MoreSupermanwas a given even before Ta-Nehisi Coates was announced to bewriting a new adaptation, to be produced by J.J Abrams' production company Bad Robot. Some heroes stay with us, no matter the time, no matter the actor, no matter the universe they are part of, andSupermanis one of them. And one way to make a new iteration of this iconic character stand out is focusing not on his powers, but his compassion.
There are many iconicSupermanmoments, plenty of them recognizable even by casual fans. The movies and TV shows have examined most of those. Fans have seen many versions of the Superman origin story, and many a version of the Lois and Clark dynamic, as well. In fact, there’s a show on TV right now dedicated not just to this dynamic, but to delving intoLois and Clark as parents– to teenagers, to boot – something fans hadn’t seen in live-action before. And with theSuperman and Loisshow going in that direction, and theorigin story overdone to the point of exhaustion, a new angle is needed.
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As is the case with most of these superheroes, the comics might just hold the answer. Though Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster and made his first appearance all the way back in 1938 in Action Comics #1, it’s one of his newer comic book appearances that hits the perfect note as far as a possible adaptation.All-Star Superman, a 12-issue series published between 2005 and 2008 features a very poignant moment inAll-Star Superman#10. On it, Superman saves a girl – Reagan – from committing suicide, not with his powers, but with his words.
But that’s not all. TheAll-Star Supermanstory focuses not just on anySuperman, at any particular point of his journey, but on aSupermanwho’s dying, after being exposed to a huge amount of solar energy. Which, for Superman, means he’s got to leave his affairs in order, but also, do as much good as he possibly can with the time he has left. This idea is best applied to larger acts of bravery and heroism. Superman is, after all, extremely powerful. But, in the midst of all his issues, and all his doubts about what to do with his time, Superman takes a moment to focus on saving one single person.
There isn’t a single instance of this, which helps it come off as authentic, instead of performative. As Superman is dying, he spends a lot of time trying to do big things, but also a lot of time showing his fundamental humanity and kindness. He visits sick children at the hospital. He saves a train full of people. And later, he saves Reagan – a girl he’s never met, and that will not show up again, not by catching her as she falls to her death, but by talking to her.
One of Superman’s greatest strengths as a character, for all that he’s an alien, has always been his humanity. At its core, Superman was always meant to show that humanity has nothing to do with where anyone is born, or what people are, it has to do with choices.Superman is the best of us allnot because he was born on Krypton, or because the yellow sun makes him more powerful, but because of who he chooses to be, day after day. That’s a great message to take into an adaptation, particularly considering the world of today and the kind of superheroes that have taken the spotlight in the last few years.
Comic book adaptations have changed a lot sincethe first live-actionSuperman, in 1948, or even the first big-budget adaptation featuring the character, Christopher Reeve’sSuperman, in 1978.Edgier, darker, much broodier heroes, like Batman, have become more interesting and garnered more acclaim. Villains like the Jokerhave gotten movie after movie, Oscar after Oscar for its performers.AnotherSuicide Squadmovieis coming. And yet,movies likeShazam!provethat there’s still an audience for lighter, kinder, superheroes.
Superman is not a particularly funny guy. It’s impossible – or at least it should be – to adapt him into any kind of a comedy. But that doesn’t mean the sense of hopefulness, of compassion, or humanity, can’t be the focus of a new adaptation. Every person in the world could do with a reminder that they are stronger than they believe. And there’s something particularly powerful about that reminder coming fromSuperman.
Just as there’s something incredibly compelling about the idea of the most powerful superhero in the world sometimes defaulting to words to solve problems. Because, in many ways, that means everyone can be a superhero. People don’t need superpowers to solve their problems. All that’s needed, sometimes, is taking a page from the book of our favorite superhero, and showing some compassion, some kindness. Now that’s aSupermaneveryone can – and will – root for.
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