Supergirl Why doesn't Superman help Supergirl with the really big problems?

[BH/HHH]

I was under the impression this show take place AFTER the events of MOS

It's not set in the same universe as MOS.

 

[TheRedWraith]

I think they should go for a death of superman episode/arc next season they could kill him any way they want, maybe he gets taken out in a blaze of glory saving Kara from a white Martian invasion. I personally would go with doomsday and because they can't really show supes or doomsday they could just use the scene from dos where supereman's ripped cape flies like a flag as it hang froms the stick in front of a crater where their bodies are implied to be. You could use a found footage style approach to depict the battle that would show dust clouds from collapsed buildings with two shadowy figures fighting inside buildings falling and people fleeing in terror. This would allow for reign of the supermen and they could introduce steel, superboy, eradicator and the real Hank Henshaw as the cyborg superman.
I kind of wish they had used the death of superman as the start of the series so that Kara could step up and be one of superman's first successors and they could have the series play out pretty much the exact same way only with the other successor supermen being introduced in place of some of the one of. Ills ins they used. They have a sad funeral scene for him which Kara would attend. If they ever somehow were ever given permission to start using superman they could pull the ripcord that is return of superman (presumably a while afterward for maximum emotional impact.

 

[The Guard]

I just think this is a silly complaint and one wherein a lot of assumptions are made.

The obvious answer and logical answer is that Superman is either busy or doesn't know about what's going at a given moment in time, or wants Supergirl to handle things on her own. That's why people tend to not respond to issues in the real world. Why isn't that good enough in fiction?

Where has it ever been stated that Superman has done no work to recover escaped criminals from Fort Roz?

And hey, why stop at whining about Superman's absence?

Since we can't suspend our disbelief, let's suspend it even less and look at more realistic issues.

Why isn't more of the DEO responding to threats at a given time?
Why aren't more police around? Firemen? ARMY? Air Force?

Because its a fictional story and the focus is on Supergirl and other main characters dealing with threats by themselves, at least much of the time. If that's not good enough for you, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe fiction isn't for you.

 

[Zarex]

I just think this is a silly complaint and one wherein a lot of assumptions are made.

The obvious answer and logical answer is that Superman is either busy or doesn't know about what's going at a given moment in time, or wants Supergirl to handle things on her own. That's why people tend to not respond to issues in the real world. Why isn't that good enough in fiction?

Where has it ever been stated that Superman has done no work to recover escaped criminals from Fort Roz?

And hey, why stop at whining about Superman's absence?

Since we can't suspend our disbelief, let's suspend it even less and look at more realistic issues.

Why isn't more of the DEO responding to threats at a given time?
Why aren't more police around? Firemen? ARMY? Air Force?

Because its a fictional story and the focus is on Supergirl and other main characters dealing with threats by themselves, at least much of the time. If that's not good enough for you, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe fiction isn't for you.

How delightfully condescending! 'Member when you displayed that same attitude towards folks that had the nerve to be concerned about the FF reboot? Good times........

Anyhoo, folks are having difficulty suspending disbelief over Superman because the writers to date have done a crappy job making that happen. They've gotten an awful lot right with this show. But the treatment of Superman has been awful, from his blurry version saving the day (the worst scene of the show, imo) to the odd appearance of young Kal in Kara's Black Mercy family fantasy, to the instant messaging (He can travel over the flyover states in less time than it takes to type), to the constant references to the Big Blue Boyscout from Jimmy and Kara.

It's gotten better, but Berlanti and company could send Clark off into an extended space mission next year and fix this issue once and for all. It could open up new storytelling with Kara having to deal with international threats along with the problems popping up in National City. I'm enjoying the show - Benoist, Harewood, Flockhart and Leigh are all fantastic - so try to forgive my whining and silly complaints. Supergirl would.

 

[The Guard]

No, I don't remember the "same" attitude toward FF (feel free to point out what you're talking about), and what does that have to do with this specific conversation?

The writers have done a crappy job with in what regard? You don't have to like what they've done with Superman, but why is how they have handled Superman making it harder to suspend disbelief, exactly?

Why is it so hard to suspend disbelief using basic logic in this instance? The writers have told you Superman exists and so now the reasons other characters aren't always present in every situation aren't good enough just...because?

 

[Zarex]

No, I don't remember the "same" attitude toward FF (feel free to point out what you're talking about), and what does that have to do with this specific conversation?

The writers have done a crappy job with in what regard? You don't have to like what they've done with Superman, but why is how they have handled Superman making it harder to suspend disbelief, exactly?

Why is it so hard to suspend disbelief using basic logic in this instance? The writers have told you Superman exists and so now the reasons other characters aren't always present in every situation aren't good enough just...because?

Because...................................................if they didn't show us Superman can instantly travel across the country and constantly remind us that Kara and Jimmy are in contact with him we could understand why he doesn't show up. But they did and it makes it more difficult to suspend belief. Just shutting up about him would go along way towards fixing this, as would sending Clark off into space. Using basic logic, of course.

 

[The Guard]

How does him being able to travel across the country and stay in contact with his friends change the fact that he's Superman, and that he has his own stuff to deal with?

