Superman’s latest encounter with Lobo showed that his eternal optimism may leave him vulnerable, but is it a strength or a weakness?
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman vs. Lobo #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Despite all of his immense strength and incredible powers, Superman’s greatest ability has always been his humanity. His endless compassion has made him a symbol of truth, justice and peace the world over. Though some villains may mock him and call him naive, his purity of heart has made him one of the greatest heroes of all time. However, that same kindness that is often his greatest strength could also be seen as a very exploitable weakness.
That’s how the Main Man sees it, as he explained in Superman vs. Lobo #3 (by Tim Seeley, Sarah Beattie, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto, and Fabio Amelia). The two sole survivors of their species found themselves facing the remnants of the WildStorm Universe in the final issue of the series and got into each other’s philosophies before they fought their latest opponents. Both think the other is fundamentally wrong about humanity but Lobo may have proved it during their multiversal fight.
Lobo went up against Helpspont one-on-one and uncovered a secret the Man of Steel never could. He figured out that the often villainous WildStorm character was using Superman to distract the others. He would then use the distraction to capture what they had all agreed to destroy so that he could use its power for himself. In that same situation, Superman may not have realized that he was up to something, choosing to see the best in everyone wherever he can, however, Lobo always assumes that everyone is as bad as he is. Therefore, he could spot Helspont’s ploy a mile away and reversed it for his own benefit.
So is Lobo right? Is Superman’s optimistic nature more of a weakness than it is a strength? The Main Man’s own cynicism served him well here. Although the Man of Steel’s ability to see the good in everyone has often led to some truly great things, there have been a number of times where he has put his faith in someone and they’ve let him down. They may be mortal enemies but he trusted his nemesis Lex Luthor to be a hero during DC Rebirth. It lasted for a while but, inevitably, Luthor turned to villainy once again.
In Batman: Last Knight on Earth (by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo), his faith in humanity proved fatal. In a debate against good and evil, where both Superman and Luthor’s lives depended on who the world was convinced by, the Man of Steel obviously believed in the good in humanity. Sadly, he may have been able to get through to Lex after all these years but the world voted in favor of doom. Columns of spiked Kryptonian rods rose from beneath him, killing him for believing that humanity would side with good.
Despite the sometimes fatal betrayals though, that doesn’t change the fact that Superman’s compassion and optimism have often led to great things. He could have chosen to believe that Conner Kent was evil because half of his DNA belonged to Luthor but he didn’t, and he gained a family member in Superboy. He could have chosen not to trust Batman, especially with all the contingencies he has in place against Earth’s heroes. However, he’s found a valuable ally and a best friend in the Dark Knight. The fact that Superman is so trusting whilst Batman is not is arguably why they make such an effective team. Each makes up for the others’ shortcomings to the point that they’re unstoppable together.
Even though seeing the good in everyone can often lead to pain and betrayal, it’s always worth it. The whole point of Superman is to see the best in everyone and, when it succeeds, it produces amazing results. It even worked in the end here, when Lobo reversed the chaos he caused. Even the most self-centered individuals are capable of doing some good and that’s why Superman will never give up being an optimist.
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