being a symptom of this problem as its mission statement was to make Superman into a villain. So it's an Elseworlds tale and not a story claiming to represent an update or more contemporary version of the character. It's also a surprisingly good story with some great moments. They really outdid themselves and I'm sure they''ll have another five years of tie in comics for the newly announced sequel.
While I could write a couple paragraphs regarding your analysis, I think a simple phrase will do and in fact be more effective than an overly long opinion piece:
You get it.
He does? All I see is a video of labyrinthian, pretentious "analysis" in an attempt to hide the fact it's just another "not my Superman" bullshit tirade.
@@nope5657 or maybe it's just his opinion.
Idk why by I got teary during this video. Good job
Another brilliant video. I honestly don't think a better assessment of Superman has ever been made.
This channel already deserves to be bigger.
+Jacob De Paz Never fear, my aggressive expansion plans are in motion.
I agree 100%.
What is with new 52 trying to turn superman into batman. That is how you ruin superman's ideals/representation, just to make more money. being a boy scout is what makes superman, superman. It may not be as dark and gritty and attract as much attention, but the world's first superhero should't be turned to a cheap imitation batman.
You should read Greg Pak's run. He was the only guy who captured what Grant MOrrison was going for, and really mastered the Farmboy aspect of the character. Something I see most writers just boil down to "being nice and humble". And as a farmboy myself, I can tell you we're not that boring.
Saint Wildcard thx bro will do
Stef Tep nah i am saying that new 52 superman is a piece of shit
Stef Tep Brash and a bit cocky, but I wouldn't say rude. Plus it was an ode to his early GOlden Age days, the entire New 52 was a summation of all three incarnations. But when it came down to it, he would still have those heart to heart moments with the people he saves. Like when he helped them rebuild their apartments or stopped that train and talked to the kid who was suffering from abuse at the hands of his dad.
It was writers like Johns and Lobdell that started the infamous Douchebag Superman that everyone hated.
Shadowfly321 New 52 gets a lot of shit, but there are great stories for the character there. Grant Morrison's Action Comics does a great job at introducing a brash but well intentioned Clark using his powers during his early years and learning in a way that doesn't feel slow or oddly paced; by the time Morrison introduces the insane Anti-Superman squad, the time traveling Legion of Superheroes, and even goddamn 5th Dimensional Imps, Superman was much closer to the pre-New 52 version. I especially loved the issues with Krypto. Greg Pak also did amazing stuff with Superman and Geoff Johns didn't do half bad either. It really depends on the writer and story, but the New 52 Superman wasn't bad.
JESUS, this completely blew me away!!! By the end I found myself sitting here with tears welling up. Subscribed!
+eskye Thank you my friend.
Bravo. Excellently presented and argued.
Somehow I knew you'd be watching. Love your vids on Big Blue.
Thanks man.
Wow dude, this was fantastic. I wish I could perceive comics in this profound way, but too many of its stuff goes over my head.
+SEGAClownboss Thank you very much. Hopefully I can impart whatever understanding I have.
This is fantastic! You sir, need more views. Because this is really well made.
I read this growing up! Really messed with my head, before I knew about alternate timelines and what-if scenarios in comics.
In my opinion "whatever happened to the man of tomorrow " was only meant to be the ending to the silver age Superman not as a rule to the character moving forward ,it was an ending to an era long gone also even in that story Superman was willing to kill some criminals who murdered Lana lang and Jimmy Olsen so even that story kinda contradicts itself.
I think one of the most important things that we've forgotten about Superman is that it was never about Superman. It's always been about us. Superman is basically a god, looking out over humanity. Clark is his commentary on our "mild mannered" (read: "weak and fragile") nature. His greatest nemesis, Luthor, wasn't a monster or a mutant, he was just a man; an A-typical, alpha-male, sociopath... just like every other CEO and politician on Earth. The god who pretended to be a man vs. the man who thought he could be a god.
Superman is the omnicient narrator, commenting on the futility of mankind, but still somehow maintining hope for our pitiful species. That's why he's "The Man of Tomorrow." He is what we could be, if all the Clarks of the world stood up to the few Luthers who control us all. Making Superman more like Batman - more like us - is an insult to the Man of Tomorrow; an insult to our hope for the future of humanity. That, after all, is what Superman is: hope. Our hope that maybe, some day, we can be better than we are now.
