What makes Superman great? [Archive] - Comic Book Resources Forums

JejijaRoshen

04-16-2009, 01:12 PM

To you individuals, what makes Superman great?

Is it all of his powers that makes him appealing?

Is it his personality?

Is it his weaknesses?

Is it his stories?

Or is it something else, or rather all of the above?

To me, what makes Superman so great; is not how strong he is, it's his weaknesses that make him great for me.

When someone is as powerful as Superman, yet still have weaknesses, it's what makes them so great as a character or as a person.

Also; Hello all. I just registered today naught but a few minutes ago. I'm JejijaRoshen or you can call me Richard if you so please.

Karl O'Neill

04-16-2009, 01:20 PM

His humanity.

sometimes he is more human than real humans. he is the most selfless hero in comics ever. he never stops fighting the good fight.

Solaris01

04-16-2009, 01:42 PM

What makes Superman great to me is his love for all life, his wholesomeness, his decency, and his determination for fighting for truth, justice and all that stuf, no matter what or who. :wink: :biggrin:

And his amazing powers are also a plus. He is god in a cape, the living answer to our prayers. :cool:

Great thread, and welcome, Richard.

Hamdinger

04-16-2009, 02:15 PM

His having the raw courage to wear his underwear on the outside of his tights! When I do that in public I get arrested though...

Rev. Calibos

04-16-2009, 02:20 PM

What makes Superman great in my book is that despite his exterrestrial origins, despite his great power and capabilities, he's just a guy from rural Kansas.

Jonathan and Martha Kent, a couple from the American heartland, stumbled head first into the greatest event of the DC Universe and were able to raise Clark to not only be Earth's greatest superhero but a decent human being that we can all look up to.

Retro315

04-16-2009, 02:32 PM

WE make Superman great.

He shows us the best in ourselves and battles the worst.

Beria

04-16-2009, 02:48 PM

His powers. (At top level, though).
And the stories.

jgiannantoni05

04-16-2009, 02:48 PM

Superman is inspirational. He's an alien that is more human than alien, and more human than many humans.

Also, Superman's villains make him great to me. Lex Luthor nicely represents the powerful, dangerous, manipulative, and selfish people in the world.
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NickFury90

04-16-2009, 02:57 PM

I love the character of Superman because he has all these Godlike, destructive abilities and yet...he loves us. He loves Earth with all his heart, and he will literally die to protect us. I came about that conclusion at the end of All-Star Superman #10. "Superman loves you...isn't that awesome!?"

Xybernauts

04-16-2009, 09:11 PM

Most likely it's the way he's marketed. I mean he's been in the limelight since even before I was born. I mean beyond the comics, in every decade since what -- the 40's(?), he's had some type of show or movie out. DC comics has placed him on a pedestal. There are a lot of great characters at DC comics and beyond who have similar potential. But DC has made sure that Superman remains at the top of their comic book echelon. So is he great, yes, but only because he's marketed that way. Of course, another explanation might be that Superman is the embodiment of the very essence of what a superhero is. He is the fundamental root of superhero family tree.

Samanthab

04-16-2009, 09:57 PM

I think its the way he transforms himself and becomes a superhero.

Bored at 3:00AM

04-16-2009, 11:32 PM

The dichotomy of the character. The yin & yang between the otherworldly & the ordinary, the superhuman hero & the mild-mannered everyman, the hope & the tragedy.

There's the primordial mythical underpinnings that stretches back from Jesus to Moses to Osiris to the earliest Sun Gods that still hold power within our collective subconscious. Meanwhile, it's mixed with today's pop culture of workplace romances, politics, gender roles, and outright comedy.

And then you throw in all the mad scientists, super-villains, alien invaders, giant robots and rampaging monsters--what's not to love about all that?

Gadget3440

04-17-2009, 08:02 AM

I watched the first season of The Wire the other day, and right after I had to read several Superman trades. After watching a show with astondingly few heroes (and even then they aren't clear cut), I needed an obvious hero and Superman is that.

He is THE hero. He tries, he cares, he makes personal sacrifices, he's aiming to be idealistic hero without realising he already is, he hold true to that which he holds true. He brings hope, a hope that extends to us here in the real world. He inspires all, and he bears that huge burden with a smile. I hated Supes as a kid, but now he is my hero.

