Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen claims of Superman as a Jesus metaphor, Superman as Jewish allegory, and Superman as gay icon.
Now ABC News brings together all of these threads to examine duality, identity and the battle to claim Superman:
Questions about Superman’s real identity had been raised long before he became a gay icon.
In the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill: Vol. 2, the character Bill shares his view on what Clark Kent — Superman’s other half — says about humanity.
“An essential characteristic of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero, and there’s the alter ego,” Bill says. “Batman is actually Bruce Wayne. Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When he wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic that Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman — Superman was born Superman.”
Related: “Mensch in Tights”; “Superman is Jewish”
June 20th, 2006 at 10:56 am
I don’t get it. I have a degree in Lit and Art History, and MA in Film Studies, I can spot subtext 10 miles away in a flaming poo storm and I just don’t get the need of activist elements of social groups to have fictional characters associated with them.
If the subtexty of a character marks them as being derived from the experience of a social or racial group the desperate need to ahve public acknowledgement of that holds within it a subtext of insecurity, and not a particularly deeply hidden one.
I think when society turns a collective critical eye on a piece of pop culture and draws out its influences it can educate people and enrich theri experience of something but the incessant claiming of things that can arise is fairly moronic.
June 20th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Did they mention that Tarantino cribbed that from Jules Fieffer?
June 20th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
That’s all backwards, and goes against what is generally seen as canon/mythos. Superman is just a mask for Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne is a mask for Batman. Peter Parker only wears the mask (or did, anyway) to protect his family. That part is right.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
I’m sorry Joe, but the canon/mythos has always been “…who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter…”.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
The “mild mannered reporter” isn’t Clark either. Clark Kent is the guy we see when he’s free to just be himself around his family and friends, at least the ones who know that he’s also Superman.