I never connected with Superman. It wasn’t because he fought for truth, or justice, both of which I’m huge proponents of. It was that whole “American Way” thing that always rubbed me the wrong way. I had a hard time believing that of all the nations on this planet, the promise of cheap Chinese goods being purchased on bad credit by overweight line workers was the “way” that Superman envisioned as the ideal standard of humanity. Especially considering his physique and mental prowess, Superman most likely looked at the American citizen the way an 18th century dandy might look at a prostitute on Crenshaw.
Superman is a hero for a different age. An age of unrealistic, unobtainable standards. His only weakness was kryptonite, a substance so rare it only existed in the comic book which bares Superman’s name. And that’s not really a weakness so much as it’s a plot device. A real character weakness would have Superman chasing tail like Don Draper, or forced to bark every time he sees black people.
This cartoon illustrates my problem with Superman in less than two minutes:
As you’ve probably heard, Zack Snyder has confirmed that he will be directing Superman for Warner Bros:
“I’ve been a big fan of the character for a long time, he’s definitely the king of all superheroes, he’s the one,” Snyder, who directed Watchmen and 300, told me. “It’s early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I’ve always felt he was kind of awesome. I’ll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it.”
I think Snyder did a much better job on Watchmen than he got credit for, and he’s one of the few directors out there that I think really “gets it” as far as what audiences in this age will go bonkers over. I’m very curious to see what his vision is for this modern Superman.
