{"id":15600,"date":"2025-08-25T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mlecharbinger.org\/?p=15600"},"modified":"2025-08-24T22:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T22:12:22","slug":"men-of-tomorrow-superman-as-a-blueprint-for-healthier-masculinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mlecharbinger.org\/?p=15600","title":{"rendered":"Men of Tomorrow: Superman as a Blueprint for Healthier Masculinity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Marlon Bojorge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heroes young boys admire shape the men they become. Yet too often, the way those heroes are shown or misunderstood fuels the wrong ideas about strength and masculinity. The messages behind the heroes become toxic and can proliferate toxic masculinity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Oxford Learner\u2019s Dictionaries<\/a>, toxic masculinity is defined as \u201c\u200bharmful beliefs about the way men should behave.\u201d Examples of toxic masculinity include using physical force to assert dominance, emotional suppression, hyper-independence, disrespect for women, homophobia and transphobia, entitlement, and the glorification of violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men aren\u2019t born with these behaviors; they learn them. Sometimes from fathers and men present in their lives, and other times, fictional heroes on TV. Fictional heroes who stand for more than people understand, and the media doesn\u2019t always do a good job of portraying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the glorification of the Punisher \u2014 Frank Castle. Aspects of Frank\u2019s character appeal to toxic masculinity: his extreme vigilante justice, the glamorization of violence, rejection of emotional vulnerability, and \u201cUs Vs Them\u201d mentality against crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conflicts with who Frank is supposed to be. He is a man consumed by trauma, embodying a necessary evil rather than an ideal. He was not created to be a role model, a figure of aspiration, a hero. Instead, he was meant to be a cautionary symbol of what unchecked pain and vengeance can create. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instances of this disconnect between what is trying to be said and what is understood because the way a hero is portrayed and understood matters, because to young boys, they aren\u2019t just fiction, they are aspirations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, I learned a lot about being me through superheroes. As a kid, you see heroes like Superman and Spiderman on the TV., going out of their way to be good people. You see how happy it makes them and how happy they make others, and when you\u2019re that young, you can\u2019t help but look up to it,\u201d said senior Alex Gonzalez-Lopez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where Superman stands apart. For decades, he\u2019s been shown as powerful, but also deeply moral, compassionate, and humble. The core of Superman was never his godlike power, but his willingness to help others and protect life, even when no one is watching. He is a symbol of hope, of a brighter tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, in modern culture, those qualities are overshadowed or ignored. Many fans and adaptations focus on his powers, his fights, or his godlike status, while downplaying his empathy and restraint. This can be attributed to storylines like Injustice, where Superman becomes evil, or Zack Snyder\u2019s Man of Steel<\/em>, where Superman is dark, emotionally distant in moments, and not as heroic in other interpretations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, movies have had a negative impact on heroes and how they impact young boys. Movies and shows are filled with action that young boys hyperfocus on, and lead them into the mindset that it\u2019s all about physical strength. The messages the heroes try to fundamentally impart are lost in translation. Case in point, The Punisher<\/em> TV show is where the misinterpretation of the Punisher was really proliferated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superman has become just another \u201cstrong guy who wins,\u201d instead of the role model he was meant to be. The selective portrayal of the character strips away the lessons boys could take from him. Lessons about vulnerability, kindness, and using strength to protect rather than dominate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was until James Gunn\u2019s Superman<\/em>, which was released earlier this year. It encapsulated the ideal of Superman, the fact that this godlike alien has a human heart. The film does not just show Superman\u2019s strength but also spends time on his compassion, empathy, and emotional honesty. This is evident in moments such as when he saves a squirrel, even though he didn\u2019t have to because to him, all life is precious, not just human life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the clearest examples is the scene where Superman confronts Lex Luthor. He is frustrated and visibly angry, but instead of lashing out with his powers, he lets Lex see his vulnerability. He shows Lex that his feelings are hurt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m as human as anyone [\u2026] I put one foot in front of the other, and I try to make the best choice I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human. That\u2019s my greatest strength, and someday I hope for the sake of the world you understand that it’s yours too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By allowing Superman to be openly vulnerable in front of his enemy, Gunn makes him more than a symbol of power. He becomes a man who feels deeply, chooses restraint over violence, and defines strength as the courage to show emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That last line specifically isn\u2019t a callout to just Lex Luthor but to every man watching. To understand that being human, that being vulnerable, that relying on others is a strength. It doesn\u2019t make you weaker or lesser. It makes you a better person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not much of a Superman fan, or a DC fan, but when he said those words, it just resonated with me for some reason. It made me feel more hopeful, oddly enough,\u201d said senior Joshua Kruythoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should all try to be a little more like Superman, because the world needs a bit more compassion and hope. Superman may be the man of tomorrow, but we are the people who decide if tomorrow comes, and it’s up to us to see the sunrise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Superheroes are a big part of a young boy’s life, but just what impact do they have? Discover how superhero movies like Superman are shaping masculinity in today’s world, as written by Marlon Bojorge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,15,12],"tags":[1264,2707,2708,2972,3265,3389,3901,3909,4161],"class_list":["post-15600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-entertainment","category-opinion","tag-editorial","tag-movie","tag-movie-review","tag-opinion","tag-psychology","tag-review","tag-superhero","tag-superman","tag-toxic-masculinity"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t