Isildur´s Heir;19379153 said:
Superman is a broken hero for a very long time now, even the comics get it all wrong.
The all Jor-El / Kal-El conflict is ridiculous to say the least. Jor-El is dead, so the simple idea of him talking to Kal-El is pathetic.
More even the all Superman / Jesus connection.
You can say that Superman´s origin is based on Jesus, but so are tons of other stories.
Even the Fortress of Solitude made of crystal is awful.
All i said above give a mystical and spiritual vibe that is uncalled for, Superman is not the second coming of christ.
Many say that the all crystals thing give it a alien feeling, but that´s not true, it gives a mystical feeling and because mystical is alien, people tend to confuse both.
Besides, Krypton was not a mystical place, it was a doomed planet, a shattered planet...to change that is to take away the importance of Superman.
Agreed.
In some ways, I think the more you include the fortress and jor-el and everything 'alien' and mystical, the less Superman can be perceived as a Superhero in the way that he should be. He just sort of becomes this larger than life saviour being. It's only that Jor-el dynamic that makes him comparable to christ.
It bugs me, because i'm a Superman fan, and when I try to explain to people that I don't really like the movies, and the fortress and jor-el and stuff, they don't understand how I can be... cause that's kind all that people see... that's been drummed into pop culture as THE Superman story. When there is SO much more they could be telling.
Batman Begins and TDK have paved the way IMO, for a Superman story that's about a man creating a symbol of hope (parralleling Batman's symbol of fear). But unlike Batman this is a character who does get to be himself sometimes, as Clark, and actually get to live a life.
It makes any storyline where that life is jepordised a lot more intense. I mean, if Batman's identity was revealed to the world, it would put Bruce in more danger of being caught sure. But he's pretty much always hiding anyway. He doesn't have much too loose, because he's already lost everything.
Clark is someone who has a lot more too loose, and risks it all because what he can do simply can't be ignored.
I also think it makes Lex Luthor a lot more appealing, to me. The Joker latches on to Batman because he sees a play mate. Someone who will respond to his games in a way that no one else within the established ordered world would. It's fun. Everyone can see the game of cat and mouse.
But Lex Luthor (in my eyes). Here is a man who's power and public face are something he has had to work at his whole life. And he's succeeded. He has an enormous amount of control. And then here comes a man who's got everything Lex so furiously fought for, and not only is he not using it in a controlling way, but he doesn't have to fight for it at all. People love him. They trust him. His is above Lex in every way, and he didn't even earn it!
Their feud is secret from the world. If Lex were to win, and defeat Superman, no one would ever know. He'd have never have it trace back to him. He'd use someone like Metallo or Parasite to be the face of the villany. His involvement would go unnoticed and he'd go back to controlling things to his own liking like nothing had changed. To me that is terrifying. A maniac whose own sense of ego and self satisfaction is enough that he doesn't need or want ANYONE to know just how powerful he really is. The kind of guy who would love to keep Superman in a cage underground that no one else knew about, just so he could remind himself what true power is.
And when I see a storyline that even TOUCHES on this dynamic, I just don't see where Jor-El would fit in... so i'd rather they didn't bother with him at all.
