I think the issue was that sometimes he didn't seem like Superman. I can dig him not instantly decimating everything that comes in his way. But, it was like every episode the enemy would somehow just have some gun that could knock Superman back.
There were also occasions where it seemed his various powers weren't really being utilized; his super-speed mainly. Any time his speed could actually be useful suddenly he doesn't have it! He flies at a snail's pace or can only run normal human speeds. But, oh, now the danger's gone he can zoom behind Lois Lane to catch her or something.
I also didn't like how, apparently, every alien somehow has Superman levels of strength like its not even something special. It kills the "Super" thing.
Most of the drama should be from whether Superman can save the supporting cast or not. That's why Superman has the best supporting cast in all of superherodom: so they can have all kinds of craziness trying to kill them. Will Superman get there in time? How can Superman possibly stop the missile from blowing up the orphanage, keep the villain from escaping, and catch Lois Lane all at the same time? Only occasionally should there be a villain who can stand toe-to-toe with Superman, rather than just any joe schmoe with a laser pistol to exosuit or something.
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MydnightRose
13 years ago
Maybe because I have watched too much Smallville, but I don't think this Superman is that "weak" or vulnerable. I personally did not like the spacesuit and the diving suit, but I understand why they decided to go that route and I respect them for going there.
Lois Lane=Leia Lane
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PopcornDave
13 years ago
I agree. It seemed no matter what story they were doing and no matter what the setting, there was always a villain there who could go toe-to-toe with Supes like it ain't no thang. The showrunners said they were desperate to avoid relying on kryptonite every week so tried to create threats in other ways, but I think they went a little too far and created a situation where not only is Superman a little bit of a pansy but almost every villain ends up just having a prolonged fistfight with him. For Christ's sake, in one episode we're expected to believe that a friggin' robot kangaroo is a serious threat!
I think it says a LOT that Superman's most popular villains are brooding puppet masters like Luthor, Brainiac and Darkseid, while characters who go up to Superman and start punching him in the face (Metallo, Parasite and so on) are B-list at best. The reason is obviously that Luthor et al can challenge Superman in ways beyond the physical, and that's what makes Superman stories interesting. I like a lot of the fighting plots, but with a character like Superman you can't do them every week; it just becomes cheap.
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wetbrain
11 years ago
Yes I a gree, he's way to weak in this series.
Anytime a writer takes on a legendary character.. and by now Superman is indeed, a modern legend, you are agree to taking on certain constraints.
For example, you don't write a modern Sherlock Holmes story where Holmes is a bumbling fool or a Robin Hood story where Robin robs from the poor and gives to the rich. Unless you are intending to write a satire, which Superman is clearly not.
He's not a flying version of Spiderman. He's basically a super hero's Superhero.
It's a shame that in a cartoon which basically allows special effects to cost really little to no more than regular scenes, Superman is less powerful than his live action counterparts.
There are plenty of things that can challenge a Silver age Superman
a) Kryptonite (multiple colors)
b) Villains with similar powers - Bizarro, Zod etc.
c) "the Red Sun" environment
D) Magic
E) Some scientific discoveries (Virus X) as shown in the comics - but used sparingly.
F) The classic "I need to be in 2 places at the same time" problem.
De-powering Superman creates as many problems as it solves. For example, why should villains even bother with Kryptonite? Just a throw a big enough bomb at him and he's dead anyways.
Superman deserves better.
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PreachCaleb
11 years ago
Because a big enough bomb is as hard to get a hold of as a chunk of kryptonite. He withstood the equivalent of a nuclear blast. How much bigger of a bomb would the bad guy's have?
Straightedge means I'm better than you.
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wetbrain
11 years ago
When did he get hit with a nuclear blast in this particular series?
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PreachCaleb
11 years ago
Justice League. Different series, same continuity.
Straightedge means I'm better than you.
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