Do we still believe a man can fly? The visual effects aren't the problem anymore - it's us...

I’ve recently been reading the Superman Chronicles books, and it’s quite interesting to see how the most well-known superhero of all time started out. Superman is really nothing more than an alien strongman, going outside the law to stop crime and corruption. He’s not above breaking the rules, and even on occasion has threatened the lives of those he seeks to punish (and has even put their lives in serious danger). He gets the job done, and is sure of himself and the job he is doing.

Over the next few decades, Supes lightened up, but he always held a self-confidence that showed us that he believed in what he was doing. The iconic image of him is always of him standing straight and tall, fists on hips, a steady look in his eyes. My folks grew up with this image in the comics, and of George Reeves on television (whose only weaknesses were Kryptonite and a gun being thrown at him). I grew up with reruns of the television series, as well as Super Friends, a short-lived Superboy series, and all of the various comic book titles that Superman appeared in.

With every generation, Superman changed enough for the changing times, be it through new powers, or slight changes in his demeanor or attitude, but his overall belief system and crusade remained pretty much the same, standing for Truth, Justice, and the American way, and causing as few casualties as possible.

But in 2001, a new look at our favorite Kryptonian came to the small screen. The Superboy storyline was re-examined and re-written in the form of Smallville, a series that took Clark Kent from being a self-assured teen superhero to a teenager on the outside. Instead of Clark starting down his future path, we got a show full of pathos and inner struggles. Suddenly, there were doubts as to whether or not Kal-El would fulfill his destiny as he fought it every step of the way. He no longer thought of the world as his to protect, but as a place he was trying to find a place in, constantly longing for a normal life, something that had never been really tackled, or at least not like this. Even his costume seems to reflect his inner turmoil, donning all black with a trench coat, with a faded silver shield on his chest.

The show has had ups and downs, but it has begged the question: What place do superheroes have in this modern world? Superman as we know and love him uses violence only as a last resort, and never takes a human life. Ever. He wouldn’t even think about it. And yet, it seems about every two to three episodes of Smallville, someone in Clark’s inner circle seems anxious to kill someone, pointing out that Clark “Won’t do what needs to be done”, pouring on more guilt than an Italian grandmother.

"What place do superheroes have in this modern world? Superman as we know and love him uses violence only as a last resort, and never takes a human life. Ever...And yet, it seems about every two to three episodes of Smallville, someone in Clark’s inner circle seems anxious to kill someone, pointing out that Clark “Won’t do what needs to be done”, pouring on more guilt than an Italian grandmother"

I guess it’s easy to pick on Kal-El for such a transgression, especially in our current world situation. Since the seventies, the anti-hero has gained popularity. Batman got darker (although, it should be pointed out that this was more due to wanting to escape the image of the Adam West series), and Marvel handed us heroes like Wolverine and Punisher, who had no qualms about killing to stop their foes. In the eighties, Frank Miller gave us The Dark Knight Returns, a Batman tale set in the future where he come out of retirement take on a new crime wave. It also gave us V For Vendetta and Watchmen, both of which feature heroes that acted less heroic and more like mercenaries. In the nineties, Spawn showed us that there was definitely a market for violent heroes that shoot first and ask little of their victims. It also saw the death of Superman, and his rebirth as a darker character, more prone to use his fists than before. But the public demanded the return of the Superman they grew up with, which seemed to be supported by the popularity of the brilliant animated series by Bruce Timm.

"I guess it’s easy to be jaded in this post 9/11 world where everyone is scared of everyone else, and superheroes seem to be the stuff of kid’s books. But this is the time when we need that light, that beacon of hope. We need someone to look up to, to aspire to be like"

I guess it’s easy to be jaded in this post 9/11 world where everyone is scared of everyone else, and superheroes seem to be the stuff of kid’s books. But this is the time when we need that light, that beacon of hope. We need someone to look up to, to aspire to be like. There’s too much violence in the world, too many out there that would simply strike out at others. If ever there was a time to be reminded that there is a better way of living our lives, I would think that time would be now.

So as we head toward the season finale of Smallville in a few weeks, and the promise of a new season next fall, I can only hope that Clark will forgo his self-consciousness, and become the hero that we need. We need tights and flights, we need super heroics, we need someone to watch over us and protect us, even if it is a fictional figure, there if for no other reason than to inspire us. But most of all, we need a reason to believe in something again. Some folks have religion, faith, spirituality, or what have you. I have comic books.

See also:

Superman: Truth, justice and…something else?

Running Low on Heroes?

Will the real geek please stand up?

Fanboy war prompts closing of DC Comics' blog comments

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