DCs Most Complicated Superman Movie Problem Hasnt Changed In 46 Years

DC’s most complex Superman movie problem has been present for the franchise for almost five decades, and is almost impossible to ever truly fully address. While Superman is one of DC’s most prolific heroes, he’s also one of the franchise’s most tumultuous – especially when it comes to his on-screen history. Though there’s been a wide range of strong Superman actors, and a huge range of interesting adaptations of iconic Superman moments, there’s also an undeniable catalog of questionable and controversial decisions that often crop up when looking through the character’s film history.

Some of these are newer issues, as the franchise attempts to craft a version of Superman that works for a modern audience, and thus one that needs to feel fresh and nostalgic at the same time. However, some other complications have been present for the character for decades before even the DCEU timeline, and arguably cropped up since he first stepped foot into his first movie.

Superman Movies Have Faced Up Against His “Do-Gooder” Stereotype Since The First Film

The Original Superman Movie Faced A Problem The Modern Films Contend Against Too

In a behind the scenes interview with Christopher Reeve for 1978’s Superman, the actor notably says that Superman has “got the kind of maturity or the innocence really to look at the world very, very simply, and that’s what makes him so different. When he says ‘I’m here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way’, everybody goes [laughs behind hand] – you know, but he’s not kidding.” This shows that the perception of Superman as overly simplistically good or trite is not a new or more modern affair, as Reeve is expressing this as a common conception decades before today.

Indeed, the original Superman movie arguably had to contend with this idea even more than later installments, as the Golden Age of comics was far more recent, and thus the sometimes more straightforward depictions of Superman still fresh in audiences’ minds. Similarly, the on-screen DC hero audiences would have been most familiar with would’ve been the 60s Batman show starring Adam West and Burt Ward – and while the series holds a key place in DC’s live-action history, it is easy to see how it may have compounded the idea that superheroes weren’t exceedingly complex characters.

Why Superman Movies Have Faced The Same Problem For So Long

The Superman Movies & Comics Face The Same Matter

Each iteration of Superman has contended with the idea that his noble qualities are somewhat naive or simplistic, be that in the comics or on-screen. Even warped villainous versions of Superman deal with this idea, by exploring what the character would be like without his moral compass to guide him. Interestingly, this isn’t something that’s contained only to Superman, as figures like Captain America often get the same reaction. This is something that can be seen even in the MCU, which often playfully amped up Steve Rogers’ own morals with moments like having him scold his teammates for bad language.

Ultimately, what this all appears to come down to at its core is that a character who appears primarily focused on the greater good at all times is easily mischaracterized as dull or without further depth because they fit hero stereotypes so well. However, this avoids much of the most lively aspects of said figures.

In superhero movies and comics alike, characters who are defined by their sense of right and wrong often take the most unique paths because of them. Superman is perhaps one of the best examples of this being the case, as can be evidenced with things like Clark Kent fighting himself in Superman III despite the poor odds, or managing to win against a newly-powered Lex Luthor solely by his nemesis seeing life through his enemy’s eyes in the All-Star Superman movie.

Superman Is Interesting Because Of His Morals, Not In Spite Of Them

Superman’s Best Stories Come From His Role As A Moral Cornerstone Of DC

Though characters who explore what a more remorseless version of Superman would be like are undeniably interesting, Clark Kent himself is at his most engaging when he’s facing a moral dilemma that other figures simply wouldn’t have to face. Superman is the epitome of heroism because many of his biggest problems he could easily leave behind by putting his beliefs to one side, but instead chooses to face them because of his moral fiber. Without this, some of the more core elements of the character are somewhat awry, which is why each Superman movie focuses in on the topic.

Superman

The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.

Created By

Joe Shuster , Jerry Siegel

First Appearance

Action Comics