Random Superhero Thoughts: Reign of The Supermen VS Into The Spider-Verse · 11:01pm Jan 16th, 2019
Now we've had 2 movies so far about different versions of the same superhero meeting. For Into the Spider-Verse the message was "Anyone can be Spider-Man" if they put on the mask. However Reign of The Supermen, DC's latest animated feature and sequel to Death of Superman, has the basic message that there is only one Superman.
But how can that be when there's multiple Spider-Men that can be around? What makes Superman so special? Superman is an inspirational figure, not just to the people of the city (As Spider-Man is), but to the world. Even the Justice League is at a loss to keep up with everything he did after he dies, since a combo of super speed and super hearing allowed him to get to problems before the League even KNEW they were problems. And the four new Supermen cannot fill the gap, either. Superman is, after all, one of a kind.
Superman's humanity is what makes him different from the Kryptonian android The Eradicator or even the recently cloned Superboy. That is why when "Reign of the Supermen" was happening in the comics, John Henry Irons AKA Steel, a character who never claimed to be Superman, and who had no powers and wore a suit of armor to do his good made a compelling argument to be a replacement Superman.
Of the four, he was the one who felt the most like Clark Kent.
That humanity is what ties him to characters of the Marvel variety and makes him a more broadly appealing character than his many knockoffs or even many of DC's other heroes, but at the end of the day, there is no one who can step into the role of Superman. As relatable as Clark Kent is, Superman himself is irreplaceable. He is not a "regular" person in extraordinary circumstances but someone whose very existence is extraordinary.
Anyone can wear the Mask of Spider-Man.... Not everyone can wear the Cape of Superman.
There's something beautiful about both messages despite them being complete opposites. Apples and oranges. Depends on if your looking at it from a glass half full/empty perspective. But to hear that there is only one true superman is not an insult to anyone. superman is about being the best version of yourself. Not just being a 2nd rate version of him.
That is an excellent compare and contrast between two great characters. And not that surprising of one, as Superman has LITERALLY been one of the inspirations for more super-heroes than most people can count from the early-1940s onward. And not JUST from DC Comics either.
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Quite well said. It's true that anybody with the brains, courage and heart to do the right thing and not give up when the going gets tough can be a true hero (which is the point made about Spider-Man), but there is also something plenty admirable about inspiring others to be the best versions of themselves.