Lex Luthor is one of those roles where there's so much to it. So many interpretations, all of which add something to the character. A mad scientist, a rich capitalist, a child born to poor parents, destined to be lonely and ostracized in the slums; an heir to a corporate fortune with an abusive father. Sometimes he knew clark kent in his youth. Sometimes he didn't. But there's always an element to this character of fundamental goodness. Lex Luthor could've been a superhero. But Superman reminds me of everything he isn't. Superman makes him feel like a failure. Superman is similar to Lex in soso many ways. I'd say they both grew up feeling ostracized from their peers. Lex because of his intellect and Clark because of his powers. But one had a supportive family, and one didn't. It's nature vs nurture, I suppose. Lex Luthor could've been a hero. Clark could've theoretically been the villain if he was raised in a worse environment. The parallels work because neither one of them can be completely hated. At least not by me. I like both of them a lot.
I don't think Batman and Joker can compare. Because occasionally those two get a good setting to showcase their similarities, but they don't always. And they also aren't consistently as entertaining as each other. But with clark and lex, it's kind of hard to say I like one more. They're both very compelling. And I really just like both of them.
jimmy having a picture of superman pinned up at his desk is the cutest thing ever
i love how he's clark's best friend, and yet he helped him without even realizing it when he investigated the pocket universe that superman was trapped in.
he believes in superman even when everyone else had turned on him, without even really being able to say why. he just has this feeling, this instinct, that he can trust him, that he has a good heart. and something about it feels familiar.
in short, he's been helping his bestie all along by aiding the hero he's always looked up to.
Malik ‘Mali’ Ali is arguably the most important side character in Superman (2025)
And here’s my argument.
In this Superhero movie fatigue era of cinema, civilians seem to have lost their place. They are often used, less as people, and more as set pieces to run from the danger, adding to the chaos of the scene. This is not the case for 2025 Superman, and it is most definitely not the case for Mali Ali.
At his first appearance in the movie, Mali seems to be just a featured extra. He is one of the civilians who happens to be nearby when Superman crashes into the ground and he’s one of the many who run over to the crash site.
Where Mali starts to stand out, however, is when he gets down into the crater with Superman. He reaches a hand out and helps Superman up. We also learn this is not the first time he helped Superman out, as he once gave Superman a falafel after witnessing Superman save someone else.
This is where Mali becomes the audience surrogate. He exemplifies the type of civilian the audience might want to be in this universe. He has been inspired by Superman to be a heroic person by helping people in any way he can. He might not have powers, but he does have falafel and a hand to reach out to someone in need.
His next significant scene is after Lex Luther kidnaps him and uses him as leverage to torture information out of Superman. This scene displays important characteristics about our 2 leads. It shows the depths of Lex’s evil and hatred, as he’s willing to kidnap and kill this innocent person just because he had a couple of positive interactions with Superman. It also shows the depths of Superman’s compassion and value of life, as he’s begging for the life of this man he barely knows.
But it also shows the depths of Mali’s bravery. While we see how much Superman values Mali’s life, Mali equally values Superman’s life. Lex asks Superman who raised him as a child, He is willing to give his life, not just for Superman who he barely knows, but for Superman’s parents who he doesn’t know at all. We know Ma & Pa Kent are angels living on Earth, but Mali doesn’t know that. For all he knows, Superman was raised by the people in the recording who told Supes to rule with an iron fist. But he doesn’t believe that. We know because some of his last words were “I believe in you Superman” before Lex kills him. He dies believing in and valuing the good in Superman the way Superman believes in and values the good in humanity.
And then, after that, what happens? Rex decides to help Superman break out. Why? Who inspired him? Superman? Maybe Rex was moved by Superman’s compassion, but that’s not all. Who in that moment showed bravery in the face of danger? Who showed defiance despite their powerless position? Who gave everything they had just to do what they believed was right?
Mali did.
Rex, has been made to believe he is powerless and has no choice but to do what Lex wants. But Mali has even less power than he does and chose to be a hero anyway.
Mali, a man who Superman inspired to be a hero, inspired someone else to become a superhero.
Clark Kent Is Not Perfect—And That’s What Makes Him Superman 💙☀️
I will never understand why people insist on writing Superman as if he’s flawless. As if he wakes up every morning full of hope and light, untouched by fear, doubt, or exhaustion. As if optimism is something that simply exists within him, rather than something he has to fight for every single day.
