MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT SUPERMAN
by Eric Munter
I know I’m a bit of a cliche – okay, more than “a bit” – but my favorite superhero is Superman. My reasons for liking him include his enviable superpowers (which no human can actually possess). The ability to fly would be amazing. Having super strength – who wouldn’t want that? To be faster than a speeding bullet would be incredible. Heat vision, freeze breath, telescopic vision, microscopic vision – the list goes on and on. This is actually one of the reasons why people don’t like Superman – because he’s too powerful.
And while his superhuman abilities are fun to imagine having, even if only for a day, these are not my favorite things about Superman. No. In fact, my favorite thing about Superman is his alter-ego – Clark Kent.
As Clark Kent, the last son of Krypton had to hide his superhero side from the rest of the world. (Side note: how incredibly nerdy do I sound having spouted all these Superman facts and references? Yikes!) And why does Clark have to hide these abilities from the average person? Because he’s afraid of what people might think of him if they knew his true nature. (At least this is what the Clark character in Smallville dealt with for ten seasons – a show I watched in its entirety. Yes, I know. More geek points awarded here.)
Being gay, that’s what resonated most with me. Growing up, I felt that I had to put on this facade in order to keep my true identity hidden from everyone else. But as I matured and grew up, I came to realize, much like Clark, you have to come from behind the shadows and step out into the light – be the man you’re meant to be and be proud of who you are. Those who truly love and respect you will show their true colors. I count myself lucky every day because I am surrounded by an immense amount of love and support because I am who I am.
JUN