Superman vs. Clark Kent

I know what you're thinking after reading the title. What do you mean Superman VS Clark Kent? Everyone knows they're the same person unless you mean something like Bizarro or that scene in Superman III where Clark and Superman actually DID split in two...

I mean the distinction between the persona of Superman and the persona of Clark Kent. Superman is cool because he's the first comic book hero. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have many of the other superheroes in pop culture. He's the best example of an ideal hero--a person with solid morals who helps people just because he can. Superman is arguably the most important superhero but that doesn't mean he's the most interesting. We know he can't get hurt unless there's Kryptonite around, so it's hard to build suspense. It's hard to care about a character who doesn't actually sacrifice or risk anything by going into dangerous situations to save people.

Superman isn't very interesting because he's so powerful. Clark Kent, though, fascinates me.

No matter what, Clark Kent is an outsider. He has loving parents who consider him their own son, but his superpowers set him apart from everyone else on the planet. He has to keep his true origins a secret, and when he develops his powers, he has to hide them. Clark Kent constantly has to hold back, and he has to put up a front that he's a normal, ordinary person (unless he's in his Superman suit). I love watching how a person deals with that, and that's infinitely more interesting than Superman's track record of saving lives.

So when someone asks me who my favorite superhero is, I say Superman but I actually mean Clark Kent (and you can't have one without the other). Maybe I should just say Spiderman from now on so I don't have to deal with remarks like, "But Superman's so lame because he's so strong!" I understand that, and it's not why I like the character...but I'm off on a tangent.

My interest in Clark Kent was the primary reason I fell in love with Smallville. I loved the series because the premise was Clark Kent in high school. (It also helped that the series was well done--good cast, smart direction, the budget for awesome visual and special effects.) Smallville was about Clark growing up, figuring out who he is, and having a normal life despite his alien origins. Superman wasn't part of the story yet. For the first four seasons, the show focused on Clark most of the time, and it was great. We saw him make mistakes, but we also saw the inklings of a hero emerge. No television series had explored Clark Kent as a teenager, and the fact that Smallville was highest-rated series in a long time on the WB was proof that people were tuning in and enjoying it.

Somewhere along the line, the writers lost sight of what made the show incredible. For me, that point was the 100th episode when Jonathan died. Martha and Jonathan Kent were an important part of the show. They were the only people who knew Clark's secret so they were the only ones he could go to for guidance and advice. For a while, the Kent family was the best portrayal of a TV family. That ended in the 100th episode, and Martha isn't even on the show anymore. I stopped watching Smallville regularly after that, and I tune in every now and then (because old habits die hard), but the show's just not the same anymore.

I'm not saying the show isn't good anymore. Smallville got renewed for a ninth season, so it still has a strong audience. It's just not the same show it was when it started. I know the show has gained a lot of viewers over the years, but I think they lost fans along the way too because of the changes they've made.

Cross-posted on the ning.