Ever
since Superman came soaring into National City to help his Kryptonian cousin
Kara Zor-El in the Second season of the CW’s Supergirl, there’s been a seemingly endless debate raging between
fans as to whether this new tv Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, is a better
representation of the Man of Steel than the still controversial and admittedly
grittier version played by Henry Cavill in the DCEU, beginning with 2013’s Man of Steel. Since that films release
and its more controversial aspects, many longtime fans have been passionately
arguing that Cavill’s Superman is too dark, too brooding and not the symbol of
light and hope that Superman, particularly embodied by Chris Reeve, is supposed
to embody. Even after the events of this year’s hotly debated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in
which Superman sacrificed his life to save a world that largely feared and
hated him, many fans still feel that this cinematic Superman is missing certain
key elements of the classic Superman. As both a lifelong fan of the classic
Chris Reeve Superman and an ardent fan of the DCEU, I’m here to say that
although I’m happy to have Superman back on television in any form and feel
that Tyler’s doing a fine job, I still feel beyond a doubt that Cavill’s
Superman is the better of the two; a new, modernized embodiment of Superman who
deep down still has the same heart, but who grapples with real, relatable doubts
and insecurities.
There’s no doubt that even to this day, Christopher
Reeve’s classic portrayal of Superman is still the yardstick by which all
following Supermen are judged. Almost forty years later, Reeve’s portrayal as
the Last Son of Krypton and the ultimate champion of Truth, Justice and the
American Way is still the go to version for many fans. Reeve’s endurance stems
from the fact that his portrayal perfectly embodied everything that Superman
represented back in the late seventies. Back then, he was still very much the
straight-laced, clean cut big blue boy scout who was an unfaltering symbol of
Justice and Hope. Reeve embodied this untouchable quality flawlessly, bringing
every kid’s favorite superhero to glorious life on the big screen. As the following
decades brought us edgier and darker heroes with deeply personal and more
relatable reasons for doing what they do, Superman’s clean cut image started to
make him seem boring and one dimensional. Fans wanted more depth, more
complexity in their characters motives. This was reflected in the Superman
comics, where the character started to grapple with more inner conflict and
doubt, still trying to help everyone while balancing a personal life with Lois.
When Man of Steel came out in 2013, it was clear from the start this
version wasn’t going to be the classic Superman who simply chooses to be a
champion of Justice for humanity. Snyder gave us a Superman who grew up in the real
world we know all too well, one where the most well-meaning individuals come up
against scrutiny and criticism in our increasingly cynical and politicized
society. This new Superman grew up with the knowledge that humanity would most
likely fear and hate him for what he can do, and therefore he was taught to
hide in plain sight until the day came when he was ready to face the world. Despite
this and Jonathan Kent’s desire to keep his adopted son safe from being treated
as a freak, young Clark helps people whenever he can because of his strong
moral code. He helps people without taking any credit and disappears to avoid
being exposed. It takes earth being threatened by General Zod to get Clark to
reveal himself to the world, but only because he knows once he does the world,
his and ours, will change forever. Many elements of MOS rubbed long-time fans
the wrong way, most notably the still controversial neck snap that ended Zod’s
plans for worldwide genocide. Although I myself was not bothered by Superman
killing Zod because I understand that sometimes real heroes have to make the
impossible choices for the greater good, I know that to hardcore fans of the
classic Superman, this was blasphemy. These people are forgetting however, that
Superman has been forced to kill before, in fact he once executed alternate
versions of Zod, Faora and another Kryptonian with Kryptonite after they
murdered billions on a parallel earth. Considering that this is what Zod wanted
to do to this earth, it’s understandable that this completely novice Superman
would make the hard choice to save humanity. People like to argue that Man of Steel lacks the uplifting moments
that made Superman: The Movie so
inspiring. To this I say, yes overall Man
of Steel is an edgier and grittier version of the Superman world, but Cavill’s
Superman is still ultimately an inspiring figure, just not as over the top as
Reeve’s version. As a fan, how can you not feel elated and inspired when you
witness Clark’s joy at soaring through the sky for the first time? How can you
not feel inspired when he first reveals himself to the world, floating
gracefully in the sun, the flowing red cape of his people billowing in the wind
behind him? How about when he emerged from the wreckage of the locomotive in
Smallville, with all the soldiers looking on realizing that he’s not their
enemy and Hans Zimmer’s beautiful and haunting score playing? Or how about when
he saves the entire planet by destroying the world engine, defying the gravity
of his home world and resembling, for the briefest of seconds, Chris Reeve as
he soars up into the machine and destroys it. What about when he turns up at
the Daily Planet, ready to fight for his adopted world as Superman and lay low
as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent with the help of his new love, Lois Lane.
