[/caption]Superheroes have been quite the rage over the past 10 years. This mostly is because of movies. The entertainment industry has been able to adapt these comics that go back 40, 50, 60, or more years, and turn them into fun entertainment. I enjoy them, and I'm sure you do, too.
I like pretty much every superhero, including Spider-Man and Batman. I even like Superman, despite some issues I have with him as a superhero.
You see, there's a problem with Superman. He is ... well ... Super. Nothing defines the superhero category better than a Super Man. In fact, he's so super that he's indestructible. Guess what? He can see through things, too.
But wait, there's more!
Superman can fly! He can run super fast! He can shoot hot laser beams through his eyes and blow bone-chilling, freezing air from his mouth! He's strong , too! He can lift whole airplanes, and probably bigger stuff!
But wait, there's even more!
Superman can jump a whole stinkin' building in one leap! It's not good enough that he could just fly over it, he has to bring himself down to the more common man level and jump high, too! What a show off. Did I mention that even his superhero outfit is super? I never saw it get completely burned off in a fire, and apparently he has a never ending wardrobe of the outfit.
But he does get weak. Only one thing makes him weak. In fact, if you are a villain or even a supervillain, just turn around and go back if you don't have the thing that makes him weak. Why? Because if you can't weaken Superman, he's super. He cannot be stopped. Nothing beats absolute super. So you better have some kryptonite or your opportunity to take over the world will be foiled by Superman.
Don't you think it would be better if Superman had limited control of his powers? Let's say he needed to stop a plane in the sky. Instead of flying up, grabbing it, and bringing it down for a safe landing, don't you think it would be a lot more interesting if he got into the air but had troubling controlling which way he moved? Maybe the plane is front heavy, and he accidentally tips it while bringing it in for a landing, causing all the people inside to roll up to the cockpit. I can see them now, tumbling over and over, rolling their eyes and saying, "Must be Superman is here again to save the day!"
I think you get my point. Superman is nearly a pointless superhero, because he's impervious to any attack but kryptonite. Granted, I've been out of the comic book loop for a while, so maybe there's more I don't know. At the end of the day, a superhero is super, but I also think he needs to be balanced out with weakness. Even if the hero has a lot of powers, keep him from using them constantly.
Think about it: Do you ever really feel like Superman is in danger? I don't. He'll always get out of the situation. Batman? Oh yeah. He could die with one false move. Spider-Man? Definitely. He's so busy worrying about his personal life, you know a slip-up is coming at some point that will get him hurt or worse.
But Superman? He's great and all, but I can't help and think that his plethora of powers lends itself to the least interesting stories.
Any battles under a red sun.
ReplyDeleteBizarro, Zod, any other villain with similar powers.
Any colour kryptonite.
He still needs all the things a living organism does, so he could be trapped until he died.
Telepathy/mind control would still have an effect on him, and you get him to kill himself or others.
Oh yeah, and he was killed by Doomsday.
ReplyDeleteI read The Death And Life of Superman well over a decade ago. If I recall correctly, Doomsday didn't kill Superman. He simply drained his strength to the point that he appeared dead. Once Superman recuperated/rested/rebooted, he was alive. Again, he's Superwhich to me means he's indestructible.
ReplyDelete