Thoughts from American Heritage: Superman as the American Hero

Where do we go from here?

A new Superman movie is currently in the works.  With creative oversight and an initial screenplay provided by Christopher Nolan (of "The Dark Knight" and "Inception" fame), Warner Bros. hopes to make this go-round better than 2006's "Superman Returns".  Nolan was chosen to 'godfather' the project after his considerable success at bringing Batman to life.  So how does one make Superman—colorful, underwear and all—relevant today, and find a place for him on the stage of the world today?  Perhaps one way to look at Superman is as the uniquely American hero he is.  He bears many similarities to America itself historically.

Superman was created by two young boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both children of Jewish immigrants to America.  Interestingly, Superman's life history contains Jewish and American-immigrant themes.  He was sent away from his home, where he would've faced certain doom, like Moses in the Bible.  He comes to a new world, and struggles to fit in as a foreigner, like the immigrant parents of his creators.  He debuted in comics during the Great Depression, where he originally fought against greedy crime bosses, for social justice.  Specifically, his purpose is to fight for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".

Superman seems discontent with staying at home and simply being a good citizen himself—he wants to help others, and stop crime and corruption.  He leaves his normal circle of influence to help people everywhere.  He generally has virtuous motives for doing so—that is, he "only uses his powers for good."  In comparison, Superman does domestically what America does internationally.

The Quintessential Superman.

George Washington believed strongly that America should avoid becoming 'entangled' in foreign affairs.  His isolationist policy lasted for over a century.  But eventually the threats overseas, and the attack on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor brought America into an active leadership role on the worldwide stage.  Today, the standard procedure in foreign policy is to unseat the reigning government, establish peace, and draft a constitution for the country intended to guarantee a democracy there ever after.

Much has been said about America's motives in maintaining such an 'aggressive' foreign policy.  Objectively, if not optimistically, I believe that America has gone into battle in the world over time for both self-interested and virtuous reasons.  But regardless of the debate and strife over America's motives, clearly Superman is the quintessential American Hero.  His story and history reflects America's so closely, that, given the current situation in the world today, it would be unwise to overlook this obvious connection and these essential similarities, as another generation creates yet another incarnation of the Man of Steel.