Why does everybody hate Superman?
- Thread starter theguru
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The honest truth about Superman is that I really can't find anything to like about him.
Hes too overpowered and his powers are uncreative.
Unrelateable.
Bland personality.
In fact I dislike him so much, I usually root for Lex Luther instead, I'm pretty sure that isn't supposed to happen?
Hes too overpowered and his powers are uncreative.
Unrelateable.
Bland personality.
In fact I dislike him so much, I usually root for Lex Luther instead, I'm pretty sure that isn't supposed to happen?
I think the issue with Superman is that he is too much of the symbol he is supposed to be. Superman makes sense as an incarnation of hope, truth, justice, and basically all of humanity's good qualities, but he doesn't really make sense as a character. That makes the interesting parts in all of his story's become how the rest of society deals with the mere fact of his existence.
The only superman comic that I have is Red Son, and it's really good because it actually makes that the focus. It makes Superman a Communist hero and then basically watches the rest of the world react to that.
The only superman comic that I have is Red Son, and it's really good because it actually makes that the focus. It makes Superman a Communist hero and then basically watches the rest of the world react to that.
Superman isn't usually popular among teenagers and young adults, but it's not really his fault. Children and adults tend to like Superman a lot more. Children because Superman is "Mr. Happy Ending." The guy who is good enough and powerful enough to guarantee the boogeymen won't win. Adults like him because of that the stories where he doesn't win, at least not right away. His failures just make his victories that much more meaningful, which to an adult reminds them to keep hoping for a brighter tomorrow.
Teenagers and young adults are usually far more cynical and jaded, and thus find the notion of such a powerful person being righteous and good to be unacceptable. They like to be reminded of the cruelty of the world, and while most of them still want to see the good guys win, they want to see him suffer for it. Batman appeals to this notion in many cases.
It's not all-inclusive, of course. I love Superman, and count him as my second favorite superhero of all time (behind the Flash) and I'm only 22. Children can love Batman, blah blah. I'm just speaking to trends that I've noticed. If you think I'm completely wrong, well, fuck it. I tried.
I also want to point out that most people, regardless of age, don't HATE Superman. He's the epitome of good, to hate him would certainly make you seem... not-so-good. People find him boring or uninteresting, but you'd be hard pressed to find many people who outright HATE Superman, especially if they like other superheroes. Superman is the ORIGINAL superhero (at least in the way we know them). All other heroes have a at least a little Superman in them.
Teenagers and young adults are usually far more cynical and jaded, and thus find the notion of such a powerful person being righteous and good to be unacceptable. They like to be reminded of the cruelty of the world, and while most of them still want to see the good guys win, they want to see him suffer for it. Batman appeals to this notion in many cases.
It's not all-inclusive, of course. I love Superman, and count him as my second favorite superhero of all time (behind the Flash) and I'm only 22. Children can love Batman, blah blah. I'm just speaking to trends that I've noticed. If you think I'm completely wrong, well, fuck it. I tried.
I also want to point out that most people, regardless of age, don't HATE Superman. He's the epitome of good, to hate him would certainly make you seem... not-so-good. People find him boring or uninteresting, but you'd be hard pressed to find many people who outright HATE Superman, especially if they like other superheroes. Superman is the ORIGINAL superhero (at least in the way we know them). All other heroes have a at least a little Superman in them.
I feel like he's alittle bland as far as Super Heros go.
Also he doesn't get a lot exposure--I think the last Superman game was on the N64 and that didn't go over very well.
Also he doesn't get a lot exposure--I think the last Superman game was on the N64 and that didn't go over very well.
Because, honestly, I don't read the comics (I don't care about superheroes enough to do so),and most of what I've seen about Superman is just bland. I'm sort of neutral, but much perfer other characters such as Batman (mostly the way Batman Begins and the Dark Knight portray him).
I'm sure this is not the best way to experience superheroes, but I don't have the time or the drive to read the comics, especially considering how many most of these superheroes have a million volumes.
Going solely on what I know, I don't like Superman because he's just boring. I don't hate him either, I just would rather give my time to something else.
I'm sure this is not the best way to experience superheroes, but I don't have the time or the drive to read the comics, especially considering how many most of these superheroes have a million volumes.
Going solely on what I know, I don't like Superman because he's just boring. I don't hate him either, I just would rather give my time to something else.
