From flying to heat vision and freezing breath, there's little that Superman can't do. Except for apparently carry a compelling modern film on his own.
One of the most anticipated films of 2016 is the epic superhero showdown "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." The trailer released at the San Diego Comic Con this summer has racked up nearly 50 million views on YouTube and even in a period of supposed super hero fatigue at the box office, many are predicting the film to break records next May when it debuts.
But despite its billing as a showdown between two of DC Comic's most famous and well-known heroes there seems to be rumblings that Batman has earned more screen time at the expense of the Man of Steel.
As if that wasn't enough of a blow to Superman's film reputation, there is also the issue of a "Man of Steel" sequel, whose fate has been up in the air since its debut in 2013.
Despite a 7.2 out of 10 rating on IMDB and revenue of $668 million, which is the most of any Superman film and the second-highest-gross of any reboot behind "The Amazing Spider-Man," there has been little in the way of news or confirmation for a "Man of Steel 2."
HOT RUMOR: 'Man Of Steel' Sequel Plot & Villain Details Emerge! http://t.co/WoqQZJGFvo pic.twitter.com/YaK6Wvf67x
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) September 15, 2015
That was, until Tuesday, when rumors hit that if a Superman standalone sequel does go into production, it will do so only with Supergirl attached. Those rumors said that the film would introduce Supergirl and feature her just as heavily as Henry Cavill's headlining hero.
As Batman, with his fast-tracked standalone film, LEGO spinoff and popular video game series, takes the hard charge into mainstream popularity, Superman is lagging behind, which makes you wonder why.
Goodie two-shoes
One of the primary reasons Superman falls behind to other heroes is his complete lack of a dark side. While on occasion films, TV shows and comic books have tried to evidence Superman's violence and edge, the reality is that Clark Kent's alter ego is just too nice.
"The Dark Knight Rises" embraces Batman's brutality or TV shows like "Arrow" make it a point to show how gruesome crime-fighting can be, fans crave that edgy, brooding vibe from their heroes.
There isn't any doom and gloom with Superman. "Man of Steel" tried to add in a little darkness but it ended up making Henry Cavill's Kal-El just seem a tad moody. "Batman v Superman" has already started to paint Superman as a dark and dangerous figure but until we can see it done well on screen, fans are always going to see Supes as nothing but a Boy Scout in a cape.
Alien "menace"
The other glaring reason is that Superman isn't one of us. He's an alien from another planet who has powers galore and minimal vulnerabilities (more on that in a second).
As such, he can sometimes be hard to relate to.
Consider Batman, a man who lost his parents at a young age and is dedicated to remaking his city the way they imagined it. Or Tony Stark, a reformed weapons developer who wants to expunge the sins he and his company inflicted on the world. Or Bruce Banner who is a brilliant man who's honestly afraid of his rage and its repercussions. We can't directly relate to any of these heroes, but their problems are at least somewhat capable of commiserating with.
Superman's entire planet and entire species was destroyed, making him (kind of) the last of his kind. He ends up on Earth seemingly by accident and decides to use his alien powers for good.
None of us can relate to that. As valiant as Superman's mission is, fans and viewers are so far removed from that point of view that it becomes difficult to swallow at times.
Can't lose
Maybe the most glaring issues with Superman as a compelling movie focal point is that he simply cannot lose.
There is only one thing in the entire universe that can even slow him down and in some films (looking at you "Man of Steel") that substance isn't even mentioned or seen.
So if you know the guy can't be very badly hurt let alone be killed, what compels you to care about him? At least with the human heroes like the many mentioned above, there is at least the outside chance he or she might die.
Superman has died in the comics on occasion, only to be brought back to life by one method or another as it always goes down in the pages of those books, but whenever he gets into a fight with one bad guy or an entire army of them, you're almost completely positive nothing bad could happen to him.
In "Dark Knight Rises," Christian Bale's Batman literally had his back broken. He was beaten to a pulp by his adversary. That kind of beat-down is never going to be dished out to Superman. He is always going to be the one who punches hardest and delivers the biggest beating.
Maybe all it will take is an innovative film maker to truly remake the Superman image and be able to turn him into a worthwhile hero to see on screen but for now, it may be in studio's best interest to push the Man of Steel aside.
Related Links:
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Superman welcomes the British invasion
Reach the reporter at icbeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ICBeck21.
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