Do you prefer Superman to be written as super-intelligent or no? I do...

Do you prefer Superman to be written as super-intelligent or no? I do. It enhances his "Man of Tomorrow" image and makes him a better foil to villains like Luthor. Also intelligent heroes are better than ones who can only get by with punching.

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I like the idea, but it also raises the question of "why doesn't he just invent cures for cancer" and things like that

I think he should be smart, son of a scientist and all, but he shouldn't be a mega genius. Neither should Batman frankly, they're both more compelling when solving complex situations with a simple or clever application of their skills. Just punching his problems way isn't how you write a good Superman. Also it cheapens things for characters who have super intelligence as their primary power.

It's Superman! had Clark as an outright average intellect who could bench press cars but was incredibly insecure about being a B- student. That wasn't necessarily an angle that the comics should go with but it was an interesting way of humanizing him, having Lois Lane constantly correcting his spelling or Lex Luthor picking up on his yokel accent.

Well, I also think he should genuinely help humanity in terms of tech (not by inventing anything, but more helping them understand the tech on his ship with his own knowledge). Cancer on the other hand might be beyond him.

The novel? I should have bought it when I had the chance.

It's a pretty good read. Has a lot of fun with the period setting, like Clark becoming a stuntman in Hollywood while he and not-Jimmy Olsen are bumming around depression era America as hoboes.

>Lois Lane constantly correcting his spelling
I actually preferred Lois having this flaw. It was an endearing contrast to her intrepid reporter nature.

>"why doesn't he just invent cures for cancer" and things like that
He's made some solid attempts. It just doesn't work out.
youtube.com/watch?v=3EAsV2hXOxE

>Also intelligent heroes are better than ones who can only get by with punching.
Proof?

The entire appeal of superheroes since the early Golden Age has been them solving problems creatively with their powers.

Superman being smart is fine, as long he's not a super genius that invalidates every other super intelligent hero.

I like him being intelligent and mentally capable, but not some kind of super genius. Smart enough to come up with good plans and outsmart stronger enemies, but not a scientific genius.

I think Supes in STAS had about the right level.

[citation needed]

Early Silver age Superman used to help research in his spare time.

Yeah, we got Lex Luthor and Batman for that.

I miss Terrific and Sivana.

My "citation" is actually reading those comics. Early on it was just Superman or Flash decimating robbers but eventually that got boring. Gardner Fox would come up with all kinds of really neat ways for Flash to use his powers other than just going fast and punching people.

Both works, honestly. It depends on continuity.

I liked the Earth One version a lot, where he is hyper intelligent, but feels unfulfilled because it puts too much distance between him and humanity.

But I also like the versions where he is only as smart as a normal guy; his only "super intelligence" stems from being able to read a library's worth of books on a topic in a minute. Which he only does when the emergency calls for it.

Also, he is a boy scout. Always should be one.

Superman is enough of a Mary Sue as it is but let's just add more to it shall we?

I like him having a sort of cunning and being able to read people well. I don't like him being super-intelligent though.

Stop using words you don't understand the meaning of

If it makes you butthurt then sure why not :)

Stop replying to bait. He just wants to derail the thread and rant about how much he hates a fictional character.

Not really, no. He should be a smart guy but not at a super human level

>super-intelligent
Fuck no. Just the normal/above intelligence you'd expect from someone who does what he does for a living, but not as intelligent as someone like Luthor. Let other people have something on the guy.

I don't mind him being intelligent, particularly when it comes to Kryptonian tech and science.

stuff like this on the other hand feels like bullshit

>"But I may need some help from the experts."
>He just, even accounting for misunderstandings of some of what he read, became the most qualified 'doctor' on earth, and he is still respectful of others or is naturally humble enough to not realize.

This

>forgot to color the collar

He should be above average but not huper inteligent.

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He should be. It's the riddler syndrome where the writers are not smart enough to write an actually smart character. I feel that writers since Byrne have been nerfing his powers because they aren't creative enough to write him. Most Superman writers have been unable to write anything but cheap superheroics, brawls and soap opera. Pick up a silver age or Bronze age Superman comic, and you can see them write good stories even with a superhero that powerful.

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We have to understand that having a electron microscope in his eyeballs probably does allot for his understanding of every single field of science known to man.

Being able to read every book in a library in less then a hour and doing that a hundred times over will make someone smart. Maybe never brilliant but what superman could discover looking at a spec of light in the sky for a second would dwarf what a yearlong stay on the international space station would get us.

Superman has every scientific instrument ever invented in his body. Even his hair follicles can tell him were he is in the world from electromagnetic pull.

So that's how you write superman. A long lever to shift the world right again. The fulcrum is the story. Perspective changing is his real literary superpower.

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I think super-intelligence is a bit much. I like him smart, but not as overpoweringly so as he is physically strong.

If he's just straight up smarter than Luthor as well as having all the other powers, it diminishes that rivalry. It also means that should he be in the Legion, he'd be butting heads with Brainy. And it eliminates the need for supporting characters like Professor Hamilton and ffs. supporting characters are the LIFE of superhero books and making Hamilton into a villain was a huge mistake.

>But I also like the versions where he is only as smart as a normal guy; his only "super intelligence" stems from being able to read a library's worth of books on a topic in a minute. Which he only does when the emergency calls for it.

Also, having access to some degree of Kryptonian archives/technology that gives him a scientific advantage over most Earth scientists that he usually chooses to ignore because Krypton blew up and introducing tech could be dangerous and irresponsible.

Laughable Mary Sue bullshit. This is the kind of stuff that makes people roll their eyes at comics. After you give a character such a power boost, how can you ever expect to write a compelling story again? At least Saitama's power is played out for laughs.

Not quite related to this thread, but this is easily one of my favorite Superman moments.

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I've always enjoyed the times they reference how he decided to become a writer/journalist because none of his super powers give him an edge in actually writing. He has just as much trouble putting words to paper as anyone else. I think if he is given super-intelligence it removes that.

If a hero with superspeed (Supes or Flash for instance) use their speed to learn, they should forget the knowledge just as fast.

True for all DC's Speedster's except Bart, which IMO is justified because Bart was stuck at superspeed and learned everything at superspeed until Wally fixed him.

Yeah he was aging as an insane rate so placing him in VR so it appeared "normal" to him would warrant an exception.

Maybe you should read something more than shonen manga.

Cliff Chiang should draw more Lois Lane. Holy hell

As well as more Traci 13, but I suppose DC already killed off that character.

The subtext in that one comic was hilarious.

Superman shouldn't be supersmart but give him a photographic memory and hes good enough.