You're creating issues that don't neccessarily exist.

The issue you have seems to be that they bother to talk about him at all. Which has less to do with suspending disbelief and more to do with not wanting to be reminded Superman is out there.

 

[Zarex]

How does him being able to travel across the country and stay in contact with his friends change the fact that he's Superman, and that he has his own stuff to deal with?

You're creating issues that don't neccessarily exist.

The issue you have seems to be that they bother to talk about him at all. Which has less to do with suspending disbelief and more to do with not wanting to be reminded Superman is out there.

He's got his own stuff, sure. But is the stuff more iimportant than army of Kryptonian soldiers attacking a major west coast city? Or his cousin loopy on Red K and threatening said city?

The issue is the show at times wants to have it both ways - Superman is TOTALLY out there, guys, but he can't show up to assist with this crisis because REASONS. And it's not just the poor "fiction just may not be for us" slobs that have a problem with it.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/supergirl-has-a-superman-sized-problem-at-its-center-1741701633

 

[Webhead2006]

again like i brought up looking at all that has happened with non and minus the reactor guy save we havent truely needed superman to save the day yet. Again i do hope in time we will get a full on superman/clark episode.

 

[Retroman]

Superman is comparable to Columbo's wife on this series.

Having not seen the show (yet) IMO it would be good to have Superman come in for a guest spot though when Supergirl has established herself a little more.

It's funny, Clark Kent/Superman exists on Supergirl's Earth and Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan (Wayne Tech, missing test pilot) on the Arrow/Flash's Earth.

 

[5red]

Superman is comparable to Columbo's wife on this series.

Not quite. Columbo was a police detective. His wife wasn't (ignoring any ill-fated spin-off starring a certain Starfleet captain.) So there was a perfectly plausible reason why she wouldn't appear. Think of all the other police shows were you never saw the main character's spouse. Granted, the writers pushed this to the limits in one or two episodes, for comic effect -- particularly, remember the episode set on a cruise liner(?)

A better example would be Howard's mother in Big Bang Theory. There's no plausible reason why Mrs. Wolowitz never wanders into shot from time to time, given how many scenes are set in her house. The shear implausibility of the situation is what creates much of the comedy.

Can Superman be busy all the time..? Is he in a perpetual state of dire emergency to such an extent that be can't take a couple of hours out to help his cousin when she's facing overwhelming odds or corrupted by Red K..? Surely he can't be "washing his hair" every night of the week?!??

J'onn J'onzz: Hi Superman. Your cousin has been driven mad by some synthetic Kryptonite created by Max Lord. She's gonna kill innocent people. Can you help us?

Superman: Hi J'onn. Sorry, I'm re-organising my sock drawer tonight. Then I've arranged to nip over the Lois' for a Walking Dead marathon on NetFlix. Can you hold her off yourself for a while? I'm free on Thursday.

Unlike Mrs. Columbo, there isn't a plausible reason why Superman doesn't occasionally show up -- Superman and Supergirl are in the same line of business, after all. And unlike Mrs. Wolowitz, the Superman situation isn't being played for comic effect. So what's the answer..?

Personally, my vote is for killing him off dramatically, if only because his death would open up some powerful emotional storylines for Kara. But I'd be quite happy to have him permanently written out on a space mission, or just mysteriously go missing, or losing his powers due to Gold K, or whatever...


R5

 

[Retroman]

Not quite. Columbo was a police detective. His wife wasn't (ignoring any ill-fated spin-off starring a certain Starfleet captain.) So there was a perfectly plausible reason why she wouldn't appear. Think of all the other police shows were you never saw the main character's spouse. Granted, the writers pushed this to the limits in one or two episodes, for comic effect -- particularly, remember the episode set on a cruise liner(?)

The cruise liner episode rings a bell but it's been a while since i've seen the reruns.

If he never kept talking on and on about her it wouldn't be such a problem that she never appeared.t:

A better example would be Howard's mother in Big Bang Theory. There's no plausible reason why Mrs. Wolowitz never wanders into shot from time to time, given how many scenes are set in her house. The shear implausibility of the situation is what creates much of the comedy.

That is actually a better example.

Can Superman be busy all the time..? Is he in a perpetual state of dire emergency to such an extent that be can't take a couple of hours out to help his cousin when she's facing overwhelming odds or corrupted by Red K..? Surely he can't be "washing his hair" every night of the week?!??

Unlike Mrs. Columbo, there isn't a plausible reason why Superman doesn't occasionally show up -- Superman and Supergirl are in the same line of business, after all. And unlike Mrs. Wolowitz, the Superman situation isn't being played for comic effect. So what's the answer..?

Personally, my vote is for killing him off dramatically, if only because his death would open up some powerful emotional storylines for Kara. But I'd be quite happy to have him permanently written out on a space mission, or just mysteriously go missing, or losing his powers due to Gold K, or whatever...


R5

If they can't or don't plan on using him i like the idea of a space mission.

I fully understand that they want the focus to remain on Supergirl though for the first season.Having Superman appear is going to raise expectations (and budget) for encores.

