When you think of classic superheroes, chances are many of you will immediately think of Superman. He is, after all, considered the first real hero and has become the poster child for justice and righteousness in popular culture. With that in mind, it should surprise no one that fans of the Man of Steel have expressed their outrage after the Big Blue Boy Scout was recently labelled as no longer relevant.
A tweet by Variety this week sparked the controversy, in which they talk about Warner Bros.’ lack of clarity when it comes to the original flying hero, saying discussions have been underway to try and make him relevant again.
You can see the full tweet below.
Warner Bros. has less clarity on what to do with #Superman. However, there have been discussions with Michael B. Jordan and J.J. Abrams to help make the Man of Steel more relevant https://t.co/YYM6NSu5ab pic.twitter.com/k3TZj2XmS6
— Variety (@Variety) November 26, 2019
One thing you don’t want to do is piss off an entire fanbase in one go and folks definitely weren’t happy about this, immediately taking to the social media site to express their feelings. Many wasted no time in telling Variety what they thought, making their voices heard about how much Superman is, in fact, still a relevant hero in this day and age.
https://twitter.com/MilesMagnifico/status/1199345286587371532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The sad thing about WB's handling of Superman is that this is THE PERFECT time for a Superman movie. He is the embodiment of hope. He's an immigrant created by two Jewish dudes in the late 1930s. Wtf are you doing if you don't know how to make that relevant right now. https://t.co/qlQXqcqBfS
— Travis Clark (@TravClark2) November 26, 2019
He already is relevant. The dude fights for Truth and Justice. That never gets old. Also, he is virtuous and the perfect role model given the social climate we are in. Use "All⭐Star Superman" as inspiration. pic.twitter.com/xgesjjWa1T
— SUPERKID (@SuperKid707) November 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/ThaConLife/status/1199440927644930048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/kevinpowers70/status/1199425913198383104
Superman has & always be the best of humanity. We need a reminder that being fare, good, honest, kind, & respectful is the Super in Superman. If anything the world needs to be reminded that we have the power to be great then be Villains. Make that movie, make a true Superman.
— GorillaKingLTD (@GorillaKingLTD) November 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/MattieWashburn/status/1199422116640092160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The core concept of Superman is that he is a fundamentally good person who uses his power to help others and hold others with power to account. That is incredibly relevant, and the fact that WB doesn't see that is why they haven't made a good Superman movie in 40 years. https://t.co/PDcMwTR74U
— ꙮwꙮ (@StoopidTallKid) November 26, 2019
For fans of Superman, his being an immigrant makes him just as relevant today as when he first appeared in the comics, maybe even more so. We’re not going to go down the political route here, but it seems the modern climate we’re currently living in makes the Man of Steel extremely pertinent to our culture.
While the initial tweet has caused a lot of outrage, it’s important to remember that Superman media is still being produced to this day, with rumors that J.J. Abrams is contemplating taking on the next cinematic project. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but given that the Man of Steel has influenced just about every other comic book hero that’s come along since, it’s hardly surprising that fans are ticked off about this.