Especially in Superbat fics (and, honestly, I say this as someone guilty of it too 😔✍️), Clark is often reduced to nothing more than Bruce’s emotional support system—someone who is always steady, always understanding, always a rock. Meanwhile, Bruce gets to be the complicated one, the one with depth, the one who struggles. But why do we act like Clark’s hopefulness means he doesn’t struggle, too?
Because here’s the thing: hope is not easy. It’s not a passive state of being. Hope is an act of defiance. It’s looking at a world full of suffering, corruption, and despair and saying, No, I still believe in something better. That takes strength. That takes resilience. That takes constant effort.
🌍💥 Clark Kent is not hopeful because he has never known pain—he is hopeful because he has. Because he understands it, because he has seen the worst of humanity and chooses, every single day, to believe in its best. And that choice? That’s where his depth is. That’s where his struggle is.
And yet, so often, we see him written as if hope and inner conflict cannot coexist. As if choosing optimism means he’s somehow untouched by fear, grief, or doubt. But hope is not the absence of fear—it is the decision to keep going despite it. And that is what makes Clark Kent truly extraordinary.
Superman’s Humanity: Canon Examples 📖⚡
🔻 Kingdom Come – Clark isolates himself, disillusioned by a world that no longer wants him. When hope fails, he withdraws. He isn’t immune to losing faith.
🔻 For the Man Who Has Everything – He experiences a perfect fantasy of Krypton as if it had never been destroyed. And when it’s ripped away, he reacts with pure, uncontrolled rage. He wanted it. He wanted to stay.
🔻 All-Star Superman – Even at his most "ideal," Clark worries. He prepares for death. He feels the weight of his legacy and the people he will leave behind. Hope doesn’t erase fear; it coexists with it.
🔻 Superman: Birthright – He doubts himself, struggles with what it means to be an alien among humans. He wonders if he really belongs. His place in the world is not a given—he has to find it.
🔻 Superman: Up in the Sky – He agonizes over leaving people in need to save one single child across the universe. He knows he can’t save everyone. That burden never leaves him.
Because there is no hope without fear. Hope does not exist in a vacuum—it is a victory. 🏆 A battle fought and won against the quiet, creeping voice of doubt that tells you it isn’t worth it, that things will never get better. And every time Clark Kent stands back up, every time he chooses to believe, he reminds us that hope isn’t naïve. It’s powerful.
And that’s why it matters that we don’t flatten him. If we make him shallow, we lose sight of what makes him great. If we treat him as an unattainable ideal, someone who is only good because he never struggles, then we can’t see ourselves in him. And that is a disservice, because Superman is not supposed to be distant. He is not supposed to be perfect. He is supposed to be possible.
Because Superman is an alien, sure—but he is built to be the best of us. A person who chooses to be kind, to be strong, to be hopeful. Someone who faces the same internal battles we do and still decides, every single day, to keep believing. That’s why we can, and should, see ourselves in him. That’s why we should try to be like him.
Superman is called the Man of Tomorrow—not because he is unreachable, but because he shows us what we could be. And that’s the whole point.
James Gunn's Superman is EXACTLY What We Needed - Superman (2025) A Review.
Word count: 2730
James Gunn's Superman is EXACTLY What We Needed
OKAY BESTIES, we need to TALK because I am literally still shaking after seeing this movie and my brain has been completely rewired??? Like, I've been emotionally preparing for this movie since the moment James Gunn announced he was taking over the DCU, and by "emotionally preparing" I mean I've been alternating between pure excitement and existential dread because LITERALLY what if it was bad???
Because let's face it, as someone whose bedroom walls are covered in more posters than actual paint (my mom has Opinions about this but whatever), who owns a concerning amount of comics AND has them more organized than my actual life, and whose idea of light research is a deep dive into continuity changes post-Flashpoint (I HAVE THOUGHTS about the New 52 but that's another essay), Superman movies have been... a journey. A long, complicated journey that includes Christopher Reeve perfection (no notes, literally perfect, the standard by which all other Superman media is judged) AND whatever that was supposed to be when they decided Batman and Superman should brood together for three hours while completely missing the point of World's Finest dynamics.
