The story of Clark Kent in all of his numerous incarnations has turned into a timeless staple of the comic book world and the superhero genre as a whole. No matter the era, there’ll always be a Man of Steel in the DC universe, and though many would agree that Superman is one of the greatest fictional characters of all time, there has been certain criticism leveled at his status as an invincible immortal.
If your character is an all-powerful god that puts him above any villain you could throw his way, does that leave anything at all compelling about him? Vulnerability in the face of conflicts is, after all, the single best narrative tool to challenge protagonists and help them grow in the face of adversity. But since Superman has only one weakness and is otherwise invincible, folks have always wondered if that makes his stories boring, as opposed to, say, Batman – who is a normal human being limited by his own physical restraints.
Well, most of the Man of Steel’s diehard stans would disagree with that assessment. If anything, a lot of talented writers have proven over time that you don’t need Superman to be vulnerable to make him an interesting character. Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman is the perfect example of this, a story that not only refused to nerf the character’s powers, but actually increased them in an effort to show that it’s not his godly powers standing in the way of a compelling story.
DC has also had it with criticism that “Superman is boring,” so they’re addressing this situation once and for all with a meme on their social media page.
Besides, if all else fails, just remember that Superman literally has laser eyes, and it doesn’t get any cooler than that.
Published: Mar 14, 2023 01:33 pm