Flying High Again

 I don't believe it is that difficult to understand the success of the latest iteration of DC comics biggest star. 

Superman, ideally, is for all of us. I have read in a number of different places about how the notion that Superman is "woke" is nothing new. This is the story of a foster kid who grew up believing in the inherent goodness of those around him. He became the walking, talking, flying safety net that we all need. 

What I am about to do is discuss plot points of a popular movie and if you are sensitive to the outcome of the fictional account of a "metahuman" whose basic information is probably better known than most characters in The Bible, then please feel free to come back to this post after you've given the movie a chance to work its magic on you. Then feel free to argue or agree. 

Or you can simply take my word for it: We need Superman right now. 

Here we go: Very early on in James Gunn's adaptation of this legend, we learn that Superman is under fire from the United States Government for intervening on behalf of a country that is being invaded by a strongarm dictator from a hostile neighbor. Just who is this clown who wears his underwear outside his tights and why is he inserting himself into the matters of diplomacy? In an interview that takes place between young lovers Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Clark insists on behalf of his later ego that the answer is simple: Because people were going to die. 

His response was not that of a dispassionate alien observer, but of a human being who chose to stop other human beings from suffering regardless of how it made him look. Public opinion causes Superman's popularity to plummet as politicians and oligarchs such as Lex Luthor (think hairless Elon Musk) seek to manage worldwide economic strategy without considering the lives of those in the way. 

At one point, Supes and his gal pal Lois sit and discuss the challenges of being "the good guy" while an alien invader keeps members of "The Justice Gang" busy just outside their window. The challenge of handling a glowing beast from another world is dismissed when Clark/Superman says, "Oh, they've got this." 

We need Superman for the really big messes. The ones that take a standup guy in a cape without any moral quandaries. Truly psychotic billionaires who seek to rule the planet by any means necessary who jail their political enemies in distant prisons without any sort of due process need to be dealt with by someone who truly understands truth, justice, and the American Way. The Human Way. 

It doesn't matter that he came here as an alien. An immigrant. Superman sees the potential for good and works tirelessly for those ideals. He won't be compromised. It sounds corny, and that may be why the past few versions of this story have skewed into darker territory, hoping to mine the frailties of this adopted Son of Krypton. 

It's not corny. 

It's Super.