John Bainbridge
*The God who thought he was a man. ( Sorry couldn't resist lol)
it is a good statement to wrap up Lex luthor.
six years later and I still love this video
Complaints that Superman is "Overpowered" miss the point entirely. Superman's invulnerability is absolutely key to his existence as an aspirational figure. In the real world, sometimes we _have_ to kill or hurt other people. Superman is invulnerable, so he doesn't need to kill in self-defence. He doesn't need shelter, or food (in most versions, at least), or medicine. The various frailties and weaknesses that we, as humans, suffer from and which can drive us to violate our moral codes don't apply to Superman, so he _can_ be pure and incorruptible. Just like other mythological figures who can embody ideas and principles by virtue of being fictional, Superman can show us an ideal to strive for. At the same time, it allows us to say "Okay, we're not Superman. We can't be perfect. We're going to make mistakes, but that's okay".
This is why films like Man of Steel piss me off so much. Is it possible to construct a scenario in which Superman has _no choice_ but to kill someone? Yes. It's really not that difficult, either. But if that's your goal, then you don't get Superman.
Great video. I love Superman -- my favorite DC character. There's no reason he can't be very popular again today. All he needs is the right creative team to do him justice and give him relevance.
It was only a few years ago that people were saying a certain patriotic shield bearing Avenger over at Marvel was stodgy, unrelatable, and possessing of old fashioned morals too.
But now look -- with a couple great films and a couple great runs by Ed Brubaker and Rick Remender in the comics, Captain America is one of Marvel's most popular characters again.
This could easily happen to Superman.
I’ve always found the parallels between Superman and Captain America to be just perfect, I do hope Superman can find a modern audience the way Cap has. Stuff like this is what makes the combination of the two possibly the best thing to come out of the not so well remembered Amalgam Comics.
Great video. I know it's my childhood speaking right now but, the JL/JLU superman was the version i loved. He held hope, frustration, dread, concern and love. Very likeable character the way we got him in the cartoons.
The man of tomorrow is always sent back to the start. Always forwarded in time. His greatest tragedy then becomes his inability to raise the men of tomorrow he had inspired into creation. He may inspire them but there will clone a time where the Superman succeeds them.
This video seriously blew my mind!. I've read a lot of these stories, but I've got a few more books on my to read list.
Thanks =)
+TIWAI vautier No worries at all.
As you said that nowadays modern people love Darkness and all those in our real world and want the same in the comics and novels and movies, does these thoughts bother you for the decline of Superman and moral values at the time he was created and now when dark characters like Batman is on the verge of success than Superman?
It is only a common question related to the modern day psychology.
I think we are due for a Superman resurgence. The new Superman comic book is looking good.
+The Unintentional Fallacy Yaa, but For a decade you noticed... Every time only Superman dies (Flash and Hal Jordan also)...... in comics as well as in movies..... And others just see and make it completely normal...... and then .....hey here comes Superman again.
But not for Batman except Christopher Nolan's Batman's Trilogy movie ending in which only Batman quit.
+The Unintentional Fallacy one non topic related question..... Do you think that Vince Vaughn could be good for the Role of Superman in next films...???
Wow so we'll put. I couldn't agree more with this brilliant understand of what the man of steel is about. The last lines in the injustice story say it all. Wonderful video.
+Orieus Indeed. The Man of Yesterday is criminally underrated.
i couldnt agree more, one of my all time favs
I feel that on the other other hand, the New 52's Truth arc does some stuff right by bringing him back to the basics and having him standing up to societal injustices at some points, as well as showing how Superman touches people
This was excellent. I'm not very fond of Man of Steel but its a film I've always felt had some brilliance buried underneath. I highly recommend the fan edit 'Man of Steel: A Symbol of Hope'. It was recently released and it does a lot to recontexualizing that film in a light much more similar to your preferred take on the character.
You & Nando (from NandovMovies) seem to be the only people on this platform who know what makes Superman special
this was fantastic
I probably walked into this video with the wrong expectations due to the title but I felt like this video meandered around the concept of what Superman stands for from a writing standpoint. I was expecting this to be about the actual story Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow.
This video gave me a better appreciation for Superman and what he stand for.
you should review the story "whatever happened to the man of tomorrow"
Heh, sorry if the title of this video is misleading. It just seemed appropriate and I couldn't resist.