Hullababy

04-17-2009, 08:30 AM

What makes Superman great to me is his humanity despite him being a God among men.He is the very essence of what a hero should be.

Solaris01

04-17-2009, 01:38 PM

Wow, I'm honestly blown-away by the posts in this thread. Superman truly is an amazing hero.

Thank you everybody for all those wonderful insights. And long live the greatest hero there has been. Also, I really don't get it when people say that Superman is boring. When written well, he ROCKS! :cool:

Pahara

04-18-2009, 10:23 PM

For me, his ability to remain humble despite his super powers.

Bored at 3:00AM

04-19-2009, 10:09 AM

When written well, he ROCKS! :cool:

Most Superman stories are crap, but that's because he's an incredibly difficult character to write for. He's Superman, he can do anything and he's the best guy ever. That's pretty tough to wrap anything but a very good story around.

I think Grant Morrison summed it up best in his first interview for All Star Superman when he said the goal of the series was simply to tell stories worthy of Superman.

I, too, am really diggin' the comments in this thread. Superman brings out such great positive vibes from people sometimes.

Also, forgot to mention. Superman rocks because he's the only hero out there to fight a giant monkey with kryptonite laser eye-vision.

Neither Batman nor Spider-Man have ever fought a giant monkey, chimpanzee nor gorrilla, irregardless of the freakin' lazer eyes.

Suck on that Bats & Spidey.:wink:

Karl O'Neill

04-19-2009, 10:11 AM

I think there have been tons of great superman stories.

Even the mainstream stuff.

Hamdinger

04-19-2009, 08:03 PM

Also, forgot to mention. Superman rocks because he's the only hero out there to fight a giant monkey with kryptonite laser eye-vision.

Neither Batman nor Spider-Man have ever fought a giant monkey, chimpanzee nor gorrilla, irregardless of the freakin' lazer eyes.

Suck on that Bats & Spidey.:wink:

Though mainly a Fantastic Four villain, Spidey Has tangled with this guy and his super powered primate minions a few times over the years. So suck on it Bored! Obscurity FTW! :tongue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Ghost

Duy

04-19-2009, 09:17 PM

That he can move planets, yet he does good.

You don't need to relate to it, you just have to look up to it.

Bored at 3:00AM

04-20-2009, 12:09 AM

Though mainly a Fantastic Four villain, Spidey Has tangled with this guy and his super powered primate minions a few times over the years. So suck on it Bored! Obscurity FTW! :tongue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Ghost

Bah, every superhero worth a damn has fought an ape or two in their day, but fighting giant King Kong-sized apes is a whole different level.

Duy

04-20-2009, 12:28 AM

Bah, every superhero worth a damn has fought an ape or two in their day, but fighting giant King Kong-sized apes is a whole different level.
I myself would pay money to see a Spider-Man red/Spider-Man blue storyline, in the vein of the ORIGINAL Superman Red/Superman Blue story.

cooking games

04-20-2009, 04:23 AM

To tell you...
I am really an avid fan of Superman..
I consider him, as my Knights in Shining Armor..
Love him so much..

What makes him great...?
For me... he's the man..
His logo makes him great..
His movies..
His stand.. :smile:

Superman rules, men... :biggrin:
take a look at this..it's one of my favorite pics..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2502350224_4e4952dde1_m.jpg

Gadget3440

04-20-2009, 04:38 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2502350224_4e4952dde1_m.jpg

Pop that cherry & it's bound to be your last!

Karl O'Neill

04-20-2009, 07:50 AM

His cape is awesome.
His connection to the new gods and legion of superheroes is fascinating to me.

Xybernauts

04-20-2009, 10:16 AM

Superhero - the original superhero
Ufology - cornerstone of Superman mythology
Powers - extraordinary balance of
Evolution - of character throughout the years
Romance - with Lois Lane (and Lana I guess?)
Man - his humanity, despite the fact he's Kryptonian
Advertising - see my previous post
Needed - by humanity

'Cooking games' post looked like a poem or something. It kinda compelled me to make an acronym about Supes greatness using the word Superman. I just wrote what first came to my mind. Anyone else have any better ideas for an acronym?

