Inter-Action

Is Superman a Hero or Anti-Hero?

By Ubermensch (theodred2.11.3@gmail.com)

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities." Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

He is faster than a speeding bullet... More powerful than a locomotive... Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... To his family and friends he is Clark Kent. To his colleagues in the Justice League he is Kal-El and to the people of Metropolis and beyond he is known as Superman! A force for good. Earth's mightiest champion and protector... Many see him as a moral example, pure of heart, and full of virtue... He is often known as "The Big Blue Boy Scout." But are all these accolades justified? Is Superman a hero or anti-hero? There is an excellent excerpt (that compliments the subject of my essay) from Jessica Page Morell's book Bullies, Bastards and Bitches about "The difference betwixt a hero and anti-hero". It is a good read... and I highly recommend it!

"Nearly all men can stand the test of adversity, but if you really want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln.

Time Magazine recently listed "The Top 10 Modern Day Abuses of Power". In some ways (reading it) is very disheartening. One can view the article as a 'cautionary tale' justification for misanthropy or a challenge to not be as those on the list have become.

In Kal-El's defense, in spite of all the 'power' that he has, he does not believe for a moment that that gives him the right to act with impunity. He is neither a tyrant or a sexual predator. Superman says through his actions that, "Power does not always corrupt and intervention is not the same as meddling." And this is what I love about him. This is what is great about him. But the purpose of this essay; is to take a closer look at the judgments and character of the most powerful sentient being on the planet Earth. To determine if the world he is sworn to protect is truly safe and secure under his guardianship. I shall be commenting on choices that the Man of Steel has made from his exploits on the big-screen, small screen and within comic books.

As a child, I was in awe of how Richard Donner and company brought the Man of Tomorrow to life! Kal-El was as he should be, strong, handsome, good, kind and virtuous. I probably couldn't count the number of times that I've seen these films over the years, but after watching them recently through the 'Eyes of an Adult' (The Superman: The Movie Extended Cut and the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II) I have come to see that what I once saw as nothing more than superbly crafted Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Summer Movie Blockbusters. Is actually a fascinating 'Character Study' of the Man of Tomorrow.

Now if the film-makers sought to portray the Last Son of Krypton as being morally perfect, without fault, an inspiration and 'Model to Follow', than with respect I must say that they failed miserably...

(1) Superman manipulates time and space...

In Superman: The Movie Kal-El alters time and space. The creators of the story had a perfect opportunity here to do what President Obama calls, "A teachable moment." They could have humbled him and said to the movie going audience that, "Even a Superman can fail." Instead they chose to exalt him further!

On account of Superman's decision to not accept partial defeat at Lex Luthor hands, because Superman refused to restrain himself, he proved that he is no better or worse than anyone else. For most of us, if given the chance to do so; as Cher put it, "Turn back time" we would... But should we? A hero by definition (at least to me) is someone who does what most people would not do in a crisis.

(2) Superman forsakes his birthright...

Now the Greatest Sin (if you will) that Superman has committed (in my eyes) in any media that I have seen him in is akin to Esau selling his birthright to Jacob [Genesis 25-36].

Concerning the 'human condition' I have come to see that, "The one thing that human beings seem to have in common universally, is the desire to 'fit in' (find our clique) and also 'stand out' (distinguish ourselves) from our peers. What Kal-El failed to see is that he already was blessed in these two ways. For as Clark Kent he fit in and as Superman he stands out. Till this day one can speculate and theorize on the question, "What was his real motivation for relinquishing his superpowers?" Regardless of his motive, what he did was incredibly impulsive, short-sighted, reckless and irresponsible! Some might say to me,"Hey, chill man. Cut Big Blue some slack. Everyone makes mistakes, you know..." In this case, cutting him slack is unacceptable... For there were no other superheroes in this account of his life. There was no Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batman or anyone else. He was all there was and he QUIT...

(3) Superman alters Ms. Lane's memories without her consent...

But it doesn't end there. After seeing how much of a rough time Lois Lane was having with the knowledge of who he was and what they lost, instead of giving her time to sort it all out, he unilaterally decides to sort it out for her by erasing her memories. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche told us, "What does not kill you, makes you stronger." I can't help but think that Kal-El robbed Ms. Lane of a valuable life experience that could have lead her to a higher state of maturity and spiritual growth. To put it bluntly... Superman raped her soul!

(4) Superman abandons his post on Earth...

They say that "Some people have to learn the hard way." This is often the case for the Son of Jor-El... In Superman II, he learns after defeating Zod and his compatriots that "The price of freedom is eternal diligence." In Superman Returns we discover that not long after his defeat of the super-powered Kryptonian war criminals, that he decides to abandon the planet Earth and all who inhabit it for five years! What?! Hmm... let us take a close look at the word 'abandon' for a second; the Free Online Dictionary says;

1. To withdraw one's support or help from, especially in spite of duty, allegiance, or responsibility; desert: abandon a friend in trouble.
2. To give up by leaving or ceasing to operate or inhabit, especially as a result of danger or other impending threat: abandoned the ship.
3. To surrender one's claim to, right to, or interest in; give up entirely. See Synonyms at relinquish.
4. To cease trying to continue; desist from: abandoned the search for the missing hiker.
5. To yield (oneself) completely, as to emotion.