The Unintentional Fallacy while I got clickbaited by the title, enjoyed the video, I do wish you did a proper review ventually
It doesnt matter if the character of superman fades at some point. What Superman stands for is a naive but pure belife that mankind can be good. This belife lives in all of us regardless if we think its true or not. There will always be people that are selfless and that dedicate their lifes to serve others. Look at helpers in developing countries, look at nursers, doctors, social workers and more. Good still exists and will always, at least in some form, exist. Thats the message Superman stands for. Looking at it that way, superman is indestructible even in the real world.....
thank you reminding and explaining to me what makes a great superman story and how write those kind of stories
Holy crap, I'm tearin' up here. Great video!
I have stumbled across your youtube Channel and I am really impressed with your analysis. You have really encapsulated what is the appeal of Superman as a character in popular culture and how recent iterations of the character are just ill conceived and wrong. I recommend you read Tom de Haven's novel, It's Superman, which is based in the 1930's.
+magisterguidice Thanks for the kind words. That book looks very intriguing. I'll have to take a look.
Damn... always disliked superman without even reading a comic from him just because he seemed boring, with this video you showed me his qualities are those not too unlike the ones found in my favorite hero, Spider-man, a symbol of hope, no matter how hard the times get his uplifting attitude... Jesus, I'm gonna start reading Superman
This was truely Beautiful, Sir.
As someone who has lost their father, issue 6 still breaks my heart. It’s partially what inspired me to be a writer.
this is beautiful
The problem with your "all powerful" Superman is that he becomes extemely ignorant the moment you actually turn your brain in.
Like a moment in All-Star when he brought tiny kryptonians to cure kids from cancer, yet couldn't do it much early (like before he get space cancer hismelf), or make tiny kryptonians to develop tiny bots to cure cancer around the world what-so-ever.
Or in Superman The Movie whe he turns back time only when and right before a moment when Lois killed.
Or that he don't have to eat/sleep/doesn't REALLY have a moments of self-doubt and self-crises, yet takes break half of the time to work as a reporter.
Thank you so much for this video. Excellent work
Excellent review!
I feel the problem with the New 52 Superman is that they are trying too hard to have a modern day Golden Age Superman, the problem is that the writers think that what made Golden Age Superman so popular was his attitude. In reality it is what he represented at that time that made him popular, a powerful man who fought for the little guy, stood up to white collar crooks and gangsters and even corrupt politicians and generals. If they want Superman to be successful again the best way to do it is by making Superman a representation of the oppressed fighting the oppressors but without the needless attitude change back. Sure Golden Age Superman had an attitude but we are so use to Superman's much kinder view of the world that they should keep that because it feels realer, it is Superman.
For a while I’ve had a rough look on the world and people since 2020. I was as dark and angry as the Bat. Now, I want to be hopeful again. Bravely imaginative, and optimistic as Clark. Now, I think I can write for both Bruce and Clark.
I've always felt that the two most cartoony versions of Superman are the two versions critics tend to think are the least. These are his young days, immediately after Siegel and Schuster created him, and the Superman of John Byrne's Man of Steel. Siegel and Schuster's Superman because he's basically a power fantasy, even if he does have less power than he does now or in the Silver age. He still runs around setting the world straight without any thought about the ethics of his actions. Then John Byrne's Man of Steel because he was depowered so he could be easier to write so again, he wouldn't have to worry about the ethics of his actions.
Dude, where have you been?
The funny thing is all the people who say that superman is unrelatable and try to make him more dower and flawed, they actually make him less relatable. You now have an unstoppable god without that strong moral compass. That's not relatable, that's scary. That's pretty much every politician out there and we love those guys, right? Most of the heroes that can kill get away with it are far less powerful than superman they are closer in power to a human so the idea that they'd have to resort to murder is more understandable. Superman is above that, he saves people he doesn't kill people.
Exactly! Well said! I love Superman because as a person who aims to make the world a better place and to be a strong force for light and hope, Superman embodies that and he also represents the universal morality that is helping others and letting people who are pessimistic or cynical know that life doesn’t have to all be doom and gloom. Which is why I’m not really a fan of the Dark Age of Comics, because I prefer inspirational and hope filled comics that inspire us to be our best selves, and Superman is the biggest example of that.
