What is it that defines Clark Kent/Superman - his personality traits or his name and physical appearance and super powers?
For me, personally, the answer is D - all of the above.
I don't base the Clark/Superman that I write on the comics or the movies or any other incarnation of Superman. I base him on what we saw on the show - primarily the Clark we saw in the first couple of seasons on the show when (to me) he was a much more complex character and therefore endlessly more fascinating to me than some god-like creature with buns of steel and a rigid morality. I found him interesting because he could do whatever he wants, but he chooses to play by the rules -- most of the time. It was those "gray" areas when he wasn't always such a goody-two shoes that drew me into the show. He would tease Lois with innuendo, he wasn't a nerdish doormat, he'd toss her in a dumpster or send her to the sewage reclamation plant, and he had no qualms about lying to keep his secret. Given the chance to scare the crap out of Lex, he pulled the trigger. That was wrong - but it was *awesome*!
I'm perfectly willing to read a story where I have to cut Clark some slack, provided the author can show me enough of "Clark" to make him believable. Otherwise he becomes a comic book character - and that's not what enchanted me on the show or brought me back to it years later and sent me in search of fanfiction.
