Out of all the things we knew or thought we knew about Superman this is likely one of them that only the truly hardcore fans might known since as Andrew Dyce from ScreenRant brings up this is already a part of Superman lore. That’s right, the man of steel has actually done the deed with an Atlantean in the past and a lot of us either didn’t know about it or we forgot about it since it might not have been considered worth remembering. In Superman: Year One it would seem that we’re getting a bit of recap on what Clark has done with his life and the things we tended to miss out on since so many people wanted to focus on tidbits of his early days and get straight to him wearing the cape and big S on his chest. There was a life that came before his time as a hero however and this kind of reconnects with that in order to keep people from thinking that he was just a ho-hum individual before his hero life really got started.
Superman is perhaps one of the only heroes that sincerely needs a massive reboot and a very big dose of reality within his own series since quite honestly he’s become the end-all, be-all of superheroes not only to those that grew up thinking he was perfect, but to those in this generation that will boldly scoff and berate any other hero that thinks they can come close to him. This idea that he can breath underwater is yet another part of his character that might make a lot of people roll their eyes because OF COURSE he’s just that perfect. Mason Segall of CBR and many others have gone to great lengths to make one list after another of why Superman is worthy of ridicule at this point since not only has his story been expanded and told in so many ways so as to make him out as the ultimate boy scout, but his power levels seem to know no end. Making him a little more human by giving him an amorous meeting with a mythical being that’s all too real in the comics is just another way of trying to relate to him in a way that kind of fails since the only times that anyone interacts with a mermaid is in fiction.
In other words Superman is just too powerful, too perfect, and too, everything, to really be worth much. That’s a bit confusing isn’t it? After all, Superman does have his weaknesses and he does have his moments when he’s been a less than stellar character. But in terms of how he’s been stopped, writers have had to manufacture ways to make this happen since unlike other heroes Superman requires more than just extraordinary means to slow him down. He actually requires something above and beyond to really make him even the least bit capable as a realistic being, whereas many other heroes tend to have at least a couple of weaknesses that help people relate to them. In other words, it’s easy to enjoy a hero when you see they’re not perfect and aren’t given the kind of story that goes so far out of left field that it flies out of the stadium.
But as you might have guessed there will always be those that will look at Superman and roll their eyes and there will always be those that hold him as the gold standard for superheroes since quite honestly his exploits have been shown in a rather positive light most times while his darker periods have been conveniently forgotten or blamed on mind control or something else. Casey Haney of ScreenRant is just one of the many that would likely stick up for the man of steel as her article definitely puts a positive spin on the guy, which is all well and good. The one thing to remember about Superman is that no matter what the writers have him do his story is going to be interesting to some and less than worthwhile to others, just like any good story. That’s the whole point of a story after all, to be told and enjoyed by those that want to enjoy it. Not every story is for every single person considering that we all have different tastes when it comes to what we enjoy. Superman might be thought of as an American hero but there are definitely those that would argue against the man of steel for no better reason than because he’s not their favorite.
But the above story is kind of a head-scratcher since quite honestly a lot of people don’t remember it and the idea of Clark being able to breath underwater, and falling for a mermaid, is one that might make a lot of people sigh and wonder just what’s going on.
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