#Man of Steel Positivity

You know those blogs that are really intellectual and smart and makes you think really critically about film and stuff? Yeah this is mostly just me going "Look at the Pretty!"

[truemanofsteel]

For what it’s worth, if Tumblr does die then I just wanna say thank you everyone here. From the early days of the Man of Steel fandom, to the bitter DCEU fandom we are today, I’m so happy to have connected with so many of you. I’m not really all that active on here anymore but I do wanna shoutout those here that made this hellhole a pretty great place for fans of Zack Snyder and his films over the years. So thank you to @asocialjusticeleague, @stayawesomegotham22, @batjectivity, @endeavornetwork, @greatkunglao, @amancanfly, @asexualarkhamknight, @fygeneralzod, @storyadvocate, @atheistj, @comingupforblair, @therearecertainshadesoflimelight, @biwitchofthewest, @kimmiecoo, @youve-doomed-us-all-jerk, @thankyoulordforhenrycavill, @todaysdaydream, @chanmanthe2nd, @whenyourenotsavingtheworld, @angy25, http://speidoftheopressed.tumblr.com/, http://lilylovescomics.tumblr.com/ 

If I’m forgetting anyone I’m sorry! And if anyone here wants to stay connected outside of tumblr if we haven’t already let me know! I love you all and it’s been one hell of a ride! Thank you all for everything!

[whenyourenotsavingtheworld]

I’m hardly ever here either, but you guys made the DCEU fandom bearable (and even fun outside of the Discourse™)

[marvellegends]

Black Panther (2018) dir. Ryan Coogler

[justiceleague]

Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Martha Kent in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

[wwprice1]

Ray and Zack!

[thewintersoldier]

Diana + her shield Wonder Woman (2017)

[hoennechidna]

[lostsoulincssea]

Clois + Fifty Shades of Red and Blue

[lostsoulincssea]

Smallville (2001-2011) / Crisis On Infinite Earths (2019) / Man of Steel (2013) / Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

[fyeahsupermanandloislane]

[amostexcellentblog]

I think the the fact that MoS has practically the same plot as the Donner films is why people compare Cavill negatively to Reeve.

I disagree, they were always going to have similar plots because they’re both versions of the same origin story. All supermans get compared to Reeve because people still have it in their heads that he is the one true perfect embodiment of Superman, not just a version, but the one and only version. MoS gets hate because 1) It’s been seen by a lot more people, the two superman tv shows that aired in between the two franchises never came close to being seen by as many people as a Hollywood blockbuster. So for a lot of people who weren’t already fanatics this was the first time they’d seen a Superman who wasn’t Reeve or Reeve-lite. 

2) It’s a much bigger departure than any previous post-Reeve adaptation in terms of tone and depth. MoS very pointedly refuses to indulge in camp, so Jonathan and Martha don’t look like they walked out of a Norman Rockwell painting, Lois doesn’t talk like she walked out of a screwball comedy, Clark doesn’t saw “swell” “golly” or “lickety split” and there’s no exaggerated shtick when he’s in civilian clothes. Snyder deliberately avoids cliche or “essential” Superman images, like we’ve never even gotten a shot of Cavil ripping open his shirt. This back-to-basics approach rests on treating Superman as an actual three dimensional character whose psyche is worth diving into to a degree that’s never been done outside of comics before, but it’s a big departure from people’s image of Superman. Because people’s image of Superman is pretty much just that-a flat image, a symbol of superheroes and goodness, but nothing deeper. 

When people talk about what they love about Reeve’s Superman they always talk about stunts–lifting the helicopter, spinning the Earth backwards, taking Lois flying–but they pointedly do not talk about Superman’s arc or character development. Partially because there isn’t really an arc, and what little there is doesn’t interest the movie’s defenders, they don’t want a character they just want a symbol of heroism. This is why critics, and even actual Superman fans, unironically proclaim The Iron Giant the best Superman movie ever made despite the fact that Superman isn’t a character in it, because to them that movie’s use of “Superman” as a symbol representing goodness and heroism is exactly what they want from him. No character, just a symbol. The irony is Zack even calls them out on this in BvS, the entire montage of news commentators playing over works as a commentary on how critics and fans think of him. The images are of the sort of Super-stunts that would be central scenes in the Donner films, the things fans would remember years later. But the commentators are questioning this and whether it’s right to view him as a savior or a symbol, we the audience are supposed to recognize that it’s not and that beneath his powers Clark is just a man (”maybe he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing”). Critics don’t get this though, they have it so ingrained in their heads that Superman is just an uncomplicated symbol of goodness that they think the scene is cynical, that it’s proof that Zack doesn’t understand Superman.

