What I hate...
1. The belief that Superman should always be right and triumphant
2. The belief that Superman is a boy scout
3. The belief that Superman should ALWAYS be upstanding
4. The belief that he should be confined on Earth
5. The belief that he has an unimpressive intellect
6. The belief that Superman is just a brawler
7. The belief that Batman adds an interesting element to his stories
8. The belief that he should ONLY be with Lois Lane or Wonder Woman
9. The belief in there being interest in his being a Husband and a Dad
10. The belief that his weaknesses are appealing and well-written
What I'd like...
1. I'd rather see him frequently (though not TOO frequently mind you) make mistakes in judgement and occasionally be outfought, outsmarted, and outran.
2. I hate that terminology because people don't even know how people define such a thing. A boy scout is defined these days as someone who follows orders and thinks they're doing the right thing. That's not Superman. Superman's a do-gooder.
3. I'd like for him to lose his temper every now and then and get aggressive with some people. He's not someone you can walk all over just because he's a forgiving nice guy.
4. He's not a hero just for one planet. He's a hero for all of existence and should be treated as much. That said, I agree with many that he should often venture outside of Earth to prove his kindness on an immeasurable scale; but I want the Earth/Human element to still be existent if it is going to take place primarily in space.
5. Superman isn't just the most powerful man I can imagine, he's also possibly the most intelligent, but like many have pointed out, writers seem to be too afraid to show his intellect at times. I want him in a position where his powers are nearly useless and he has to save the world using mostly his wits, cunning, and natural knowledge. And that's just as Supes. As Kent, I want to see him chase down a conspiracy that leads him to an ancient cult and/or terrorist group that Superman can never truly beat. I want him to use his skills to find and expose these guys. Think of the possibilities that could come from creating stories where his power is next to useless. Superman skeptics might just change their tune about him.
6. This is actually true in many versions, but the way I see it, he should start his career off as a formidable brawler, taking down powerful metahuman opponents and magical creatures. But when fighting against tough metahuman, magical, or alien opponents with fighting skill, he should get himself educated in the fighting arts. However, I don't want him learning from Wildcat, Mongul II, Wonder Woman, or Batman. I want him to learn Kryptonian Martial Arts. Have those taught to him by the knowledge possessed in the fortress. It'd be a great way to show his independence on a physical level.
7. From being bested by him or coming to him for tech or natural intelligence, I really don't understand the need for him in his stories. First of all, Superman needs to mop the floor with Batman if the intention is to get physical. Second, like I said at number 5, Supes has an impressive intellect. He can build his own tech and create his own concoction. If Superman is to entrust knowledge to a fellow genius, why can't it be John Henry Irons? An ACTUAL Superman supporting character and superhero. I'm tired of Batman playing major parts in his stories.
8. He's had other love interests and quite frankly, at this point, I want to see more of the OTHERS. There are plenty of tales that end with Supes and Lois being together and The New 52 made it abundantly clear that Superman's true love was Wonder Woman. I'd like something really fresh and the only times that happened were in "Red Son" where he wasn't really involved with anyone (though WW did crush on him and was childhood couples with Lana Lazarenko) and in "Earth One" where he was not with Lois Lane, but Lisa Lasalle. I'd like to see Superman with some love interests who are faced with being viewed differently from the outside world due to having different, but rich heritage...just like him. I'd like to see Clark with a woman whose Asian, Indi, or my personal favorite, Native American.
9. I can stand that in an elseworld, but not the main continuity. There's something about the main characters being family men that I just don't like in a narrative sense. I'd like to see his arc, for that time period, end with him getting married with a flash-forward to his married/family life in the future, but I don't want to see an entire story/series built around them.
10. I wrote a post a while back concerning Supes not having very many magical enemies, which is something that needs to change. His magical enemies can challenge him not just physically, but also mentally, intellectually, and spiritually. So many compelling tales can come from this. Kryptonite should be portrayed as capable of hurting and killing him, but I hate the idea of him being in its vicinity and dropping on the ground from the radiation alone. I don’t think Kryptonite should be portrayed as weakening him, just hurting and killing him. Red Sun Radiation should weaken him, but not hurt him, though. Still, I want to see magic more than anything else. So much untapped potential in that weakness alone.
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