Movie: Man of Steel

[Y]

You're posting about the physics of Kryptonian space travel, and what super power Superman uses to preserve his secret identity, and whether something is Canon Material.

I'm talking about the purpose a character's dual life serves in the story people try to tell with him.

Someone here is being a shallow child. It isn't me. Hope this helps.

Hey man like, how does Superman even fly? This is a dumb movie for little kids!

Asking why people don't figure out that Clark is Superman is like asking why the FBI hasn't caught the Joker and executed him. It betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of like, the most elementary principles of telling a story. It's as dumb a question as wondering why the people in a horror movie don't just get in their cars and drive away from the haunted house.

The important purpose is not how "realistic" Superman's secret identity is, but what it says about Superman that who he really wants to be is a guy that changes the world not just by lifting heavy objects and punching very durable aliens unconscious but by exposing corruption and spreading the truth. You're the guy scoffing at things like that as a storytelling device because you don't understand how fiction works.

[Animeniax]

You're posting about the physics of Kryptonian space travel, and what super power Superman uses to preserve his secret identity, and whether something is Canon Material.

I'm talking about the purpose a character's dual life serves in the story people try to tell with him.

Someone here is being a shallow child. It isn't me. Hope this helps.

Hey man like, how does Superman even fly? This is a dumb movie for little kids!

Asking why people don't figure out that Clark is Superman is like asking why the FBI hasn't caught the Joker and executed him. It betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of like, the most elementary principles of telling a story. It's as dumb a question as wondering why the people in a horror movie don't just get in their cars and drive away from the haunted house.

The important purpose is not how "realistic" Superman's secret identity is, but what it says about Superman that who he really wants to be is a guy that changes the world not just by lifting heavy objects and punching very durable aliens unconscious but by exposing corruption and spreading the truth. You're the guy scoffing at things like that as a storytelling device because you don't understand how fiction works.

And what exactly is the purpose of Superman's dual life? So he can score on news chicks in between earth-saving missions? Superman has been around for 50+ years. They've told and retold his story of saving the world and preserving peace, justice, and the American way for most of that 50 years. At some point they could address minutiae like why does he care and why does he hide behind a secret identity. According to Uchess, they have developed those stories in recent work, but the explanations remain hokey and contrived. The issue of why people don't drive away from haunted houses is almost always dealt with in the movie. They either have to spend the night to secure the inheritance or the bridge is out or they're out of gas and have to wait for the caretaker to arrive in the morning to give them a lift back to town.

Now that you mention it, I have always wondered why Superman hasn't flown to Gotham and beaten the Joker to death. You'd think with his mission to save the world and protect people that he'd take care of a mass murderer like the Joker. Oh well, I guess it's just a story device and we shouldn't think about it too hard.