Publishers should bring original Superman back;"I am here to fight for oppressed,if I will be hated for that,so be it"
This was not goodness, it was craving for approval.That why mainstream Superman restrains himself; to avoid disapproval from people.
The thing is though with that attitude, the world as we know it would be a very different place. Superman could always plant himself by the river of truth and the world would move. There would be no dictators, no environmental threats, no poverty, no wars. All monitored and regulated by a demigod. It would be a world with less suffering but is it a better world? and would mankind be better for it?
This a common SF dilemma. In Asimov’s fictional future, sentient machines are made to serve humanity, but eventually the machines with their superior intellects realizes that it’s indisputable that they can provide better decision-making for humanity then humans themselves, so they take political control and over the years creates a utopia for their human charges, it’s just that despite providing a obvious superior alternative, humans aren’t content and seem to loose their will to develop and in the end the machines decide to dismantle their regime and safeguard humanity at a distance.
To me Superman’s policy of non-interference serves two purposes, one, he is afraid of putting his own conceptions of right and wrong above everyone else, without disccusion. Things could very quickly become right and wrong simply because thats what Superman says they are. And he isn’t human, he never have worry about food, shelter, money, or violence, who is he to judge humanity?
The other is that I see him as a great believer in freedom of choice. That it’s not enough to make the right choice, but you have to make it because you believe it’s the right thing to do.
But I agree that Superman is made unrealistically inoffensive not to put anyone off. In order to make sense he need to express what he believe is right or wrong. Partly he can do that through action, but he can’t be afraid to give his opinions on green house effects, abortion, death penalty and nuclear weapons tests etc.
But my view diverge from canon. I see him as more doing peace corps work, then crime fighting, unless he believes that Metropolis money and stopping kids spraying graffiti is more important then the starving people in Africa?
