Heroes and Superman

Superman returned in 2006, and indeed the movie captured the story of a true hero. Although I am not a huge fan, I joined the fun of watching Clark Kent and his alter ego on the big screen. Superman was dashing and his other-worldly powers as stunning as imagination would allow. Once again, the world was saved by this alien being and human life able to continue along its path of growth and safety. The hero in the movie, however, played a rather small role. Richard, human to the core, stood by as Superman swooped his beloved off her feet, and still he was willing to forfeit his very life for Lois Lane as only a hero can do.

At first blush it is easy to assume that Superman is the hero of this story. But what, really, did Superman do other than what was in his nature? He is an alien, not a human, and so we must judge him by those standards. His alien nature, although similar to a human being, is much more compassionate and his physical powers far greater still. Clark Kent was never destined to be a normal human being - he will ever be different. Were a human to posses the qualities that Superman exhibits, that would be heroic, but it seems even in our imaginations we couldn't quite come up with an explanation for that. At a fundamental level, Superman merely is himself doing what Superman does.

Richard, on the other hand, is a human. As a human, he has all the qualities of a human being; qualities like jealousy, insecurity, selfishness, weakness, fear, and of course, his vision is at best 20/20. In other words, he has human limitations similar to those we all have experience with. Its hard to break free of those barriers and call forth something greater from yourself rather than simply accepting them. That is why we call the people who can "hero." They inspire us because they encourage the belief that we can do the same. In the movie, Richard does just that in the name of love.

As implied in the movie, Richard has stood by the love of his life for a while as she hemmed and hawed about marrying him. Enter Superman and its clear that Richard rightly suspects a renewed connection. A few minutes later she's missing and the world is going crazy. Talk about a stressful situation! He might be losing the woman he loves, and the world as he knows it is literally falling apart. But does he take any thought for himself as he leaps into the plane to save Lois? If he does, it doesn't compare to the love he feels for her and his desire for her safety. He puts his own life at risk for Lios and her son. There is no guarantee he'll make it out alive, he doesn't have super powers, all he has is a little skill and a big heart. THAT is a true hero.

Superman is amazing and I wouldn't want to take that away from him in any way. The compassion he and his family feel for the human race is comforting and a good model for our own behaviors. But to get down to the nuts and bolts part of being truly heroic, you have to face the part of human nature that is NOT loving and compassionate. Richard, being a human, has these qualities inherent in his nature while Superman does not. Richard has to overcome his limitations with the power of love for another, while Superman has been given that power already.

Superman returns, and a hero is made - did you miss him?