Thoughts on Superman
When we were on vacation, we caught part of Superman Returns on television. The kids were intrigued by the Superman mythos and caught by the good-guy heroism. They wanted me to Netflix the movie. Instead of letting them start with the somewhat creepy stalkerish Superman of that film, I decided to start them with the Christopher Reeve Superman. They made it through the long, slow origin story. And once Clark Kent showed up at the Daily Planet, they were hooked. They laughed at the good lines. They cheered for the rescues. It made my heart glad that they so thoroughly enjoyed this movie which I watched on video tape so often that I could recite the lines.
It was also interesting for me personally to re-watch the film. It was bittersweet to see Christopher Reeve so young, fit, and handsome. I can remember him so clearly with gray hair and wrinkles, permanently confined to a wheelchair. Not only does Reeve look young, but his portrayal of Superman feels very young. There is a charming naivety about everything Superman does. His love for Lois Lane has a boy’s-first-crush feel to it. His belief in Truth, Justice, and the American Way is strong and pure, the way that young people can be before they’ve dealt with the complexities of pain. I can understand the draw of that in a Superhero. I was also fascinated to see the “Demi-god falls in love with ordinary girl” motif which is played out in everything from Greek myth to Twilight. At least in Superman the demi-god is actually noble with no dangerous streak.
*Spoiler alert*
It was fascinating to me how the kids reacted to Lois Lane’s death at the end of the film. They saw Superman fly off and expected him to fly straight after Lex Luthor to exact revenge. When I first saw the film, I was aghast and simply wanted it not to have happened that way. I was a product of my era, my kids are a product of theirs. These days we are all more comfortable with heroes who engage in morally ambiguous behavior in defense of those they love.
(Aside: It really would be fascinating to see a Superman story where his naivety was damaged. Not that Superman then exacts revenge, but that he has to find a way to decide to be noble and good despite his pain and grief. That would be a mature Superman. The story has probably been told in comic form. And then it was probably ruined when DC reset the universe again so that Superman could start fresh.)
The movie responded to Lois’ death the way that the childhood me wanted it to. The film is a product of the same era that I was. The kids were completely confused about why Superman was making loops around the earth.
Kiki: “Why is he doing that?”
Me: “Um… well, he’s making the earth spin backward…because then…” I paused, knowing how ridiculous the next bit sounds. “…time goes backward and Lois isn’t dead anymore.”
They all looked at me for a long moment, stunned by the flimsiness of the plot device. But then we all blinked and let it go, so that we could watch the end of the film. The device may be ridiculous, but the desire to change a day or a decision is something they could all sympathize with. And Reeves’ slightly shy relief at seeing Lois alive after he had seen her dead is very believable.
Watching the movie made me realize how morally ambiguous so many of today’s fictional heroes tend to be. Superman shines bright because he is never tempted by a wrong choice. It would be interesting to see more such characters, ones who have been through worlds of pain, but still choose good anyway. Perhaps this is why I’m currently re-reading the Mistborn trilogy. It is full of such characters.
Kiki still wants to see Superman Returns. I am willing to indulge them in the special effects eye-candy now that they’ve had a better introduction to how the character Superman should really be played. Christopher Reeve will always be Superman to me.