Superman is a perfect example of a contemporary mythical
hero. No other character better exemplifies myth as
paradigm: a mythical model that embodies the cultural
reality of an era. As such, we can retrace Superman's
origin and development into a synergy that evolved
between the creators of the Man of Steel, the history of
the US during the post-war period, and the fans who
bought the comic books and made Superman an American
icon.
In 1934 the US was in the midst of the Great Depression
and the Nazis were in power in Germany. Joe Shuster, who
moved from Canada to Cleveland, met his long lost cousin
Jerry Siegel when he was 16. They immediately became
close friends as they both shared a passion for science-
fiction and comic books. Flash Gordon and Little Nemo
were their favorites. Both were Jewish, shy and wore
glasses. Joe had already published several cartoon
illustrations in his Junior High School paper, while
Jerry had published "Cosmic Stories" at 14.
The same year they met, Siegel came up with the idea of a
strongman for a comic hero depicted by Shuster in
flamboyant cape and red tights. The story would evolve
around an otherworldly alien with an earthly identity of
a mild-mannered reporter pursuing unattainable Lois Lane
who in turn was in love with the inaccessible Man of
Steel. Thus creating the most famous love triangle in
American folklore.
The name for their character came from the German
philosopher Frederich Nietzsche's book "Thus Spoke
Zarathustra" in which he introduces the concept of
"Superman". The great-souled hero who transcends the
enslavement of Christian morality by his "will to power".
The original model for the character was based on the
actor Douglas Fairbanks Senior. Both Siegel and Shuster
loved the movies he played in, especially "The Mark of
Zoro" and "Robin Hood". The actor's stance was used as a
model for the drawings of Superman. The pose now famous
is that of the hero who stands with his hands on his hips
and his feet apart. On the other hand the model for the
diminutive reporter Clark Kent was that of Harold Lloyd.
When Siegel and Shuster came up with the idea of
Superman, neither knew that it would take another four
years before they would see their hero published in a
comic book. In 1938, after years of rejection, they
finally sold the first 13 pages of Superman for $130 to a
publisher named Harry Donefeld. Unfortunately, they also
signed a release form relinquishing all rights to their
character. Suddenly Superman was no longer their
property. As a result, they had to work for Donefeld to
produce the character they created. A few years later
Superman became the most popular comic book hero in
America.
Like every mythical hero Superman has a super-natural
origin. The story is that of a starchild placed by his
parents on a small rocket and shipped across millions of
light-years to earth as the only survivor of a "wonderful
race" on the eve the planet Krypton's destruction. The
baby finally lands in a Midwestern corn field. He is
found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who raise the child
like their own son. They soon find out that Clark is no
ordinary being.
The first mythical analogy that springs to mind is that
of Moses' early days. He too was saved by his parents
from the murderous hands of the Pharaoh who had ordered
to kill all the Hebrew newborn males. Moses' mother put
him in a watertight reed basket and set him afloat on the
Nile. The child was found by the Pharaoh's daughter who
was bathing in the river nearby. She recognized him as
one of the Hebrew children and adopted him. Moses grew up
in the royal court and he too shared a double identity:
as an Egyptian prince and as the great liberator of the
Jewish people.
Superman's original name on Krypton was Kal-El and his
father's was Jor-El. The suffix of both names has a
biblical significance as well. One of the oldest Semitic
appellatives of God is "el". The designation has been
widely used in ancient Israel. It can be found in words
like Isra-el, Ishma-el, Samu-el, Gabri-el, Micha-el,
etc... Michael is also the mythical warrior angel who
opposed Satan i.e., the "adversary". As such he is
Superman's biblical alter ego.
With so much Jewish symbolism inherent in the character
it is reported that Joseph Goebbles, the Nazi Minister of
Propaganda, branding a comic book in his hand during a
cabinet meeting, furiously denounced Superman as a Jew.
What Goebbels did not understand is that the core of
Superman's persona is that of the immigrant: an alien
coming from another place. So Goebbels ended up
antagonizing not only Jews, like Siegel and Shuster, but
all Americans. Because, with the exception of the
aboriginals, every American was an alien at one point or
another.
In the early issues of Superman the hero was seen leaping
tall buildings. A few years later he began to fly. As
cars and airplanes became popular means of transportation
it increased the overall mobility of the American people.
As American's mobility increased so did Superman's.
Through the years his powers increased until Superman
became a godlike figure which also matched the US' status
as the world's military super-power.
Accordingly, Superman's most singular trait is that of his
split personality. One part relates to his super-natural
powers and the other to the profane reality of the
everyday world; a yin and yang so to speak. The first
symbolizes the ideals of individual freedom and power. A
stark contrast to the limits imposed by the reality of
everyday life as portrayed by the humble Clark Kent. Such
a contrast between the super-natural powers of Superman
and the ordinariness of Clark Kent depicts the essence of
human spiritual ambiguity. Don't we all at times live in
a fantasy world but soon are awakened from our dreams and
have to come down and live on earth like Clark Kent.
Our hero's duality also represents the full potential
inherent in all human beings. This duality depicts the
yin and yang of human spirituality: a dynamic present in
most world religions. A good illustration of this duality
would be Jesus Christ, characterized by the interaction
between Christ the Son of God as the sacred, and Jesus
the son of Mary as the profane. Such duality is at the
core of the Christian religious experience. In the
Incarnation he is both God and man, he is ONE God. In
other words, both the sacred and the profane blend into
ONE reality. For Superman and Clark Kent it is ONE
animation as they are different characters yet they are
the same person.
As we have seen, Superman is more than just a vigilante
taking upon himself to rid Metropolis of its criminals. As
the prefix "super" in his name implies he is "above" the
ordinary "man": a sacred and inaccessible being that
roams the heavens. These godlike qualities represent the
super-natural origin that is typical of all mythical
heroes. Myth therefore plays a major role in the
edification of a cultural model that transcends all
cultural and ethnical diversities. As such, the hero
fosters an ideal to which all can identify; in this case
an American ideal. As a result Superman embodies a civil
religion that transcends all other religions. A civil
religion that is concerned with the cultural identity and
integrity of America.
When the Superman TV series first came out, the opening
statements for the show were; "Truth, Justice and the
American Way." As Umberto Eco points out in his essay
"The Myth of Superman", the hero has an obsession with
preserving the status quo. His idea of truth and justice
is preserving law and order of the majority. He devotes
all his energies to put the criminal element behind bars,
especially if they violate private property. As Eco
observes, Superman does not use his powers to change the
social conditions that breed urban crime, poverty or
homelessness.
The biggest irony about Superman is that even with all
his super-natural powers he could not help his creators
fight the legal system. In 1947 Shuster and Siegel were
tired of seeing other people making millions from their
character. They went to court to regain the rights to
their creation and cancel their contract with Donenfeld.
They also claimed $5 million in lost revenue. However,
the court denied their claim to ownership of Superman. In
the end the hero that is able to put the most dangerous
criminals behind bars, making Metropolis a safer place
for everybody, could do nothing against legal injustice.
As the story reveals Superman lands
in a corn field in the Midwest. His adopted parents are white, Anglo-Saxon and
in all likelihood protestant
