I’ve been on a
bit of a Superman kick lately, I’ll admit.
Ever since I saw Man of Steel, and
found season one of Lois and Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman on Amazon for like $10, I’ve been
borderline obsessed. It’s weird to, because Superman never
appealed to me as much as other heroes growing up. He was too much of a goody-goody, which made
him boring (although I did LOVE Lois and
Clark when I was a kid…and still love it…I recently bought season
two). I always liked Batman better (DC
Universe-wise, anyway), because he was a little grittier, and less
black-and-white. He works in black “and
sometimes very, very dark gray” (haha, LEGO movie reference). Really, though, I could never relate to
Superman the way I sometimes could to other heroes. He was too good, to unshakable, too…super.
Oh, the 90's goodness. |
However, what
makes Superman more interesting to me now is his struggle with his identity,
which is highlighted in Man of Steel
(here come the SPOILERS). Basically, the
whole movie can be boiled down to Superman’s struggle of balancing his identity
as Kal-El of Krypton, and Clark Kent of Earth.
In the movie, when Clark first realizes he is not his parents’
biological child, he is understandably confused and distressed (and on top of
that, he can lift a freaking bus...puberty is confusing enough without all of
that thrown in the mix). His dad,
Jonathan Kent, doesn’t want Clark to let anyone know he has his superhuman
powers, because he is afraid people wouldn’t be able to handle it and would
fear and hate Clark (the results of this order prove disastrous, which is
typical when you’re forced to deny who you are…we all remember what happened to
Elsa in Frozen). He does
encourage Clark to try
and figure out why he was sent to Earth, and what
his other parents’ intentions for him were.
However, while Jonathan only has good intentions at heart, his actions really
add to Clark’s confusion, distress, and fear of himself.
As a teenager,
Clark goes through the somewhat typical stage of independence-seeking that all
teenagers go through, and as an adopted kid, this includes the occasional “You’re
not my real father/mother” retort that makes you want to punch him in the
head. However, tragedy strikes (as it
usually does), and Clark comes to regret those comments (as he should). Fast forward, though, and Clark’s a grown up
man traveling from place to place in search of his identity (the song “I Can Go
the Distance” from Hercules would fit
in well with this part of the movie). Eventually, he finds a Kryptonian spaceship in
the Artic, in which he is able to learn more about his home world and the parents
who gave him up so that he could survive its destruction. When he encounters General Zod (the bad guy),
Clark is faced with the decision to either help the General turn Earth into a
new Krypton, or protect the people of Earth from destruction.
OBVIOUSLY he chooses
to protect the people, but if you really break down this decision, it’s a lot
harder than it might seem at first glance.
Clark has spent his whole life feeling different, as if he doesn’t
really belong anywhere. He searches for
any clues that will answer the millions of questions that are constantly swarming
through him about where he comes from, and who he is. When he finally discovers everything, he is
given the option to completely embrace the identity he has found…or create a
new identity based on who he was, and who he is. As his Krypton father Jor-El states, “Born on
Krypton and raised on Earth, you had the best of both and were meant to be the
bridge between two worlds.”
Space dad with baby Superman
Superman is neither
just Kryptonian, or just of Earth, but both, and he eventually realizes this
and finds his purpose to be the protection of his adopted home. While it is an extreme example, I’m sure
there are a ton of adopted kids who
could resonate with some part of Superman’s journey of identity. I know I can, but most especially with his
conclusion. I have no desire to meet my
biological parents or know where I “come” from.
I am completely happy with my life, and I my family is the most
important thing in the world to me. However,
after years of anger and pain in regards to my biological parents, I have come
to understand that they are a part of my identity as well, especially my biological
mother. If she hadn’t made the choice to
give me up, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, surrounded by all of the people
I love. Like Superman at the end of Man of Steel, I understand that both my
parents and my biological parents (where I am and where I come from) are hugely
important to how I see myself and relate to the rest of the world. Their decisions and actions have influenced
my identity, and I wouldn’t be me if I never had all of them. I think it’s important, in any search for
identity, to acknowledge what has come before and what is happening now. We are formed and molded by every aspect of
our lives, whether large or small, whether we realize it or not. I am not Superman, but Superman isn’t so hard
to relate to anymore.
Farm dad with pre-teen Superman
Erin B.
And because I like to end on a laugh...
I'm so glad that you're in my life. I love you, Broich. Beautifully written, as always. <3
ReplyDelete