Posted on 06/18/2013 2:33:00 PM PDT by craum
My Superman Doesn’t [....]
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There has been some (but not much) talk about the fact that Superman kills in this latest telling of his legend. Much of this talk revolves around what he did, but I want to take a higher level view. The point isn’t to debate his behaviour – the writers are the creators. What they will is so. The point is to debate the meaning of his behaviour. Superman stories are a reflection of the times, and certainly, important issues of each era have been mirrored throughout the history of the Superman legend. The role the story tellers play is to be a kind of barometer of societal attitudes. This gives us a chance to look at where we are taking ourselves - the path we are on. A reality check, if such a thing were possible in fantasy and sci-fi.
I’ve enjoyed the Superman legend my whole life. One of the main reasons is because of what Superman stands for. Unconditional respect for all life. "The Ending Battle" with Black Manchester is the quintessential "Superman Does Not Kill" story. But that's just so boring and simplistic to today's morally sophisticated consumer. Yeah... So we are now in a time that is reflected by the prescient genius of Darrow and Miller's “Hard Boiled”.
http://www.questionsleep.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/miller_darrow1.jpg
We are in a time where writers tell stories that successfully entice people to cheer each week for a serial killer (Dexter). Video games that let us play a psycho killer as a valid story line. Some people think this just goes to show how we’ve grown up and want our entertainment and inspiration to come from the gritty real world. But these stories aren’t the real world. Beyond entertainment, stories are meant to put us in a world that inspires and teaches us. Instead, today’s culture shows what a nihilistic, self absorbed, unrestrained society we've become.
Goyer and Nolan wrote the script for Superman to kill; for unrestrained, almost pornographic, violent destruction. They did this as a reflection of the times we live in. This movie is a mirror that shows us as a violent, amorally nihilist society. What does all this mean in real terms? As an example, a sizable chunk of our society thinks it’s OK to kill Americans without trial using drone strikes. The writers had Superman omnipotently chose a final solution to his problem because it reflects our experience in real life. Additionally, people who don’t like a Superman who *doesn’t* kill betray their attitudes by cynically using words like “Dudley do right” or “boy scout”. It’s so much easier to drag Superman down to their level, rather than leave Superman where he belongs – as an ideal of goodness for us all to strive for.
C. Raum
“LOL? Superman doesn’t kill?! Superman HAS always killed, but always tried not to. Only in extreme circumstances.”
As I already mentioned - in the Golden Age, on rare occasions, he was indifferent to the fate of an evil doer - but that’s not killing.
He killed Mr. Mxyzptlk at the end of the Silver Age, but he gold krypto’ed his powers away (he was no longer Superman) as penance (and it was non-canon - there have been non-canon stories of “Superman” in nearly every situation imaginable - it is not part of the Superman legend).
The only true example of Superman killing was John Byrne’s Superman (and this 1988 story is what MOS was based on), but that story kind of dissolved in canon and even then he banished himself into space as penance.
In the Superman vs. Aliens cross-over, after Superman realizes what he’s dealing with, he kills the Alien creatures, considering them “vermin” (they wiped out the remaining Kryptonian race except for Kara).
So there you have it. One non-canonical example and one barely canonical example. That’s two examples in his 75 year history and thousands upon thousands of stories.
Superman has *not* always killed. My Superman doesn’t kill.
If there was a real Superman he would not tolerate Muslim leadership in America, period. When the superhero was first created he fought against anti American enemies, and Islam is no friend for America.
I wonder if any of the writers contemplated writing a storyline about the man of Steel physically removing an usurper from the Whitehouse and rooting all the Muslim Brotherhood infiltrators and collaborators.
That’s because his tights don’t have a zipper, he carefully plans his potty breaks and he doesn’t drink beer or eat watermellon
Probably not, as most in the comic industry are flaming PC libs. Frank Miller had actually done some work on a Batman vs. Al-Qaeda graphic novel, but that concept was scrapped. Too bad.
I had always assumed that Superman killed Zod and the others at the end of "Superman 2" . If not, what happened to them?
“I had always assumed that Superman killed Zod and the others at the end of “Superman 2” . If not, what happened to them?”
It was cut out of the movie but on the DVD you see them being led away by the police. Falling into a dry ice cloud != dying.
Good point.
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