Superman has always been my favorite superhero. I wonder what makes Superman fans so different than the general fandom?
Beautiful man!! You nailed it!!! Im gonna use this in class!!!
Loved this! Felt sad tho I don't know why
Fantastic video. Keep up the good work.
+Επανεινωνδας Κοσμας Thank you my friend.
+The Unintentional Fallacy any Marvel stuff on the horizon? Miller's Daredevil perhaps.
+Επανεινωνδας Κοσμας Huge Daredevil fan - just finished watching Season 2 today. Very keen to look at Waid and Samnee's Daredevil run which is actually what got me into comic books to start with. Hopefully I'll get to do some Marvel videos soon as I probably look a bit DC biased right now.
+The Unintentional Fallacy never read the Waid stuff. I'm way behind on my comic reading. I think I have it in my storage somewhere. I'll give it a spin. thanks for the tip. As for the series; there is so much that is so good about it and for me that's what makes what's bad about it stand out so much to me; Daredevils lack of physical grace. His radar sense and expanded sense made him a perfect candidate for martial arts. He should feel every attack coming and his reactions should be anticipatory. Instead we have a punch for punch brawler. I get the argument that he's still learning but I don't buy it. He should be a master at this age. Then there's the over emotional Kingpin. Instead of a calm calculating string puller who goes unnoticed as he takes over the underworld, we get a lunatic brute who completely loses it every time you mentioned someone he's attached to. I can buy the idea that the new woman in his life changed him, though I would have preferred an established Kingpin first to better juxtapose the change. But his over the top reactions to anything said about his mother makes me feel that this is a guy that would have lost it several times during his rise and the press and cops would know about him. In season 2 Punisher started off incredible. A short Punisher is not my first option but they did it so well I don't mind. But then they took some weird cliche twists near the end with the Blacksmith and it lost a little luster for me. Elektra was just all wrong for me. Miller have us the perfect intro for her. There was no need to stray from that.
+Επανεινωνδας Κοσμας What I really appreciate about the show is that we get to see some actual courtroom drama which for my money is one of the most important aspects of Daredevil. Sure it's not a perfect realisation of the comic books, but I much prefer the somewhat grounded approach to the shows that are more cartoonish like Arrow or Agents of Shield. Definitely my favourite thing from the MCU.
Also keep up the good work, I really enjoy your content. You need a podcast
Why use All-Star Superman as the video image?
Superman's fight for truth, justice, and everlasting peace continues on...
Magog was a caricature who wasn't really defeated in any argument, he abandoned his views on his own because the writer wanted him to.
Most of those “heroes” were meta commentary on modern anti-heroes and 90’s-esc tropes, Magog being the “edgy Superman” of the parodies. The fact that a number of them were villains re-fitted with new costumes and names is pretty telling to, I liked that touch.
Man of steel was inspiring. Seeing him struggle thru human choices human struggles was very inspiring. He had to face complex moral choices to become the that hero. Its not his moral compass that not makes him Superman either. What makes him superman is that he could use his power to do anything, rule over us with a iron fist, recreate his home planet. But he doesnt, He helps us he saves us from the threats and protects when we don't deserve to saved at times, but he still does. Man of steel movie didn't change superman, just put him in a real world setting that mirrors our own.
this is amazing. thanks for the post.
Man of steel (zod)
Man of steel 2 (braniac)
Man of tomorrow (mr myxlpic)
wo.... excellent video, it almost made me cry, because in a way it is sad what Happened to the Man of Tomorrow
I understood half of what the guy was saying... and no subtitles available. What a pity, I needed a reference about the comicbook
Man these videos are awesome! I agree 100% Superman shouldn't be treated as a "relatable" character by making him flawed, he is suppose to inspire us to be like him therefor Giovanni Pico's quote in All-Star Superman (I love that philosopher by the way). Comic books are a wonderful escape from our fucked up world, we should make our world lighter and more like that of the superheroes' and not the other way, where we make the comic book world more rotten and similar to our world's real shit...
+fabroc8 Amen to that.
+Mechaking Layzner I'm not familiar with Miracles but I'll definitely give it a look. I'd like to write about some more obscure, standalone material.
