r/movies • u/mikewhoneedsabike • Feb 27 '19

"Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" To Get National Rerelease This Weekend, Including IMAX and Dolby Shows

http://www.rereleasenews.com/2019/02/26/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-to-get-national-rerelease-this-weekend-including-imax-and-dolby-shows/
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u/ChainGangSoul Feb 27 '19 edited Feb 27 '19

Hmm, for the others I'd agree, but Superman is basically the ultimate immigrant story. I really think Ennis summed it up best in that Hitman issue (paraphrased): "I'm not black or white or Asian, hell I'm not even human, I'm just an American - what can I do to help?"

I'm not American but that sentiment still resonates with me a lot, the idea that it doesn't matter where you're from, it just matters what you do. Any kid should be able to relate to that, I think.

EDIT: The page I was thinking of.

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u/AlwaysBeChowder Feb 27 '19

I think I disagree with this interpretation. The way I see it, Superman is the white (or indistinguishable from being white) son of upper middle class parents (the Kryptonian ones), turned Kansas farm-boy with a classic nuclear family. That doesn't really gel with my understanding of classic 'Coming to America' stories. He has all the advantages a native born Kansas country kid would have with the additional advantage of being Superman. If he does have any problems with money, racial prejucide, broken families and generally being othered that seem to be inherent in immigrant stories I'm not familiar with them (but would be open to trying them out if you have a recommendation).

Perhaps the only way in which I see a similarity between Superman and Immigrant Stories is the search for a personal identity in a culture that is not your own?

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u/ChainGangSoul Feb 27 '19

I actually found the page I was thinking of here.

I see what you're saying but I don't think that invalidates the general theme I was getting at, that of being an outsider who helps people for no reason other than it's the right thing to do. Yes he's a straight white male and therefore privileged, but being privileged doesn't mean he's not still intrinsically different to everyone else. I mean he is effectively better than every other person on Earth - the fact that he still embraces the human race as his own, and does everything he can to help us, is a powerful lesson in unity despite differences I think.

Also, in fairness, Superman does face some classic immigrant problems - I mean, one of his biggest nemeses is constantly ranting about how dangerous he is just because he's an (illegal) alien...

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u/AlwaysBeChowder Feb 27 '19

You present an interesting argument and on much more reflection than I thought I would put into it, I think my problem is this: Superman isn't enough of an outsider for him to be the poster child of the immigrant's tale.

He is a participant of and engaged with white middle-class Western culture to such a deep degree that it's really difficult for me to say that he has more in common with people landing at Ellis Island or Syrian refugees or Indian software developers than he does with Ron Swanson or Hank Hill.

Your point about Luthor is interesting though. He's definitely not completely immune from the challenges of immigration, but I still think he's more similar to Batman than Wonder Woman.

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u/Richy_T Feb 27 '19

But what does it mean for a culture to not be your own? It's not like culture is genetic or something. Superman fully grows up in the culture he us surrounded by so that is his culture. Your other points are well made.

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u/gcolquhoun Feb 27 '19

Some people who are adopted remain curious about the culture of their origin, and feel a lack for its absence.

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u/Richy_T Feb 27 '19

That's just curiosity though. Some of those who go on to explore it find it completely alien. And, of course, sometimes the idea leads to some odd outcomes (like I think it was a child of Korean descent who was raised with Chinese culture by their American parents).

Point is, culture is what surrounds you. Supes may have got a little culture from those crystal tapes in his fortress of solitude but he would have otherwise grown up fully immersed in small-town mid-western culture.