How would you write Superman?

[DokiDokiTsuna]

One last topic before I leave for work...so when it comes to writing "morally correct" characters that people will like, I often see people end up mentioning or talking about Superman. Usually when they claim he is or isn't the most 'boring' mainstream superhero (you see the term 'boy scout' tossed around a lot), and defend their positions.

I think this is really interesting, partly because of the layman/expert disconnect. When you have REALLY famous, near-universally-known characters like these, you see these odd interactions between the ideas most people have about them in their heads, and the ideas fans have about them based on actual source material. I'm one of the 'laymen', so I'll be speaking from that perspective, but I'd be interested to hear from any actual DC fans about this.

I think that the first layer of this issue is the idea that "good guy=boring guy". There are a lot of ways to read into that (it's almost worth another topic) but at it's core I think it's really just an extremely pervasive myth. ^^; People love good guys, as long as they're entertaining.
It's just that subversion trends, among other things, have given rise to the idea that to be entertaining, you must have some "immoral" qualities. You have to be irresponsible, unreasonable, devil-may-care. If people don't brace themselves when you walk into a room, you're not living your best life.
Even people who are merely impulsive or excitable, but otherwise well-meaning, get painted as 'troublemakers' or 'disasters' so they can fit into this concept.

It's not a bad thing in and of itself...it's just culture, really. But it biases people against characters (or even real people) who don't 'make trouble', who place importance on being considerate to those around them whenever they can, and not just when they aren't busy with something else.
People see someone like that, who genuinely doesn't want to have the loud party or the third drink, and think "wow, they're too uptight; they need to learn to to have fun, to let loose". Or that they're covering up some hidden desire...just because it's what they're used to being shown.

And I feel like that's what led to Superman's "boring" image. He's not portrayed as a snark/jokester/goofball, so they can't call him a "disaster". He doesn't dress all in black and walk around brooding, so they can't call him cool by association with "villainy".
He's just kind of a calm, upstanding citizen...and despite all his hardships and the inherent complexity of his character...'calm and upstanding' just doesn't really do anything for anyone. ^^;

I've heard things about writers trying to change his personality to make it more appealing, to find a way to tap into his fame and really sell him to the masses again...I don't really think change is necessary, though. I mean, I'm pretty sure Superman has been given a Dark Side(TM) before, and even that didn't do much for his public image (case in point: I can't remember).

I think what needs to be different is the lens through which his story is told. Portraying him as a guardian angel come down from the heavens; the hero we need but don't deserve...it doesn't work anymore. You put him up on that pedestal and (even if he gets angsty about it) he deserves to be there, and there's literally no momentum in that.

If I were to write Superman, I would go for a more down-to-earth approach. NOT a self-effacing one (I hate that "oh, little old me? I'm just a humble farm boy" thing in any character; I find it ridiculous), I mean something that really puts his perspective front and center in all of his problems. Kind of like a sitcom~.

You know the character archetype of "I'm the only sane person in a house/office/city full of nutburgers, and I'm just trying to SURVIVE"? It's an old one, but it's lasted a long time, and it still does surprisingly well.

The sweet, outgoing yet awkward MC who's Just Trying His Best(TM) against an eccentric cast is a fairly popular incarnation of the archetype right now, and I think that if someone were to do something like that with Superman and promote it well, it could really work. Take his "boring" personality and let the audience into it a bit more, make it human and reasonable instead of virtuous and godly, and I think people would learn to actively appreciate him.

The only big problem I can see with my idea is that it lacks something...mainly the macho "power fantasy" vibe. ^^; If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "cute" and I can anticipate that a lot of DC fans would hate, hate, HATE that.
But (a) f*ck macho, who needs it and (b) cute is just an element, it doesn't have to be a whole vibe. I wouldn't want him to bicker with Lex Luthor in a coffee shop or anything, as opposed to fighting him on the streets. Like, why not both? Both of those types of interactions, anyway. Especially if it's going to be one of those stories where he always saves the day anyway...why not take things less seriously every once in a while?

