A thought on #Superman -- a lot of people I know claim shows like @TheBoysTV and @InvincibleHQ portray Kal-El "if he were real." These are great shows, don't get me wrong. I'm especially a fan of The Boys. But they have Superman totally wrong. (a thread).

The way we interpret Superman as being a borderline-fascist, super-dictator type is emblematic of a fundamental misunderstanding of the character. It says more about the way we read comics

When we talk about Superman as being "real," do we mean real as in "if a small boy from Kansas grew up with superpowers, he'd be insane"? Or do we mean real as in "if I had those powers, what would I do?" It's usually the latter, reflecting more on how we think power affects us.

#TheBoys & #Invincible portray the facade of a Supes-esque character, but it's just that: a mirage hiding a deeper cynicism. Both change a key aspect: their supermen are not raised by honest, humble people. They're the product of military and deception, reflecting us post-2001.

This is what makes Superman fundamentally a reflection of us in the modern era: that he embodies our ideas of what power looks like. What if we imagined people doing good with their power? Always choosing the right thing? Never backing down from defending the powerless?

Choosing to make Superman the best, the greatest moral center of all, isn't bad storytelling or character development. He is a conduit through which each writer & artist articulates how they see the world. Sometimes that world looks bleak. Other times it's brimming with hope.

Bad writers can't tell stories with Superman. Good writers tell great stories with him -- because we want to be Superman. We want to make the right choices, to help. We want to fly. That's who Superman would be if he were real. He would be what we raise him to be.

(end thread).