Superman (July 11th, 2025)

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Ledger Joker basically gave Batman the old Gene Hackman/Lex Luthor Double-Jeopardy "you can't save both" challenge -- that's always a good stress-test on Superman. There's very little to challenge a true Superman with, psychologically. He shouldn't be so ego-based that he may give up helping people if they throw cans at his head. Isn't he above that? Doesn't he realize that humans are bad and good -- the point being, he has to rise to inspire our better angels? It's the reason I don't like Superman -- he can't really be bad and still be Superman. His "mistakes" come only from him not being 'super' enough, being weakened by kryptonite or being given a double-jeopardy challenge he can't win. He's the boy scout. He's Captain America. He must always be in the good. You 'break' Superman when you break his spirit... but we all know that truly can never be broken.

Can Superman ever really be a true 3-dimensional character?
 
Can Superman ever really be a true 3-dimensional character?
I think so. He still has relationships and no doubt they carry a certain baggage given his secret and his power.

And then there's the brutal reality that for all of his power he can't save everyone, all the time. How does he grapple with that?

Besides -- Superman eventually became a DC demigod but in the beginning he couldn't even fly, if I'm remembering right.

You can write his powers anyway you want. Make him unbelievably fast and durable, sure ... but you *could* still build in some kind of limit. If you wanted to.

I think maybe that's what He Who Shall Not Be Named tried to do but it went too dark.

Then there's the idea that in a Superhero story we take certain unbelievable premises as axiomatic. So there's always good old suspension of disbelief in terms of the more thorny nuances, if the broad strokes of the story are entertaining and engaging enough.
 
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