Why David Corenswet is the Best Superman

Look, we all know you come to Aurora Knife and Tool for one reason and one reason only - my (Michael's) opinion about Superman. If for some reason you instead know us more for, say, Truffles or HiveMind, you should know that all our knives are actually a part of a knifey-cinematic universe we're building. Truffles is the plucky, tough (and a little dumb) main character. Think "The Tick" but without the antennae. HiveMind is our first baddie - a science-gone-amok amalgamation of every knife known to man, dedicated to eradicating all other knives in his wake. So all our knifey characters now and those to come owe their origin to the greatest superhero of all time - Superman. 

I started reading comics as a kid right on the cusp of the Death of Superman saga ('92ish) where Supes battled Doomsday to the death, which then spawned the epic Reign of the Supermen series. It was a heck of a time to be a comic nerd, and though it's been a few years since I've purchased a mag off the rack, I still consider myself to be a comic book nerd at heart, and the heart of that heart is Superman. 

I could wax eloquent about why Superman is the best superhero, but that's not the argument I'm making here. His speed, strength, super senses, and invulnerability give him near-godlike powers: omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and near immortality. He even shares God's omnibenevolence in that Superman loves everyone as much as any human/Kryptonian can. Yet for all this, he is only a shadow of what God is. He can't truly be everywhere, do everything, or most importantly always know the right thing to do. His greatest pain is choosing what to address, never certain if it’s the right choice. He's a truly remarkable character to contemplate.

All this is to establish my Superman pedigree and to suggest at the very least I'm coming to the argument with some heart knowledge and head knowledge. So let's get into the meat, all with no spoilers.

Why David Corenswet is the Best Superman

He is vulnerable.
From the very first moments we see that this is a Superman that can be hurt, both physically and emotionally.  We've all seen Supes "save the cat" but we rarely get a glimpse into this aspect of the Man of Steel, at least not from the very start.

He is approachable.
From his goofy trunks (something Corenswet advocated for, btw) to his soft fabric suit to his physical frame which is impressive but not intimidating, this Superman is huggable. I liked Henry Cavill, but no one wanted a hug from that Superman.

He is authentic.
His love for (and annoyance with) Lois feels real. His anger toward (and hope for) Lex feels real. He just feels real.

He is hopeful.
Batman's a cynic. Guy Gardner's a cynic. Lex Luthor is a cynic. Leave that to the ones that are good at it. Superman is an optimist but no fool, and this Superman was optimistic without being unrealistic.

He is funny.
Superman isn't hilarious, but he has a good sense of humor, and Corenswet nailed the right amount of humor without being a goofball.

He is Clark and Superman.
Corenswet gave us a believable butt-of-the-joke Clark when he was at the Daily Planet being ribbed by his coworkers, a tender and genuine Clark when he was with Lois and his parents, and an equally convincing Superman whether he was fighting or chatting. 

He loves Superman.
If you look behind the scenes you can see Corenswet going back and forth with James Gunn to make sure he got every aspect of Superman right - from the costume to the characterization. This was a dream role for him and it shows.

There's more, but I don't want to bore you and I should probably get back to something knife-related, but as a kid born in '82 I sort of missed the Christopher Reeve Superman. Maybe it was too old-looking by the time I started paying attention to movies, but I never felt a real attachment to Christopher Reeve. Side note: I guess 1989 was about when I started paying attention to movies, because Michael Keaton will always be my Batman. 

So although I've enjoyed all the Superman movies I've watched in the intervening years, I've never before felt like someone so perfectly embodied Superman - until now. So is David Corenswet the best Superman? I guess I can't say definitely that he is...but he is my Superman.

-Michael Reed, AKT