Martin Deer on why the world needs the Man of Steel…
This week a new, and rather fantastic, synopsis for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released. It gave nothing away about the story, as was to be expected, but there were a couple of things in there that really got the fan in me excited:
“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question ‘Why am I here?’ Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world’s beacon of hope – Superman.”
There are two words in there that really stand out to me as a Superman fan; values and hope.
Unfortunately the recent generation of moviegoers’ only real experience of Superman is Superman Returns, which whilst I hold a great affection for, it never really lived up to what Superman really is, morally speaking. Nor did it hit the action notes and subsequent entertainment value a Superman film should have. But, right there in the new synopsis for Man of Steel is something that tells me that those problems will be corrected.
Superman to me has always been a beacon of hope. Some people might like to say that he is too predictable, too one dimensional, because of his “goody two-shoes” demeanour, but that’s just not how I see him at all. To me Superman represents the pinnacle of human ability, not in his strengths which are of course not human, but in his morals given to him by good, loving human parents. Superman will always do the right thing – he doesn’t lie, he wouldn’t cheat, nor would he put his own feelings or his life above anyone else’s. He comes from a family where he was taught that there is no substitute for hard work and to be humble. He is open and honest. In essence, he is what we should all aspire to be, even if we fail, we’d be better people for it.
The part that really resonates with me though is the line that I believe translates to real life. Right now we are in tough times, the world needs a hero, our younger generations need true role models and people to look up to. There are many false idols out there.
When the world is in dire need of stability, it needs a hero, a man of value…
A Man of Steel.
I encourage you to visit and ‘Like’ the official Man of Steel Facebook page, which you can find here.
Martin Deer
Originally published April 6, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
