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FallenLegend writes...

Show young justice
character: Superman

Eliot S margins said the following in quora about superman.

"1.-Every attempt to "de-power" him in an effort to make his stories easier to tell has been wrongheaded and ultimately damaging to the character in the short term."
"2.- He's Superman when he wakes up in the morning. Tarantino was right and Byrne was wrong."

a) Given how Superman along with everyone else has been greatly depowered ( A choice i have to applaud you as the danger and takes feel much real). Do you agree on that sentiment?
b) You mentioned in another question that Superman hides a part of himself even though it isn't as radical as him not liking pie in his different identities.

Regarding earth 16's superman, do you agree in Elliot S Maggin's interpretation in that he is superman all the time?

Link to elliot's post so you can see it's legit.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-common-misconceptions-about-Superman

Thank you for reading Greg.

Greg responds...

a. It depends what you mean. If you started taking away his flight or super senses or heat vision or strength or invulnerability, I'd have issues with that. But he doesn't need to be capable of moving planets or flying faster than the speed of light, etc. His powers can be stunning without making him omnipotent. He still needs to be able to be knocked unconscious. He needs to be capable of feeling physical pain. And I hate super-cold-breath and some of the other add-on powers he's acquired over the decades. (Like super-ventriloquism or super-hypnosis.)

b. I don't think he's colloquially "schizo". (I don't think Batman is either.) The Clark Kent he presents to the world is more than an act, and less the whole truth of who he is. The Superman he presents to the world, isn't an act AT ALL, but it also doesn't represent his full truth. I believe - on Earth-16, at least - that the general public does not think Superman has a secret identity. (After all, he doesn't wear a mask.) They assume he's always Superman. And, of course, that's not the case.

I'm consciously NOT going to check out Elliot's statement. I don't know him, but I respect his work tremendously, and it definitely influenced me. But at this point, I have a pretty clear take in my head of who I believe Superman/Clark Kent is. I don't need to muddy it.

Response recorded on November 16, 2016