Writing for the Glasgow Sunday Herald, Mark Millar considers Superman’s place in the American consciousness:
Superman is how America views itself – he’s even wrapped in the colours of their flag just in case those undercurrents are too subtle to notice. His face could be chiselled on Mount Rushmore.
So why did he disappear for all those years? Perhaps the simple truth is that we didn’t need him as much for a while. He was conceived in the Depression and hit his stride under Joe McCarthy when America needed something big and simple to save or distract it from the worries of daily life. But as Reaganomics trickled down and made everyone more prosperous, as communism collapsed and made the country feel safe, people weren’t looking to the skies for gods anymore. America felt secure enough in itself to have flawed characters up there on the screen, be they angst-ridden teens like Spider-Man or billionaire sociopaths like Batman. But something bad happened recently. Something terrible. America got scared again and, just as he gave us hope against the Nazis and the Soviets, Superman is coming back at precisely the right time.
Just as interesting, perhaps, is Millar’s mention of his own “big, fat consultancy” at Marvel, and that he’s identified as a “senior story consultant” for the publisher.
Related: How superheroes save the world
July 3rd, 2006 at 7:57 am
“he’s even wrapped in the colours of their flag just in case those undercurrents are too subtle to notice”
America’s flag changed to red, yellow and blue?
July 3rd, 2006 at 8:22 am
I was just thinking the same thing. And I thought he was in those colors because they were primary and contrasted well with each other.
Maybe DC should change his motto to match his uniform: “Truth, Justice, and the Columbian way.”
July 3rd, 2006 at 10:15 am
That’s the most unlikely perspective on Reaganomics you will ever hear from a Scotsman
July 4th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Clearly, those undercurrents were too subtle for me to notice. My rods and cones have clearly gone all wonky.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Unfortunately,everything that was once American about Superman has been stripped away with this new movie. He is now the world’s Superman. There is no U.S. flag in this one! Truth, justice, and the American way is now “all that stuff”. Dark blue and burgundy are the new colors! You are right that America needs Superman now, like before, but there was a time in this great country that these changes, so as not to offend anyone outside of America, would not have been tolerated and Singer would have been strung up. All United States patriotism has been stolen from this iconic AMERICAN HERO!!! Superman Returns is sickening!
January 17th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
As far as me being a member here, I didnt even know that I was a member here. When the article was published I received a username and password, so that I could participate in the discussion of the post, That would explain me stumbuling upon this post. But we’re certainly all members in the world of ideas.