But listen ladies, I cleared my weekend plans faster than Barry Allen escaping the Speed Force (and yes I know that reference is slightly incorrect shut up) because this wasn't just any superhero movie - this was James Gunn directing the most iconic character in comic book history!!! The man who made us cry over a talking raccoon was about to tackle the character who literally CREATED the superhero genre, invented the concept of secret identities, and has been the moral compass of the DC Universe for 85+ years, and honestly??? As someone who has spent an almost mind-boggling time watching DC movies, who can explain the difference between Earth-1, Earth-2, and New Earth Superman continuities WITHOUT looking it up, I needed to witness this cultural moment in the theater with my boyfriend (who is VERY patient with my DC obsessions and only looked semi-concerned when my grin got a little bigger whenever David Corenswet was on screen).
Spoiler alert: I'm still not emotionally recovered, and it's been three days. ALSO, I might have a dozen comic book websites open so I can order more stuff when your girl has more funds,
David Corenswet Said "Watch Me Channel Every Great Superman Era" (And We Said "YES DADDY")
Can we just TALK about David Corenswet for a hot minute because I am DECEASED and also slightly FERAL??? This man walked onto screen and basically channeled the perfect blend of Christopher Reeve's earnestness (ICONIC), the Golden Age's optimism, the Silver Age's boy scout energy, the Bronze Age's social consciousness, AND the modern comic book Superman's philosophical complexity, and then actually made it all work as one cohesive character while looking like he was SCULPTED BY THE GODS and I literally cannot??? The TALENT! The JAWLINE!?!?!
Listen, I really did think I was prepared for how attractive this man is because I'd seen the photos, but seeing him in motion as Superman??? With the cape billowing and that smilethat could probably end wars??? I literally forgot how to breathe for several minutes and had to pause my mental analysis to just... process the fact that this gorgeous human being was bringing one of my favorite characters to life??? The way he looks in that suit should be illegal, and don't even get me started on how his voice gets all soft and gentle when he's talking to people who need help because I was melting in my theater seat. My boyfriend definitely noticed and gave me a look, but listen, we both have eyes and he absolutely agreed that David Corenswet is unfairly attractive???
As someone who has very, very strong opinions about the difference between pre-Crisis and post-Crisis Superman characterization, Corenswet's performance hits that sweet spot that honors ALL eras of the character WHILE being absolutely STUNNING to look at. This isn't just another buff guy in a cape situation - this is an actor who clearly read "All-Star Superman", studied the emotional depth of "Superman: For All Seasons" (Mark Waid I owe you my life), amd somehow made the Golden Age boy scout, the Silver Age science fiction hero, the Bronze Age social crusader, and the modern philosophical icon feel like different facets of the same incredibly complex person who also happens to be one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen. I’m not okay.
The way he switches between Clark Kent and Superman isn't just about posture and vocal changes (though he nails those classic Christopher Reeve transformations and I literally had to contain in the theater) - it's about understanding that these aren't two separate people, they're two equally authentic expressions of the same moral framework!!! When he's Clark, you can see the Superman underneath trying to connect with humanity on their level, and you can see why Lois Lane would absolutely fall for this adorable, bumbling, secretly-ripped journalist. When he's Superman, you can see the Clark underneath who genuinely loves people and wants to help them, and you can see why the entire world would trust this absolutely gorgeous alien god-man with their lives"
Also, can we discuss the chemistry between him and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane because I am slightly jealous I fear. THIS is the dynamic I've been waiting to see properly adapted to screen!!! Brosnahan's Lois isn't just "competent love interest #47" - she's the Lois who won a Pulitzer prize for investigating corruption, who figured out Clark's identity through actual investigative journalism rather than plot convenience, and who challenges Superman intellectually and morally rather than just being someone he has to rescue!!! And the way Corenswet looks at her??? Like she's the most fascinating person in the universe??? Chef’s kiss to the casting director.
These two had me invested in their relationship faster than I get invested in DC's monthly solicitations. Their banter feels ripped straight from the best Lois and Clark comic interactions, with that perfect balance of professional respect, personal chemistry, and the underlying tension of secret identity maintenance that makes their relationship so compelling in the comics!!! I literally almost squealed in the theater. My boyfriend squeezed my hand and kept asking if I was okay, which was super sweet but also sir, are you gonna make me float in the air when we kiss, I thought not!!!
