I love Superman. A lot. And that puts me in a minority. Sure sure Superman is still A-list enough to be included in Warner Bros. biggest comic book movies, but due to divisive returns in the movie department, and uninspiring runs on the comic book, Supes falls farther and farther down the popularity list.
Its safe to say Batman, Deadpool and Harley Quinn sit atop the pyramid. Iron Man, Captain America and Thor are probably close behind. Then somewhere after Groot, the Hulk, Rocket Raccoon and Black Widow (in that order) you find Superman. The hero's hero that's too hero-ey to be a compelling character.
The comics tried depowering him and giving him a buzz cut and that didn't work. Man of Steel tried forcing DC's tried and true dead-parent-guilt on him, but that didn't work either. They didn't work because you don't need to change Superman's fundamentals to make him cool. I don't know what the trick is, but I believe in the character. The answer is out there. Someone just needs to find it.
I harbor no delusions that Superman will ever reach Batman or Deadpool heights of popularity. That's not who he is... not anymore. But we're due for a good Superman story. Whether its in the comics or in a movie, there's a story out there that comic fans (hard and soft core) can all get behind and say, "that was a good Superman story."
Until then I'll relax in Supes' growing cult-following status and like him the way hipsters like Hall & Oates: under-appreciated corny cheese that, under the surface, is actually quite good.
-Gint
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