Superman: Why All the Hate?

Superman is the first superhero

Superman is a very relate able father figure

Superman is a role model

Superman started the age of superheroes

So why all the hate?

Imaginary haters.

Lowkey kind of boring

@righteous300: This. Superman fans act like reading his books changes him somehow

Oh man...I did used to hate him but now I really like him

I used to hate his boy scout persona mixed with his godly hood. Ironically I love Captain America. I think what made me like him was ...what was it Led Luthor man of steel and Batman's commentary on Superman; the dude is nearly unstoppable and a world wrecker and the only thing that checks him is his own morality.

@righteous300: @kgb725: I can agree with this in a sense. I think maybe his books are boring but him in other books makes him enjoyable. Like I wouldn't read his stand alone stuff but him in Justice League I'm all for

Perception vs. Actual first hand encounter.

@daak1212: Pretty much how I feel about him. In JL and other team books I'm cool with him, but solo it's an easy pass. I actually find his son to be a lot more interesting than he is.

I don't hate Superman, but I personally don't think he's very relatable, so I have to disagree with point #2. In fact, I suspect that's why a lot of people don't like him. I feel of all the major super-heroes, he's the one that's the hardest to relate to.

I feel the "hate" is way overblown. Usually when I see complain that Superman is too OP for good stories I take it that the one saying that either doesn't read any comics or only ever reads street-levellers. His actual sales are pretty good, anyway.

Like most in this thread I like him more in team books when he has a foil like BM or WW. In his solo books I don't find him all that interesting. I don't hate him though, I don't know how anyone could hate a piece of paper. I also like Jon more.

Because he tries to be better than Batman.

This.

He's too OP for good stories.

Edgy teens who have never read his stories and want every hero to act like Batman.

He is a decent - good character.

But definitely overrated and sometimes boring.

A good chunk of Superman's haters seem to be DB fans still mad at Screwattack.

Too op i guess. I always thought he was boring but mos made me love him.

he's honestly a snooze fest, he's fine as a supporting character, but as a main character he's pretty boring

Haters?. He has always been one of the most respected powerhouses on the vine, even to those who find him boring.

Not the character himself more the fanboys that make folks sick of him

No one hates him beside dragon ball fans and vice versa...And i am pretty sure taht superman is a brand since he has a 10000000 versions of himslef and he is like 25+ years old or something from like 1930 when he was created till this day...

I think there are a few understandable reasons. I myself didn't use to like Superman as much as I do know (and most of the New 52 run didn't help).

1. One reason that the hate seems so overblown is because this is the internet, with people who take battle forums way too seriously. If you claim the character you like/support can beat the character they like/support, that other person can easily flip out and rant about weak and pathetic and boring your character is and how dare you compare them to my character, you stupid moron with a brain full of cancer (You know you've seen stuff like this). Superman is a powerful character with a good range of abilities, thus why he gets paired up the most with other characters to fight, meaning he more often than not will be the subject of hatred for fanboys who don't like being told the characters they like are anything less than perfect, especially in a fight.

2. Another reason is I think that people too often just rate Superman on his own, not taking into account his stories, his supporting cast, or, most importantly, his villains. Batman's a great character but he wouldn't be nearly as popular if he wasn't working opposite villains like the Joker or Mr. Freeze or Ra's. A big thing I've come to love about Superman's stories is his dynamic with Lex Luthor and how they define each other. Same as how I don't think I'd like Hal Jordan as much if it wasn't for the tragedy of his relationship with Sinestro or Flash's interesting relationship with the Rogues. Superman by himself can seem like just a boring boy scout but pit him against god-like foes or just a human man his equal and opposite, then things get interesting.

3. And there's always going to be the case that some people just aren't going to like Superman and his stories because, well, there are people who just don't like Batman, or Spider-Man, or Wolverine. Sometimes a character or their stories just don't connect with people because of preference. No one likes everything.

When I was a kid I loved Superman, then I went through a 1990s teenage phase where I disliked him because he wasn't "cool". This was around the time they made him electricity based for a while. I came out the other side as an adult and really came appreciate the character as in real life I value decent, kind, good people because there is nothing boring to me about people who do the right thing.

What books are you guys reading?

Because people in this World are f**ked up in the head, and anything to do with morals, self sacrifice, and generally giving a s**t about others is taboo.

