Okay, hear me out. I am not proposing that we escape into the fictional reality of Metropolis in which good always triumphs over evil, defeating the bad guy at the last moment with a smile and a witty catchphrase. I do not believe we should close our eyes, pull the covers over our heads, hide under the bed, and desperately pray that all the bad monsters go away. In fact, I believe just the opposite. Instead, I suggest we take the advice of DC Comic’s current slogan and go “All In” in our acknowledgement that things are as far from okay as they have ever been and double down in our convictions that might is not always right. That there has to be a better way.
            With the approaching release of James Gunn’s, Superman, scheduled to hit theatres July 11th, DC Comics has deemed this the “Summer of Superman.” Is this corny as hell? Absolutely! But, maybe we need a little corny right now. Maybe in a world of immigration enforcement that echoes of Nazis from days of future past, the bombing and mutilation of civilians and children under the guise of war taking place in numerous countries across the globe, and the erosion of laws, beliefs, and ideals we once believed to be sacred revealing themselves to be nothing more than scribbles on weather worn parchment, we need campy. We need wholesome. We need honesty. We need Superman. Not because we need a fictional character to remind us that we as individuals can be better than we are, but because we need a fictional character to inspire us into believing that we as a people can be better than we are. Not from a place of fear and hatred, but hope and humanity. Although the Man of Steel is fictional and exists in the form of ink on a page so do the words of the Constitution, making the impact of either of their beliefs any less real
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            Superman is one person. Although this fictional character can run faster than a speeding bullet and leap tall buildings in a single bound he is incapable of saving the people of Earth from themselves with his fists. Even in the comics, he cannot be in all places at once, and when he has been capable of this impossibility, he becomes a villain. (If you don’t believe me read Red Son or Kingdom Come.) Instead, Superman’s greatest ability is being capable of inspiring hope in others to allow them the strength needed to achieve their full potential. The best example of this can be found in Actions Comics #1036-1046 (2021-22).
In these comics, Superman liberates an entire planet from the authoritarian regime of the villain, Mongul. He does not accomplish this feet using his superhuman strength, speed, and ability to fly because his powers have been stripped away. Instead, rather than abide by the rules established by Mongul to compete and kill in the form of a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum, he refuses to fight. He resists and stands on his principles of integrity, honor, truth, and justice to inspire resistance and nurture hope in its people. He does this through the telling of stories, authentic friendship, a willingness to learn a culture vastly different than his own, and standing by his promises. He builds relationships and gains the trust of the people he wishes to liberate, listening to their needs and fighting alongside them to achieve their ends and not his own. Overtime, he transforms a war mongering society that lives in fear of its tyrannical authoritarian ruler into one that believes in its self, its people, and the culture that Mongul attempts to erase to free themselves rather than wait for a savior to do it for them.
Superman did not liberate the people of War World with his might. Instead, he did it through truth, friendship, understanding, and integrity. He gave each of them the courage needed to fight for themselves and know there had to be a better way. He allowed them the privilege of knowing they were not alone in the universe in their search for safety and intimacy. There was someone else willing to make the sacrifice of creating a better world alongside them rather than for them.

In my opinion, this is why the world needs Superman, or rather, the ideals of Superman. Now, more than ever we need to know that there is someone else, whether fictional or not, who stands by their convictions to fight for what they believe is right when the world tells them they are wrong, and that they are crazy. We need inspiration to continue the difficult work of going all in in our hope that might is not always right. That something in the world is broken and we will continue to fight on this 4th of July and all the days afterward for truth, justice, and the American way.