SO MUCH YES! I went into Batman v. Superman with high hopes of Superman developing into the inspiring character I remember as a kid, but what I got was probably one of the most hollow, hypocritical, and mistaken renditions of the character. Batman v. Superman is a great Batman movie, but in my opinion the worst Superman movie to date. Your knowledge is copious and your insights are incisive. You've just gotten a new subscriber, sir :)
+Jonathan Hatch That's very high praise indeed. Thank you Jonathan.
But in bvs, people bemoaned Superman. How come it didn’t resonate with audiences as the comics you pointed out.
I LOVE the video, but! If we go by Morrison’s reading of the character, that Superman’s moral perfection is an extension of, and made possible by his limitless power, wouldn’t it NECESSARILY cut him off from his moral perfection by cutting him off from his powers?
What happened was we as a species lost hope in Tomorrow.
Beautiful, that's all I can say at the end of this video, just beautiful.
Though I disagree with you on MoS to an extent, this is a brilliant analysis of the character taking into consideration multiple generations of comics.
What an amazing analysis of the Superman psyche! Great work. I personally liked how they took Man of Steel...however, I took to liking it based on the idea that this would be his darkest moment, from which he would learn his true role in the world, as a strong moral character that knows how deep the abyss can be. With BvS though, instead of his character learning from this, he was instead made to embrace the darkness, rendering him far from his idealistic self. Strangely, tho, we DO have a strongly moral, hopeful and somewhat anachronistic superhero in the film world: Marvels Captain America. That it took another company to fully realise Supermans moral strength should be a mark of shame against DC.
+Karth38 Very true. Man of Steel looks pretty good next to BvS.
The Unintentional Fallacy
not true, in BvS he actually saves people and learning from his past mistakes, while only finding opposition from politicians questioning his authority, those that see him as alien and those who were harmed during Black Zero event. And he still doesn't let Lex Luthor die from a fist of Doomsday and sacrifice his life to stop Doomsday, in the end bringing even Batman to the light. If that's not Superman, I don't know what is.
do you know what i hate about contemporary Superman myth? There is a mentality that "Superman must be evil if you want to make it fun" when they make Batman incorruptable and Lex Luthor & Joker sympathetic. They called it "deconstruction" but I call them "lack of imagination" and "lazy". A lame movie like Brightburn which had popularity among nerds proved my point.
There are plenty of spaces for Superman: make him as who he is: a down-to-earth and inspiring journalist. I don't know why people will find a honest journalist with a normal upbringing much less "relatable" than a narcissistic billionaire that dress up like a bat.
Awesome! Do you have a twitter account? I just want to give you the credit you deserve. These videos are great.
+Doug Keller Thanks Doug! I don't have a twitter account at the moment, so far I've been more concerned with the quality of the videos than marketing or social media. But I might set one up soon. Stay tuned.
No worries. That's a great perspective, and like I said the videos are wonderful.
Excellent
have you read superman, secret identity? if so what did you think of it?
+TIWAI vautier I wanted to include a larger section about Secret Identity in the video but I couldn't fit it unfortunately. Suffice to say it's one of my favourites and quite unique amongst Superman stories. It also succeeds in highlighting how fiction can impact the world in very real ways which I certainly appreciate.
i dont agree with "man of steel" but i see your other points
Philip kelton yeah I loved man of steel
They should bring back Superman in his original incarnation; Batman would have nothing on him.
Personally, I don’t hate the dark and edgy Superman, I think the reason people dislike him is because he is only The Man of Steel in name only, he is not really the stereotypical idea of Superman
I'd recommend the Legends of a Dead Earth annuals from years back. One was Superboy, the other Adventures of Superman I think.
Aliens attack Earth and kill Lois. Superman just gives up. Most Superheroes do. But he comes back, only to be killed. But Superboy takes over to honor him.
Great video
Man of Steele could have worked in my opinion. There's moments of brilliance in there but its bogged down by all the writing mistakes you highlighted here. Trim certain scenes, re-edit them, cut lines, and change the coloration to bring a more hopeful tone could have went a long way to showing the potential the film had.
WOW this was sooo good just shared it with some friends of mine, Superman is a task for most writers cause they get caught up in the times their living in the pre52 Supes is said to take over what are your thoughts on that? Another Good Superman story to read are the mini stories tales of Krypton which should how hard life was on the planet in it's prehistoric ages .