I find the perfection thing to be why I dislike him. Hes super strong, superfast, nearly invincible, can fly, xray and heat vision, can turn back time etc etc. Its just too much compacted into one character. A lot of other superheroes that are more liked generally have only one or two abilities they excel at, and have to rely on those more heavily in order to be effective. Hes overall uninteresting as a character too since theres very little that people can relate too, he has no personal struggles other than "theres this one girl I like" and the whole dual life thing which is just silly. Glasses on, not superman, glasses off, superman.theguru said:
Characters that actually have personal struggles and overall restrictions on them are generally more interesting, and since since Superman seems more like a swiss army knife of available tools its hard to see anything that could challenge him. WHile I haven't read the comics I cant really see how there can be many threats to him other than the cliched "capture the heroine" or kriptonite which as a weakness seems rather lame.
I don't hate him. He isn't anywhere near my favorite superhero (Depending on definitions: either Batman or the Flash) but there isn't anything inherently bad about him as a character. I always thought the dislike of him stemmed from a) him having pretty much every classic superpower (and sometimes super-ventriloquism) which makes him look like he shouldn't have a problem dealing with anything; and b) how he gets treated by the writers when working with other people. In a story where he is working by himself, he gets treated with some respect and has reasonable flaws but will eventually solve the problem. But once he gets put on a team, that seems to go out the window. He usually gets dumber, more powerful (yet less useful), and turned into a punching bag.
I'm gonna stop you right there. Who did this in comics before Superman? Also: x-ray vision, super hearing, super speed, ice breath, limited telekinesis, eidetic memory, and enhanced smell. Also, empowered by yellow solar radiation and weak against such things as: radioactive isotopes, red sunlight (takes away his powers), magic. You laugh at a picture of Superman painted in your own head by yourself, not the Superman drawn in the comics.Tony said:
Big Superman fan over here. I've always loved the character study pieces that involve Superman, especially some of the Elseworlds stuff.
Seriously, read Kingdom Come, Red Son, and, for a laugh Superman; True Brit. All the stories touch upon the psychology of the Man of Steel in different ways that show what his role in the DCU actually is.
I especially love his interactions with Batman in their crossover stories. Superman/Batman; Public Enemies sits proudly on my shelf as one of my favourite pieces.
And i just realized; i'm actually wearing Superman boxers as i type. *Nerd*
And Superman has more than a few equals this guy included;
And this is my favourite scene in Kingdom Come.
EDIT; also, if we're talking overpowered, the modern Flash is possibly the most ridiculous in the powers department. He can vibrate through physical objects and run at light speed. Not to mention punching you a million times a second, while travelling at speed.
This article, while filled with more bile than my statements, probably explains it better.
http://cheesebadger.xanga.com/650384722/why-the-flash-is-the-most-overpowered-superhero-ever/
Seriously, read Kingdom Come, Red Son, and, for a laugh Superman; True Brit. All the stories touch upon the psychology of the Man of Steel in different ways that show what his role in the DCU actually is.
I especially love his interactions with Batman in their crossover stories. Superman/Batman; Public Enemies sits proudly on my shelf as one of my favourite pieces.
And i just realized; i'm actually wearing Superman boxers as i type. *Nerd*
And Superman has more than a few equals this guy included;
And this is my favourite scene in Kingdom Come.
EDIT; also, if we're talking overpowered, the modern Flash is possibly the most ridiculous in the powers department. He can vibrate through physical objects and run at light speed. Not to mention punching you a million times a second, while travelling at speed.
This article, while filled with more bile than my statements, probably explains it better.
http://cheesebadger.xanga.com/650384722/why-the-flash-is-the-most-overpowered-superhero-ever/
He doesn't have a humanizing flaw. His super power is to be awesome at everything. With Iron Man, he's womanizing and can be selfish, Batman is an orphan who channels his desire for revenge into stopping criminals(honestly, there's a lot you can do with Batman's psyche, this is bare-bones). Superman is just perfect, and that's boring. It's hard to connect with him on a personal level because he's just regular guy++. Iron Man and Batman are imperfect, damaged even, and that allows us to connect with them, because we are flawed as well. (this is just from the limited stuff I read, there very well may be some Superman work that analyzes his psyche, but I haven't read it, and what I've written seems to be fairly prevalent in Superman storylines).
Superman's awesome. To me, his story is the constant struggle of having godlike powers while still having the humanity to not abuse them in anyway. The struggle of the desire to be human in a situation that has granted him inhuman power, which is why I agree with those that believe Superman to be the most human of the DC characters.
All my friends hate him for the reason that he has all this power but holds back all the time. I say, that's what makes his character so strong.
All my friends hate him for the reason that he has all this power but holds back all the time. I say, that's what makes his character so strong.