DC Just Proved Why Superman Can’t Act Like Batman and Remain a Hero

The last episode of Superman and Lois presented an important reformulation of a previous scene, showing how necessary it is for the hero of the DC Universe not to use the same tactics as Batman. While the cast of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did an excellent job examining the differences between the two heroes, Superman and Lois accompanied this in a subtle and original way. With recent events under the microscope, Superman’s resort to methods closer to Batman’s has negatively impacted him.

Batman and Superman, as pillars of DC Comics and the cinematic universes they created, each played important roles in the perception of the brand. With a new Batman DCU arriving soon, there are some fundamental components of the hero that should be recognized. Perhaps the easiest contrast to recognize between Batman and Superman is how they embody darkness and light, respectively. Following this insight leads to an examination of Superman taking a more violent path in the recent CW series.

Superman & Lois Season 4 Highlights Why Superman Can’t Operate Like Batman

Superman is held to a higher standard in the CW series

Superman and Lois Season 4, Episode 6 contained an intense scene where Clark and Lex fought under a series of red streetlights that inhibited Clark’s power. This scene was shockingly brutal and saw the culmination of much of the bad blood between the two characters coming to a head. However, The aftermath of this scene saw Lex presenting footage of this event in GODFREY!, where the Man of Steel seemed genuinely evil and incredibly violent to the entire watching audience.

With Superman’s identity revealed and his entire brand being built around hope It’s important that people don’t see the hero acting in this brutally violent way. While Batman relies on instilling fear in criminals as the most important component of his heroism, Superman is on the other side of the coin as a heroic inspiration to people. The two create an interesting and important duality in the DC Universe, and it is necessary for each of the heroes to remain on their complex path.

Superman and Lois’ story proves it makes no sense for Clark to consistently work as Batman

Clark’s character journey is different from Bruce Wayne’s

The revelation of Superman’s identity and his full place in the world contribute to the hero’s perception of Superman and Lois. While Clark has always served as a symbol of kindness and hope, this becomes even more important now that his identity has been shared with the world. The hero will face even more scrutiny than ever before, and it becomes important that he maintains a higher standard.as the rest of the world will certainly continue to do the same.

A more destructive and violent Clark makes no sense in this DC Universe and, in fact, would only justify Lex Luthor’s perception of the hero. The DCEU has spent time showing how terrifying a darker Superman could be, and that path doesn’t line up with the story of this series. Superman is an incredibly powerful being, with the ability to crush humans with just a thought. If there is no accountability for this, there is no way anyone can see Superman as the hero the world needs him to be.

Superman and Batman will remain important characters in any DC media, and it’s a disappointment that no Batman was introduced in this Arrowverse story. It would be exciting to see how the brand explored a Batman as a counterpoint to Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman. Still, the essence of how a hero like this would be received in this world was shown in this recent episode. Now it remains important that Superman and Lois interact with these themes and ideas in a thoughtful and introspective way.

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