James Gunn’s “Superman” took the internet by storm this summer. Jam-packed with political commentary and symbolism, Superman’s turning ”woke" became a large topic of discussion within conservative spaces. Despite all of its controversy, however, Gunn created a Superman movie that unapologetically celebrates humanity's goodness.
The recent adaptation of the classic story follows David Corenswet’s Clark Kent from his home planet, Krypton, to Earth, where he spends his time saving people. A refugee, Kent was sent to Earth as a baby when Krypton was decimated. The only remnant of his past is a half-destroyed video of his biological parents assuring him that he is loved and Earth is where he can do the most good.
As the movie goes on, Kent begins to question who he truly is and his purpose on Earth. When the video of his parents is fully restored it is revealed that his parents' intended purpose for him on Earth was to enslave its people and rule over them.
Billionaire Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, is at the forefront of the demonizing anti-Superman propaganda stemming from the video #supershit, successfully turning everyone against their once-hero.
Despite this, the film remains balanced with feel-good scenes connecting audience members to our shared humanity and monologues by a seemingly naive protagonist on what it means to do the right thing — even if no one is on your side.
One scene in particular stood out among the rest. Towards the end of the film, in the middle of LexCorp’s headquarters, Kent and Luthor come face to face after an epic battle. Luther begins to attack him, saying, “You piece of shit, alien!” This is when Kent interrupts him and begins a short yet powerful monologue:
“That is where you've always been wrong about me, Lex. I’m as human as anyone. I love, I get scared, I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do I put one foot in front of the other and try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that is what makes me human.”
This monologue is the solidification of Kent’s character arc. After spending most of the film wrestling with himself, trying to balance his own character against the status quo set up by a few people in charge, he realizes that only he can define who he is.
His biological parents' plans for him, and what Luther and the powerful men in charge tried to paint him to be, do not matter at this moment. Only the character’s actions and who he knows himself to be matter. He treats the lives of squirrels and monsters with the same respect; he has an underlying belief that all people, down to their core, are good and deserve life.
Punk rock was in this summer, and if you have to be anyone or anything, Kent reminds us all to be good.
This article was edited by Alfie Pritchard, Jessica Ackerman. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Ariana Kavoossi.
