LogFAQs > #952407925

YourLovelyTina posted...

Is that pretty much any idiot can fight crime and be a hero if they know they can fly and have super-strength and are 99.999% invincible.

What makes this an interesting thought is that, frankly, most idiots wouldn't use their powers to become heroes. And the few that would, would likely be very irresponsible. For a good example of this, go check out some of the original Booster Gold comics. There's an early issue that's essentially just that. Booster, the random idiot, got his hands on superpowered tech become a hero. And he nearly fucks things up, though a guest appearance from Superman helps him set things straight and teach him his lesson.

There's also the fact that Superman's moral beliefs are often in conflict with the more obvious solutions. On a practical level, Superman's powerful enough that he can, if he wanted to, impose his morality onto any situation and still have a good ending. In the hands of better writers, though, his rejection of abusing his powers often leads to other story-related complications and inter-personal drama.

YourLovelyTina posted...

And isn't Kryptonite supposed to be like insanely rare? And yet any given Superman villain has tons of the stuff just lying around. Because it's pretty much Supes only weakness and you gotta have something to create tension...

This is moreso a weakness of certain adaptations than an underlying problem with the character. Superman is often up against villains and conflicts that are either able to match him, or that can't be simply punched into submission (or at least, not punched into submission until a more pressing matter is resolved)

Seriously, go check out the Rebirth-era Superman comics. The first arcs are pretty middling but they build up really well.

Though, personally, I'm a huge fan of low-powered, Golden Age social justice Superman. We seriously need more of that interpretation. Go check out "Superman Smashes the Klan", it's great!

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