Clark and Lois > Superman

 "Superman is boring." 

“No one ever dreams about the problems, but every life has them — even the extraordinary ones.”

Those two lines stand out from a series premiere last night. One I had trepidation about that I have since thrown away.

A lot of people know that I love Superman. Clark Kent is my DC jam. Yes he can be OP. Yes he's typically good to a fault and for a lot of people that's boring. I get it.

The solution is typically to try to make things grittier. We can insert the DCEU and the New 52 here. It doesn't usually work. Darkness plastered haphazardly over a source of light casts inconsistent shadows. It makes things different to the max. It changes the core of a character. 

The alternative to that is usually considered formulaic, boring, and too nice for a lot of comic book fans. He's good to a fault. Predictably will do the right thing even if it costs him. Will give all to doing the right thing. I mean he's almost a trope. So what do you do?

I mean to some it's majestic. To others it's entirely boring. 

What to do?

Make things more complex. Not complicated complex. There's a difference. 

That's what the new show does.

Now Clark Kent is only at his best with Lois Lane. He's like Peter Parker who needs his MJ. The quality of the character's depiction is directly related to how well their leading lady is depicted. Because they are a team. That's what a couple is. That's what they're strongest.

That's what I love about the Arrowverse depiction of Superman. That's why personally the later seasons of Smallville have the best Clark. They have a good Lois. The most important person in the world to him. His perfect foil, best friend, and romance. Relationships are the most important aspect of Superman. That may seem crazy for a Superhero who typically doesn't have a direct sidekick. But watching his relationship with his children is so much better.

That's where they add the complexity. Two teenage sons. Let the goodness that's Clark be a father. Let him try to find balance. Let him raise a golden child and a more ostracized  child. Give one powers. Let the relationships between the four people unfold. 

One of the better aspects of this is the fact that things aren't perfect and aren't for a lack of trying. That's the best way to increase complexity, avoid complications and stay true to the character. In recent years Lois and Clark have been parents. To see it on screen is great. As I've grown older it's nice to be able see an almost perfect, too good, superhero have some of the same adult struggles I do. The biggest trial isn't a super villain, or a natural disaster. Those are the easiest things for Clark Kent to suit up and confront. The hardest parts, that's the mortgage, community dynamics, and parenthood. It's about the relationships. That's the most poignant aspect.  The struggle to connect with teenage sons, handle the day to day, and maintain his most important relationship. Superpowers can't fix that. Nothing can.

It may seem mundane but maybe that's what we need right now. I know it's what I need. A little mundanity. With hope. There has been a lot of trials over the past year. People still need escapism. That's always been the point of comic books, of nerdery and it's associated media. It's always been about larger than life. It's always been about grandeur and archetypes larger than ourselves. The escape can be the purpose. That may seem corny but there has been a surge to happy thoughts on TV and in some movies. It's a form of escape. But it like Superman can be criticized for not being grounded in reality. For not having realism. For focusing on the escape. 

To them I say that an escape can be grounded. Realism is often associated with grit and violence. Yet that can be it's own absurdity. Truly, is Batman or Daredevil beating down hordes of goons with "real" martial arts truly grounded? I'd say it's no more grounded than Superman. Let's change how we handle realism, grounded. Maybe for once it can be entirely about a relationship. The escape can be matched with heart and relationships. We can't relate to flying at supersonic speeds, or having super strength. But we can identify when those literal heroes and archetypes struggle with the same interpersonal trials we do. We can be like heroes. We can be aspirational.

That's the key to Superman. He's infinitely aspirational. His goodness, his power, his decision to look to humanity. Now he's an aspiration husband. With a wife and relationship with Lois we could all desire. He's a father worth emulating. He has flaws without breaking character and he's all the more inspirational for it.

Let's embrace it. I think it' s a prescription for what we need right now.