Who is Superman?
Superman is the blueprint for how to be a good superhero. But he also inspires people to be better than they were yesterday and treat everyone with respect, or that's at least what he is in the comic books. In most media, like movies and TV shows, Superman is portrayed as an emotionless godlike figure, more of a symbol than an actual person. Due to movies and TV being a much more popular source of media, this representation of Superman's character is most well known. Comics are a much more niche medium than movies and TV, making Superman's more happy-go-lucky personality get outshined by his more godly movie counterpart; in the comics, Superman is shown to be a regular guy with a conscience and chooses to become Superman because he knows what's right. Compared to movies like “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice'' there is a scene at the beginning of the film where a group of kids who look up to Superman walk up to him and ask him why he does what he does and what’s his favorite thing on planet Earth, Superman looks off into the distance implying that he's thinking of Lois Lane, which is very out of character for Superman because Lois Lane isn’t the reason he is a Superhero. In the comics, Superman saves people because he has the ability to, and he knows that's what he was meant to do, showing care and kindness to all around him. Superman's portrayal in the DCEU movies don’t show that part of Superman, putting him on this pedestal to be worshiped upon, showing how the movies don’t understand Superman as a character. Due to the movies not understanding the character of Superman, this taints the public's perception of the character. Most people think he is a dark and gritty person, but, in reality, he's the opposite.
In the comics, Superman grew up as a normal kid raised on Earth, which he thinks of as his home. The only tie he has to his home planet, Krypton, is his DNA. Other than that, he’s Human. He was an average person before he became Superman. Clark Kent was raised in Smallville, Kansas, and this is reflected in his personality. He has a tender soul and is a human being before anything else. He experienced loss, had friends, and got his heart broken. When he becomes Superman, he does what he does not because he thinks people are weak but because he has the power to, and that's how his family raised him, to do what's right. Superman believes in Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow. Showing he believes in everyone, no matter how bad they are, they will be treated justly. In the comic story “All-Star Superman’ Superman is going to die due to overexposure to the sun's rays, and there is nothing he can do about it, so he tries to find a way to protect the world while he's gone. This is a story about perseverance and how even if you’re told there is no alternative path, “there's always another way” (All-Star Superman).
Compared to the DCEU movies, Superman is an emotionless god who is seen as the next coming of Christ. In “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,” there is a montage of Superman saving people, with the final scene being one of him floating above a crowd of people asking for help and not doing anything to help them. Comparing this to almost any Superman comic storyline with a few exceptions like “Injustice,” Superman would always help, regardless of what they had done in the past. Superman's character is very bland in the movies because they try to make him like a god. He doesn’t have many emotions except for his love for Lois Lane, which is his most prominent character quality in these films. Comic book Superman's character, on the other hand, is exceptionally well written and complex. When Pa Kent passes from a heart attack in the comics, it teaches Superman that he can’t save everyone. In the films, Pa Kent gets killed by a Tornado, which Superman could have saved him from, completely undermining the point of Pa Kent's death. Comic Superman's character has had over 85 years to develop and establish that character. If the movies pulled from any of those 85 years' worth of material instead of writing him in a way that completely disregards that material, Superman's representation in media would be very well received. As the DCEU moves into its next phase with James Gunn as its forerunner, I have hope that we will see the version of the Man of Steel fans deserve.