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I'd go the dismal route. Where everyone he tries to save, eventually gets hurt because of his non killing pledge, and his villains return for vengeance because of a broken system.

He'd probably end up becoming a recluse, who still sticks to his guns about not killing. But he'd never wear the red and blue again. And would remain as anonymous as possible, changing his appearance as often as possible to throw off the vengeance of villains.
Supes would live the rest of his existence, sad and alone, but still fighting, just...not as out there in the public eye.

[elpenor]

superman is actually a pretty coherent, likable character. he has one goal, and that is to protect the human species because he values it. he's a sort of godlike character in that his love for the human species isn't predicated on much at all, except like... a taste. but his actions show that he's consistently honest about this, so we're not worried he'll go evil and explode everyone (like dr. manhattan might).

his conflicts usually involve what it means to be human, the clash between his nature and his self-identity, and existential ideas about morality, ethics, and existence. when well-written, superman can be one of the most interesting DC characters just because he tackles these difficult ideas from an earnest, good-natured perspective. and isn't that sort of what heroism should be?

[But_a_Jape]

Damn, lots of topics today that really tap into my "I HAVE OPINIONS" side. As a former edgy-boy in my teen years, I've really come to appreciate Superman a lot more as I grew up. I acknowledge there's been a lot of bad writing for Superman, but when people badmouth him as a character now, I think the issue really stems from us not having a "Quintessential Superman" for mainstream audiences to really latch onto in the universal consciousness. The last time an honest-to-goodness adaptation of Superman became universally known was with Christopher Reeves' films and those were decades ago. Since then, we've had adaptations that never achieved larger fame and countless "subversions" of Superman - which honestly, I find a bit boring now. You can't subvert Superman today when no one really "knows" Superman anymore. All you're subverting is some vague memory people have from when they were kids - subverting that image is as interesting as subverting Santa Claus (hasn't stopped anyone though and it definitely won't stop me when I start making Christmas comics this year).

Anyway, how I've always wanted to depict Superman is in a way I feel a lot of adults can relate - someone who struggles with living up to the image people have of them. Yes, Superman can do anything but he can't do everything, and that's what makes him tick. How much of himself does he have to sacrifice in order to live up to this idealized version of himself people have in their minds? Haven't you ever been aware that there are certainly things you can do and people expect you to do, but for one reason or another, you just can't? Maybe you're a parent who knows they have it in them to be a supportive parent, a loving spouse, and a career-minded worker, but finding a way to be all of those things at once is hard. And just because you don't always live up to those roles doesn't mean they aren't who you are - you could still be a good parent even if you lose your temper sometimes or miss your kid's recital. Superman is the hero who can always show up to save the day, he's also Clark Kent, the small-town farmboy who wants a simple life, he's also Kal-El, the immigrant who wants to feel more in touch with his heritage. I feel like where a lot of people go wrong with their interpretations are assuming any of these facets of Superman are a falsehood - if a writer can believably touch on all of these aspects of Superman, I think it would go a long way towards making him relatable.

I'll also add an example of what I consider to be a successful case study: Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before the movies, everyone just considered Cap a boring, perfectly good, propaganda mouthpiece - but the films have shown that you can still preserve the upright goodness that characterizes Cap without making him boring. No, they didn't need to make Steve Rogers a snarky asshole, or give him some internal demons to fight, or do anything to make him "darker, and thus more relatable" - he's still a good boy, but good boys can still be real people.

[jensrichard77]

You know. I would not change superman. He is what he is and he should be like that.
What I found more internering is the characters around him. Without Sups you wont have the Batman being his "equal" as human. Without Superman there would not be a Flash trying to outrun him. We need that blue scout boy to let the others shine and give the small drama and dynamic to the whole story.

[Dane_Sherbet]

It takes a lot of work to keep making others see you as consistent and boring. Superman as a character is easily as complex as Batman, it just isn't obvious at a glance.

