Too much super, not enough man

I’m pretty picky when it comes to two things: my jeans and my superheroes.

With denim as well as tights-wearing, otherworldly-strengthened men and women, I have those I enjoy and those I abhor. I’ll never let a pair of Levi’s touch these thighs and I find the Green Lantern to be rather lame. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve never found a pair of Joe’s Jeans that didn’t work for me and I think Spider-Man is the superhero to end all superheroes.

So going into “Man of Steel” on Father’s Day, I had my anticipations and my reservations. Coming from director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan, I knew this incarnation of Superman was going to be a bold, daring and grim vision. This excited me despite the fact I’ve always found Superman/Clark Kent to be a particularly ho-hum superhero. Sure, he’s one of the original comic book good guys with undeniable strength and the ability to clear a skyscraper in a single leap. It’s hard to argue that Superman isn’t America’s superhero, despite the fact that he’s an alien from another planet.

But no matter how super Kal-El can be, I can’t shake the feeling he just isn’t a superhero our society can believe in, especially in a post 9/11 America. Now, the $125.1 million “Man of Steel” raked in during its opening weekend probably says otherwise. Those numbers speak to a nostalgia we have towards the man with a giant ‘S’ on his chest and that can’t be refuted. But when it comes down to brass tacks, Superman just isn’t all that interesting. Truly, he’s just too good, too powerful and too invincible. Nothing on this planet can harm him. From bullets to infernos or missiles, everything just bounces off him.

If you think of all the great superheroes reintroduced to American audiences theatrically over the last decade - like Spider-Man, Batman, or Iron Man – all of those men were distinctly human. Sure Spider-Man shot webs, Iron Man was part machine and Batman has billions in the bank, but we saw their vulnerabilities played out in congruence with their powers. Peter Parker is still the nerdy boy next door trying to get the girl. Tony Stark uses snarky wit as an armor to defend a damaged interior. Bruce Wayne grapples with Batman’s public persona as a menace when he’s the hero Gotham City needs.

Yes, with “Man of Steel” an emphasis is placed on Clark Kent’s daddy issues and his personal fear of his power. He even commits an act Superman purists and fans have taken real issue with in the film’s climatic battle. These are significant and empathetic themes that make the new Superman a bit more relatable. But still, Superman remains a Christ-like symbol of perfection and strict morality. He’s the people’s savior who puts others before himself. Maybe Superman does have a place in this world, I just question if he’s the hero we can believe in right now.