The Real World Parallels That Made This Hit DIFFERENT (And Why Superman Still Matters)
But beyond my thirst for David Corenswet (seriously, that man could read me the phone book in Kryptonian and I'd swoon), this movie hit on something deeper that I wasn't expecting and honestly wasn't prepared for??? Without spoiling anything specific, the central conflict of the film draws some very intentional parallels to what's happening in Gaza right now, and as someone who's been doom-scrolling Twitter, watching civilians caught between superpowers while the world debates who deserves to live in peace... It hit different
Gunn didn't just make a generic "alien invasion" movie - he made a film about power, displacement, civilian casualties, and the moral responsibility that comes with having the ability to intervene in conflicts where innocent people are suffering. The way Superman navigates the impossible choice between action and restraint, between helping and potentially making things worse, between his desire to save everyone and the political reality that his intervention might escalate violence... it felt like watching someone grapple with the exact moral questions we're all asking ourselves while watching the news.
And look, I’m aware Superman is fiction, but there's something about watching a character whose entire moral framework is built around "everyone deserves to live, everyone deserves protection, everyone matters" dealing with a situation where those principles are tested by a real geopolitical complexity... it made me understand why we need these stories right now. Superman can't just punch his way out of this conflict because the real enemies are systemic oppression, historical trauma, and the way powerful people use civilian populations as pawns in larger games.
There's this moment where Superman has to choose between stopping immediate violence and addressing the root causes that created the violence, and it felt like a direct commentary on how we talk about "both sides" when one side has F-16s and the other side has rocks. As someone who's been struggling with feeling helpless while watching actual genocide happen in real time, seeing Superman face the same feelings of "what if my intervention makes things worse" while still choosing to act, still choosing to center civilian lives over political convenience... It really showed us that sometimes we need to see heroes grapple with impossible choices to remember that giving up isn't an option, even when every choice feels wrong.
Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor: Straight Out of "Superman: Birthright" With a Touch of "All-Star" (And I'm OBSESSED)
We need to discuss Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor because this casting choice initially had me frantically preparing for either celebration or complete devastation!!! This man showed up ready to serve bald hater.
He's not just generic villain #47 or "businessman who doesn't like aliens" - he's the Lex who genuinely believes he's saving humanity from what he sees as an alien threat, while being absolutely consumed by jealousy that this alien is everything he wants to be but could never achieve!!! This is the Lex who's so brilliant he could cure cancer but is too obsessed with proving Superman is a fraud to focus on actually helping humanity. This is the Lex from whose hatred stems from a fundamental inability to accept that someone could be genuinely good without ulterior motives!!!
The way Hoult delivers every line like he's so deeply offended by Superman's existence isn't just good acting - it's an understanding of comic book Lex's core psychology!!! He's not threatened by Superman's power; he's threatened by Superman's goodness, because it exposes everything petty and small about Lex's own motivations. When he talks about Superman, you can so very clearly see him trying to convince himself as much as everyone else that this alien is dangerous, because the alternative - that Superman really is just trying to help - would destroy Lex's entire worldview.
The best Lex Luthor stories always make you understand his point just enough to remember why he's terrifying- he's not wrong that Superman is incredibly powerful and could potentially be dangerous, he's wrong about Superman's character and motivations. Hoult nails that balance perfectly and I may be slightly in love with this portrayal???
The Supporting Cast That Actually Feels Like They Live in the DC Universe (And I'm Here for ALL of It)
Can we appreciate a superhero movie where the supporting characters actually feel like they belong in the DC Universe rather than just Generic Superhero Movie Land??? Nathan Fillion showing up and immediately making me wonder if we're getting hints of a full Justice League International lineup (PLEASE James Gunn I'm BEGGING)? Anthony Carrigan bringing that perfect blend of intensity and depth that had me thinking about every great DC character actor performance from the animated universe???
The Daily Planet scenes feel like they were ripped straight from the comics - not just the Superman comics, but the ENTIRE DC Universe approach to journalism and media that runs through everything from "The Question" to "Gotham Central"!!! These aren't just "newspaper movie" supporting characters; they understand that in the DC Universe, journalism matters as much as superheroics because truth and information are literally superpowers in their own right.
