If the premise of a superman story is “strong guy fight strong guy,” then yeah, not very interesting. What I’d prefer to see is a story that explores what having superheroes around does to humanity. What happens when a kid copies Superman and jumps off a building, and doesn’t get caught? What happens when police expect a superhero to do their job for them? At what point does Superman decide to step away because he thinks he’s causing more harm than good?
Maybe my memory is tainted because I tried to read the comic version of The Boys somewhat recently, but Watchmen is a much more mature exploration of the same topics.
If the premise of a superman story is “strong guy fight strong guy,” then yeah, not very interesting. What I’d prefer to see is a story that explores what having superheroes around does to humanity. What happens when a kid copies Superman and jumps off a building, and doesn’t get caught? What happens when police expect a superhero to do their job for them? At what point does Superman decide to step away because he thinks he’s causing more harm than good?
The Boys, basically.
Maybe my memory is tainted because I tried to read the comic version of The Boys somewhat recently, but Watchmen is a much more mature exploration of the same topics.
Dr Manhattan is a good exploration of the omnipotent superman.
Misfits is a personal favourite show that explores some of those themes.
Misfits is more about flawed people getting powers.
Great show, but not the “limits of superman and how normal people react” theme being discussed.
Thats fair, I just like the show :)