because i'm apparently not done yapping about superman 2025 yet: i saw a post by someone saying that they liked that it was lois and eve and the daily planet and the justice gang, not superman, who ultimately defeat lex luther (because the reveal of his double-dealings with boravia neuters his power, and the justice gang prevents the attempted invasion) and. i see you, i respect you, but i respectfully disagree.
lex luthor was defeated by humanity. and that includes clark kent and superman.
the entire time, lex is so hyperfocused on defeating superman - and on the idea that "superman is superior because of his powers" - that anything and everything human becomes a massive, glaring blind spot for him. and dozens of little human things pile up to defeat him.
humanity is in lois' willingness to question someone she loves. but also her willingness to a) publish a front-page article about the us violating of the geneva convention when superman is detained, b) try to bully three metahumans into challenging the authority of the us government over superman's detainment, c) dive into an unstable pocket universe to find clark, d) pilot a spaceship halfway across the country and back, and e) stand in their offices pitching the story to perry as the city is literally being split in half, then dictate the exposé as she's flying aforementioned spaceship - both because she loves clark, but equally because it's the right thing to do. because people are being threatened or hurt or exploited, and power is being abused, and people deserve to know, and justice should prevail. it's lois never for a second doubting whether clark was there to be an overlord and conqueror - just whether his good intentions translate to good actions
humanity is the daily planet crew, in an evacuating building, in a city about to be torn apart by a dimensional rift, still dedicated to exposing the truth. it's their casual care for each other. it's perry, who ran lois' article about superman being imprisoned in a pocket universe (even when public opinion had viciously turned against superman), and put clark kent's tribute to malik ali on the front-page. it's jimmy, contacting an ex-girlfriend to give lois a lead at the barest hint of her needing help, and knowing about lois and superman (clark? maybe he knows that secret too) but keeping his mouth shut, despite it being a career-making article if he ran it. it's cat, congratulating clark on his first front-page article, and asking lois about her dating life. it's even steve, worried about his cat as the city collapses
humanity is the justice gang going to the boravia-jarhanpur border, because someone earnestly asked for their help. because someone earnestly believed that someone would come, and they decided to be that someone
humanity is in the justice gang willing to hear clark out, after the video of his parents is published. to listen before striking, even though they realise that he could be a threat. it's hawkgirl, asking if the video was real. it's mr terrific, telling clark he's so sorry but the video can't be fake. it's guy gardner, admitting outright that while he doesn't know for sure, superman probably isn't there to destroy humanity
it's mr terrific deciding to help track clark down, being enraged at lex's callous recklessness, sending superman away to recover while he monitors the portal. it's guy gardner telling civilians to clear the area, shielding a child from bullets before showboating, knocking tanks aside but away. it's hawkgirl telling metamorpho that he did a great job on his first mission with them, and dropping a dictator from a great height because fuck you, you had your chance for mercy
humanity is eve being horrified that lex tortured a dog. and smart enough to collect evidence, and petty enough that lex throwing pencils at her made her snap, and trusting in jimmy to take lex down
humanity is mali helping superman out of a crater, because so what if he's stronger than all of them, he needs help now. it's mali, who can call over to another food cart owner to ask him watch his cart, and getting the fastest yes in return. it's mali, with a loaded gun pointed at his head, bruised and terrified, telling superman not to talk, not to worry, that he has no family, that he believes in superman
humanity is metamorpho being horrified at mali's death, horrified at the realisation that he did nothing about it, and deciding that he can't be part of this anymore. humanity is metamorpho joining the justice gang, to protect unarmed jarhanpurians
humanity is jonathan and martha kent, raising their boy. it's the kents congratulating him on a front page article as earnestly as they would for saving the planet. it's martha not knowing what to say to comfort her boy when he says they sent me here to hurt people, ma, because that's the antithesis of her boy, how could anyone send him to hurt anyone. it's jonathan telling his boy that he is defined by his actions, not what anyone intended for him, and weeping as he says he couldn't be prouder of him
humanity is the jarhanpurians, standing at the border, armed with rocks and farming tools and a flag and a chant of superman, because this is their home. because superman came to help them once, and they believe that he is who he claimed to be. but even if he doesn't come, they'll fight anyway, with whatever they have. it's both the man who runs back for an old man who fell, to do what he can to pull him to safety, and the little boy still holding a hoisted flag while the boravian army approaches
and humanity is clark kent. superman. the boy from smallville. it's superman intervening because people were going to die. it's superman, angry enough to fly a dictator out to the desert and shove him against a cactus, but restrained enough to give him a chance to change. it's superman yelling at the justice gang to be careful during the kaiju fight, pulling women and children and squirrels to safety and taking a moment to check if anyone is hurt, trying to find the least-harm option of defeating the monster. it's superman, holding the hand of a damaged robot that has professed twice onscreen that it has no emotional capacity. (it's superman, later giving that robot a name, the name that the robot wanted, about a minute after it first raised the idea.) it's the boy from smallville, who heard his biological parents say we've sent you where you can do the most good, and who immediately thought that can only mean i'm meant to use my power to help and protect everyone here, as best i can, and never thought twice, who used that message and mission as a guiding light, a soothing refrain whenever he was hurt and uncertain. it's clark kent believing that everyone is beautiful. it's clark, telling lois that he's sorry they fought, but holding firm that kindness is the true punk rock. it's superman turning himself in to find his cousin's dog, because krypto's probably alone and scared (and so is kara in a lot of ways, she needs that dog). it's superman, clark, and his agony over mali's murder. it's superman, holding up an entire building to save one woman in a crappy car. it's superman, telling the engineer and ultraman mid-fight that it's not too late for either of them, that they don't have to do what they've been ordered to do (and neither does clark, because pa said that it's our actions that define us, the choices we make, so these people can made a different choice too, they're the same as he is). it's superman, having the humility to call on others for help- to ask the justice gang to help in jarhanpur, to call for krypto to help fight ultraman, to trust in mr terrific's analysis of the danger in metropolis and his ability to seal the rift. it's superman, telling lex that no, he's wrong, that clark is human and flawed but he sees his humanity as the best part of himself, and telling lex that lex's own humanity is the best part of him, too
humanity is an entire world that, while it can be petty and selfish and flawed and mean, still cares.
lex believes that he is superior to everyone, except superman. and that's why he fails.
clark kent believes that he is superior to no one, including lex. and that's why they defeat him.
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