Hmm... reading these definitions, (especially the first three), meditating for a moment upon them, really gives more weight to the gravity of what the Man of Steel decided to do. If Superman were a soldier he would be considered M.I.A. Guilty of 'Dereliction of Duty' and 'conduct unbecoming of an officer'...

(5) Superman abandons his parental responsibilities...

But wait, it gets better; after learning that he is a father, instead of acknowledging the child as his own and becoming a part of his life, he flies away and apparently leaves the rearing of the young'un up to his mother and her fiance.

Now I want to pause for a moment to say that I am not writing this Essay in order to bash Superman nor am I a 'Hater'. Like the apostle Paul, the scales have been removed from my eyes and I see clearer than before. And I see now that the person that I thought he was, may have never existed. The revelation that this was to me, if it were put to a soundtrack, it would be The Foo Fighters' song, "My Hero" (I have always interpreted this song to be about one becoming disillusioned with either a person, group or ideal that one once believed in. Others may interpret the song differently).

(6) Superman fails to protect the Fortress of Solitude from technological raiders and bandits of information...

To continue, in Superman Returns Kal-El seems to forget that Lex Luthor knows (if not his secret identity) where his 'base of operations' is... the Fortress of Solitude's location is comprised. The son of Jor-El leaves planet Earth and he leaves all that advanced Kryptonian technology unprotected.

He doesn't relocate the Fortress of Solitude. He doesn't create Superman Robots to guard its secrets. No, he just basically leaves the front door open to it for five long years... and then when he comes back to check on the place, he's surprised to discover that someone he has not invited has been there recently. So what that means is that all the death and destruction that Luthor was able to bring about by using Kryptonian crystal tech, is Superman's fault!

Now humans can get in serious trouble for not properly safe-guarding a firearm in the presence of children. Before Superman left Earth, you would think that he would have had enough sense to do something as extreme as carrying the Fortress of Solitude to the dark side of the Moon or something, so no human could gain access to it. I believe that a true Hero is not (just) a person who cleans up their own mess, it is a person who goes above and beyond the call of duty. It is the difference betwixt 'personal responsibility' and 'social responsibility'...

(7) Superman underestimates Lex Luthor and pays for it dearly...

There is an old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well that's my fault too..." It was understandable how Superman was tricked by Luthor in Superman: The Movie. Kal-El didn't even know that he was vulnerable to kryptonite. I still think that it was complete rubbish how Lex somehow figures out that he would be vulnerable to such a thing. This was a moment of total meta narrative, it was as though Lex had broken through the fourth wall and got a peek at the script of the film that he was in. How could Clark be so reckless, against a man who nearly killed him, would have killed him, had he not been betrayed by Ms. Tessmacher. Even Lex says to him, "Didn't your father ever tell you to 'look before you leap'?"

(8) Superman goes into battle at half strength...

In the animated movie Superman: Doomsday, when Kal-El sees his clone decimating the armed forces; he can't help but come to their aid, even though he is still recuperating. Now some might say that this was very heroic of him, I disagree... Given what was at stake, he should have been at nothing less than his best condition to take on such a foe. Carrying a kryptonite gun and hoping for a miracle isn't a good battle strategy, in my humble opinion...

I sometimes think that perhaps the reason why Kal-El gave up his special abilities is because he did not consider himself worthy of them or he didn't want the power and the responsibility anymore... In Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" he just didn't want to be Superman anymore, so he resigned. The pressure of the job became too much for him. In the animated series Justice League Unlimited Season One finale, Superman (and the other six founding members of the JLU) decided to disband the League because things got rough politically; but a tongue lashing from Green Arrow and the support of the public, changed their minds.

I recall one of the TV spots for Superman Returns saying something like, "If you're looking for someone to believe in... Look up." What I'm left thinking is... "Is this the sort of fellow that anyone should look up to and aspire to be like and emulate?" Someone who constantly reminds me of how he fails to heed a wise woman's words (J.K. Rowling), "We all have to decide to either do what is right (difficult) or what is easy..." When push comes to shove, Superman tends to do the latter and not the former... and I have to say, this scares me! In a fashion not all that different from how some said that they were scared for America while George W. Bush was in the Oval Office...

Superman is the father of superheroes, an American and world icon, As well, he is often considered to be the greatest fictional hero of all time! Over the years many 'Flying Strongmen' have been (to some extent) 'cut from his cloth'. Captain Marvel, Mr. Majestic, Gladiator, Supreme, Prime, Meteor Man, Neo, Hancock... There have been parodies: some kind of endearing like Mighty Mouse and others crude like Captain Hero. But something that I can't help but think of is what Chris Matthews said of Sarah Palin during the 2008 Presidential Campaign, after Tina Fey parodied her so well on SNL, "Is it just me or has Mrs. Palin begin to parody herself?"

Superman is supposed to be (as Bret The Hit-man Hart often said of himself) "The best there is. The best there was. And the best there ever will be!" Unfortunately, I find myself at times wondering... "Will the real Superman please stand up. Please stand up. Please stand up." A hero is supposed to give others a sense of confidence in their abilities and superior judgment... For some time now, it seems to me that Superman has begun to become in TV, movies and comic books, a 'Parody of Himself'. He is diminished, and I hate to say it, but if his job performance was put to a vote; I may have to give him "A Vote of No Confidence" if he does not redeem himself.