What's so funny about Truth, Justice and the American way? : Why the world needs Superman

If you’ve been paying attention to the cultural news lately, some appear to have whipped themselves into something of a furore over the way he addresses the meaning of Captain America, and I don’t think anyone really heard what he was saying:

“It’s about a man who keeps his word; honesty, dignity and integrity; someone who is trustworthy and dependable; this is kind of an aspect of a dream coming true from when I was a kid. All of us as actors, I believe, wanna get back to that day before someone told you “no”; when you look at your door, and you see a five year old kid with a stick and he’s slaying dragons to save the princess in the tower, that kid really believes there are dragons out there, that kid really believes that stick is really a sword, and that he’s really trying to save that princess, and then one day, somebody told him “no! There are no dragons, that is not a sword and that princess is not there!” - and all of his little dreams were dashed.”

I have a point. I’m getting to it, I promise.

From the perspective of an…Older comic book fan, times have been somewhat lean. Christopher Reeve died in 2004 and my world got a little darker; and for me, as a superfan, it seems like ever since then a little corner of the DC universe has kind of gone to sleep and started forgetting about the power of flight; about the power that Superman represents in the core universe and why the character transcends the pages of DC comics and permeates the cultural zeitgeist in a way that no other Superhero does.

Ever since 1989 with the seminal Batman movie, the world moved on and grew up a little. It wasn’t entirely the fault of the people in it; terrible things were happening in the world that didn’t allow for escapism and suspension of disbelief, or I believe to allow the innocence and lessons from that kind of cinema to really permeate; our world got meaner, and as a result we started listening to those voices that saw the world a little bit meaner when they spoke to deconstruct our heroes in a search to add more realism. Superman in the 2000’s became about the drama and the conflict because I believe people wanted to see more of Bruce, a more deconstructed Superman – a result of which is that we left behind the silliness of The adventures of Lois & Clark that strived to tell a good story, with a good heart about good people doing good things, until we got to a point where Zack Snyder gave us a sentence that I don’t believe for a second that Superman should ever utter: “No one stays good in this world”.

It crushed me. In a very real way, hearing those words come from the man of steel resonated and hurt in a way that it never could from Cap, or Spidey, or Wonder Woman, or Bruce because those characters see the spectrum of bad in people – Superman has this unwavering faith that no person is beyond redemption, and as terrible an example a human being as I can be, it’s a morality and code that I have tried to carry with me throughout 48 years in the belief that no one leaves prison lacking the ability to go straight, no addict unable to turn the corner after reaching rock bottom, no family difference so profound that they were unable to reconcile; Superman sees the good in people, and that belief is the myth that is sold with the American dream that I was fortunate and happy enough to grow up with through the 80’s an 90’s.

I really think that we might have turned a corner, and it started…a few years ago with Superman & Lois, and I think it’s because the creative voices behind Superman understand what Anthony Mackie was saying at this convention.

America in reality is a fraught place right now; it’s divisive, and I’m not really keen in getting into the politics of it, because it will unendingly cause harm and upset irrespective of personal opinion, but the American way that Mackie and Superman addresses is a romanticised sense of Americana which espouses faith, hope and charity; love of one’s fellow man, of belief and the suspension of disbelief so that you can allow yourself to feel that you’re capable of anything, and that anything is possible. America and the world is a dark place right now, and a lot of it is out of our control – but not everything needs to be out of your control.

The world needs Superman right now, more than anything because if there were ever a moment in human history that I believe we needed to be inspired to buy a sandwich for a homeless guy that looks like he hasn’t eaten in days, take out the trash for an elderly neighbour, look for someone’s lost pet or help with a little housework, it’s now. I think the world stopped looking for the best of us, within the best of us, and the power of cinema, of escapism is that it gives us a moment of respite from reality to reflect and come away wanting to do better.

Suddenly the notion of Superman taking us home, doesn’t seem so silly. And I think James Gunn gets that, and wants to help us see the sword inside the stick, the dragon to be slayed and the princess to be rescued.

I apologise for meandering. I just wanted to air some thoughts and wish everyone a belated happy 2025. Love your fellow man. Love your family more fiercely, and remind them constantly if not in words, then in deed.