But, Superman can’t do anything about those things. He’ll see a city councilman skimming funds from schools, a factory illegally disposing of waste, or Cops inflating their quotas with bogus charges, and he’ll be outraged. Unless he is preventing immediate, obvious harm, he has to be very careful with his intervention. He’s keenly aware that with the power he wields, the only way he can continue to operate is by appearing completely nonthreatening to the status quo. He’s very aware that, as Superman, anything he does comes with a tinge of Threat. The Kent’s raised Clark with a strong moral compass, but also good sense. Any analysis of Superman and Captain America should involve two main points.ġ) They are every bit the caricature of honest goodness that they are said to be.Ģ) BEING a a caricature of honest goodness means not just fighting obvious villainy, but raging against institutional injustice, even when it comes from “Legitimate” sources.