Even the smaller roles felt like they understood the assignment!!! This isn't just "generic superhero movie supporting cast #12" - these feel like characters who could anchor their own comic book runs, which is exactly how DC's best stories work. Every character feels like they have their own agenda, their own life, their own relationship with Superman that isn't just "person who needs rescuing" or "person who explains plot points"!!!
The Metropolis we see feels lived-in and real, like a city that exists independently of Superman rather than just being a backdrop for superhero action. This is the Metropolis from the comics - a place that's beautiful and optimistic but also dealing with real urban problems, a place where Superman fits naturally rather than being an alien presence disrupting normalcy, and I'm literally getting emotional just thinking about how perfect the world-building is???
The Moments That Made Me Ugly Cry
WITHOUT spoiling anything (because I'm not a monster, and also because spoiling DC content is punishable by banishment to the lego batman Phantom Zone), there are at least three moments in this movie that had me crying actual tears while simultaneously thinking "oh my god they actually adapted that essential comic book Superman feeling to screen" and I'm never gonna get over it.
One sequence involving Superman making a choice about heroism felt like watching "Superman vs. The Elite" come to life, reminding me why I've been defending this character's relevance against "but he's too powerful/too perfect/too boring" arguments on twitter. The way Corenswet delivers what amounts to the "World of Cardboard" speech from Justice League Unlimited but specifically for this story had me dead.
Another moment involves Superman's relationship with humanity that directly echoes the best "Superman saves everyone" comic moments - you know, the ones where he's not just stopping the obvious threat but actually solving the underlying problem that created the threat in the first place!!! It's the kind of scene that reminds you why Superman stories work best when they're about hope and inspiration rather than just "alien punches bad guy until bad guy stops being bad.”
The final act somehow managed to capture the epic scope of a Crisis event while maintaining the intimate character work of the best Elseworlds stories!!! I left the theater wanting to immediately re-read my ENTIRE Superman collection to catalog what Easter eggs and deep cut references I missed, because Gunn clearly packed this thing with comic book DNA
But the moment that really got me was a quiet scene - just Superman being superman, not because he has to save the world, but because helping people is WHO HE IS!!! No big action sequence, no world-ending threat, just the most powerful (and gorgeous) being in the universe taking time to do something small and human because it matters to someone. That's when I knew this movie really understood what makes Superman special, and I'm literally tearing up just thinking about it again.
.
Final Thoughts: This Is Why I've Been Defending DC Comics for LITERAL DECADES (And Also Why I'm Now a David Corenswet Stan Account)
I can't help but feel completely vindicated as a lifelong DC Comics obsessive!!! This movie GETS IT. It understands what makes Superman work in comics and translates that perfectly to screen without losing any of the depth, complexity, or fundamental optimism that makes the character so special.
Gunn didn't just make a Superman movie - he made a love letter to 85+ years of comics history while proving that yes, actually, the character who inspired every superhero who came after him can still inspire us today!!! This felt like someone who owns longboxes full of Superman comics, who has strong opinions about different creative runs, and who actually understood what made all those comics special, then decided to share that feeling with the rest of us!!! And he cast the most beautiful man alive to play the role, so honestly, what more can you ask for?
Yes, Superman can be interesting. Yes, there are stakes when you're dealing with someone this powerful. Yes, you can tell compelling stories about someone who's fundamentally good without making them boring or naive. Yes, you can make Superman relevant to contemporary political struggles without losing his essential optimism.
James Gunn, you've somehow made a movie that honors both "Superman: The Movie" AND "All-Star Superman" while feeling completely fresh and contemporary and relevant to our current political momentI cannot thank you enough!!! You've created something that works for people who have never read a comic book and for those of us who have, which is basically the holy grail of comic book adaptation!!!
P.S. - If anyone has high-quality screenshots of David Corenswet as Superman for my totally academic research into comic book adaptations, please send them my way. It's for SCIENCE. And also because he's absolutely gorgeous and I have NEEDS.
The reason Superman is as powerful as he is in the comics isn’t because the writers need him to be (actually this is true if the writer is lazy). Superman is as strong as he needs to be because he represents hope. He isn’t just a symbol of hope, he IS the embodiment of hope. That’s why Superman’s death hits hard, that’s why worlds that don’t have Superman fall into despair. Superman IS hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope that whatever challenges we face can be bested just by persevering. The reason why the sun makes him stronger, because of the hope of seeing the sun rise the next day.That’s why Superman is the greatest hero. Because he represents hope.
