I was starting to think that I had already found all the ways that I deviate from the mainstream fandom of Superman. I’ve come to think of myself as a rebel among fans of the character, the Bad Boy of Superfandom if you will. After all, unlike most of those chumps, I have clearly stated that I believe:
- Superman as an avatar of the concept of “Hope” is a bad thing.
- Superman and Batman shouldn’t ever appear in each other’s stories, let alone be depicted as close allies.
- Superman has not yet had a movie that reaches a level of quality above “Sure, that was okay.”
But I came up with another one! I listen to a lot of Superman podcasts, it’s my preferred way to learn what other fans of Superman think. I’ve yet to hear anyone on any of those podcasts state this: Superman stories would be better if they’re not so directly about Superman.
In a way, this isn’t as new a thought as I am making it out to be. I mean, I’ve mentioned multiple times that I think superheroes should not need personal connections to their foes in order to act. Remember that one Peter Parker guy? Remember how his origin is a real classic of the genre? Remember how he learned that if he has the power to act he should do so, even if it doesn’t directly affect him? Well, his career has basically gone down a path where every villain he meets has a personal connection to him after all, so that origin taught him nothing useful. But Superman more than anyone should be out there doing his thing without needing to be prompted by revenge. I don’t know about everyone else, but if a story tells me the hero cares about solving a problem for someone else, that is enough for me.
But it isn’t just about the villains that I think the stories shouldn’t be less about Superman. Hopefully I can clarify: I still want Superman stories to be about Superman. But I them to be less about Superman Being Superman and instead focus on Superman Doing Superman Things.
These days we get a lot of stories with Clark questioning if he has the right to interfere in the world. He worries if those he loves are being adversely affected by his actions. He feels the strain of balancing his Superman activities with his everyday life. I don’t have anything against that really, not as much as I do the personal stakes stuff that’s for sure, but for gosh’s sake can’t we limit that to the B-plots? I want stories in which Superman does Superman things! Give me maybe 20% of that stuff and 80% colourful scifi adventures! Is that too much to ask?
