Is Man of Steel True to the Superman Legacy? Essay

In the 1930s two characters appeared in comic literature that became icons of pop culture. Batman and Superman are the golden boys of DC comics and are considered the most popular of all superheroes. Being around for over seventy years these two have acquired a near endless fan base of all ages. The two kings of comics have often been portrayed as allies, though they have different views on situations. The argument of who is truly the better hero has been around since their creation. To compare these two juggernauts we must look at their defining traits; origin of the hero, their alter egos, and of course their strengths and weaknesses.

During the course of the battle for Truth and Justice, man and sword came together at last. Holding the sword, Superman found himself expanding, spreading across the winds of the universe. The entire history of creation flooded his mind, and his consciousness expanded as he became and all-seeing and all

The film begins with Bruce Wayne, Batman, recalling his parent’s murder. We are introduced to an older dark Batman who brands and kills criminals. Throughout the film, we are reminded of the destruction that superman has caused in Metropolis when he indirectly destroyed the city. Lex Luthor takes advantage of the situation by manipulating Batman to hate Superman (Clark Kent), and capturing Superman's mother forcing the heroes to fight each other. Furthermore, the character Bruce Wayne, in Batman v Superman (BVS), illustrates a clear example of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of evidence of flashbacks, impulsive behavior and his inability to sleep.

The main factor that tells me that Superman is a better Superhero is that fact that he actually has powers whereas Batman has to rely on money. Superman has many powers such as: Extreme strength, invulnerability, heat and x-ray vision, super breath, and flight. Batman on the other hand, has no powers and without his billionaire status, would

The first point is highlighted on many occasions, from times when he gets badly injured yet keeps on fighting, to times where he lets his emotions for people get in the way of true “justice”. Bruce Wayne as a child was brought up in a world where there was seemingly no justice, a world where after his parents were killed never seemed to be fair, Bruce never felt that justice was truly served. He was trained by a group of vigilantes who’s eventual goal was to destroy

I believe Superman is the most tremendous DC Comics superhero out of all of them. First, he is a alien from a planet that has been destroyed. Saying that he is very comparable to The Doctor from Doctor Who, because there is only two of them left of their entire race. Both of these heroes never use violence. I say that because neither of them ever really kill anyone. Indefinitely they are really the best heroes in the end because nobody ever dies.

He is strong, fast, tall, and for the most part a ladies man in the comics. With the relation he had with immigration caused him to exceed in sales because he touched the everyday man but also touched bases with jewish immigrants because they cannot go home. (University of Texas Libraries & Superman homepage) Superman today is the dazzling, strong, people person, and ladies man that everyone adores. Superman today is seen as a perfect man, because he know no wrong, and he always does right.

For example, when superman defeated super villains he put them in a rehabilitation program that included neurosurgery to make them productive workers. This is similar to Stalin when he would send people to Gulags when they did not believe in his ideals. I created the anti-rightest campaign where many people were rallied up and taken to learning camps. Kant: You never really explained why Lex Luthor is the real villain!

Each new generation gets it’s own Superman, it’s own Batman and Wonder Woman that shares the views of the time and reflects current events. This changing of characters is needed, both to keep new generations interested, and to teach the new values of the age to the young readers. Superman from the 1940s is vastly different in actions and morals than 2016 Henry Cavill’s Superman, which reflects the differences in society and the changing times. In another 20 years, there’s going to be a new Superman with a new moral code because that’s the great thing about these characters, these heroes. They’re immortal in name and are flexible enough to allow for the changing of the generations, while still having the original comic's available for comparison. Even though they’re different now readers can go back as far as they want and see the way things used to be but there is a very real danger of that not happening. The old comics are getting worn out and are collectors items, which implies no one is able to see them, and over and above that, children are forgetting there were generations before

Pop Matters is a credible and trustworthy website because the author of this article, Richard Giraldi knows about the topic well and found other sources that support his claim such as other comic books, fan views about the Superman and Batman battle, and uses quotes from other Batman and Superman graphic novels to use as facts for his claim. Furthermore, the authors of the Batman and Superman graphic novels stated why there was a battle between those superheroes, which proves why Giraldi’s statement is not bias. Pop Matters is a news website for films, books, and music and the articles are based off of

In 1938 an idea that would shoot over the country faster than a speeding bullet came to being in Action Comics #1. He was stronger than a locomotive and had the ability to leap over tall buildings in a single bound. Onto the scene came a man in swirling red, blue, and yellow. This was the first iteration of Superman but it would not be the last. Seventy years of comics have been published and over time the Man of Steel naturally evolved to meet the demands of new writers and new audiences. However, Superman evolved peculiarly in one specific way. Over time and over the different Ages of comic books Superman developed caring towards each individual he saved. Different from when he first started out where he would save an individual but he acted

Viewers are also reminded that Bruce Wayne was in Metropolis during the climatic fight in the latest film, which he uses as fuel to throw Batman into the fight to take Superman down. Plus, Batman is also motivated to battle Superman because of the destruction of Wayne Tower.

Superman has powers like flying, x-rays, and heat vision. With his power Superman faces responsibilities and difficulties in calm and adequate ways. The opposite of Batman is that he is more aggressive and very impulsive in the moment to attack. They are very easily distinguished either in a comic book or a movie for their customs in different colors. Batman outfit is gray with black and a mask which anyone could determine the evil and dark he represents by the outside. Superman is in a brightest outfit representing America and the kind a hero they will choose definitely to fight crime. Frank Miller only wanted to bring Batman a little bit different with other perceptions including his principal rival Superman to make the story interesting and give the opportunity for many readers to notice wrong actions from our comic heroes.

In the 2013 film Man of Steel, Henry Cavill, an up and coming British actor, portrayed Kal-El. Mr. Cavill brought a cool and quiet, yet at times very detached and alien performance that did not elicit a similar sentiment from me as did Mr. Reeve’s portrayal. This was due in part to the story being retooled in favor of a bold retelling of his origins. The story now focused on him being an alien from a distant planet whose attempts to integrate into society are further complicated because he feels humanity is not ready to accept him for who he is and what that represents. The change to the storytelling dynamic also afforded a closer look at the main protagonist’s relationship with both his birth father, Jor-El and his adoptive father on Earth, Jonathan Kent. Also, in comparison to Superman The Movie, the opening sequences of Man of Steel provided a more intimate portrait of the last days of Krypton, his home planet. This of course served to better flesh out more of the backstory for Kal-El and provided new insight into what had become a relatively one dimensional character in the comic books over the years. The apparent aim was to create a connection with this larger than life character that we as the audience would come to understand in ways that went simply beyond knowing the persona of Superman.

Superman has become a household name throughout the United States. He supposedly embodies truth, justice, and the American way. The 1970’s comics held extremely patriarchal values and were biased toward an ideal man and masculinity. While the 2013 movie Man of Steel made significant progress toward gender equality, the values from the 1970’s are so engrained in our culture that they may never be completely undone.