Superman Was Originally Way Scarier Than Batman
Just like Batman, Superman famously never kills his enemies – but unfortunately for criminals, he never had that rule in the Golden Age…
You Are Reading :Superman Was Originally Way Scarier Than Batman
While Superman is known as a shining beacon of hope and optimism today, the Golden Age version of the character was even scarier than Batman. The Man of Steel is best-known for always maintaining a friendly and even-tempered demeanor, even while fighting supervillains like Lex Luthor and capturing criminals. While he has emotions and can become angry like everyone else, he never lets his rage get the better of him – but in Action Comics #2 published in 1938, Superman is clearly not above threatening lives with incredible acts of violence.
Action Comics is the premiere Superman title, and while it started as an anthology series (Superman was simply the cover feature), he quickly began to dominate the book to the point where Action Comics became synonymous with Superman and superheroes in general. The Golden Age Superman was quite different from his modern-day counterpart. He couldn’t fly (though he could leap incredibly distances), and while his strength was impressive, he couldn’t lift buildings, let alone mountains or planets. The Superman of old instead spent his time fighting organized crime.
Continuing from the first issue, Superman persuades an informant to divulge the name of a man selling munitions: Emil Norvell. He also mentions his address, and Superman confronts the arms dealer. When he arrives, three of Norvell’s men immediately open fire on Superman with machine guns, but the bullets harmlessly bounce off his bulletproof skin. “Good heavens! He won’t die!” says one, to which Superman responds “Glad I can’t say the same for you!” After Superman dispatches the goons, he turns to Emil, demonstrating his strength by crushing an iron bar in his hands. “That bar could just as easily be your neck!”
Later, Superman directs Emil to a harbor in the city and points out a steamer docked to the pier. If Emil isn’t onboard when it departs, Superman threatens to “…tear out your cruel heart with my bare hands!” This is frankly shocking to hear from Superman now, but not so much back then; Superman in the Golden Age of Comics was written as a working man’s hero, a superhero who stood up against corrupt bosses, leaders who took bribes or otherwise deliberately turned a blind eye to crime, and anyone else who took advantage of the hardworking lower class. America was just emerging from the Great Depression, and people responded well to a hero who couldn’t be bought, bargained with, or easily dispatched.
Superman would eventually lighten his tone when talking with criminals, but these scare tactics are more emblematic of Batman – with one exception. Criminals in modern continuity know about Batman’s rules and understand that he won’t kill his foes, but in 1938, they had no knowledge about any hero’s habits at all. Superman is considered a big Blue Boy Scout today, but in some instances, he was more threatening than Batman.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/superman-scarier-batman-action-comics-golden-age/