As a part of an ongoing series exploring possible inspirations from western comic books found in My Hero Academia, I'm going to be comparing the rivalry between Lex Luthor and Superman, to the rivalry between All Might and Endeavor.
Before we even begin there's an obvious difference between the two rivalries you can point out. Lex Luthor is Superman's arch enemy, he's a villain. In that sense wouldn't the relationship between All for One and All Might be a better comparison as they're mortal enemies. However, I am going to make an argument that Endeavor's character is partially inspired or at least comparable to lex, because for both of them their entire character motivation revolves around their envy of the superman.
1. Übermensch
If you are a My Hero Academia fan reading this post and have never touched a superman comic in your life, then I reccomend reading 2006's All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. For many people this is THE superman comic, if you want to read a comic that represents everything superman is about without having to bother with the tangled mess of Comic Book Continuity, and it is only twelve chapters and a self contained story. I will also be using panels from that series in this post.
The connection between All Might and Superman is obvious, they are both all American heroes dressed up in the colors of the American flag, who represent the strongest single hero in their worlds.
Endeavor and Lex is where it gets a little more complicated, because one is a hero, and the other is one of the most famous comic book villains of all time. They can't be the same, right? However, they essentially have the same motivation.
What is Lex Luthor's motivation? Of course this being comic books there are several versions of the character floating around, in some versions he has a tragic backstory, in others he was a former friend of Clark Kent, but if you were to boil down Lex Luthor's motivation to its simplest form.
Lex Luthor just wants to kill superman. Why? The reasons vary, but Lex builds super-suits, giant killer robots, death traps all with the same goal of killing superman. Enji essentially shares the same desire, everything he does is all about surpassing All Might.
They have completely opposite means of course, but Enji is also an individual who uses everything, his considerable wealth, his powers, even his own family for the goal of surpassing All Might.
Why though? Why is the idea of surpassing Superman or All Might so important for Lex and Endeavor especially. If you look at Lex and Endeavor they already have everything they could possibly want.
Endeavor is an incredibly rich, succesful, and influential figure. He has the most solved cases of any hero in existence, the respect of an entire hero agency working under him, he is famous and basically considered the peak of the society he is in.
Lex is the most brilliant mind of his generation, he doesn't even need superpowers because he essentially can build robot suits that give him the same abilities as superman, he is rich, in almost every version of his character despite being a supervillain he's one with incredibly good publicity who is still incredibly popular in the public eyes. He even runs for president once and wins. Endeavor even has an entire family of four children, which sets him apart from All Might who has no family to speak of and does everything alone.
They have everything they want yet that's not enough, they want, and want, and want, and want, and want. For both of them all of these accomplishments mean basically nothing, because they are not superman.
When they are faced with their rivals, they are both reduced to nothing more than ordinary human beings.
"You see, Superman. I own metropolis. My techonology built it, my will keeps it going, and over two thirds of its people work for me whether they know it or not. Even you have to admit it's a model of efficiency. And yet, I've often thought, why limit myself to just one city. A being with your abilities could be very useful to me, on a shall we say global scale?" Lex Luthor, Superman the Animated Series.
Why does this matter though? There's a deeper explanation if we want to take a moment to turn to the philosophy of Nietzsche. Now, the popular idea that Superman himself is named after Nietzsche's concept of the "Ubermensch" isn't exactly clear. Siegel and Shuster never said they created Superman with Nietzsche's ideology in mind, and also at the time "Superman" was really common slang to describe men of great ability, athletes and politicians. However, later works with Superman have acknowledged there's a few similarities between the character and Nietzsche's ideas.
"He's strong, he flies, he's a nieztschian fantasy ideal all wrapped up in a red cape. He's Superman."
Lois Lane, Superman the Animated Series.
Nieztscehe's ideal of the Overman is a concept he introduces in his 1883 book, Thus Spoke Zarathusra. A lot of people have misinterpreted this idea to mean Nietzsche believed that some human beings were born inherently superior, but it has absolutely nothing to do with that.
NIetzsche's philosophy comes in response to otherworldliness, the idea that morals are dictated to us by some source outside of this world, and they are inherent truths. At the time this was christianity, god creates morals, and they are right and true because they come from god. Nietzsche doesn't argue that morals don't exist or don't matter, just that they don't come from god, and are rather invented by human beings for human beings. That doesn't mean there are no rules or that you don't have to follow the rules, but that we make our own rules.
