多面的钢铁之躯：回首超人75载

By Graeme McMillan 译 / 张曦

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Last Son of Krypton1）， who has been fighting crime and saving his adopted world simply because thats the way he was raised. But while Clark Kents alter ego2） has been a constant presence in comic books， movies and on television for the last seven and a half decades， he hasnt been constant in terms of characterization. Throughout his existence， Superman has changed to match the times， for better and worse.

Heres a quick guide to the many faces of the Man of Steel.

Man of the People

When Superman was first seen in Action Comics #1 in 1938， he was as his creators Joe Shuster3） and Jerry Siegel4） imagined him： An uncomplicated hero who stood up for the little man against forces of corruption and tyranny in a country emerging from the depression. The original Superman was a man of action above all， seeing no problem with fighting the authorities as well as the criminals if he believed justice wasnt being served.

He had no problem with killing， either， offing5） villains by destroying their plane in mid-flight or threatening heavies6） with having their “brains dashed out” on walls if they didnt comply. Such youthful intensity wouldnt last long， however， especially as the characters popularity started to rise up， up and away.

Man of the Free

When America went to war， it only made sense that Superman would accompany it. What worse injustice existed in the world than the march of fascism， after all， and who better to stand up against it？

Unfortunately， Supermans wartime engagements were mostly limited to patriotic covers on comic books as he exhorted readers to support the war effort， and he occasionally indulged in genuinely appalling racism while he was at it （“Superman says： YOU can slap a Jap with War Bonds and Stamps！” declared the cover of Action #58）. As World War II changed society， Superman changed with it， becoming more of a dependable authority figure than before.

Man of the Family

Post-War， America tried to get back to normal with a new cultural focus on domesticity； the phrase “nuclear family” entered everyday usage， and the Man of Steel found himself a family of his own to match.

Alongside work-wife Lois Lane， Superman gained a cousin， a pet and an entire extended family of fellow Kryptonians in the Bottle City of Kandor7）.

Man of the Moment

As the 1950s and early 1960s went on， Superman had more to do than wrestle with family duties and run of the mill criminals， of course. With superheroes mostly out of vogue， Supermans adventures occasionally wandered into the eras more popular genre， the monster movie， thanks to whatever deus ex8） monster methods happened to be available at the time.

“Red Kryptonite9）” would transform the hero into alternate versions of himself—He has the head of a lion！ He looks like an insect！ His morality has become reversed！ and so on. As the country unconsciously prepared for cultural transformations via the rise of the teenager， rock and roll and the Summer of Love10）， Superman paved the way by demonstrating how flexible personality and sense of self could be.

Man Out of Time

Once America had dealt with real-life hippies and glam rock stars， Superman—at this point， 40 years old and still a reporter for a mild-mannered metropolitan newspaper with suit， tie and hat to match—seemed more than a little out of date … And perhaps a little too powerful， too， considering he could fly in space and travel through time entirely unaided.

The only solution： A soft reboot11）， which saw Superman significantly de-powered and Clark Kent given a new job as a television news anchorman—complete with new comedy co-workers， updated wardrobe and newly laid-back attitude towards life.

Man of Means

In the mid-1980s， DC Comics12） went for broke13）. Thanks to the massively-successful Crisis on Infinite Earths14） series that allowed the publisher to relaunch most of its premiere characters， Superman got a do-over courtesy of15） John Byrne， one of the comic industrys most-popular creators at the time.

Massive swaths16） of the characters mythos were washed away， with Clark Kent going from clumsy loser to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist who romances a similarly-successful Lois Lane. Meanwhile， Lex Luthor17） schemes in the background， no longer a mad scientist but a hyper-wealthy corporate shark. It was the 1980s： Greed was good for everyone， it seemed.

Man of the Past

Such success couldnt last， of course. After the yuppie-centric 1980s reinvention， there came 1992s massively-successful Death of Superman storyline， in which Superman—by this point， engaged to Lois Lane—sacrificed himself to save Metropolis from a monster with the unsubtle name “Doomsday.”

