Commentary: ‘Superman’ Features The Most Grounded Man Of Tomorrow Yet
by Frank Martin
There’s no doubt that Superman is a fantastical character. He’s an alien who can fly around the world at supersonic speeds and shoot laser beams from his eyes. And yet, storytellers are always trying to ground him in a realistic world. Fans often attribute Man of Steel as the most grounded and realistic depiction of the character. James Gunn‘s Superman is, by far, more fantastical as it contains Krypto, robots, and other lighthearted elements. However, when dealing with Superman’s upbringing and where he came from, there’s an argument to be made that this version is the most grounded take on the character audiences have seen.
This film doesn’t dive too hard into Superman’s (David Corenswet) origins as audiences are already familiar with the baby who escaped Krypton’s destruction. It doesn’t show his spaceship crash landing in Smallville with Ma and Pa Kent finding him as a baby and raising him. But Jon (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha (Neva Howell) Kent are still important elements of the story. After Superman escapes captivity at the hands of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), he returns to Smallville to hide out at his childhood home. It is here that his adopted father gives him some sage advice to overcome his problematic Kryptonian heritage and become the hero of Earth.
Hollywood has always had a romanticized idea of the farmer. They live on vast swaths of land centered around a two-story farmhouse that serves as a homestead. It’s idyllic and very picturesque. But in reality, farming is far less glamorous. The house is small and cramped and the rural nature of the farm does not look like it comes off of a postcard. Man of Steel depicts Superman’s childhood home as more of the dream state (even if the farm is under a heavy financial burden). His father is even Kevin Costner, a handsome movie star. Vince, the actor who plays Clark’s father in 2025’s Superman, is far less refined. He’s much more emblematic of how people really look, act, and talk in rural Kansas. So while a lot of the film is whimsical fantasy and science fiction, this part of the story aligns with the real world far more than other adaptations.
Superman is now in theaters.