Man
of Steel showed for the first time Clark Kent really becoming Superman.
After a lifetime of laying low and keeping himself in check, he finally can be
himself, but that means being the only one who can fight off a global threat
from the last of his own people. With no training or experience, he defends us
against Zod and his soldiers and chooses his adopted world, a world that might
ultimately reject and hate him over the last of his own people. One of the big
but shallow complaints against Cavill’s Superman is that he doesn’t smile
enough and that he doesn’t convey the essential lightness of Superman. This is
something that Tyler’s Superman alleviated in the season 2 premiere of Supergirl by beaming triumphantly just
about every minute. I don’t understand what smiling or winking has to do with
being a hero, but even so, to say that Cavill’s Superman never smiles is not
only a very petty complaint it’s also wrong. He does smile at several points in
both films, it’s just that the circumstances surrounding him, particularly in BvS don’t warrant him smiling constantly
like an idiot. At what point in BvS
should he have been smiling; the moments when he sees that many of the people
he’s trying to help consider him to be a threat or a false god? How about the
moment when he has to watch helplessly as the people around him in the Capital
building are incinerated by Lex’s carefully hidden bomb? How about when Lex
reveals that he’s kidnapped Martha Kent and will burn her alive unless Superman
kills Batman? The fact is that Cavill’s Superman is the same Superman we all
know and love, but it’s not the same world it was in the Reeve films. It’s a
world that would be irrevocably altered by the presence of an alien being with
god like powers, a world that all too often resorts to panic and hatred when
it’s faced with the unknown. Cavill’s Superman is trying to do right by
everyone, but knowing how to do that is nearly impossible when you live in a
world where what’s right for some isn’t right for the rest.
There’s no doubt that Tyler’s
Superman is a continuation of the version portrayed by Chris Reeve. He’s
effortlessly charming and heroic, is always smiling and witty and even delivers
some of the same lines as Reeve’s, particularly the bit about air travel statistically
being the safest way to travel. Unlike Cavill’s Superman, he’s also been doing
the superhero thing for many years and has it down like clockwork. It serves as
a nice tribute to Reeve and the classic image of Superman, but it leaves a lot
to be desired for character development. As a fan of Superman as a living,
breathing character and not just a caricature, I prefer to see him struggle and
grapple with being a hero in a world that either sees him as a devil or savior
when in reality he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing. What makes his
ultimate triumphs more triumphant is watching him stumble and fall at first,
make mistakes and learn from them so he can pick himself up and be the hero we
know he is. This is what constitutes the heroes journey in classical mythology,
the human struggle from everyman to Superman. Physiologically, Superman might
be an alien, but emotionally and mentally he’s more human and therefore
experiences real human doubt and desire. It’s how he handles these doubts and
insecurities and still tries to do what he feels is right for the greater good
that make him a hero, not whether he smiles or not.
Fans who are still criticizing
Cavill’s Superman for not being “heroic” or “light” enough seem to be
forgetting that since he first revealed himself in Man of Steel he’s saved the entire planet at least three times. He
destroyed the World Engine at great risk to himself, preventing the entire
population from being flattened into dust, then he stopped Zod from killing
every single person on earth like he promised to do unless Kal stopped him.
With great hesitation, he was forced to break Zod’s neck to stop him from
killing just one family, an act which caused him to scream in agony. After
saving the world twice, he has to contend with a large percentage of the
population who fears and hates him despite his continued heroic acts all around
the world, including rescuing one girl from a factory fire in Juarez, Mexico.
When Lex unleashes Doomsday in a last ditch effort to destroy Superman,
Superman sacrifices his life to stop Doomsday and once again saves the planet
even after we nuked him and he did all this in only two years as being
Superman.
Having said all this, I’m still
happy to see Superman back on television and understand that the tone of the
show is deliberately lighter in order to appeal to a wider demographic. There’s
nothing wrong with this; the fact that people are still talking about Superman
and enjoying his exploits in any form is a great thing and the show satisfies
those fans seeking a simpler, more straight forward version of these
characters. Tyler’s doing a great job conveying the classic mannerisms of
Clark/Superman which are ingrained in our culture, but for me his version is a
bit like Diet Coke, a watered down version of Cavill’s Superman, who has the
full flavor of Coke. One isn’t inherently better than the other, it’s all about
preferences, I just don’t feel that anyone can discount Cavill’s Superman
because they think he’s too brooding or doesn’t smile enough; if you just don’t
like him that’s fine, but don’t stoop to shallow reasons like that to put him
down. Superman’s about so much more than what’s on the surface; it’s about his
heart and his ability to always do what’s right in the end despite grappling
with the same shortcomings and failings as the rest of us. Superman represents
all humanity and the desire to take what’s best in each of us and use it to
make the world a better place.