There's an expy of him who flies around all the time saving people, never resting or allowing himself to have a life. His sense of duty is that strong. So you've got to wonder why Superman doesn't do the same if he's so good. Why does he have a secret identity and something like a normal life when he could be saving people instead? Even if we're talking a version of him who can't hear people in distress from across the city, he has to know that he'll find them if he just flies around for a bit. Instead he goes on dates, banters around the office, even spends the holiday with his folks. You'd never guess that he does those things from the image he projects, and Luthor certainly doesn't.

[jcmraz]

The best ways to write superman involve him dealing with human issues. No one ever thinks superman won't somehow be strong enough. He's always just BARELY stronger than his opponent. Superman fighting is freaking boring! So you write stories like The Jumper, where he shows compassion to a suicidal woman and talks her off the ledge. You write Superman like in the short where Lex Luthor gets a flat tire and is helped by some random guy and the guy tells his Superman story: Superman just hanging out sharing a burrito with the guy and being a person, grappling with how impossible his goal is. No matter how many people he saves, thousands more die and he has to deal with that and keep moving forward. The best Superman stories show him as a human. Not a superhero.

[AmazementComics]

Recently this movie came out:

This movie (which is mediocre at best) represents how to write the humble beginnings of Superman. This is how you should write Superman. At least in terms of his origin story.

I feel that in many modern Superman stories, there isn't enough substance to make him feel vulnerable. He comes from an extinct civilization, with no clear ties to it. There is more of a focus of his American life on earth. I feel like a part of writing Superman means exploring as much as he can about Krypton and where he originally came from. Personally, writing him means fleshing out the man first: Clark Kent/Kal El.

When writing Clark Kent, maybe have a hologram of his father Jor-El explaining the history of Krypton to him like he did in Man of Steel. There needs to be a balance of both worlds when deconstructing Clark Kent, I feel like he should be knowledgeable about his original homeworld and their traditions. He needs to understand his physiology, and how the sun strengthens him, and stoke the age old question. "Is he a symbol of good or a symbol of absolute power"?

Then we get to the Superman aspect. Since Superman is such a potent force, the best route in my opinion to take would be to focus on how his presence affects the lives of people in Metropolis. This can be a great writing point as what Man of Steel did so well. His presence was his strength and downfall at the same time. Some people love him, some people hate him. That is not more clear than by the villain of Lex Luthor. Writing Superman means that one has a clear understanding of his villains. Luthor needs to have clear motivations to attack him. In Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (the movie gets a lot of hate, which I feel is unjust), his plan to take down Superman was both convoluted and methodical at the same time. Luthor exploited his every weakness from not being able to save the crippled man with a lead bomb in his wheelchair during the courthouse hearing, to managing to get Batman to nearly kill him with Kryptonite, to actually constructing Doomsday to kill him.

All of this is to say, Superman needs to be brought down to his most vulnerable by his villains, yet at the same, press on the age old question, "Does he stand for good or evil" by exploring his human side by his interactions with Lois Lane to Jimmy Olsen in the Daily Planet.

SIDE NOTE: I would still make him one of the strongest superheroes in DC Comics, but drastically cut down on the sheer level of force he can deliver.

[Dane_Sherbet]

You basically described DCAU Superman.

[AmazementComics]

And that's why the DC animated universe created one of the greatest iterations of Superman. A hero is only as good as their villains. Makes sense why Batman's so popular.

[CursedBeasts]

I was going to say that I would try to write him the way DCAU did but other people beat me to it haha. I can't really put it in words but I think DCAU has the best versions of Superman and Batman. They're both very human, if it makes any sense.

[Dane_Sherbet]

DCAU Superman reached all the way into the Phantom Zone for a date.

[scribesunlimited]

Dear Superman:

Why oh why did you decide we needed #4 Quest for Peace?

Sincerely,

Earth.

