There are numerous similarities between Santa Claus and Superman. Each aren’t simply great guys, however the nicest guys. Each fly. Each have names starting with S. Each, um, have crimson on their costumes… Ok, glance, it is most commonly simply the primary one. However that is a significant connection, and being so completely just right in spite of being so {powerful} isn’t one thing many characters can relate to. I thought of this all through the latest episode of Your Favourite Recreation, TheGamer’s weekly podcast.
This week, to get within the Christmas spirit, we requested the query What is Your Favourite Recreation… With Santa?, and in doing so realised that there are not that many video games with ol’ Saint Nick on the helm. I selected Saints Row 4: How The Saints Stored Christmas, the place you combat an evil beast named Clawz (who rides on headless reindeer) with a purpose to loose Santa after he has been kidnapped through extraterrestrial beings. Eric went for Hitman’s Christmas DLC, the place Santa is a atypical legendary determine who can teleport and leaves items (ie homicide guns) mendacity round so that you can use to kill other folks with – which you’ll be able to even do whilst dressed as Kris Kringle. George selected Kingdom Hearts 2.
There Is Such A Factor As Too Edgy
The problem with those alternatives is they are all choice takes on Santa Claus. Whilst Saints Row includes a true Santa, lots of the enlargement is spent with Clawz, or even the actual Santa chides you for now not believing in Christmas after you save him. In the meantime in Kingdom Hearts 2, as a result of it is the Santa who has been abducted in The Nightmare Ahead of Christmas, he’s cranky and really un-Santa-like along with his merriment.
We see a an identical factor in Superman. Even though heralded as an unshakable bastion of goodness, most up-to-date diversifications of Superman (or legally-distinct Superman rip-offs) move in the other way. ‘What if Superman (or Santa) used to be evil’ is a good suggestion, a minimum of the primary time. Each time after that, it is simply any individual else’s thought.
Guy of Metal used to be intended to be Superman incomes this goodness, a tender guy now not rather there but, however each next DC film with Henry Cavill didn’t clutch that, culminating in him turning on the remainder of the heroes after he is introduced again in Justice League. The combating sport Injustice could also be constructed round this concept, with Superman having suffered a psychotic ruin after Joker tricked him into killing Lois Lane and his unborn kid.
This development continues throughout maximum ‘Superman-like’ heroes in different media. Invincible asks ‘what if Superman used to be evil?’, The Boys asks ‘what if Superman used to be evil and in addition preferred 4chan memes?’, and Brightburn asks ‘what if Superman used to be evil and in addition a child?’. The Brightburn boy most certainly likes 4chan memes too.
Simply Let Santa Be Santa
All of those concepts can paintings on their very own. I feel the DCEU used to be slightly of a multitude, however I really like Injustice and Invincible, love The Boys when it isn’t elevating an eyebrow to the target audience as though to invite ‘are we able to say that?!’, and I believed Brightburn had its moments. Going again to ol’ Pere Noel, I additionally obviously loved Saints Row’s satirical violence and the Christmas Genki Bowl. However while you put all of them in combination, they are able to appear slightly a lot.
It isn’t like this morally squeaky blank personality can not paintings, both. Whilst Hyperion and Sentry are Wonder’s two most blatant parallels to Superman as ‘truly sturdy dude with a cape who can fly’, on a moralistic stage, the do-gooder for the opposite workforce is obviously Captain The usa. Even though now not rather as showy as Iron Guy, he used to be a lynchpin of the Avengers arc, and his solo films (one among which, Civil Warfare, used to be admittedly extra of a team-up) made a grand overall of $2.2 billion on the field workplace.
Additionally they come with, in my view, the most productive MCU film of their ranks by means of political mystery The Wintry weather Soldier.
The purpose is, other folks love a standard Superman, similar to they love a standard Santa. You do not want to cause them to extra fascinating. They’re one of the most maximum iconic characters to have ever existed. It sort of feels a stretch to invite for a online game to do Santa Claus proper once they combat with working out Christmas in any respect, however perhaps we will be able to get Superman proper. The hero is being rebooted in 2025 with David Corenswet within the vintage crimson underwear. Expectantly he is taking part in the actual Superman, and now not a morally gray badass with cool laser eyes and no reason why for present. Possibly Santa can get me an actual Superman film for Christmas.
Comparable
Is Evil Superman Now Formally Performed Out?
There used to be a time after I puzzled why extra writers were not dabbling in that attitude, as an omnipotent superhero is dull, however an omnipotent villain is way more compelling. However now we’ve had more than one variations of Evil Superman (Injustice and Pink Solar) in addition to Homelander and Omni-Guy. Is the attitude formally overdone now?