This has gotten so much longer than I wanted but I guess my point is, the comparisons to Reeve were inevitable, the real problem lies in Zack’s refusal to indulge purists’ nostalgia to the extent they demand. I have other related rants on this topic but I burnt myself out on this topic for now.

[jetslay]

DCEU’ Superman/Clark Kent & Lois Lane by Mina Song.

[vivienvalentino]

Some things never change.

[writing-prompt-s]

You’re a regular office worker born with the ability to “see” how dangerous a person is with a number scale of 1-10 above their heads. A toddler would be a 1, while a skilled soldier with a firearm may score a 7. Today, you notice the reserved new guy at the office measures a 10.

[captain-acab]

You decide it’s best to find out what you can about this person. Cautiously, you approach his desk. He’s a handsome man, tall, but with a disarming smile. How could such a friendly guy with such cute, dorky glasses be dangerous?

You extend your hand. “I noticed you’re new here. What’s your name?”

He shakes your hand warmly. His gaze is piercing, as if he’s looking right through you. “The name’s Clark,” he says. “So, how long have you worked for the Daily Planet?”

[misscrazyfangirl321]

This one wins.

[janothar]

It’s been a few weeks, and one of Clark’s friends shows up.  She’s pretty and all, enough muscle that she must work out.  First thought would be that she should be maybe a 6.

Clark’s introducing her around.  “This is my good friend, Diana, she’s in from out of town.”

You blink, and take a step back in fear.  You’ve never seen an 11 before.

[aniseandspearmint]

The day Bruce Wayne shows up for his long promised interview with Lois Lane, you can’t help it, the mug your holding drops from your fingers and sends a shock of hot coffee and ceramic shards across the floor.

Clark stops a few feet away and squints at you worriedly from behind those ridiculous glasses you’re 99% sure he doesn’t actually need, and asks tentatively, “Everything all right?”

You ignore him in favor of staring at the inky dark numerals hovering over the beaming fool gesticulating some fantastic yacht story for a gaggle of secretaries and minor columnists.

That’s it. Your gift has officially gone haywire. There is no other explanation. Because there is absolutely no way that Brucie Wayne is a 10.

[petitstar]

At this point, you’ve seen it all. Miled manner reporters and billionaires at a 10 and a model-like woman at 11. You were really starting to doubt your power. The day you really stopped believeing in it was when Bruce Wayne came for another visit, and this time with a kid. The kid couldn’t be more than 10 years old, a bit on the short side.

He was an 8.

[lainathewitch]

The day you started believing in it again was when you saw on tv the formation of something called the justice league.

There were those same numbers over superman, batman, wonder woman and robin. That’s when you put two and two together. You wonder how nobody at the daily planet noticed that Clarke was Superman with glasses. You wonder why you didn’t notice. You wonder why nobody put two and two together that Diana Prince and Wonder Woman looked exactly the same. You look in the mirror as the realization hit you and you see your own number change from a 3 to a 9.

[ribbonsflyingoutthewindow]

I don’t think I’ve ever actually reblogged this magnificent post and that’s shame.

[justiceleague]

New ‘Birds of Prey’ posters released

[atheistj]

Remember in the bar scene in Man of Steel when the girl Clark was defending asks him to stop and Clark…stops?! He didn’t need to assert his “I am man” dominance over the other guy by beating him up? Like I’ve seen in countless other movies? (I’m looking at you first Star Trek reboot) He respects the woman’s wishes and walks away? Why don’t these scenes always play out like this?

I LOVE MAN OF STEEL SO MUCH?????

[babyyodamom]

Yeah, I’ve said for a long time that putting aside issues people have with Snyder (because it becomes a tense convo quickly when people don’t like these movies) …this is really important.

Clark Kent stops a sexual assault in progress. He walks away without raising a fist when the woman asks him to let it go.

Later, when Lois is injured, he clearly asks her permission before unzipping her coat. He tells her to take his hand. He waits until she nods her head that it’s OK before he lays a hand on her.

Don’t underestimate how important it is to see a powerful, handsome man in media not only coming to women’s aid but actively making it clear—no guessing required—that he is not a threat. The truth is, in real life, we need men to be our allies. We need them to step in sometimes. We need them to take responsibility for holding other men accountable. It is not always our burden to bear alone. The Superman mythos is built from the ground up on the realization that women often have to fear men but that the most powerful man in the world is not going to hurt you—he’s here to help. Think on that combined with Superman’s first words to Lois Lane in Action #1 and try not to get choked up.

“You needn’t be afraid of me. I won’t harm you.”

[something-new-darling]

What are you: Man or Superman?

—Lang Lang, Smallville, “Pilot”

[lostsoulincssea]