Complex Numbers

Truth, Justice, Etc., Etc.

What fictional character do you admire? What specific characteristics do they possess that make them attractive?

I'm tired and I need to get up before dawn to take a friend to the airport, so I'mma go with the low-hanging fruit here.



Wow, I can actually feel y'all rolling your eyes. But I'm going to press on anyway.

Kal-El, as we all know, was adopted by an all-American couple who wanted kids but couldn't make 'em. That right there was enough to start the identification going.

Now, I should point out that identification isn't a big deal for me. I don't put myself in the protagonist's shoes. Doesn't matter to me what race, religion, nationality, sexuality, etc. that a character is; the only thing that matters is that it's a good story. (Yes, many Superman stories sucked, but remember, I was a kid when I started reading comics, and what's "good" has changed since then.)

He was also a farm boy. I was a farm boy.

Only child? Check.

Had to pretend to be something he wasn't? Check. Though, later, I'd start to wonder which identity was fake and which was real, but that's a more philosophical, adult conversation.

I mean, really, the whole superpowers thing was secondary. Sure - flying, super-speed, x-ray vision, etc. was cool. Costume was a bit poncy, but whatever; it was distinctive. What mattered, as I gradually became aware, was that regardless of superpowers, Superman always tried to be the best he could be.

During the "dark and gritty" phase of comics, Superman got a lot of shit - though not as much as Aquaman. Big Blue Boy Scout. Whatever. Sometimes idealism is a good thing. As much as I also like antiheroes, sometimes we do need an ideal. Of course, it's easy to do the right thing if you're a fictional character, and the writer can set it up so that whatever you do turns out to be the right thing. But ideals aren't meant to be realistic; that's why we make the distinction.

I don't think too many of us could honestly say that if we found ourselves as a god on an alien world, we'd always strive for that ideal. The temptation would always be there to use your powers for, if not evil, at least to impose your own version of "good" on the alien world. To stand apart, aloof, and utterly defeat whatever you see as "evil."

That he's not depicted as doing that is, I think, what makes the character a hero. Anything imposed from above is oppressive; we all have to find our own way. But we can all use a little help now and then.

I know my thoughts here aren't exactly new. Whole volumes have been written on the subject. Regardless, I've always liked the character, even when it wasn't cool to do so.