Solaris01

04-20-2009, 12:40 PM

To tell you...
I am really an avid fan of Superman..
I consider him, as my Knights in Shining Armor..
Love him so much..

What makes him great...?
For me... he's the man..
His logo makes him great..
His movies..
His stand.. :smile:

Superman rules, men...
take a look at this..it's one of my favorite pics..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2502350224_4e4952dde1_m.jpg

Well said! And welcome to CBR boards. :smile:

Superman also is like Prince Charming to me. :biggrin:

MythicBrawn

04-21-2009, 07:48 AM

His powers and his character are what make him great. Take away one of those and he loses his greatness. No powers mean that he's a nice guy running around doing good deeds and there are plenty of them in the world. Johnathan Kent, when he was alive, could claim that title and we don't revere him. Without his character to temper his powers, then he's just a dude with exceptional powers flying around. Plenty of them too and they don't have Superman status.

addison13

04-26-2009, 04:39 AM

He is not just great, he is super by the name itself. Superman is super because of his abilities despite of his weakness. He is super because he can fly. He is super because his role is a hero.

Avenger08

04-26-2009, 09:23 AM

Well for the actual DC universe, its that he is ALWAYS there. He is always around to protect people, and he is humane and good to everyone. He trusts like no one else, and he never stops.

questionsa

06-06-2009, 06:04 PM

I said this on a thread in the rumbles section.

Superman is the pinnicle of american hope and world wide peace. He's your superheroes greatest superhero and he never lets you down no matter how big the problem is. That S on his chest and his iron clad facial expression of determination and hope means god himself is hear to save the day. He's a icon, a pioneer for alien speices, a humantarian, and a hard worker despite his many powers. Everyone, even his villains respects and whorships his humanity and power. He's that special. Do you really think Captain America could envoke a sense of justice and awe from millions around the world? Do you think anyone in their right mind would state these legendary words "Up in the sky, it's a bird no it's a plane it"You know who"? And finally do you really think that people like Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk and many more iconics would make comicbook history without the man with the blue and red overall and cape who's faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? This and more, is why Superman is the "One above all" who saves and inspire all who believes in miracles and who's ballsy enough to become the superman standard which is important for all superheroes.

carabas

06-06-2009, 11:30 PM

Yes, all of the above, very eloquent posts point out why Superman is great. But there are lots of charactersto which those qualities also apply.

But why is he the unambiguelly greatest : because he was the first, historically if not chronologically. This is why he is kept in the top slot.

Jimmy'sFriend

06-07-2009, 07:23 AM

His hair is what makes him great.

daredevil1990

06-07-2009, 12:35 PM

I haven't read through everyone's posts, so sorry if I tread on anyone elses points or reasons. I originally hated Superman, I started out reading Batman and figured that there was no point reading about Supes, he was too black and white. I enjoyed Batman for the moral ambiguity he had, using fear against fear and I love the crime genre. Once I started reading Supes, it was immediately clear why he is such a strong character. Almost every other superhero is willing to do the wrong thing to get the right thing done, I know that's a pretty broad statement but bear with me here. Superman is physcially incapable of doing this though, again a pretty broad statement, his optimism is alwyas there. And as one of the first poster's said, his humanity. Scenes where he snaps or breaks down are some fo my favourite, All-Star Superman #6 is the perfect example. Grant Morrison said it better than anyone, 'A god who thinks he's a man'.

I think there's also the fact he's such a strong rolemodel for people, I mean, yeah, he can fly and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, his character deals with alienation and loss and a hell fo a lto of other things that are relevant to pretty much everyone. If I ever have any kids and they want to read comic books, it's always going to be Superman I'd give them to read and I don't think I'm alone in saying that.

Mia

06-07-2009, 04:53 PM

The fact that although he's strong and powerful, he's putty in his wife's hands.

senorita

06-08-2009, 03:11 AM

Hello JejijaRoshen, Really very nice questions about super hero superman. Superman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 30, 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book.

Queue Hameera

06-08-2009, 10:17 AM

Superman is the great American hero. Superman's powers--strength, mobility, x-ray vision and the like are some of the of the powers that makes him great and also not to mention the “S” on his costume is unique identity of this powerful hero.

NickGuy

06-08-2009, 12:10 PM