8. Why Is Clark Kent Who He Is?
Clark Kent is not a human being but he was raised to be one. Jonathan and Martha Kent performed most admirably in their attempts to raise a child that not only wasn't their own but not even of this world. They instilled within him the most humanistic qualities while trying to help their son control his unknown alien abilities. As a parent, I can only imagine what that would be like. Raising a child is difficult enough without the worry of if your son's next sneeze will knock down the living room wall. Still, the Kent's always did the best they could with Clark. At times they did whatever they could to shield him from the world in the fear of his secret abilities being discovered and the ramifications that could cause. As Clark grew older they made sure to explain to him that whatever path he chose to go down in his adult life, he had the potential to change the world. These are things we need to see in Man of Steel. It is pretty evident from the first two trailers that there will be a significant presence of the formative years of Clark Kent's life. We've seen the little boy hiding in the closet scared of his super-hearing abilities and the young teenager who doesn't understand why his father wants him to keep his abilities a secret, even if it means not helping others. I'm confident that the more scenes we have like this, the greater the connection the audience will have to the MAN of Steel. I also hope that they filmmakers are willing to honor the mythology of Superman but aren't afraid to put their stamp on the characters' history. Early indications suggest that we may be in store for just that. The now famous line from the Man of Steel trailer: "I have so many questions... where do I come from?" is a question not only Clark is asking but the audience is too. Up to this point in the history of Superman, we know about as much as he does when it comes to his home planet of Krypton. From a few interviews, pictures in articles, and quick glimpses in the trailers, it seems that Krypton may have a significant presence in this film. Also, you don't cast an actor like Russell Crowe for basically a cameo role. There must be some significance to this part of the story. Obviously most of this will have to come in flashback form but it would be very interesting to get a true glimpse of what Krypton was like before it exploded. What were the people like? What were Clark's birth parents like? Why did Zod get banished to the Phantom Zone? Giving the audience at least some of those answers could go a long way to helping them connect and understand with a character like Clark Kent. Just because he is an super powered alien doesn't mean we can't share some kind of emotional connection with him. If Man of Steel gives us that connection, this could be the best Superman film ever made.