 It is a remarkable dichotomy in many ways. Clark is the most human of us all. Then he shoots fire from the skies. And it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him. That quote is a quote from Batman. And I've always wondered, what is it like being Superman? The man who has everything. The most invulnerable being on the planet. Faster than a speeding bullet can lead buildings in a single bound. The same man who is expected to save every single being on the planet. Even though he himself is just a man. I wonder what it's like to be able to hear every single sound. Every single human on earth. Even sorting out the different voices he hears. Bruce Wayne, Jimmy Olson, Diana Prince, Lex Luthor, and of course, Lois Lane. His history is mostly known. Born on the planet Krypton, brought to earth as a baby, and was raised by two loving individuals, Jonathan and Martha Kent. And due to yellow sun exposure, people of his kind, Kryptonians, gain superhuman abilities. But how do you humanize Cal-El? The character that can be seen as a god amongst men. The many depictions of Superman fascinate me. Cartoon Network's Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, as well as Superman vs. The Elite, are all proper depictions of Superman's restraint. And is restrained from killing. The extended universe Superman understands sacrifice, but he does not capture the same restraint. And with this outcome, people believe that he believes he is the judge, jury, and executioner. When he himself does not believe that. And with that, I believe he is the most brooding of all Superman depictions. And then following that, there are hundreds of reiterations of comic book Superman. I think All-Star Superman is one of the best re-imaginings of the Man of Steel. I'm going to show what is probably the most iconic scene of the All-Star Superman comic. The scene of him talking a girl, Regan, out of taking her own life. I found this scene very interesting, because at that moment, Superman was dying, and he was in his final day. He was in the middle of completing his 12 labors, the modern version of Hercules. Superman was in the middle of conquering death, creating an artificial heart for the sun, and leaving the formula for a second Superman behind. To talk a lone individual out of taking their own life. Because Superman believed that this was the right thing to do at that moment. And that this girl, Regan, whose therapist couldn't make it on time, needed someone. And Superman was there for her. That is what Superman represents. He is the pinnacle of humanity. And it is also what makes Lex Luthor his perfect adversary. For the simple fact that Lex represents everything that Superman is not. He represents humanity's ugliest side. The one that is rooted in arrogance and pride. Luthor has the intellect to cure cancer, to help people. And as Superman states, he could have saved the world years ago, but instead, wastes his time on trying to defeat Superman and prove to Metropolis that he is better, and that he will be the savior of Metropolis. Before reading about Superman, I didn't like him very much. Over the fact that I thought he simply represented power. I thought the alien of steel solved his problems with his fists. Superman is a Kryptonian, with power levels that are unrecorded, speed that is unrivaled, and a genius level intellect. I thought Superman didn't feel pain. I thought he couldn't. But what I would soon learn is that Superman's struggle and pain was rooted inside of his humanity. Superman's identity as a hero is what pains him. It is the fact that he cannot save everyone, which grounds him. Through experience, Superman learns that even saving one person, if they need you, is more than enough. Superman is not meant to be a god. He does not have obligations to humankind, and it's his dilemma and that burden that he holds every single day is that he wants to save everyone. But he can't. So he leans on choosing the right thing, always. Superman is a product of his environment. He isn't a good person because of Krypton, or because he has these incredible abilities. If we strip Clark Kent down to his core and remove him of all the powers that he has, all of his decisions would be the same. Clark Kent would have the same compassion, the same love, and he would inspire hope to mankind in the very same way, because he was raised by two good people, and because his moral compass is so rich and so good. Superman, the alien with a human heart, a heart that has compassion, and an ideal that we should aspire to. Superman, the most human of us all.