It's like money, money is technically created by human beings, if you're in the middle of a desert then having a briefcase with fifty thousand dollars won't help you, but at the same time people use money. At the same time because money is a completely human creation, you could argue that society could evolve past the need for money and create some other system of rules for exchanging goods and services, Marxists certainly believe that.
"Zarathustra, however, beheld the people and was amazed. Then he spoke thus:
Despite being credited as the creator of nihilism, Nietzsche's philosophy actually preaches against nihilism. He doesn't argue there are no morals, or that people should just do whatever they want, but in Zasrathura he presents the Ubermesch as the creator of new values within the moral vacuum of nihilism.
"Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman - a rope over an abyss. A dangerous across, a dangerous on-the-way, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous shuddering and stopping.
"What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end: what can be loved in man is that he is an overture and a going under.
"I love those who do not know how to live, except by going under, for they are those who cross over.
"I love the great despisers because they are the great reverers and arrows of longing for the other shore.
"I love those who do not first seek behind the stars for a reason to go under and be a sacrifice, but who sacrifice themselves for the earth, that the earth may some day become the overman's.
"I love him who lives to know, and who wants to know so that the overman may live some day. And thus he wants to go under.
"I love him who works and invents to build a house for the overman and to prepare earth, animal, and plant for him: for thus he wants to go under.
"I love him who loves his virtue, for virtue is the will to go under and an arrow of longing.
"I love him who does not hold back one drop of spirit for himself, but wants to be entirely the spirit of his virtue: thus he strides over the bridge as spirit.
From Book 1, Zarathusra's Prologue, 4.
The overman isn't the biggest, or the strongest, or the inherently superior being (in fact literally all of Nietzsche's values argue that there's nothing inherent in this world) just a person who strives towards their own ideal.
"However, perhaps what is more important than Nietzsche's image of the overman is what the concept serves to represent. In slightly broader terms, Nietzsche sets up the Overman to function as a sort of idealized version of one's self - an image of a perfect and powerful being which has overcome all their fears and deficientcies, which one can and should set goals to strive towards. Of course, as an ideal, it cannot ever truly be reached but that is the point."
Becoming Who You Really Are - The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche [x]
Okay, so that's enough philosophy nerd shit for now. Nietzsche's philosophy of the overman is someone who creates and pursues their own values, so looking at Superman and All Might vs Lex Luthor and Endeavor from this angle we ask: What are their ideals?
One of the biggest misinterpretation of Clark Kent's character is that rather than seeing him as a person, people see him as a set of powers. However, it's not Superman is the real one, and Clark Kent is the fake one, Superman is Clark Kent. Clark Kent is just a boy from Smallville Kansas, raised by two loving parents with good values who wants to help people. If Clark Kent didn't have powers, he would still want to help people because that's what he does (there's a famous storyline where he loses his powers for a year and still goes on doing the same thing to the best of his ability), he's not defined by the powers he was born with, but rather what he does.
All Star Superman is essentially a comic where Clark learns that he is dying. The reason he falls for Luthor's death trap in the first place, is because he flew straight into danger to help people who would have died otherwise. It's the perfect trap because Superman puts saving people above all else, he's not going to selfishly leave them to their deaths to preserve their own life.
One of the most famous panels in the comic is where Clark is in his last days and literally dying from radiation poisoning, and he still stops to notice something as small as hearing a therapist panic because their patient is putting themselves in danger, and he drops everything to go talk them down off a ledge.
Superman's not about the powers, but rather how they are used. In fact when Lex Luthor looks at superman all he sees is the powers. Once again, Lex is basically as strong as superman with his natural genius and intellect. The fact that he's not gifted or special is entirely Lex's own perceptive, he's just being petty because on top of all the other natural gifts he was born with, he can't fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes.
In fact if there's anyone who believes in inherent superiority it's Lex, not Clark. Luthor's logic is essentially: He was just born with all this power, I was the one who worked to get where I am. Yet, Lex also believes all of his natural abilities make him entitled to something more.
He believes he is inherently great, and yet his actions are not that of a great man.
