Is Superman A True Superhero????

I just wanted to ask people if they believe if Superman can be rated as a classic superhero.
Personally,i don't think he can.why?
Because he's an alien!! Obviously for some people that is no reason to rule him out.but if you compare him to the others,the bulk of them are human.and we all know the different ways they get their powers.
But Superman,as much as i like the guy,on his home planet he would be no one special.he would not be "super."
So should he be seen that way on earth,when there are humans who are as good as or are better then him????



and just a note.i enjoy comics,but i am not a hardcore reader or collector.so those who are like that,try not to go nuts at me for being ignorant or whatever!!

Superman is iconic... Really the 1st superhero...

all others are basically judged by his comparison...


...Yes Superman is an alien (an immigrant...Haw!)...

But originally he was conceived as "The man of Tomorrow"...

..So he is the dream of what we can become....


Yes, he is a superhero.





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[edit on 30-8-2007 by cosmokatt7]

[edit on 30-8-2007 by cosmokatt7]

"Superman saves millions from meteorite. He's no hero though, he's just a alien."

"General Zod has takes over planet Earth. No worries, he's not a super villain, he's just an alien."

It is one's actions that make a hero, not where the are from. The difference between a superhero and hero is that superheroes have superpowers or have some other means to do heroic things all the time..
Saying Superman isn't a superhero because on Krypton he has no super powers is like saying Spider-Man isn't a superhero because when he was a kid he didn't have superpowers. Just about all superhero's start out with no powers. Peter Parker got his powers from a radioactive spider. Kal-El got his powers by being exposed to a yellow sun. Both are tales of an "ordinary" person being gifted with super powers.

Originally posted by cosmokatt7
Superman is iconic... Really the 1st superhero...

all others are basically judged by his comparison...

Right.
Other superheroes were even called "gimmicks" because they had only one superpower while Superman was "super" in everything.

Superman is most certainly a hero and he is a hero, in part, because he is an "alien".

They say that 'character makes the man'. Man or Alien, Kal-El came from a family that exemplified 'character' on their Homeworld, Krypton. The family patriarch, Jor El was a leading scientist and stateman who vehemently tried to save their planet and culture from destruction. When faced with failure, he sought what was best for their planet's species by sending his 'only-begotten' son into Space, hopefully to land on the third planet of a star-system that was centered by a yellow sun. A situation, it would appear, that would bring 'god-like' powers to his offspring.

On Earth, the alien child was raised, as their own, by the Kent family. Stoic Midwestern farmers, basic human and "American" values were instilled into the young "Clark Kent". A young man / alien who had come to know and incorporate philosophical values of decency, fair play, truth, justice and the 'American Way'. Truly, a being that had principle and, above all, that intangible personal element we call "character".

Placing his own comfort, personal life, safety and even existence at risk. Superman has time and time again exemplified what it means to be "human" even if that sense of humanity comes from an Alien showing his dedication to his adopted world and the to the society that he swears to protect.

Superman has character that transcends species and surely, we can surmise, as Kal-El, he would have been would have been just as vital and dynamic a figure on his home world as he had become on Earth. The super-powers would really have made no differnce but the force of his philosophical, ethical make up as well as his sense of dedication, self-sacrifice and principals surely would have.

I agree he has great human values and he is alien in birth only.(and i should point out,i am a big fan.) i asked because its something i've always wondered about.couldn't any alien with good morals and values be a hero to mankind just because they have more poewr/greater intelligence than us?
Batman to me would be the ideal,"the man of tomorrow." because thats just what he is,a man.he had no experiment go wrong,he didn't fall into nuclear waste etc.he is a human who shows you what humans can become.could we become alien and be like clark kent? could we get super powers if we didn't have something "special" happen to us?

What's also interesting about Superman is that he -is- Kal-El, and 'Clark Kent' is the 'masked man'.

In other super heroes it's the reverse.

o Bruce Wayne is the front character, playing a rich 'fop', and Batman wears the mask
o Hal Jordan is the front character, playing a jet pilot, and Green Lantern wears the mask.

But in Superman, he's the front character and a 'timid' Clark Kent wears the mask (his glasses) and acts shy and frightened.

Wonder Woman is the same as Supes, with Diana Prince wearing the disguise.

Interesting how they eventually paired them up as lovers, too (iirc).



[edit on 30-8-2007 by Badge01]

Originally posted by Badge01
What's also interesting about Superman is that he -is- Kal-El, and 'Clark Kent' is the 'masked man'.

But in Superman, he's the front character and a 'timid' Clark Kent wears the mask (his glasses) and acts shy and frightened.

...David Carridine AKA Bill gives a great monologue about this, almost at the end of KILL BILL 2...

Hey! I knew I had heard that somewhere but wasn't sure where. I thought it might have been the Discovery Channel's Superheros/Comics show, but you're right, it is from Kill Bill.

Thanks!

So, credit goes to Tarantino and his writing staff...

I've always found that interesting about clark kent too!
It does make for a more interesting character!

reply to post by cosmokatt7


but you are so wrong... there were many other heroes who came before him...
in my opinion, an original would be the phantom, who first sported the "white eyes" look so well known today... just look at spidey.

super-man is really just a glorified swiss-army knife of plot devices. he dies! plot device, he can come back to life.
he gets frozen! plot device, heat vision
he needs to put out a fire! plot device, ice breath.

hell, one of these days he'll have shark-repellent urine.

I know i've probably not explained myself well with this topic.
The bear bones of it is,can a man or woman be a super hero when they've had something "special" happen to them that gives them super powers? A super hero,to me,is an ordinary person who can do extraodinary things.like Batman!!

I chose Superman,but there are plenty of others i could say the same thing about.but i think sometimes people forget(and i don't mean the hardcore fans) that Clark Kent is an alien.he may be super,but he is not a man!!

And i'm not prejudiced against him because he is an alien,he's basically a highly advanced human! On his home world he would be just a hero,to us he is just an alien who has a good moral centre!!

...I will concede that Phantom was the first costumed hero in the genre...

But I disagree that he is a "superhero" ,as he always used a revolver in this many adventures...

...So then... Is Batman really a superhero....Haw! maybe not...

[edit on 13-9-2007 by cosmokatt7]

Hmm,well Batman doesn't really have hand weapons,he has gadgets.But you have to admit that he has a strength most super heroes only have because of radiation,spiders etc.

Originally posted by jakyll
Hmm,well Batman doesn't really have hand weapons,he has gadgets.But you have to admit that he has a strength most super heroes only have because of radiation,spiders etc.

but batman has it because of science... he tinkers around with exercise in a scientific way to get his strength... but he really isn't anywhere near a real superstrength hero. he comes in at the level of captain america, peak human physical condition. exceptional human, not super.

He is a defender of the people and more of a rescue service man who will save your cat. Unless he quits having baddies ,(where are they) and tries to change the world of politics he has nothing really.

No he is not.