It’s a great time for Superman fans, with the Man of Steel soaring into movies, TV, animation and comics. To help us stay on top of it, writer Tim Beedle shares what's grabbed his attention and why in this monthly Super-Family column.
 

There’s a general understanding and acceptance that any time heroes fight, they do so in control, aware of the fact that their powers can often result in collateral damage and that if they were to lose control, people might die. What heroes don’t do—or at least try to avoid—is striking out in uncontrolled anger, driven by an emotional urge for revenge and to cause as much pain as possible.

Yes, there are exceptions, but in general, anger is seen as something undesirable in our superheroes. We want our heroes approaching each conflict with restraint and level-headedness. We don’t want them punching, firing or heat-visioning indiscriminately while in a rage.

It’s an important line for superheroes to walk, but it’s also one that’s entirely unfair because, for the most part, they’re as human as the rest of us. They’re capable of things that we’re not, but they’re every bit as flawed, emotional and resistant to reason as you and me.

There’s actually a moment in Superman #17 where Zatanna makes pretty much this exact point. After the events of Absolute Power #2, Superman finds himself upset over the state in which he last saw his son, Jon. Angry at Amanda Waller and the Brainiac Queen for turning Jon into a weapon and his inability to do anything about it, the powerless Clark angrily punches a brick wall, bloodying his knuckles. Zatanna quickly stops him, telling him that she understands his anger.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself,” she says. “When my father died, I didn’t handle it very well, either. It’s because we’re…”

“Human,” Superman finishes.

Superman’s obviously both right and wrong here. When it comes to sharing our goals, dreams and imperfections, he’s as human as they come. But biologically, he’s far superior. If one of us lets our anger get the better of us, any damage we cause is going to be pretty limited. If Superman gets angry and out of control, whole cities can be leveled. The good thing is that Superman is very aware of this and has always remained in control. (Well, mostly. Again, we’re generalizing here, but with over seven decades of Superman stories behind us, you’re going to find exceptions.) It may be a struggle at times for him, but he’s well aware of how important it is for him to stay on the right side of it.

But now Superman’s powerless. He truly is no different than the rest of us. And have no doubt, he’s pissed. He’s furious about what Waller and her team have done to Jon, his fellow superheroes and the Fortress of Solitude, and for the first time, I’m not entirely sure he’s in control of his actions.

Just think about his response when he discovers Waller’s task force agents destroying Swamp Thing’s path. He immediately runs to confront them, completely surprising Zatanna. Despite the fact that she shares Clark’s anger over what they’re doing, Zatanna realizes it’s pointless to fight the agents without their powers. They’re greatly outnumbered and are likely to get themselves killed.

Zee, of course, is right in this case, but considering Superman #17 as a whole, I’m not convinced Superman’s current rage is necessarily a bad thing. First of all, there’s the fact that he has all the reasons in the world to be upset. Anger is, when you get right down to it, a natural human response. It’s something we need to allow ourselves to feel if we’re ever going to move on to acceptance. Plus, he’s now powerless, which means allowing himself to feel, express and even act on that anger isn’t going to create the instant crisis that it would create under typical circumstances.

There’s also the reality of the current situation. Things are pretty desperate right now. Zatanna and Superman don’t have many tools at their disposal, and Superman is very much out of his element in this current quest. He can’t contribute much in the way of knowledge and experience, but he can deliver a pretty good right hook.

That’s something that’s easy to forget. Even without his superpowers, the Man of Steel is pretty formidable. Superman is fit, big and he knows how to fight. And magic users…don’t. At least not in the traditional sense. Yes, they can cast spells capable of causing all kinds of effects, but spell casting takes time, concentration and I’m guessing is much easier when you’re sober and have an unbroken jaw. Coming into the Oblivion Bar and calling out everyone there like Superman does near the end of the issue is a much different thing than trying to fight a squadron of fully armed task force agents. Zatanna realizes this, which is why we see her smiling in response rather than once again questioning Superman’s actions.

And yet, I’m not sure Superman sees the difference here. I think he’s still being largely driven by anger. It’s just that for the first time since he started his quest with Zatanna, that anger is serving a useful purpose. In a room full of highly suspicious magicians who are both scared and hostile to our two heroes, a clearly out of control Man of Steel may be the most effective tool they currently have.

All of which should remind us that anger can serve a greater purpose, both for us and for the Last Son of Krypton. When everything else has been taken away from you and anger is all that remains, it may still be enough. The key is just finding the right time, place and situation to tap into it. Let’s be real, it may not be the most heroic response. But as Superman and Zatanna said, it might be the most human.

Superman #17 by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell is now available in print and as a digital comic book.

Tim Beedle covers movies, TV and comics for DC.com, writes our monthly Superman column, "Super Here For...", and is a regular contributor to the Couch Club, our recurring television column. Follow him on Twitter at @Tim_Beedle and Bluesky at @TimBeedle.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Tim Beedle and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.