What does Superman mean to me as a man on the Autism Spectrum
I’ve often thought about what makes Superman so appealing to me. Is it his numerous powers? I’ll admit, flight and heat vision would be very nice to have in real life. Is it how strong he is? That is also a distinct possibility. When I was younger, that was definitely a reason. I was enamored with the power of Superman. As I got older and angrier, though, he fell out of favor with me. I did not care for him nearly as much as I used to. But as that fog of anger started lifting after high school, I found my like of him returning to me. When I watched the trailer for Man of Steel, I was enamored with the story because I saw a lonely boy who grew up into a superhero. When I watched the movie after its release, I saw someone who was like me. Someone I could relate to.
There was this scene near the beginning of the film. In it, he was eight years old and his super hearing activated at the same time as his X-ray vision. He was overwhelmed by the stimuli and had to run out of the room to try and escape the overstimulation he was receiving. Following that, he shut himself into a janitor closet until his mother could come and get him. I could relate to that because of the sensory overload I had experienced in my life. Clark Kent was a lonely, isolated boy. I was largely a lonely and isolated boy. Clark did not have much in the way of friends and neither did I. We were both picked on a decent bit. And we have both risen up past our troubled beginnings to become something more. He is a role model for me because I see myself in him and I see him rising up and becoming the greatest superhero in the world and it inspires me to become more. And, like him, I have come to adore the world around me and so many of the people who share it with me. Some of my favorite stories about Superman show this sense of isolation and loneliness and doubt about himself and what his going on, following it up with him doing what he does the best he can. I enjoy the stories where you see how much he cares about everyone around him.
When I think about his power, I think about how he uses it to help other people. He has the power to shatter mountains with his fists and to set forests on fire with his eyes. He could turn cities to rubble in minutes. Yet he is the kind of guy who would help an elderly person pick up groceries that they happened to drop. He could rip an ocean liner in two but he helps cats down from trees. He is a Boy Scout in his morality and he uses his powers in ways that reflect his morality. I heard a saying that was the refutation of the classic adage “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. What I heard was “Power reveals”. When given power, you show who you really are. Are you a tyrant who wields it with an iron fist? Or do you show that, when given power, you would use that power to do the best you can for others around you? Superman is the greatest superhero in his universe and he shows who he really is when he has all that power: A helping hand and a friend. The fight scenes with Superman involved can be glorious to watch, as seen in Man of Steel, Smallville, Superman: The Animated Series, the Justice League cartoons or the multitude of comics and other fictional stories he has been in. But the best ones are where we see that kind side of him. We see this man help out the people he shares this planet with as well as offering to help those who hurt him. In All-Star Superman, he saved a suicidal girl when her therapist was not able to reach her in time. He stood with her as a comforting presence and she jumped into his arms instead of off the roof of a building. In that comic, he also cured cancer. You see this when he uses Kryptonian medicine delivered by microscopic scientists (It’s a comic book, after all) to children suffering from cancer. This was after he took a bus full of these children on a flying trip across the world. In another story, he was being weakened by Kryptonite exposure from the man who would become Metallo while he was being shot at by military personnel. The bullets ricocheted off of him into the core of the metal suit that John Corben was wearing, causing a detonation, mortally wounding him. Superman’s first response? He begged the soldiers shooting at him to get John Corben medical help.
I also appreciate how accessible he can be for a wide range of audiences. He is vastly different from everyone else around him growing up. Even into his adult years, he would feel this way. It was as his father told him. “You may look like them but you are not one of them”, Jor-El said. And as he grew older, he accepted his heritage. He accepted who he was and became the greatest superhero in the world. Anyone who feels different growing up for things outside of their control, be it race or gender or religion or sexual orientation, can relate to this. Children who feel like outsiders can read a Superman comic and say, “It’s okay to be different. Superman is different and he is awesome”. That’s why it bothers me when I hear “Superman can’t be black”, when there have been amazing stories made where Superman was a black man. Or “Superman can’t be etc”. Yes, he can. Superman is for everyone. He embodies the best of us and all that we can be. He shows us that, even when we feel alone and isolated, we can become truly amazing people. He shows us that, even with power and money and all the things that should make us feel secure, we don’t always feel secure and doubt-free about a situation and that that is okay. When I see Superman, I see embracing the things that make us different and using those gifts to make the world around us a better place as well as improving the lives of those who share the world with us.
