Save Me, Superman.

The World Is Going Through It. July 11th, 2025 Can't Come Fast Enough

I was in college the first time I saw a W.W.J.D. bracelet.

My undergrad, a nonsectarian, non-denominational college had a heavy Christian influence and it seemed everyone was down with Gee Oh Dee. One Sunday evening at a potluck I was conscripted in attending, I met someone who wore one of those aforementioned bracelets. She told me that when life gets hard, she takes a look at it and asks “What Would Jesus Do?” I found it interesting as I did something similar in my life. Not to sound sacrilegious, but when I found myself in difficult situations I would ask, “What would Superman do?”

While the answer to that question is truth or justice or whatever, I for one am excited about the upcoming Superman movie. Slated to be released on Friday, July 11th, this version of The Man of Steel could be the most “important” telling of the character yet. Why? Long story short: For generations, Superman has been seen as boring escapism but the real world has gotten so vile, it’s exactly the kind of hero we need. The trailer:

Now Supes is technically my third favorite superhero (after Green Lantern John Stewart and The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Marvel, SHAZAM!), he is the character I’ve defended the most. You’d hear things like “He’s too overpowered” or “It’s too formulaic.” As a first-generation American, Superman is my spirit hero. Had family from elsewhere, but United Statesian af. Anyone who has ever had a horrible job but had the wherewithal to not punch their boss in the face understands the virtue of restraint. And it's a hill I will die on when I say Superman's true superpower was his restraint. Help people, don’t blow them up I suppose.

When someone is trapped in a burning building does Superman say, “Hey! Who did you vote for in the last election?” No, he gets to work. What would Superman do?

But what’s cool about the movie coming out is that DC Comics finally looks like they have a direction and there’s a public that’s burned out on Marvel films. We’re also tired of watching the news, and while series like Fast & Furious and Harry Potter are on fumes, we crave things that appeal to things we already know.

Seriously, when was the last time a friend told you to watch a show and you actually did it? For me, it was this past winter when a co-worker recommended the show “Brockmire.” I binged the whole season, not because it was gripping television, but because I only had a seven-day trial to the AMC app.

I do hope people go out to see this movie in droves, whether to watch it or “hate-watch it.” There are not many things that exist that the majority of people know and have at least one fond memory of. Something that is generational and cuts across an infinite number of cultures. Everybody knows what it means to be Superman. Everyone has been in a position of a protector and has been in situations where they needed to be protected. Everyone has been in a position when they were the strongest in the room but used that power to uplift others. What would Superman do?

The answer? Have a rap battle with Dragon Ball Z’s Goku, of course!