+Anti-Dogma AmGod I'm pretty happy with the return of Pre-52 Supes. DC tried something new with the New 52 and I applaud the gusto but it never really made sense with the rest of the continuity. I hope they have a good editorial explanation for where he's been. I'll definitely give those Krypton tales a look. Thanks for the tip!
+Anti-Dogma AmGod I'm pretty happy with the return of Pre-52 Supes. DC tried something new with the New 52 and I applaud the gusto but it never really made sense with the rest of the continuity. I hope they have a good editorial explanation for where he's been. I'll definitely give those Krypton tales a look. Thanks for the tip!
God, I love this video
Wow just came across this by my curiosity. Nicely said and presented. I've subscribed.
Incidentally to make old supes here more relatable to modern audiences. Simply reduce the Volume of his powers.
By doing so writers won't have to rely on Kryptonite to even the playing field, so to speak, between him and most of his antagonists human or otherwise and it will also give reasonable cause for a Justice League.
Superman cannot save the world alone, he is not fast enough, neither strong enough, his example does not inspire many world leaders, His computers and superrobots aren't capable to coming up with all the Solutions un enginering and human genetics, as Clark Kent no matter how Manny cases of corruption he uncovers if the justice system is flawed the white collar criminals run away. So I think from the get go The Justice League Is needed even if Clark is in All Star level of power, even tho all the leaguers have the same problems as Supes does. They can achieve more as a collective. Clark is a reporter, a scientinst, a storyteller, a good friend, leader and political figure, and he takes the hard choices, the rocky path in believing un redemption, truth and justice, and that's takes the efforts of all of the people of the DC Earth. I don't need a depowered Clark, I want to read stories with a Smallville who does the maximum to do the best.
great video....
ty for this tho i may not agree with every thing you say i agree with most of it. also batman v superman when lex says a god cannot be all powerful and all good or cannot be all good and all powerful another way for them to try to tell you superman needs to change and kill be more of a anit hero etc.
Thank you
You... need to be heard
Great video, congratulations, although I disagree with your analysis of MOS (to me, it really captures Superman in it's basic form, but hey it's your opinion) Other than that, great job.
I liked him best as the boy scout who championed the American way.
amazing
Just saw the trailer
Superman for all seasons is My Year One Superman.
Hope
10mins in Superman is the mashonic, thats why he is an EL!
Long live the man of steel. Also, superman secret identity was great.
Your assessment of Man of Steel is categorically wrong. Man of Steel is rejecting the idea of Superman as God, watch the Devotional Criticism video.
Infinitely superior to the "official" Death of Superman in every way.
+amaxamon It's a sad reality that the out of continuity stories always end up being the best ones. Editorial policies being what they are it's not that surprising but at least DC and Marvel are willing to publish these elseworlds scenarios.
I actually liked death of Superman. Ignore all the shock value and other behind the scenes reasons and you have a heroic last stand in which Superman does what he does best, saves the world, no matter the cost to his own life, when no other hero can, and pits him against a perfect antithesis, a destructive monster with all that strength and power, but none of the careful thought or morality, who in many ways, like Superman, is a complex idea represented by a simpler character.
Red Son was the best!
People who criticize the Superman in MOS and BVS don't want any development for this character in movies, they want him to show up as the happy optimistic boy scout right from the jump....Sorry ,but realistically he would need development to get to this point ,and both Snyder and Henry said over and over adnauseam that this Superman is still developing ....Also superman killed Zod about 4 times in canon...even early canon...What I saw in MOS was an extreme moment that would traumatize him as far as killing...and having a situation written that requires the hard choice of killing a dangerous villain is very common .....Christopher Reeve's Superman went BACK to the diner after getting his immense power back and busted a pinball machine with the guy's head , I don't hear any complaining about that being "out of character"...not to mention him killing Zod and the other 2 by stripping them down to human vulnerability and knocking them down an endless icy abyss
.In defense of Snyder's Superman,it is the "purist" to the lore that we've ever had on film. This superman has sacrificed his self for humanity in both movies, he is depicted as a selfless hero , especially in the "Martha" scene, asking to save another's life instead of his own. There were plenty of hopeful inspiring moments in MOS ....in fact this superman isn't dark ,his circumstances are, the current world is dark ...and he's conflicted ,just as the world is conflicted about him...Superman has always had the same critique for 75 years,that he's not "relatable"...well ,now thanks to Snyder he's relatable..who hasn't ever been conflicted? who hasn't gone through searching for who they really are?? Heroes develop ,they don't just show up as some perfect flawless angel ...People crack me up,they complain that there's no "character development" ...then in the very next breath complain about his inner conflict about how his great power fits in the world...you know..CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ...The exact things he went through in MOS and BvS ,he went through in early canon, in early canon ,not only was he conflicted ,but so were Johnathan and Marta Kent, there's an early storyline were Marta asks " If people react bad to different races, genders,foreigners ,just think how they will act toward an alien"...You hear all the time "Snyder is a good visualist,but not a good storyteller" well,here's a news flash...visuals are a large part of storytelling...and IMO he is an excellent and complex storyteller.
