What's really wrong with Superman.

When I was a little boy, one of the first films I remember seeing in the theatres was Superman II. I remember Superman's valiant battle with nearly impossible odds as he faced three villains of equivalent power. I remember the iconic fight in his Fortress of Solitude (cellophane "S" shield throw notwithstanding) and his struggle with revealing his identity to his longtime girlfriend, Lois Lane. I have been a fan ever since. I have seen every film. Watched countless TV shows. I have hundreds of Superman Comic books and graphic novels and other media. I love Supes. But there was something else in that film too. Something that I think now may have really made me the Superman fan I am today.

Superman made a mistake. He wanted to be human, made himself human, and it was a mistake. A BIG one. One that ultimately had to be corrected by kissing the whole memory of it all away, literally.

A lot of time when people criticize Superman, they complain that not only is he all powerful, but he is one dimensional. He can physically beat every foe. It has been revealed that he has a super intellect, making mathematical calculations and the speed of a Pentium III. So he can basically beat every foe mentally as well. He always takes the moral high ground. He is immune from prejudice and racism. And even if he is challenged by the strength and abilities of his foes, be it Darkseid or Doomsday or Luthor, Superman is always right. Truth, Justice, and the American way is the mantra and he is sticking to it. Not exactly deep though is it. And this is a problem.

I don't read many comics nowadays. Mostly a few things here and there (Superman as well) but one comic in recent years has really captivated me, Invincible, published by Image Comics and written by Robert Kirkman. Now, a little backstory. Invincible parallels Superman a great deal. Alien visitor to Earth, blends in with population, super powered, strong, invulnerable, lonely. But there is something I realized when I read a recent issue. Invincible makes mistakes. A lot of them. He is constantly questioning his own morality. He makes errors in judgment. He fails.

Superman doesn't, and his character is hurt as a result.

A lot has been made over the decades about the fact that in the Superman mythos, he is rocketed to Earth by his Kryptonian parents and is adopted by a wholesome HUMAN couple. Nothing wrong with this. But he is raised by these folks and has become seemingly immune to making any human foibles or be prone to making any human errors or have any personalty flaws. A simple farmer and his wife in (literal) small town Kansas somehow is able to teach their alien son about how to be everything good and yet he is spared any of the negatives about being human. Superman never gets really angry. He never questions his decisions. Actually, he doesn't have to question his decisions because his decisions are never wrong. (He may face opposition though) He never shows regret. He never shows any prejudice against anyone. He has no strong faith. He never makes an error in judgment. He never has considered a gross exploitation of his powers for personal gain. Neither have his poor simple parents. Frankly the absence of any one or more of these .. personality quirks.. makes the character ring a little hollow.

I'm not saying that Kal-El has to be an A'hole. But how often do we have to hear that no one is perfect, and yet we as readers are supposed to accept this character as a figure of perfection. What I loved about Invincible was that he made mistakes and has to learn to live with them, if he survives, and hopefully grow with them. This is a relate able quality. And anytime you're dealing with an all powerful icon, which is what Superman has become, then the challenge is how to make this being relate to the readers and consumers. Over time, the writers and handlers of the Superman icon have mismanaged him, focusing so heavily on outward events that his character is little more than an empty Steel suit. I am tired of seeing my favorite hero treated like this.

It is ironic to think of and even say, but maybe taking Superman down a little bit is the only way to propel him to his greatest heights and return him to the status of the greatest Super-hero ever conceived.