8. He Isn't Relateable
I'm going to branch off from that last paragraph for this entry. Yes, Superman's parents were killed which leaves him an orphan on a foreign planet. This could be the start of a character who becomes an outsider thus making him becoming relateable to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Most iconic comic book heroes take the orphan route and use it to help readers relate to the characters in the way that I mentioned. The writers of the Batman comics use the death of his parents as a catalyst for the anti-hero nature he can embody, while Spider-Man is built as an allegory for adolescence. The nature of Superman being an alien offers many new and inventive ways in which a writer could build his character in interesting and unique ways. He could have to overcome his loneliness just like people have to everyday and realize that, in order to be a hero, he must first find that ability in himself before he can help others. That's my biggest problem with Superman. There is so much potential with his origin story to build a truly complex and relateable character. Instead all of the complexity is pushed to the side and instead he is just presented as this godlike savior with no human, relateable faults. I'm really hoping that Snyder corrects this with Man of Steel given that the trailers seem well on their way to taking this route.