As Dawn of Justice grows closer, It has made me think about the Man of Steel and what makes him so special to people all over the world.
Most would argue that Batman has now taken the mantle of greatest DC superhero. He’s certainly had a lot of limelight of late from the exceptional Nolan trilogy to the brilliant Arkham video games. I feel Superman gets a bad rap and this is largely due to poor execution of the character.
I, like many, grew up with the Richard Donner Superman films. To me Christopher Reeve embodied the character to perfection. The term lightening in a bottle comes to mind. Superman was and is still my favourite superhero and got me into the genre in the first place.
Since the Donner films Superman hasn’t really been represented to his full potential. Superboy was popular with some but forgettable. Lois & Clark had its moments and certainly one of the best Lois Lane’s ever cast. Smallville tried to do something different and despite some stand out episodes, ultimately failed. We had to wait 10 years to see him become Superman and even then it was a CGI let down. Zack Snyder has said though that if it wasn’t for Smallville keeping the character alive, he would have faded even more into the background. Superman Returns was a love letter to the original but had nothing new to say.
Man of Steel felt like a letdown to many people at first. It’s hard to let go of that classic interpretation of the character by Reeve. However MOS has grown on me and is very popular with a lot of the fans. He’s a slightly darker character now with a change of tone but he’s still what we all want and need him to be: a beacon of light. The Superman emblem is more than just a S. It’s a symbol of hope. It’s a symbol of trying to be more than you are; to strive for greatness.
So I now embrace Henry Cavill who certainly looks the part and takes it seriously. The world is waiting to see the two titans of the comic book world finally share screentime and butt heads.
Without getting too morbid or political, we are living in dark times and things keep getting darker. It’s good to know that Superman is back on the scene and here to stay. I certainly feel uplifted and inspired by this character who continues to evolve but never loses his core values.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice hits cinemas in March.