Rebuttal: Defender of Truth, Justice and the American Way

Previously, someone posted an opinion as to why Superman will "Always Suck". Not only is this not true, but Superman is, in fact, the Defender of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

At the beginning of Superman's "career" it was never actually stated that Superman was indestructible or invincible. We only learn that through many years of constant battle, exposure to constant enemies and weaponry from across the Universe. Saying that "if your hero cannot possibly be killed in any instance…" is doing so via hindsight, as the hero does not actually know he is invulnerable. He has learned what he can withstand, and so have we.

Besides this fact, Superman was not born with his powers. Being born in a world with a red sun was the norm for him, and only upon being exposed to the yellow sun does Superman obtain his powers. The same could be said for Spider-Man, who only obtained his powers after exposure to the bite of a radioactive spider, or the Hulk, who became so only after exposure to Gamma Radiation. Superman's powers were, like most superheroes, accidental. And, like most superheroes, it was what he did upon discovering his powers that made him a "super" man.

And for that matter, can we call Superman a "man", in the sense of humanity? If he were to act as the rest of men, as the rest of humanity acts, he would probably NOT be a force for good. Instead, he would probably become a dictator or overlord, as most "men" of power are. It would be a simple thing for him to exert his power over mankind and crush them under his silly red boot. No, Superman is above that of mortal men, living as an example to humanity of what they could strive to be if they put aside petty differences and rose to their potential.

The costume is another example of this. Superman adopted the Earth as his home, and America as his country, fashioning his costume similarly to America's flag. He exhibits patriotism to a land that isn't his, like many earthly immigrants, but holds the country's beliefs more dearly than its own residents. While Superman does exhibit moral simplicity, in that right is right and wrong is wrong, the issues that Superman deals with are also typically simplistic. Aliens are about to destroy the Earth? That's wrong. People are starving and need to eat? That's right. Again, Superman stands for a symbol of potential and hope. He's typically not placed in situations of moral ambiguity, so it's easy to see him as a one dimensional character…but that does not make him any less great. Batman typically deals with smaller scale crimes, issues that exist on a very small scale, such as one kid with a gun, but Superman is rushing around the world dealing with WMD's.

Speaking of Batman, Batman is described as the pinnacle of human achievement, having pushed himself to the limits, studying all realms of human knowledge, being the equivalent of a surgeon with the steadiness of his hands or having the precision of a safe cracker…But this is all very easy if you have nothing but time and money at your disposal. For that matter, what kind of a man puts on a bat costume and jumps off of buildings to face guys with guns? A sick one. Seriously, someone should do a psyche evaluation on Bruce Wayne…I bet they'd find some interesting things…such as a desire to end his own life, or a need to solve his boredom through thrill seeking. Batman's an adrenaline junkie with a death wish…a spoiled rich kid with no more positive outlets or ideas so he pushes himself in danger's way NOT for the greater good of Gotham's citizens but for his own sick, twisted urges.

In fact, Batman is just plain selfish. He has nothing to lose but his life, which he offers up haphazardly to satisfy his own selfish adrenaline kicks. Batman is the epitome of the priveleged class. He's operating in his own best interests, and doing what he wants to do. If you have money and are priveleged, you can do anything that your sick, crazy mind desires…like putting on a leather batsuit, putting gadgets on your belt and jumping off of buildings. Superman, however, is armed solely with his moral compass, and with powers that were obtained through chance and tragedy, but not through his own choosing. When it came to choice for Superman, he chose to be a shining example to those around him, to be a hero where there was none. Superman seeks to belong to a race of people who do not want him, to be an icon to those who need one, and even when given the opportunity to have happiness of his own, he chooses humanity over himself. Superman had the chance to have the woman he loves, Lois Lane, by giving up his powers. The sense and need for belonging, coupled with his love for her was drive enough for him to make that choice. But when humanity was in danger, he sacrificed the chance for happiness and love, took back the burden of his powers and chose to do the honorable thing…protecting humanity, no matter the cost to himself or the loss of his chance for happiness.

Superman operates as a servant to humanity, operating with honor and humility. Batman is a costumed vigilante with a chip on his shoulder and an adrenaline fueled death wish.