A good friend of mine recently referred me to this article on Topless Robot where the author suggests that it may be time to start hating “Man of Steel.”
What’s “Man of Steel” you ask? It’s a movie that is currently in production about Superman. Why didn’t they call it Superman? Because the last time Warner Brothers made a movie with the word Superman in the title (“Superman Returns,” 2006), it was so terrible that they didn’t want anyone to think that this film has even superficial connections to that film. “Man of Steel” is a terrible title for a movie about Superman, for sure, but I we should be thankful they didn’t call it “Batman of Metropolis.”
“Man of Steel” is scheduled to be released in 2013. The only thing we’ve seen so far is one photo of Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/Kal-El/Man of Steel) in which you cannot see whether or not he is wearing his overunderpants (temporarily putting that discussion on hold) and a few shots where you could see the entire costume and sure enough… he is not WEARING any overunderpants! Consider my outrage leveled at thee!
There’s also a very basic description of the plot (allegedly) floating around the ‘nets. Is this enough to start hating it? The author (Rob Bricken) of the Topless Robot post suggests that it is, indeed, time to start hating.
If I know one thing about comic book fans (being one) and film-o-philes (I’m friends with a few) it’s that it is NEVER too early to start hating. A costume photo? A leaked page of a draft of a script? An out-of-context tweet? First impressions have never been more important in movie making, but none of the things addressed in the article have me ready to hate on “Man of Steel” a year in advance of it’s release.
Throughout the current Golden Age of Comics Movies we’re living in we’ve seen costumes start out with a low approval rating (X-Men, CaptainAmerica) turn around and become the standard even for the comics (however briefly). We’ve also seen costumes start out with a low approval rating and have their contempt justified upon finally viewing it in context (Green Lantern). This costume could go either way, so I can’t hate it just for the costume (yet). If it turns out that it works on screen, then it could be the new standard for Superman. I was on the fence about the Brandon Routh Superman Returns costume when they first released pictures, but I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Once I saw it on-screen I have to admit that I didn’t HATE it… but it still wasn’t right (overunderpants were too small, didn’t care for the raised “S” symbol).
Whether to hate “Man of Steel” or not isn’t about the costume. For me loving it or hating it will depend on the choices the creators make regarding the characterization of Superman (Man of Steel).
Writers tend to get hung up on the idea of Superman being an alien. It’s an angle that makes Superman more relatable. Of course we’ve all experienced the feeling of being different or not fitting in. It’s easy. It’s kindergarten easy. It’s moving to a new town, it’s a new job at a new company, it’s every day for some people. While Superman TECHNICALLY is an alien (born on Krypton), all he knew growing up was the same thing we all knew: Earth. Like the rest of us, Earth is his only reference point. Earth kids, Earth lunch, Earth cartoons, Earth skateboards, Earth candy… he was raised inKansasby Earth people, not on the moon by aliens. Yes, his powers are an alienating factor, but you do not make the choice to be a Superhero of the stature that Superman is if you have issues with being an alien.
Superman (like Santa Claus) is a FATHER figure. You should feel safe because he’s always going to be there to protect you. He is confident, altruistic, noble and good. ALWAYS (unless he’s drunk on synthesized Kryptonite and EVEN THEN… he will find his way back).
Perhaps father figure isn’t quite accurate. Superman is an IDEALIZATION of a parent figure. He’s what we wish our parents were, what we want to perceive them as and what we as parents hope to be: omni-present, forever protectors of our children, drawing super strength from deep with the core of our beliefs about what is right and what is wrong.
Superman is not a tragic figure. He is immune from death (Kryptonite notwithstanding) so you have to take death and any kind of physical suffering out of the equation. I realize from a writer’s standpoint it is very difficult to create dramatic tension when your protagonist cannot feel physical pain, but that presents the challenge of finding other ways to test his character in a dramatic way.
The real dramatic tests of Superman’s character are found in those situations that force him to make decisions or push him to the kinds of emotional, spiritual or intellectual limits that we the readers or viewers have to face during the most difficult moments of our lives. What he does with those situations, the decisions he makes are what inspire us and want to root for him. How he handles those difficult moments are the other side of the power fantasy. Not only do we want to be able to punch a giant robot to the moon and stop bullets with our eyeballs, but we also want to be able to make the right decisions at the right times because they ARE right. This is Superman’s real power.
We already KNOW Superman is going to win whatever battles happen to find him. We WANT him to win. We want to root for him. Superman is the materialization of our most basic power fantasies, a window to the possibilities not a mirror to expose the faults we already know about. He is what we want to be, not what we are. Or rather, he is what believe we can be.
Is it time to start hating the “Man of Steel”? Surely not. But a word of caution to those making the film would be to recognize what it is about Superman that has allowed him to stand the test of time. Superman at it’s core is not a concept that needs to be reinvented, updated, sexified or made into a hip marketing standard of what’s cool. He’s not cool. He’s not hip. He shouldn’t be. Hip and cool are trends that will fluctuate from generation to generation, but a belief in what is good and right should never change.
If “Man of Steel” makes the same mistake that “Superman Returns” made, then my hate will be delivered posthaste to my blog upon my exit from the theater (it’s my only outlet). “Superman Returns” made the mistake of bringing Superman down to our level. It attempted to humanize him. Superman should never come down to our level, he should always inspire us to come up to his.
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