Superman

July 14, 2025

“We all want to be Superman.”

So says James Gunn, director of the latest Superman movie that came out three days ago and which I saw today.

And because we all want to be Superman (or at least most men and boys have wanted to be superheroes; I don’t know what role models inspire women and girls), we project our beliefs and biases onto him. So in this film, Superman, originally an extraterrestrial from the planet Krypton, is not so subtly portrayed as an undocumented alien being persecuted by U.S. government immigration agents. And on the other side of the political spectrum, some supporters of the current American president have created a poster showing his face attached to the body of Superman.

But I’m not interested in the political interpretations of left wing and right wing spin doctors. And I didn’t watch the movie to see all the action sequences, explosions, special effects, and bad guys, though this story has all of those in spades. Nor was I drawn to the love story between Superman and Lois Lane, the journalist co-worker of his alter ego and alias, Clark Kent, though the chemistry between them was touching.

What has always attracted me to the Superman story ever since I read his comic books as a boy was his heroic character. Yes, I enjoyed his adventures, his superpowers, and his fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way.” But unlike the darker mystery of Batman, Superman was more wholesome, a clean-cut all American boy, sometimes dismissed as the Big Blue Boy Scout.

Adopted as a baby by Kansas farmers Ma and Pa Kent, Clark Kent absorbed the decency and morality of his salt of the earth parents. So as he grew up and realized his special extraterrestrial abilities, he became known as the Man of Steel, but remained humble and was not corrupted by his miraculous powers.

And in this latest feel-good iteration of the saga, the handsome muscular hero, played by David Corenswet, is courageous yet vulnerable, compassionate and flawed, charming and goofy. The child from outer space became a down to earth human being on a mission to love and protect the human race.

His nobility reminds me of valiant characters in some of the classic Westerns such as Shane, High Noon, and The Magnificent Seven. I’m grateful that I grew up at a time of positive role models in books, movies, and TV, because nowadays it seems that many men and boys are lost in a modern malaise of drugs, technology, and a lack of purpose and soulful identity.

In this heartfelt film, Superman, for all his good looks, charisma, and strength, is most notable for his kindness and idealism. He truly wants to help people, wherever in the world he finds them.

Is Superman a naive Pollyanna? Maybe. Is the movie corny? Sure – to some people. But not to me.

At a time of ugly headlines and divisive rhetoric, of wars and the greedy short sighted destruction of our Earth home, I find any portrayal of integrity, selflessness, and decency inspiring. And this man, this super man, is a reminder of what it really means to be an American, to be a human being. Not the chasing of wealth and power and fame, but the pursuit of what Abraham Lincoln described as “the better angels of our nature.”