Superman and the Made-Up Rules

When I think of Superman, I tend to think of the tagline "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." This naturally connotes an image of patriotic lawfulness which has informed my opinion of Superman moreso perhaps than the source material itself. For this reason, I found it somewhat jarring to read the early comics and realize that Superman's brand of justice is more radical than the bland authoritarianism suggested by the phrase "the American Way." In several places, Superman outright circumvents the law- the typical branch for meting out justice- and imposes his own vigilante-style brand of ethics on everyone from corrupt politicians to taxi protection racketeers. He is not above turning violent or unethical tactics against someone in true 'Eye for an Eye' fashion, particularly when the law seems slow to act. Combined with Superman's extraordinary powers, the effect is a little unsettling: an ultra-powerful, self-ordained guardian of humanity with a rather cavalier attitude towards procedural propriety. The back of the book mentioned Superman's "wish-fulfillment" aspect, and it seems more apparent in these early volumes that the brand of justice that Superman stands (or stood) for has a radical bent that places justice in a more immediate and human context. The justice that Superman metes out is immediate and personal; he takes on specific criminals and turns their actions against them before, in some cases, turning them over to the law. Whereas the justice system works slowly and unequally, Superman has the ability through his powers to confront people directly and make them pay. I find it an interesting commentary that Superman seeks to solve social problems by treating society as a collection of people, not as some kind of ambiguous system.

In a way, the justice that Superman represents in these early comics is more aligned with the ideals of truth and fairness than the lawful justice of the legal system. Every time Superman goes up against a foe, he forces a confession from them. Their confession, which Superman often obtains by force, is what tears down the defenses that would otherwise be exploited by any form of legal justice. We want to think that the human cost of illegal actions is repaid by the humans who act illegally. This is fairness to us, not the blind justice of the legal system, which often seems bogged down by procedure and protections. The straight line between action and consequence appeals to our sense of what is 'right,' especially since Superman is sworn to protect the oppressed and downtrodden.