Superman - Human or Alien?

There is a debate going on throughout the Superman fan community resulting from the new movie's portrayal of the Man of Steel. Many, including myself, have expressed their disappointment with the effort to humanize Superman in the film, while other's protest that he's already human and his actions are not surprising.

I must disagree. Superman is not human. If he was human, he wouldn't be Superman. It's because he's not human, doesn't succumb to all of humanities weaknesses, but rises above them because of the confidence and knowledge of who he truly is - makes him super.

The word 'super' means - above, beyond, over, superior, exceeding the norm, exessive in degree or intensity. So, as a human I expect my 'alien' superhero with the name Superman to be above, beyond, over, superior and exceeding the norm of the wiles of humanity with an excessive degree of intensity. I don't expect him to be just like me, to think just like me, to act just like me or overcome - just like me. If that were the case, I wouldn't need a hero. Superman would just be a man flying around in his pajamas doing what everybody else could do if they truly wanted to.

This of course, is in the world of fantasy. In the world of reality there are many human superheroes that I run into or hear about on a daily basis. A soldier fighting on the battlefield, a mother thinking of the welfare of her child above her own selfish desires, a dad who walks with integrity and honor, a teacher who dedicates themselves to enriching someone else's lives with their widsom, a police office fighting to protect and serve and on and on and on.

What makes them a hero? They go above and beyond was was necessary and do what must be done for the benefit of someone else.

The greatest superhero of them all is Jesus Christ - who gave his life to save us all. He overcome all our weaknesses, endured our heartless, evil acts and still loved us in the face of our sin. He was 'super' in every sense of the word.

So, do I love superheroes, yes! Should they try to make Superman human - no!

This, of course, is just my own opinion. The funny thing about opinions is that everyone has them.

Till next time,
~T.L. Gray