Cinema Pots: Who’s Superman’s Daddy? (Hint: Vir-geeen-ya)
Over at Cinema Pots, blogger RoughStoneRolling has taken a shot at explaining to those-who-do-not-know just who it is that is the literary Daddy of Superman. He starts out by quoting Zack Snyder, who recently said of Superman — “Understand that this is the grandaddy of all superheroes.” No to tell the truth, when I saw that, I thought …hmmmm…..what about Superman’s literary Daddy? But then I thought, when it comes to the popular consciousness as it has evolved over the years, it’s a fair statement to call Superman the Grandaddy when you consider the long, long list of Superheroes who came after him — and the short (very short) list of those who came before.
But ….
Now ol’ Cinema Pots has taken on the task, without any negativity toward Superman, mind you.
Check it out:
Who is Superman’s Daddy?
‘Understand that this is the granddaddy of all superheroes.’ – Zach Snyder director of Man of Steel
It’s been said that Superman was the granddaddy of all super heroes. But who was Superman’s daddy? No I’m not talking Jar-El. I’m talking a Virginian cavalryman who had a special affinity for a red planet. He was also transported to a distant planet and upon arriving gained super strength, super speed and the ability to leap over buildings and great distances. Who am I talking about? John Carter. Yup, the same character that came to the big screen not too long ago. He predates Superman by a few years and also has been the original inspiration for more writers, directors and comic book creators alike than any other hero in 20th century fiction. (At least I hope so)
Think about it. They are both aliens on a planet where they have super strength, can leap higher than a skyscraper in a single bound. Superman originally couldn’t even fly. (See the info graphic below)
Original Powers: Super Fast, Super Strong, Super Jump (what no flying?)
Superman is from a heavy gravity planet and comes to earth. That’s where the original concept comes from.
JERRY SIEGEL, Superman creator:
“John Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller than the planet Earth, and so he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth, so that whoever came to Earth from that planet would be able to leap great distances and lift great weights.” – (regarding how John Carter inspired Superman) (1983)