Also , (this is what really makes Snyder's version the purist)-Snyder's superman is inspired by the same thing superman's creators were..the 1930's classic literature by Philip Wylie "Gladiator"., Wylie’s story is filled with heavy helpings of moral ambiguity, Gladiator comes off as a thoroughly modern and adult superhero story. Indeed, when the story was adapted for comics in 1976 by Roy Thomas and Earl Norem,(about 40 years after it inspired superman) it was published by Marvel in their adult-oriented black-and-white magazine Marvel Preview. In the original novel ,he is indirectly, responsible for the death of an innocent. He considers both a life of heroism,and a life of hiding and chooses, or stumbles into, something decidedly in-between. He wanders from place to place, from situation to situation, never coming to terms with who he is and the power that he possesses. All of the pathos that Zack Snyder summoned up in Man of Steel and BvS is lifted right from these pages. Hugo grows a beard** and goes to sea**. . Gladiator reminds me of a mid-eighties DC graphic novel written in prose, everything is dark and conflicted, erotic and bloody.~ And this GRIM tale is what inspired Superman's creators...and obviously Snyder ..But I guess going all the way back to what inspired superman in the first place ,makes Kal unrecognizable to the ignorant , the audio book of this novel is on youtube, in sections, if you watch video 2 onward , you will see Snyder's superman ,right down to the tiniest detail , this is the very core of superman...Snyder is taking about 3 movies to develop superman,yet he gets accused of "RUSHING"..and he certainly is not..I wish people would respect the idea of having an opinion by looking closer before forming one ,since opinion is such a valuable thing...but I guess having knee jerk reactions and jumping on the negative /critical band wagon is sexy these days.
What a reply! My friend you've written a short essay and I think you've made it very clear that I won't be able to change your mind though I do take issue with you criticising my opinion by applying your own. I think this video demonstrates that I did my research. Also, what does everyone have against boy scouts? "Boy scout" has been the go to insult since TDKR and man, I still think the scouts are cool as hell.
Eh i think being called a boyscout should be termed as a sign of respect rather then offence., It means you a good person. One thing I love about Supes is that he is this symbol of an incredible good guy
John Wonder in my opinion ever since the grim era of comics, especially after the death of Superman, the guy has been placed as a cultural icon, raised to heights of near perfection and regarded as the saints of comics. From my knowledge of Superman is a guy that tries his best. That's it. Like Alan Moore said "This is imaginary...", meaning different takes on Superman should be allowed and be explored to see how that affects the man of steel. This means having a Superman that within himself has all the reasons to uphold his standards is as viable as a Superman that maybe does not from the beginning or the middle or maybe it clicks at the last second.
I think we can all agree that its hard to come across a wealth of Superman comics because the guy is just harder to write because of expectations he has to live up to. These expectations can always make a good story like we have seen done in Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman but that it being done that way does not take away from the quality of a story from a Superman that has to by himself learn the lessons he has to uphold.
In MoS, we are introduced to a Clark Kent who is simply confused, then in search for answers and then given an answer which then raises more questions. The young Clark believes is not human. In his controversial conversation with Jonathan following him saving the students in the bus, Jonathan's parental instincts kick in advising his son to engage in caution before engaging in a situation because of the situation that may occur as a result. In this case, one students mother already believes Clark to be divine. Already casting expectations of the perfect on a child. Jonathan believes Clark is not ready for this kind of projection so much so that he sacrifices himself to keep Clark safe from it. After all, this is a teenage Clark who is shown to be susceptible to emotions as much as the next teenager and so it is expected that the weight of responsibilities that would fall upon him would be great. Removing the assumptions we know about Superman, to the Kents, the possibility of a secret identity is not even considered because well, why would they? Even if he was to use his powers, it would be assumed that it would be done as Clark Kent still. The film establishes many times that this is a learning Superman.
