Summary
- Superman's biggest fear is that, despite his immense power, he cannot save everyone who believes he will always be there to save them.
- Superman feels the pressure to meet the impossible expectation of being able to save everyone, even though he knows it is not possible.
- The world sees Superman as a symbol of hope and safety, but he fears that they will never understand his limitations and the fact that he can't be everywhere at once.
Everyone in the DC Universe knows who Superman is and what he stands for; if Superman is there, then everyone will be okay. But it turns out that not only is that belief dangerous, it's also Superman's biggest fear. For all the power that Superman has, he can't be everywhere at once. While he accepts that fact, he fears that the rest of the world hasn't.
Out of every DC hero, Superman is without a doubt one of the strongest and one of the brightest. No matter what issue someone is facing, it isn't too small for Superman to help with. Whether it be a building on fire or a cat stuck in a tree, Superman will be there to help solve the problem. Over the years he's been active in Metropolis, he's likely saved the city's entire population several times over. While Superman is undeniably powerful, there's no way he can save everyone that's in danger, and he fears that many people die being disappointed in his failure to save them.
Superman Talks About His Fears
Superman laid his fears bare to Tommy Monaghan in Hitman #34 by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, Garry Leach, Carla Feeny, Heroic Age, and Pat Prentice. After landing on a random roof in Gotham, Superman comes across Tommy, the titular "Hitman." Seeing that something is clearly bothering Superman, Tommy asks if he wants to talk, and Superman decides to share what's been bothering him: N.A.S.A had sent a ship to Mars, but the ship didn't quite make it. There was a malfunction, and, while trying to save the crew, Superman accidentally leaves the captain of the ship behind. Superman mistakenly believed the man was already dead and didn't see him until it was too late. The two made eye , and then the ship exploded, and he was gone. While Superman was able to save the majority of the crew, that one loss weighs on Superman and makes him think about what his image means to people.
While Superman is a symbol of hope, he can't always save everyone — even if they believe he will. Most everyone in the DCU knows who Superman is, what he does, and why he does it. They believe that if Superman is around, then no matter what bad thing happens, Superman will save them. That's how the world views Superman, and, even though Superman knows he can't save everyone, he feels the pressure to meet that impossible ideal. His biggest fear came true when he locked eyes with James M. Kennedy on that space shuttle. As he tells Tommy, Superman believes that Kennedy's final thoughts were "You're Superman, and you're not going to save me." Despite how much Superman wanted to, he simply couldn't live up to the ideal that this citizen had of Superman.
Superman Can't Save Everyone
No matter how fast or powerful a hero is, they can't be everywhere at once. While that limitation can be easy to accept on a personal level, it's much harder for the entire world to accept it. Everyone knows who Superman is, and everyone feels safer in his presence — but Superman can't save everyone, and his biggest fear is that the world will never understand that, even as impossible as it is to expect from him.
Check out Hitman #34, available now from DC Comics!
