Superman's Dark Past

The Atlantic ^ | May 24, 2015 | Charles Moss

[Dr. Sivana]

The article exaggerates this dark side that only existed for under two years (June, 1938 to 1940).

Superman had not yet developed a code against killing, but he DID take advantage of the fact that no one had seen a man with these powers before, making his bluffs all the more powerful. But even in Action #1 ("The Reign of the Superman" is NOT the same character) it states:

Early, Clark decided he must turn his titanic strengh into channels that would benefit mankind.

That's the beginning, folks. Yes, when he is going after a munitions broker fostering war in Latin America to spike sales, he doesn't ask for permission from the State Department. That doesn't make him an outlaw!

Of course, everything changed during WWII:


I wouldn't call that dark, though. Actually, that's kinda cool!

[Talisker]

The controversy stems from Snyder's decision to cast Superman as a brooding, Dark Knight-like character, who cares more about beating up bad guys than saving people.

Beating up bad guys IS saving people.

Friggin liberals...

[unlearner]

“But what many fans don’t realize is that Superman hasn’t always been the Big, Blue Boy Scout they’ve come to know and love. “

True. Nietzsche had a much more morally ambivalent version of the super man.

BTW, calling someone a boy scout may come to have different implications going forward.

[Jack Hammer]

The contemporary, post-modern individual is someone who has absolutely no idea what the concept of freedom means or what the Fifties were like.

[EveningStar]

/the Atlantic sucks

This is not an editorial by the editors of The Atlantic. It's an article written by freelance writer Charles Moss that The Atlantic chose to publish.

[greene66]

No, Superman never had a “dark side” or a “brooding” side. I’ve read all those early stories from “Action Comics” in the Archives reprint book. The only difference perhaps is that he was a bit harsher in scaring/threatening the villains, and wasn’t quite so beholden to the “rule of law.” But that wasn’t unusual at all for the 1930s-era, where from b-western heroes to pulp magazine heroes, there was almost always a kind of a pro-vigilante bent. By the 1950s, all these kinds of heroes (with “Superman” being a perfect example) became very “law-and-order” and more civic-minded, instead of just meting out justice as a law unto themselves. The latter become culturally much more frowned upon, in the post-war years.

What’s appealing to me about both the 1930s and the 1950s heroes is that they tend to be relatively free of angst, self-doubt, or psychological demons. They don’t wallow in pointless or self-absorbed emotionalism, but just simply and instinctively act like men, living up to the age-old ideals duty, honor and character.

[Rodamala]

Maybe you'll see a movie with General Zod as the protagonist!

Kneel before Zod.

[TBP]

Send this back to Krypton.

[dfwgator]

Wassup! SuperFriends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8H1bg65TaM

[Secret Agent Man]

I don’t care anymore. They are hell bent on destroying these characters and thinks that reboots are original thought worthy of praise and worship. Libtards and their ideology sre going to ruin comics juxt like everthing else they ruin when applied.

[tumblindice]

Yep. Like there was one Tarzan: Johnny Weismuller.

Q: If Mrs. Kent made Superboy’s uniform for him from the fabrics they found in his space craft ... OK—she unraveled threads and used those to sew.
But how did she cut the fabric, in that the fabric was as tough as Clark/Kal-El?
I’m guessing she marked the cuts with chalk and asked Clark to use his heat vision.
Do you think Clark used his X-ray vision when he walked by the girls’ locker room? Of course not. He was pure in mind and deed.

[Swordmaker]

Do you think Clark used his X-ray vision when he walked by the girls’ locker room? Of course not. He was pure in mind and deed.

Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex, an essay by Larry Niven.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Hey what about saving the guys in the life boats from the sinking ship? More fun to get the U-Boat People but is that the way a superman should act?