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    Superman

    Character » Superman appears in 18885 issues.

    Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, Kal-El was adopted by the loving Kent family and raised in America's heartland as Clark Kent. Using his immense solar-fueled powers, he became Superman to defend mankind against all manner of threats while championing truth, justice, and the American way!

    Why Superman needs Clark Kent

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    Smart_Dork_Dude

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    #1  Edited By Smart_Dork_Dude
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    In his director's commentary for Groundhog Day Harold Ramis refers to what he calls the "Superman problem," e.g. the notion that Supes can and should be busy 24/7 doing heroic stuff, so why is he wasting time with Lois, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen? This was evident in the Silver Age, when being Clark Kent was entirely a hobby. More recent stories seem to (attempt to) suggest that he'd go nuts having to be Superman every single moment. Superman said this outright in an episode of Superman the Animated Series titled "The Late Mr. Kent" where Clark Kent is "murdered" by a car bomb.

    "I am Clark. I need to be Clark! I'd go crazy if I had to be Superman all the time!"

    Then there was the classic Bronze Age story "Who Took The Super Out Of Superman?"

    It involves him being forced to choose only one of his identities to maintain. He soon realizes that both are equally important to him, because he can't stand the guilt of ignoring his calling if he stays as Clark for too long, but even Superman can't stand being Superman 24 hours a day. This theme crops up repeatedly in Bronze Age Superman stories (and even a Supergirl story), but "Who Took..." is the most well-known example.

    Surprisingly, the Big Blue offered one of the better deconstructions of the "Good Samaritan" trope. An elderly woman living in Suicide Slums(Metropolis' ghettos) gets the idea that she is able to call down Superman on bad guys after praying twice for divine intervention(Only once was it for personal reasons, and that was for her own life to be saved). She eventually goes looking for trouble so that Superman will come in and stop it. Then she tries it when, unknown to her, Superman was away preventing a giant space monster from devouring Earth, and goes into a gang's hang out hoping that they will be broken up. She is shot, thankfully non-fatally, and the people of Metropolis realize that they can solve their problems without Superman. The woman bears no ill will towards him, nor do the people of Metropolis, and the story concludes that Superman is a nice thing to have around, but doesn't need to be there all the time... Well, except when there's a hostile space monster or its equivalent in the vicinity, but for human-scale problems, he can take a break.

    One storyline had Superman early in his Post-Crisis career realizing that even with all his speed he can't be everywhere and save everyone even in one city, really only The Flash is the one most capable of that only he doesn't have super hearing, and having to learn to tune out 99% of the cries for help his super-hearing picks up every minute of every day.

    Despite all this, Superman was hit with this twice in the mid to late 90s. First was when he was resurrected: he and Lois go to Europe for a nice dinner out. While he was gone, the Toyman kidnaps a bunch of children, including the son of a former co-worker of theirs, and kills them. He's so guilt-ridden by this, he vows never to take another vacation.

    The second time had Superman mind-controlled by a super villain in a bid to wear him down by making him Superman all the time. This of course involved ditching his Clark Kent identity to be Superman 24/7 and watch over the entire world. How bad did it get? He shows up in nearly every DC Comic during one particular month, being tossed out of No Man's Land-ravaged Gotham by Batman TWICE, creating an entire army of Superman Robots and finally having the JLA on his ass!

    So we can safely say that Superman - Clark Kent = Crazy Superman.

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    suemorphplus209

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    #2  Edited By suemorphplus209

    @smart_dork_dude: I am pretty sure not being Superman 24/7 is exactly why Superman is reuniting with Supergirl and others in the Super League. He needs some other Superman-related heroes who can do some heroic work too, especially if he can't always be around.

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    darknightspideyfanboy

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    Wow Clark/superman is nuts

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    darkdetective27

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    Good post.

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    Lvenger

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    Very interesting and well reasoned post as always mate, it's why I wouldn't care if a worldwide mindwipe courtesy of Mr Myzptlk or Martian Manhunter, lazy and cheap as it may be, resolved the publically known secret identity issue. It's just untenable for Superman to continue after Truth with Clark Kent = Superman as public knowledge. The disguise and its ability to have Clark interact normally with the people of Earth is just too unique a dynamic to be squandered on the basis that live action depictions of comic book heroes reveal their identities willy nilly.

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    Smart_Dork_Dude

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    #6  Edited By Smart_Dork_Dude

    @lvenger: I STILL say, with the Old 52 Clark being around? He shows up as Superman, makes people think New 52 Clark is suffering some delusion, boom, everything is fixed. Not that it may matter much since with the whole "DC Rebirth" thing this may all be a moot point.

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    Lvenger

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    @smart_dork_dude: That's what I expect will happen in Superman #50 at the end of Truth/Savage Dawn if the secret identity issue isn't fixed with a mindwipe/reality check. Why else have Pre Flashpoint Superman on the cover and the solicits to the issue if not to fix the secret identity problem?

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    HeavenlyDarkDragon

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    @smart_dork_dude: I am pretty sure not being Superman 24/7 is exactly why Superman is reuniting with Supergirl and others in the Super League. He needs some other Superman-related heroes who can do some heroic work too, especially if he can't always be around.

    Actually it's the other way around. Now it's gonna be Superman 24/7. After all Savage Dawn is gonna fix his powers not his secret ID.

    But still, Superman can't be everywhere and do everything. And uniting a team of other superpowered beings under his tutelage, might exactly be what he needs to move his character forward.

    After all who ever said that only Batman can train new generations of heroes.

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