Snake Ranks 25 DC Characters

This is a write-up project by the user Snake5555555555, where he ranks 25 DC characters nominated by various Board 8 users.

Number 25
25. Superman (Clark Kent) Nominated by: Eddv First Appearance: Action Comics #1 (June, 1938) http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Superman_%28Clark_Kent%29 http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100419210631/marvel_dc/images/1/14/Superman_0002.jpg

Easily the worst character on the list. It’s not that he’s a bad character, just a really boring one. I’ve never cared for Superman’s nigh-invulnerability, as it makes almost any fight with him one-sided unless magic or kryptonite is involved. But as I said, he’s NOT a bad character. There are some very good Superman stories that I’ve enjoyed, and I think the character is at his best when he’s not portrayed as a sort of all-powerful god, but rather just another person on planet Earth. One of the best? All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, probably my favorite Superman story. It’s an out of continuity story, and I find that a lot of the best Superman stories are exactly that. Superman is also at his best when paired up with other heroes, especially Batman. That level of mutual respect but at the same time a bitter rivalry between the two is one of my favorite relationships in all of comics.

All that is all fine and dandy, but let’s get back to the reason why Superman is at the bottom. I find most of his solo stuff really dull and near unreadable. Part of that is his supporting cast: Lois Lane is alright, but most of the time the rest of his cast is so one-note it hurts. When that happens, Superman suddenly has no one to bounce off of, and his character is cheapened as a result. And let me get to the Superman’s alter ego as well, because it’s probably the worst done secret identity ever. I just never liked it: the glasses, the whole clumsy persona, it doesn’t do it for me.

To have an interesting character, you shouldn’t have to strip him down and work around him. This is why Morrison’s All-Star Superman works so well: it’s still Superman, powers and all, but there’s just a more human character behind him. When more writers start writing Superman like that, maybe he’ll be ranked a little higher.