Let me make one thing clear right off the bat. When I think of Superman I think of him:
Okay, I know because of my age a lot of you were thinking Chris Reeve, not George Reeves (kudos to you if you knew his name without me telling you) but seriously, he is, was and always will be the only Superman I will ever care about.
And to be perfectly honest, I don't really care about him all that much.
You see, I don't like Superman. It was great watching those old black and white and later color episodes when I was younger don't get me wrong. I have fond nostalgic memories of watching the 50's revival super specials on tv with my grandma. But it wasn't just Superman that gave me those great memories, it was hearing her stories about the show when it was on, hearing her share her memories was the real reason I have the great memories that I do.
Superman is, well let's face it. A god among mortals. How do you write a story for someone like that? How do you challenge him? How you make him suffer the risk of failure? In modern days Superman has a couple of weaknesses both of which are scientifically laughable. But in George Reeves' case he was actually inhibited by his powers. In other words, he was constantly being placed in situations where his powers could not help him or in one episode where his powers actually condemned him if only temporarily. As a kid I would watch him in these situations and think "Uh-oh!" but as an adult I see him in these situations and think "What's the point?" Superman is literally so powerful that he has to be hamstrung by his own powers to make a good story and that quite frankly is bad story telling.
George Reeves' portrayal of Superman was adorable. He was a handsome man with a great smile and an impressive voice but his naivete was only good for so much. In the end he came across as blissfully ignorant if not stupid. A fool who could and very often did rush in where angels fear to tread because he could. What was the worst that could happen to him? He's Superman! So what if he was an idiot?
I tried, I really tried to enjoy the Dick Donner Superman as portrayed by Chris Reeve but I just couldn't. It was a new take on an very old and all too familiar premise. As a teenager I hated American comics for very irrational reasons but even reading today's version of Superman I just can't help but see that bright smile, that naive grown up boy in blue pantyhose and red cape. And that is, was and always will be the number one problem with Superman. You can't challenge him. His powers trump all and without ridiculous weaknesses like green rocks and sunblock you have no real choice but to re-write the same tired stories over and over and over again.
In our world Superman can not be challenged and because of that he can not grow. And that is the greatest weakness of all.
