Superman has been a rising star since the introduction to his character in 1938. He has always been portrayed as a strong and fearless man whose purpose is to save and help society as a whole. However, if his character were altered and he was older, he would automatically be interpreted as weak and not as powerful as he is interpreted with the age that has been chosen for him. If his gender was changed, he would not be nearly as popular, and would not be viewed as strong. Now if his race were changed, at the time he was developed, he would not have been accepted and may have even been viewed as dangerous.
Superman’s character embodies something that our world is not used to, somebody who stands for cultural values, morals and social hopes, while providing justice. Although, if Superman’s character was changed to be somebody from an older generation, the outlook on him and the backlash he would have received would have been extremely different. Because of ageism, he would not be perceived as strong or having knowledge on today’s society. Right now, he is looked to as an icon for young boys, of this strong, powerful and kind man that they could grow to be. But if you took away his age, which would correlate to his looks and his strength, not nearly as many parents would be utilizing him as an example to their children. In Western society we associate youthful boys with strength, and we associate older men as weaker. As well, we usually assume older people are wiser and would be leaders or mentors, not the superhero himself.
If you made Superman be a woman, fewer parents would be showing it to their young boys as an influence, because women are simply not perceived in the way that men are. Women superheroes, such as Superwomen are often sexualized and not considered the same way that male superheroes are. Especially at the time of Superman’s creation, the difference of rights between men and women were vast, and even today you still see a difference in how these two genders are perceived by society.3
Now, if you also changed his race, he would not have nearly as many fans as well. This is because at the time that he was developed and started to gain fame, racism was such a prevalent issue that no one had a problem talking about, or showing their emotions about. There has been recent talk of a black superman coming in new movies, which has sparked controversy from fans. Superman is a white male, who is in his prime, is kind and is a saviour to the people around him. But if you changed some of those things about him, society may be hesitant to associate these same characteristics with a Superman that identifies differently. Superman signifies the good in humanity, and is someone that would help anyone, before thinking of himself. This is super appealing to fans, and the parents that are showing it to their children.
The expectations that are being put on primarily young boys because of this are huge, and quite frankly, unrealistic. To start with, not all boys can be as physically fit as him, have the same look as him or act the same as the fictional character. Even if they could be comparably fit to superman, he is a fictional character, making his body unrealistic and altered with technology. As well as, this makes it hard for young girls to look up to, when a character that was made in comparison, superwoman, does not have nearly as much media presence as the male figure. I think that unrealistic body standards are what could have psychological harm on children in Superman’s case. This can very easily affect a young child when this unrealistic image is being pushed on them, that Superman’s body is “right” or “attractive”, when he is a fictional character. Additionally, Superman has superhero powers that children will not be able to attain, but that comes along with fictional stories.
There has been recent backlash since the newest movie came out, that people do not like the immigrant story that was talked about, which further proves that people would not be okay with Superman changing from his original character. Viewers also said that the character became too political, yet responders acknowledged how comics, where Superman originated from, have always been political.
Super has been an icon since his original introduction, and his age, gender and race have had a direct influence on that. When you consider how changes to his physical appearance and identity may impact how society viewed him as his original self in 1938, or even how he’s currently viewed, it’s recognized how dramatically these characteristics can signify the perception of someone on this stage.
Citations
Gomes, Susan. 2017. “I’M NOT BAD, I’M JUST DRAWN THAT WAY”: BODY PERCEPTIONS AND CARTOONS.” BA thesis, New College of Florida. https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5360.
Hendriks, Nathania. 2017. Superman: The Man and the Myth – A Theological Exploration of the Influence of Popular Culture on Masculinity. Master’s Thesis, Stellenbosch University. https://scholar.sun.ac.za.
Levitz, Paul. 2015. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture. New York: Abrams Books. https://books.google.ca/books?id=EUbHEAAAQBAJ.
Los Angeles Times. 2025. “Superman: The Immigrant, the ‘Superwoke Backlash,’ as James Gunn Calls Hero an Immigrant.” July 12, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-07-12/superman-immigrant-superwoke-backlash.
Valentová, Kateřina. 2021. “Representation and Agency of Aging Superheroes in Popular Culture and Contemporary Society.” Societies 11, no. 1: 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc11010018.
Tim
The essay “How Do Superman’s Looks Influence His Popularity” offers an interesting reflection on how Superman’s age, gender, and race shape his cultural impact. However, the author raised many topics that make sense and could be discussed, but the analysis itself is not very deep and lacks insight into the character and how he influenced the generation at that time.
Superman was created in 1938 and was mainly a reflection of the worldview and appearance of that time. The cultural standard was, so to speak, to make him white and masculine so that he would be a role model for young people at the time and a symbol. The author cannot understand that Superman is more than a person; he is a symbol. His whiteness did not define him as a hero but rather mirrored the limitations of creation. He was one of the earliest figures in America to fight against the KKK, in a radio series in 1946. Ignoring the context of the time leads to a distorted understanding of why the character resonated with the audience.
The author’s gender comparison is not so convincing. Superman is a symbol and was never meant to be only a role model for the boy; he represents moral strength, empathy towards those who are weaker, courage to do the right things – his values are meant for everybody at that time and even nowadays.
As for the controversy that the author mentioned about a black Superman, the author didn’t see the context of why people were mad at that time, when most characters were changed for representation, but without the depth or the message that the character meant.