[laxahon305]

All-Star Superman is why I became a Superman fan.
(I used to hate him / think he's boring)

Both the animated movie, and specially the comic are 10/10, if you don't like it, you have bad taste lmao, or you're too edgy, in that case, watch the movie Superman Vs The Elite (Edgylords) then hopefully you'll get how to write him.

If you still don't like supes, you should read his comics that prevented real life suicide, superman's comics literally saved lives in real life (when you have depression you know it)

The guy is a beacon of hope, superman isn't about cool superpowers (altough he got the coolest ones) he isn't about being overpowered either (lots of characters are stronger in-universe)

Superman isn't relatable like Spiderman (at least I used to relate to Parker) and neither he should be, he's a guide to us, a goal we should strive for, he's our betterselves

Even if humanity is all kinds of fcked up, there's still a few "supermen" in real life, super nice people that only want to help others

He isn't perfect either, that's complete bullsht, one of his major themes in his comics is the fact that no matter what, he can't help, or save everyone, no matter how powerful, fast, or whatever he is

I love Batman like almost everyone else, but Superman is, and always will be my only superhero, because just one page of his comics literally saved my life in one of my darkest times, depression is something horrible, and if a fictional character can save 1 real life, and in his case multiple lives (I'm not the only one) you have one hell of a character, you have a true hero.

People that hate on supes, just don't get him, his best version is in some of his comics, his animated version is okay, and his live action tend to be meh (not always)

The real Superman is not only the first superhero, but also the best superhero (sorry Batman & Spiderman lol)

ESL

Peace out.

[darkone4587]

I'd just write him as he's suppose to be a big blue boy scout trying his best to be the best he can be for everyone around him.
Maybe have some emotional weakness, but have Lois or his folks help him mentally. Have him smile and help people, enjoy time with his friends, etc.
Maybe have some higher moral conundrums about the limits of his powers and what he can do and what he can't. Save the big bad physical scuffles for big moments and focus more on the smaller moments.

[jensrichard77]

Superman is, and always will be my only superhero, because just one page of his comics literally saved my life in one of my darkest times, depression is something horrible, and if a fictional character can save 1 real life, and in his case multiple lives (I'm not the only one) you have one hell of a character, you have a true hero.

Now, what can you say to that?
I haven't been where you were. But I can relate to the feeling of a strong fictive character can have a strong impact on real-life too. And I’m happy that you are here to tell your story.

For me, it was this quote from Sin City:
”An old man dies, a little girl lives. Fair trade.”

That's what keeps me fighting. This is how I want to go out. And everything else I will survive.

But back to Superman.

When thinking about it. Superman isn't that boring. There are so many layers in that hero.

An example:
I can't find the scene. But I remember that Superman and co had defeated Darkseid’s army and they are leaving earth. But just before Darkseid enters his portal he randomly kills a human being. And superman can't do shit about it.

Some call this Darkseid showing weakness in Supes. But it is not. Superman knows to choose his battles. And that is more important than anything else.

This, I have tried in real life too, working as security. I pulled my co-worker out of a fight from a mad-man. I could have counter-attacked and everything would just turn ugly. But I took the beat with minimal damage and now there are only one attacker and a court of law.

[DiegoPalacios]

Is tricky to judge a work from the past with modern standards because storytelling is constantly evolving.

Superman was a ground breaking work when it came out. It was one of the pioneers of the superhero genre, but nowadays it would be considered a cliché because it the source of many of the tropes and formulas.

If i were to travel to the past to write it, i wouldn't change a thing for this exact reason, but if i were to make a modern adaptation, then, the answer would be longer.....i need to think about it.....

[CarltonIsaac]

I was going with this -

but someone beat me to it and I had to torch all of my files.

[rmdooley]

I would write him like how he was presented in Superman the Animated Series, definitely powered down and his abilities only get him so far. In the end he has to use his moral judgment and intelligence to win the day, the conflict goes beyond what can be muscled through

[Dane_Sherbet]

We really need more DCAU.