richardmurray

Someone in the internet asked

IS SUPERMAN OUTDATED?!? Thoughts? and what would you do differently?

My reply
Related to what? no I am joking... Outdated suggest a character no longer reflects a present culture. The blunt truth is, no character is ever outdated. Right now many white women in the usa still have a dream of the south that is reflected in "Gone With The Wind"... Now if Outdated suggest a character no longer reflect a majority culture in the present. Then superman is up for debate. In the USA, many black people whose forebears were enslaved by whites will vehemently oppose a black person who only negative action to whites is speaking prejudicely to whites. In the USA, many whites dream for the usa to return to a place where the law supports advantages by being white in all communal quarters or legal levels. In South Africa, many Black people resent with hatred nelson mandela for they see him as a traitor to black freedom. In South Africa, many white people intentionally integrate in their personal or work life all phenotypical groups  in south africa , within their power, to fight against the historical legacy that made south africa.  why do I say all this? Superman is a nonhuman, not a child of earth, who is phenotypically a white european. Anyone can research superman's comic book history and find an example of him supporting a negative view whites have to non whites or men to women, through some action or involvement to another character. Is Superman outdated to a majority in the USA or the greater humanity? I will say superman always was.   Do many people like the idea of a powerful being beyond the control of humanity helping humans? yes. But do most in humanity want all people in humanity to be happy or healthy or just themselves and those in their clan? History in the past or modernity proves most in humanity, are not willing to kill another human, but if those willing to kill in their clan keep their clan empowered over others, they may speak against it but they will aid or abet that empowerment.  Superman was or is outdated. Now what will I do? Yes, I wrote stories of children from outside earth to earh. But if someone asked me what Superman needs most after near one hundred years of publication or media history. I think superman needs to be set on a plot path and stay on that plot path regardless of fan reception or anything else for one hundred years. No character is beloved by all. but, superman like most comic book characters of the usa's great flaw is all the reboots of their storylines. Imagine if superman would had remained a consistent story from his original self.  So I will return superman to his original power levels: super lifting<a skyscraper not a continent>, super running<a high speed train not the speed of light>, super leaping<over a skyscraper not to the upper atmosphere>,super tough skin<a bullet, not a high powered or nuclear missle>, super eyesight/hearing/smelling/tasting. No flying, no eyelasers, no ice breath, no ability to not breath and function,no immortality.   And from origin story just one hundred years from that period, no power changes and all characters stay true to themselves, and age appropriately including superman. If Discovery channel gave superman me to handle, that is what I will do. And yes, I think the whole kryptonian destruction plot is silly, and a character I made from another planet will never have such an origin story but... there you have it. what say you?