5.13.2004

My favorite superhero

I've heard countless silly debates on a subject that seemingly is only to interest to elementary-aged boys: Who's your favorite superhero? Some say the arachnid-bitten nerd Spiderman or the rich, gadget-aided Batman or one of the super-evolved X-Men, but my heart has always been for the man in the blue and red tights, Superman. I remember in preschool I'd go over to my best friend Daniel's house and we'd run around his yard with towels tied around our necks and save the world from the bad guys while looking down from the top of his fence. We'd fly around, fists outstretched, knowing nothing evil could harm us and that we were the sole protectors of good because we were Superman and Supergirl.
Apparently, according to a story I just read, the idea of the super-powered superhero is going to change. They want to make Superman more vulnerable, for him to cringe at more than just Kryptonite.
I kinda liked the idea of an untouchable superhero. I've had people argue with me about this, but, I guess the old "Bang" "Pow" "Wham" Batman shows were fun to watch, but Batman had no superhuman powers, he was just a rich guy who had a lot of gadgets that could do really cool stuff. I like the science-fiction/fantasy aspect of Superman being able to fly, and resist bullets, and punch holes in walls, and the like- but also the aspect of his black-and-white morals of Truth and Justice. Truth & Justice is an issue for another discussion. I also liked the fact he never used guns or weapons, and, from my memory, never went after someone vengefully or with the intent to kill them, but instead, he brought them to the proper authorities, if possible. The article describes Batman as being 'fueled by vengeance,' and I have a hard time getting behind a superhero like that.
OK, bad analogy time. Superman was a being of another world thrown to earth as a baby, brought up in humble roots, walked around as a normal guy, whipped out his powers when someone was in trouble, and subsequently saved the world. Jesus does some of the same- sent as a baby into humble Galilee, walks around in the dust with a riff-raff as a normal guy, does miraculous things when the situation calls for them, and subsequently saves the world. Now, Superman and Jesus go about it in different ways- Jesus lays down his life to defeat evil permanently, but Superman lives and keeps up the battle. I suppose if Superman ever defeated evil entirely, it wouldn't be good for the comic book business.
So, yeah, since my preschool days, my heart has gone from being for the fictional Superman to being for the real and living God-man.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Superman is cool. I liked the show Lowis and Clark that was on awhile ago. I also liked the Batman cartoon that was on a few years ago.

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