Selfish, weak willed, violent minded & mouthed, shrewd actioned morons abound!

Superman represents what few today can even hope to achieve image wise, and they hate him for it.

Hope, Respectability, & Selflessness.

Because Goku is cooler and stronger.

@gaoron: And so it begins

That's actually a really good point, considering we live in a world where people will hate a movie just because it's popular and everyone else likes it.

@agent41: "Because you are a nobody if you don't have haters. His haters are another proof that he is an icon."

Lol, that's a great point

If you're not interested in the character, then you're not interested in the character, but some of the excuses that people come up with for disliking him only shows that they have never read him.

Because he's an AMERICAN hero, that in itself is a big negative. Superman Return that a lot of the people on this forum liked, put it into words. "Does he still stand for Truth, Justice... all that other stuff?" And that movie was during the Bush administration. You cannot label heroes as American and Patriotic. Even Captain America Civil War had Cap America and mostly U.S Avengers answering to the World gov. So yeah. That.

@buttersdaman000: Action Comics and Superman, but I'll probably drop after the Doomsday event, since hopefully it will be the conclusion to the rebirth mystery

I dropped around issue 10-12. Not because I didn't like it (I think Rebirth Superman is one of the best characterizations/books we've had recently).

What don't you like about Superman though?

Because he can beat up your favorite character and thus OP and boring.

Except when he can't because your favorite character would totes win, then he's a joke, but still OP and boring.

Not relatable. And kinda boring.

I understand AC, but Superman? Come on! That book is freaking great. It's one of the best books out right now.

Have your read some older stuff?

p. sure Gilgamesh was the first superhero

He boring

@_reynard_: I'm not denying that they're good books, they're just not for me. So far the only thing keeping me invested is the rebirth event and Jon. But he's in Super Son's now so I can drop it. My favorite book wouod probably be Birthright. I think there was a book cooled Man of Steel where he had to take on Braniac, I read the Death of Supes story, and a couple others.

@righteous300:

Have you read All Star?

@_reynard_: Don't think I have.

Death of Superman is horrible. It was literally filler to inject some life in Superman because of conflicts with the TV show.

I don't recall a storyline or series titled Man of Steel where he took on Brainiac. You might be thinking of the 1986 reboot by Byrne called The Man of Steel. If so, it's dated. It's good for what it is, a reimagining of The man of Steel, but it's also what ruined Superman for a lot of people....probably why you think he's boring.

Birthright is alright, but I think it's overrated. Not much to really say on it. I just think it's average.

If you want some recommendations for good Superman books, there's a sticky on the forum. Also, i'd personally recommend All-Star Superman, Grant Morrisons n52 Action Comics (The best origin), Superman: Brainiac, Superman: Last Son, Superman: Up, up and away! and a few others.

Well for starters, there are people who just can't find him relatable, which makes sense. Sometimes he is introduced as an OP character more powerful than everyone else which is far from truth and consistency. There are also a lot of Superman stories written only to compare other character's power level/strength to his own. People also find him to be extremely boring or irritating, mostly because of his righteousness and him being a "boyscout" also irritates.

He is so overrated. Hell, I'm not even gonna get into battle forum related topics. Superman is overrated as a character. It's like, if he is not a part of your Top 5 list of favorite super heroes of all time, you are delusional. If you don't think he is cool, you are stupid. If you are not a fan of his comics, you are insane. If you don't find him relatable, you are a hater. But even if you talk to a Superman fan who can accept the fact that you don't really like Superman, he is still gonna praise Superman like he is god knows what. Well I'm sorry, but being the first comic book Super Hero and all that does not make him the best character out there, even less make other heroes inferior compared to him, unless they are Batman or Spider-man.

Overall, there are a lot of reasons why people hate Superman and compared to Batman and Spider-man, he is the one who gets hated the most. But let's be honest. All the hate that is coming to him is nothing compared to his popularity. He is still considered to be the greatest comic book character of all time by a lot of people and he is still one of the most overrated, if not the most overrated character in fiction. It makes sense to hate the character, even tho a lot of reasons why people hate him are stupid IMO.

I personally like Superman. He is one of my 10 favorite super heroes and like I said before, there are some haters who complain about Superman for stupid reasons, but people complaining about him is not a surprise, even less ridiculous. It also does not change the fact that he is way more overrated and praised than hated.

He's way more praised than hated.