| forevercloud3000 said:
Superman never has an opposing threat that actually incites fear he will lose. Darkseid is powerful, yes. Lex Luthor is genius, yes. But neither of them have ever succeeded in their attempts to thwart him. Now I know they might "comic book kill" him but I mean the BIGGER lose. Batman fumbles in saving those who can't protect themselves all the time. Batman has failed to protect his closest friends and has watched many of them become perma dead. I have yet to see Superman ever experience true failure. The best I can think of is Superman II the Movie, when he races all over saving everyone but fails to save Lois Lane. He finally experienced what it is like to lose, and he became infuriated by it so much he was going to break his oath of not killing his enemies. Superman is seemingly immune to the set backs other do-gooders experience on the regular, fictional and in real life. Real life proves that evil frequently prevails but nevertheless, good people just cannot give up, or they will fall into complete chaos. This fact gives the non over powered heroes a sense of dynamic realism. Watching any of the movies/animations/comics have you ever honestly felt that Superman would not entirely succeed by the end? Its like watching a TV's Smallville, when they kept attempting to "shock" the audience by killing Lana Lang......yet by the 2nd or so time we were pretty sure it was a farce. Thats Supes' in a nutshell, hes invincible, and just because you put paper barriers infront of him does not mean he is actually being challenged. PS. Goku also comes to mind as an overpowered showboating hero who never truely struggles and defies all manner of believability as a hero. I can fathom the conept of that he is portrayed as a god who is constantly resisting temptation to rule over those who are just far weaker and needy. Yet I give you an analogy, it sounds like a kids foot vs an ant. The kid can feel pity for those much weaker and try not to step on them. I just feel the ant's side of the story is far more interesting, with him having to utilize every ability he has to survive, against seemingly unbeatable odds. Supe's is the Kid's Foot, Batman/Spiderman are the ants. I have not seen that movie, since we have been talking about this I have peeked interest in these heroes stories again. I will check it out. Yet you have to admit, Batman does a far better job at being a superhero even tho he is technically like the weakest. (Also he can beat any member of the justice league 1on1, TRUTH!) |
I'm going to spoil the movie for you.
Superman doesn't kill. People (including readers that inspired the story) wonder why Superman doesn't kill his enemies and they keep coming back again and again. Anyway, there's this one guy that defends Superman's stance. Superman isn't judge, jury, and executioner. Unfortunately for him, one supervillain that Superman didn't kill escapes from prison again. Atomic Skull (the enemy) fights Superman int the middle of Metropolis. The man who defended Superman dies in the crossfire, right in front of his son. Superman is devastated. Meanwhile this new group of "Superheroes" known as The Elite execute Atomic Skull right in front of a cheering crowd. Superman flies off horrified that people like their style of justice over his style.
And while I'm at it, I'll spoil All-Star Superman for you, too.
Superman is tricked into saving a shuttle by Lex Luthor. As a result, he gets super powers he's never had before. He's dying. He spends his last days trying to live life to the fullest. Unfortunately, there is no cure for his illness. He dies trying to fix the sun.
And if you ever read Kingdom Come, I'll spoil that for you, too.
Superman quits fight. Lois Lane is killed by the Joker during a rampage. Superman resists killing the Joker and takes him into custody. A super hero called Magog kills the Joker and people embrace him and a new breed of Superhero. As a result, Superman goes into seclusion. Without his inspiration, earth is on a collision course with Armageddon. Heroes are just as reckless as the villains and as a result, millions die. Superman comes back to inspire both hero and human but the wheels put into motion have already decided that either Super Human or normal humans will survive. Unfortunately, Superman doesn't know who should survive. He realizes that, try as he might to relate, he simply isn't human.
Superman doesn't always win. He was powerless to save his friend Kat Grant when her son was slaughtered by Toy Man. He couldn't stop Superboy from getting killed by Superman Prime. He gets humbled by Batman on a regular basis because Batman is just smarter than he is. He got controlled by Max Lord and used as a weapon against Wonder Woman and Batman (beating Batman into a coma). Superman fights villains of a higher power level but he still ends up about even with the challenge he faces.
