And I, having started the poll, think it's great that you are discussing Clark's character, because that is really what this question is very much about anyway.
And seeing that I am the one who has come out most strongly in favour of a mythic, iconic love story and a Clark who is totally devoted to Lois, let me say, nevertheless, that I agree with you that Clark must have a very human personality, and he must be complex and flawed. I know I keep calling him Superman, but that is just because I've been thinking of him that way since I was twelve. The point I'm trying to make is that the man who is destined to be with Lois must also have superpowers. But, while I'll never be able to see the Lois and Clark TV series as a self-contained thing, independent of all the stories that have been told about this man - and this romantic couple - in other media, I definitely agree with you that L&C gives us the hands down best ever portrait of Clark, and Clark is the man who matters. Because Clark must ultimately be the real person if he's ever going to be with Lois. During all those years when Superman was the real person and Clark was the nerdy disguise, there was no way that he and Lois could realistically be together. She could never officially marry the superhero, and she could hardly sneak off to see him regularly while pretending to be single all the time. And there was no way she could share her life with that empty shell of a person who was only a nerdy distraction to keep people from seeing the man in the super-suit beneath. Clark must be a real, fully fleshed-out, complex person, if Lois is ever to share her life with him. Which is why it worries me that the upcoming movie is apparently bringing back the the idea that Clark is no more than a stupid front to hide the true man in the spandex.
Ann
