The Best Worst Hero Ever

Ask any man age 25-35 to tell you his favorite superhero, and he'll more than likely say Superman.

Superman - who's better than Superman, right? For many of us, he was our first superhero, and because of that, he will always be our best.

But the comparison of Superman to other superheroes is much more than a "my guy's stronger than your guy."

Let's think about Superman's history - he's been around a long time. And it is the character's origin that strikes me the most.

The character of Superman was created in some of America's most ideal days. Most of us have at least seen the 1950's live action series. And the idealistic nature of that time period is so evident in Superman. It's as if a comic creator sat around and asked his lackeys to fire off possible threats to the hero.

"What if somebody shoots him?"
He's made of lead!
"How does he get around?"
He can fly.
"What if he can't fly?"
He can run faster than a speeding bullet.
"What if he doesn't know where to go?"
X-Ray vision!

Do you see this? Do you see how idealistic this hero is? Compare him to more modern characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Flash and The Hulk. These other heroes were created much later in the life of art and literature and therefore possess more "flaws."

Oh, sure, Superman has the flaw of being affected by Kryptonite. But how plentiful is that? Compare this weakness to other-worldly chemical solid to the unchecked rage of The Hulk or the completely un-confident Spider-Man.

So, which do we prefer? What are we looking for in a hero? Someone who is something we will never be or someone who reminds us a lot of ourselves?