Something about this just doesn’t sit right with a lot of people since Richard Donner did manage to bring us one of the gold standards of superhero movies, but unless one is willing to buy into the whole idea that Superman is just that good and that upright without being a total drip, then they’ll likely agree with Donner that the superhero movies of today are a little too dark. But let’s avoid hurling accusations and say it this way, Donner is attempting to push his view in an era when a change has come to the superhero genre in a big way, and the noble, upright heroes that people used to cheer for back in the 70s and 80s and were beyond reproach quite often are no longer the norm. In fact, as much as the box office numbers can and usually are skewed, they still make it known that people are willing to pay to see heroes that aren’t going to be the ultimate boy and girl scouts of the world and the shining example for people to follow. Like it or not Mr. Donner, that ‘bleak and angry’ world you speak of when it comes to today’s superheroes is far more real and less naive than what was given to us back in the days when Christopher Reeve first put on the suit.
It’s true that Man of Steel went a little too dark with the character of Superman, but Donner’s praise for Wonder Woman is bound to make a lot of people roll their eyes since like it or not, Wonder Woman was more about female empowerment than it was about following Donner’s model for superheroes, as he appears to think. Plus, as well-respected as the movie was, it still pushed the old idea of superheroes being morally superior in a way that has a lot of people looking elsewhere since they want to relate to their heroes instead of just being inspired by them. Many people can aspire to be like Superman, Wonder Woman, and many other heroes, but they find the fact that heroes have become a little dirtier, a little more capable of harming the bad guys, as a much more popular option than just beating them up and putting them in prison where they can eventually get out and harm people again. Plus, it’s a good idea that Donner never had to work on a Batman movie since it does feel as though he might have softened up the dark knight in a way that the character might not have recovered from. Even to this day, Superman is known for being the most powerful hero ever that still won’t use his powers to lethal effect unless whoever is writing for him has a reason to do this. Even the worst of the worst villains will usually catch a beating instead of being annihilated, even if they say that they’ll never stop.
So why is it that we like heroes that are a bit darker, and a little more willing to kill? It’s likely because these heroes are flawed in some fundamental way. One could say that Superman is a sad story since he lost an entire planet and his parents before he had any memory of them. But the fact that he was an infant when Krypton exploded makes it kind of easy to think that he didn’t have it that bad, especially since he was found by the Kent’s, who would become his parents and give him a great life that he benefited from. Even Wonder Woman can’t really say that her upbringing was that bad since she had people to care for her, and didn’t really experience loss until later on in life. Heroes such as Iron Man, Wolverine, and even Green Arrow are a little easier for people to like since they had to experience real loss at one point that they were old enough to remember. Wolverine is a good example since he’s had to live with the night his father was killed, and that he killed his own biological father before being shunned as a mutant. Those heroes that create these dark and gritty stories thanks to their writers are easier to sympathize and even empathize with since they’ve lost so much and have gone through a life experience that many people could possibly relate to in some way. It’s kind of hard to relate to someone that was raised by a loving couple and is essentially a giant boy scout with powers beyond the capabilities of just about anyone on the planet. Seriously, how could anyone look at Superman and think that he can feel what they’ve been through? That’s one reason why Donner’s argument falls apart, people want heroes they can relate to.
That could be why Batman passed Superman in popularity a long time ago.
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