The character of Superman has been embedded in the American consciousness since the early 1930’s when Kal-El made his first appearance. He first appeared as the cover feature of Action Comics #1 which was published on April 18, 1938. The reception of the character was a resounding and immediate success. In 1939, DC Comics(then Detective Comics)began a sister series specifically for Superman. So, why is he so popular? There are multiple reasons. Obviously, because he’s a superhero, but that’s kind of missing the point. Superman resonates with people because he represents what is supposed to be the best of humanity, event though he’s an alien. Many of us aspire to be something greater than ourselves, and that’s what Superman represents. He’s the one character that many people have looked up to for decades. Even in today’s world, Superman represents the one thing that a lot of people don’t seem to have a lot of anymore: Hope. His desire to do what’s right for mankind is extraordinarily inspiring.
There have been MANY interpretations of the character since his debut in 1938. Some of the more recent incarnations with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman have courted some controversies among fans, but I’ll get to those later. While actor Kirk Alyn would be the first actor to portray the superhero on screen, it was George Reeves who really made the character more popular with a series that started in 1951. The actor boldly wore the iconic red, blue and yellow outfit with the signature S on the chest. The character would also be featured in an animated series during the 60s. In 1978, the first real serious live-action film of Superman: The Movie took the world by storm.
Superman: The Movie was essentially the first real comic-book movie to be taken seriously. And how. It featured an all-star cast with Gene Hackman, Marlon Brandon, Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp, Margot Kidder, and Jackie Cooper. However, it was the performance of Christopher Reeve that turned people’s heads. With that one iconic performance, Christopher Reeve shot to nearly instant stardom. Superman: The Movie is by far one of my favorite movies of all time, because it embodies all the elements of the character so well, and Mr. Reeve really brought that out in the character. The film would see a decent follow-up and two horrendous ones during the 80’s. We would not see another live-action Superman movie until 2006, when director Bryan Singer would give the character another shot. Since Christopher Reeve had since passed away, it fell on the shoulders of newcomer Brandon Routh to don the red cape. The movie was decent enough, but it was too similar to the original film, and not everybody really bought Brandon Routh as Superman. As a result, it would be another 7 years until we got a new movie.
In 2013, Zack Snyder’s re-imagining of the character, Man of Steel would be released to mixed but mostly positive reactions world-wide. It took a darker and grittier look at the character and how he fits in with today’s world. Henry Cavill would be the first non-American to play the character, but you would never know that unless you already knew that he was British. It was certainly a different take on Superman, and while many people complained about the character’s departure from the big blue boy-scout of yore, I feel that this interpretation of Superman is far more relevant to today’s world. With the recent release of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, we see Superman still struggling to adapt in a world that is connected and very skeptical about him.
Now that I’ve gone over a little bit of history with Superman, I’m going to tell you why I really like the character. It goes back to my first paragraph about what the character represents: Hope. In Man of Steel, that’s what the S on Kal-El’s means. As Jor-El puts it, it represents the fundamental belief that there is potential in everybody to be a force for good. THAT is the essence of Superman. Yes, I like the fact that Superman flies and has super-strength and can see through everything(except lead), but there’s this absolute desire from the character to do the right thing, even if it isn’t the most politically correct. While previous films have portrayed the character as absolutely sure of himself and as a boy scout as Lex Luthor puts it, Henry Cavill’s character is not as certain. He even admits to a priest in Zack Snyder’s movies that while General Zod can’t be trusted, he’s not sure the human race can be trusted either, because of what he’s seen. This is actually why I like the newer version of the character so much, because he has doubts. Not just about people, but himself as well. He’s not perfect and he makes mistakes. I find that approach to be rather refreshing. While a lot of people would accuse the new Superman movies of feeling to much like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, I feel that in today’s world, a movie with the tone and color of Superman: The Movie would feel somewhat out-of-place.
As I said before, Superman: The Movie is one of my favorite movies of all time, so don’t think that I’m ragging on it, because I’m not. It’s just that a movie like that really can’t be made today without coming across as cheesy or cynical. Comic book movies, like the comics themselves, are often a reflection of the decade in which they are released. The looks of the characters and movies tend to change over the years. I can certainly understand why people don’t particularly care for the new movies, but I love them. The actions that Superman takes in the new movies have severe consequences as exhibited in the Battle of Metropolis at the end of Man of Steel. The consequences of that battle would become the focal point for Batman V. Superman. People are afraid of Superman and they feel that he has too much leeway in doing things. There is a political aspect of the new film that addresses those questions. I really do like that about the new movies. There are consequences and Kal-El himself has doubts about how he fits into that world. I think that makes the character even more compelling. He’s not perfect and he knows that his actions have hurt people.
Is the character of Superman still relevant? Absolutely. Truth be told, Superman is needed now more than ever, considering the current political atmosphere. Yes, he’s a fictional character, but what he stands for is as important today as it was nearly 80 years ago. No matter your age, your creed or your ethnicity, Superman still remains one of the most inspirational and amazing superheroes ever, and he is willing to help everyone, regardless of where they are from. Call me naive, but I believe we, as a species, can aspire to be something more; to be something greater. This is why I love Superman.