There's also the aspect where Lex Luthor represents everything that american society tells you is the ideal, he's rich and succesful, he's at the top of his field, he's like what both american society and capitalism consider to be a great man, and yet he's beaten by a guy from Kansas.
This relates again to the rivalry between All Might and Endeavor. All Might is a hero who builds himself around an ideal, sacrificing himself for the sake of a more peaceful society. He has a selfless goal that is greater to him, and All Might as a hero similiar to superman works himself to death saving as many people as possible.
On the other hand, Endeavor has no great selfless goal. He doesn't even have an ideology. Much like Lex, all he has is his own sense of entitlement. He worked so hard so therefore he deserves to be number one.
Endeavor isn't different from All Might because he's not as good at punching people however, it's his deeds that make him different. Just like Lex for all he goes on and on about his hard work being what got him there, Endeavor also believes in ideas of inherent superiority and eugenics. He abandoned one child because he has a genetic flaw, and then trained his youngest forcefully because he believed having been born with the perfect quirk is what will make him qualified to surpass All Might.
If you want another comparison between the two, they also both used their biological offspring to try to surpass their respective supermans. Endeavor fathered children to try to create a child with a more powerful quirk than his. Lex Luthor made Kon-El a clone of himself and Superman achieved by mixing his human DNA with Clark's Kryptonian DNA.
If anything All Might is actually the one who was born powerless, because he was quirkless and he accepted a powerful quirk and trained his body for the sake of saving others, whereas everything Endeavor has done is only for himself. He, just like Lex has many things he could have done, he could have been a father, he could have saved people, but everything he does is just to prove the superiority he thinks he's entitled too.
If anything, the reason why Lex and Endeavor are so jealous has nothing to do with being physically weaker, and because their lives are so empty in comparison. They do everything for themselves so in essence they have no one. There's a small scene in All Star Superman, where he travels to the Bizarro world where everything is the opposite and meets Zibarro, an intelligent and educated version of Bizarro Superman who makes his own poetry, and then at the end of the comic he spends time thinking how amazing that is Zibarro could create poetry and even preserves it. That act of creation is the thing that Clark is most impressed with, and really when he's talking about the life he lived, it's really the other people he found amazing not himself.
So there you have it. My argument that All Might and Endeavor's relationship is not superman and batman, or even Vegeta and Goku, but rather they have the most in common with Superman and Lex Luthor as two people blessed with great abilities, one who uses their abilities in service of other people, and the other who uses their powers only in service of themselves.
I honestly view Lex Luthor as a fundamentally decent man, just one obsessed with praise and adulation. At least, that's how the DCAU Lex Luthor feels to me. The supplementary comics for Superman:TAS say that Lex Luthor grew up poor in the slums. He dreamed of being a rich benefactor to humanity, but his parents always derided his goals. So that inferiority complex sits like a sack of stones right on his chest. He needs the validation of others to feel good about himself, because his family never gave him validation. Now he's a broken man whose hatred of Superman largely stems from him stealing the spotlight away from him.
Lex Luthor hates Superman with a burning rage, but he doesn't hate people. That's evident in his relationships with characters like Mercy Graves and (briefly) Lana Lang. He has positive relationships with people. He donates to charities. He isn't a man who dreams of massacre and rampant bloodlust. He's not that kind of man. He just wants to be idolized. He wants that validation, because he clearly isn't getting it from himself. It's tragic, and Clancy Brown sells every script that the writers give him. He really conveys those equal parts menace and loneliness. The desperate cry of a rich man who never felt love.
I feel like him and superman have more in common than either cares to admit. They like helping people, in their very different ways. They both have public and private identities/faces they show to the world. But while Superman at least has a support system and secret keepers in the form of his parents and childhood friend Lana Lang, Lex has nobody. He doesn't even fully open up to Mercy. Mercy sees Lex as some kind of mentor. But Lex just sees her as an employee. One he's close to, but an employee nonetheless. He's too scared to open up and let her see the real him. Nobody has ever seen the real Lex Luthor. The man that was around before LexCorp.
Lex Luthor is tragic in that way where you still can hate him for his greedy capitalism, but you can also really see the anguish in every lex luthor story. He's always either hurting, angry, or having to deny that the villain of the week was created by him. He's got a great character, and the show could've done with more episodes exploring his life before all his wealth. That would've been fascinating.