 

[Kelly]

In one of the Sneak Previews for episode 19, Kelex tells Kara that he is on a mission "off world" so, that takes care of the problem of Clark not helping Kara out with this little doozy....

 

[Webhead2006]

well at least for the myrid issue we have a reason for superman not there. This is stuff if we cant see superman yet to get a refrence he is busy with his own problems and what not. Second untill this plan from non was inacted kara problems really was that its the end and we need superman help. Like i said before kara told clark she didnt want him watching her back and she wanted to do the hero thing on his own. Same goes for example with flash and arrow its not like flash is helping arrow stop dark and arrow isnt helping stop zoom. As long as we have a reason superman isnt there for the big end of the world situations i am happen if he isnt mentioned when stuff like that happens or we dont see him that isnt the right way to go about things.

 

[Thundercrack85]

To be fair, this is a problem I have with a lot of these superhero stories that have more than one superhero in them. Like in Captain America 2, why was Iron Man not called in when the **** hit the fan?

I mean, we know the reason. Robert Downey Jr.'s appearance fee. And in this story, they presumably aren't allowed to use Superman because of the movies. Though... I guess that might change soon.

Still, with this series the problem does seem more obvious since Supergirl is a spin-off of Superman, and half the characters in the show are his supporting cast.

 

[ZIPBAGS]

They don't need to kill off Superman or make him away in space. Just not set up episodes where Kara has to face a dozen or so Kryptonian criminals.

 

[Kelly]

Well, that's no fun....

 

[Thundercrack85]

Or you know, cast a Superman, have him show up, have a team up and kick a lot of ass in a finale. But I suspect there is a Supes embargo.

 

[5red]

In one of the Sneak Previews for episode 19, Kelex tells Kara that he is on a mission "off world" so, that takes care of the problem of Clark not helping Kara out with this little doozy....

After reflecting on this further, I think the main problem Superman poses to the show is that it makes it difficult to have adventures spanning beyond just National City. As soon as you have a threat that menaces the whole of the United States, or The World, or any area that includes Metropolis, you need to explain why Supergirl doesn't run into her cousin at some point.

It's a double edged problem: why doesn't Superman visit National City? -- but also: why don't the show's villains ever pose a threat wide enough to include Metropolis? The former question could be answered by the reason given in 1x03 (Fight or Flight), but the second question is more problematic.

If we want to see Supergirl face serious adversaries in season two, the writers need to find a proper solution to the Superman problem: he can't keep going on space missions whenever there's a problem bigger than Supergirl's home city.


R5

 

[Kelly]

You could have a large catastrophe, she goes to help and you see him off in the distance doing the same. Not a biggie...

 

[famicommander]

As I've said before, this is a problem that didn't need to exist. They could have cast a Superman, they could have killed off Superman, they could have just made Kara the first Kryptonian on Earth instead of Kal.

But instead they've decided to constantly bring focus to an aspect of their universe that they are either unwilling or not allowed to completely explore. And that's one of the only things about this show I don't like. It's like they're going out of their way to remind the audience of their limitations and it doesn't make any sense.

If you're going to have an active Superman in this universe, you have to have an adequate explanation for the questions that fans keep raising about him. Why don't we see his face? Why isn't he helping Kara? What's he doing? All of those are questions that the showrunners could have shut down from the start but they chose not to, and I don't believe they've adequately addressed them in the context of the show.

They've really painted themselves into a corner. If you have Clark in the show, he's only showing up as a child/in blur-o-vision/just off frame/via text messages. If you don't have him or mention him, it begs the question of what he's doing.

 

[5red]

You could have a large catastrophe, she goes to help and you see him off in the distance doing the same. Not a biggie...

You mean like she's taken out a restraining order, and he has to stay 100m away from her at all times..?

I don't think the audience is going to buy too many "you just missed him, he was here a moment ago" type explanations, not if the show runs for a few years. So maybe a restraining order is the most credible way of explaining why he's not allowed near his cousin. It's either that, or some horribly contagious medical condition.


R5

 

[Kelly]

You mean like she's taken out a restraining order, and he has to stay 100m away from her at all times..?

I don't think the audience is going to buy too many "you just missed him, he was here a moment ago" type explanations, not if the show runs for a few years. So maybe a restraining order is the most credible way of explaining why he's not allowed near his cousin. It's either that, or some horribly contagious medical condition.


R5

Uh....no....lol

Simply she is saving lives, doing her thing....she looks in the distance, sees Clark doing the same she smiles and goes back to her job, just as he is doing his. It isn't as if she doesn't want to talk to him, etc.....its just that they are both busy, she sees him in the distance, marvels a little at how grand he is in action, smiles and goes about her business of saving lives as well. He goes back to Metropolis, she goes back to National City....

 

[Thundercrack85]

Does seem like this will inevitably become a problem as the show goes on.

 

[Vaibow]

Maybe start a scene with him leaving, thanking her for her help - just as the cops or ambulance or army come in to take over, maybe have the paper post an article 'superman and super girl save the day' or the news reports superman struggling, so she leaves the room then we see her appear in the news report and help supes - they can mention team ups, even if they don't show it. I mean, it's not as if we see her every waking hour (sadly, i wouldn't mind watching her daily morning wash).