I love All Star Superman but it is not without its flaws. My biggest problem is the portrayal of Clark as some bumbling idiot so to keep his secret safe. I find this to be a problem because it raises the question of how Superman views Clark Kent to be the alternate identity even though it was Clark that made Superman and not the other way around. In MoS, it is made clear that even though Clark puts on the suit or takes it off, he is still Clark Kent with the only difference being now he can now break the sound barrier.
The demise of Zod at Clark's hand was unavoidable as soon as he was not a absorbed into the phantom zone. The decision to write the story in such a way is controversial, I agree, but this does not take away from the effect of the event on the characters or how the characters interact with the event. As soon as Clark killed Zod we saw a deeply hurt Clark who clearly suffered from the act. He wept. Unlike many "heroes" you compared him to, Clark shows sadness, not anger, regret and not justification. So no, the ends did not justify the means in MoS as Clark cried immediately. He was not happy with the choice he made but he would not have been any happier with the other choice presented by Zod.
Unlike in What's so funny about truth, justice and the American way, in MoS Clark is not blessed with inexperienced, cocky antiheroes on another planet with the futuristic technology to block people's powers, he has to use the limited knowledge he has to fight against military veterans hellbent on destroying his world.
Clark in this story more than nearly sacrificed his life for a world that mostly made life hard for him, but also sacrificed his history and his people to give humanity their chance. Throughout the movie, we see a Clark Kent who is trying his best in every situation and even with his powers learns that he is not immune to pain. He is from his experiences learning and growing even if those lessons are harsh, I think his reactions to those lessons matter as much as those lessons as well. So, Clark killing Zod was bad but the sadness after is what I expect from a hero who had no choice. He tried his best.
Zack Snyder's Clark Kent is a Superman.
John Wonder After wall that though, I think that development is overrated, I think learning more about a character is more important. All Star Superman has a Superman set in his "traditional" beliefs. We do not really see a growth in the character but we just learn more about him which was amazing. In this story, he has all the wisdom he could possibly need but we just get to see him use them which was an amazing experience. I love All Star Superman, Man of Steel and Batsman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (ultimate edition).
The problem with MoS, and BvS is that you barely see him be human towards other people. He's either always arguing with someone as clark kent, or they treat him as some god and he stares off in the distance as people are worshipping him for whatever reason. There's nothing about the superman in these movies that solidify him as a human being we should aspire to be more like, instead it's just him sulking, running away when people need help, and contemplating if he should even be superman. That's not character development, his character doesn't change from MoS all the way through BvS. They just do a complete 180 in justice league. They keep telling us that he is this "beacon of hope" but there are few and far scenes in the movies to support this claim. He's treated more as a plot device rather than an actual interesting character. "Oh, we need this to happen to him so we can do this". They try to paint him as realistic, but it just comes off as boring. He had all his life growing up in Kansas building up relationships to realize the man he wanted to be, his parents should have raised him with that thought in mind, and he should have grown up knowing what he was capable of doing. He could be inexperienced in the movie, but that doesn't mean change up the core ideas that make up superman. You want to know something? Zack Snyder hated the idea of superman, he's one of those people that can't fathom the idea of there being someone who has no other reason to be good other than to be good. That's why giving him a reason of why he has to be good is so detrimental to his character. It just makes him just like any other superhero and in turn it becomes the event that makes him who he is rather than him deciding for himself that it's what he wants to do. This 3 movie arc you're talking about is complete bs, there is no noticable difference in the way he acts in MoS and BvS. Zack Snyder has him be the same for 2 movies and then kills him. But his 3rd movie is supposed to be where he is fully realized as superman yet at the very beginning they unsuccessfully try to paint him as classic superman in footage that seems to be before he died. Zack Snyder had no plan, he and his writers were just like, "How do we make superman more like batman?" Purist my ass
Superman is the ultimate boomer
I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT SUPERMAN LOOKS GAY SITTING LIKE THAT.LOL
This is all the reason’s I very much like Captain America
Nes