If the storyline seemed shoddy18） and half-baked， thats because it was. It was a long-running joke amongst Superman writers that became a reality when they suddenly needed to delay Supermans wedding to Lois to accommodate the schedule of the concurrent Lois and Clark TV series. That didnt seem to impact sales， with the storyline breaking sales records and making the character more popular than hed been in years， if not decades.

The best Superman， it seemed， was a dead Superman.

Man of Emotion

Of course， Superman wouldnt stay dead for too long. He was back in Action within a year.

Having died， been reborn and eventually managed to marry Lois， Superman entered the 21st century a new man， one who was， for the first time， in touch with his feelings. So in touch was he， in fact， that watching Superman clench his fist in angst or cry one single tear quickly became the benchmark with which fans could identify the seriousness of a particular storyline.

The problem with this emotional Superman， however， was that he could be too busy feeling to actually do things. As Batman cruelly told him in the first issue of 2006s Infinite Crisis， “The last time you really inspired anyone was when you were dead.” As you might expect， writers and artists tried a course correction to fix this. Something drastic needed to be done.

Man Reborn

For the second time in its history， DC Comics wiped everything clean and started anew in 2011 following its Flashpoint series.

As part of “The New 52，” there was once again a new， younger Superman， one more closely modeled after Siegel and Shusters original social crusader.

How quickly this new Superman will come to not only conform to， but uphold and ultimately represent， the status quo19） remains to be seen—Hes certainly already on his way in such series as Superman and Justice League—but if the character retains a little bit more of an edge as a result of this rebirth， that might not be too much of a bad thing.

Man of Steel

So what makes Superman Superman， throughout all of these reinventions and restylings？ Is it the costume and the powers？ Well， in part， but even those change. Those red trunks disappeared with the 2011 reboot， for example， and his powers have constantly been in flux throughout the decades. His personality， too， has been through revisions both subtle and major， so it cant be that， either.

Instead， what makes Superman so recognizable is the underlying attitude of the character： hes the guy who believes in the good of people， and wholl never give up fighting anything and everything that threatens that optimism and utopian outlook. Superman wants the world to be a better place， and fights for that on a regular basis so that other people dont have to. What makes Superman Superman is hope； something that the latest Man of Steel trailer picks up on. Unlike other superheroes， he doesnt want to scare you， or gain your sympathy for his hard luck life. He wants you to look up. Up in the sky.

今年是氪星最后之子诞生75周年。一直以来，他打击犯罪，拯救这个收养他的世界，而这仅仅是因为他从小接受的就是这样的教育。虽然在过去的75年里，克拉克·肯特的另一个自我一直在漫画书、电影和电视中出现，但就人物性格的塑造而言，他并非是一成不变的。自他诞生到现在，无论是好是坏，他一直在随着时代的变化而改变。

下文就是介绍钢铁超人诸多侧面的快速指南。

人民的超人

1938年，超人在连环漫画杂志《动漫》的第一期中首次亮相，其形象正是他的创造者乔伊·舒斯特和杰瑞·西格尔所设想的那样：一个简单而纯粹的英雄——在大萧条肆虐后的美国为小人物挺身而出，反对腐朽和专制。最初的超人首先是个行动派，如果他认为正义没有得到伸张，他就会与当权者抗争，与罪犯斗争，并且丝毫不觉得这样做有任何问题。

他也不觉得杀戮有任何问题：炸毁坏蛋在半空飞行的飞机，杀死他们；在强盗不顺从他时，威胁让他们“脑袋开花”，脑浆溅墙。但是，这种年轻气盛的激烈做法不会维持太久，尤其是在他越来越受到大众喜爱，声名不断远扬之后。

寻求解放的超人

当美国加入到战争中，超人也唯有参战才显得合理。毕竟，世界上还有什么不公正行为能超越法西斯的横行？还有谁比超人更适合挺身而出对抗法西斯？

令人遗憾的是，超人对战争的参与也主要限于出现在漫画书的爱国封面上，督促读者支援战争。当他出现在封面上时，他还时不时地肆意表现出十分骇人的种族偏见（在第58期《动漫》杂志的封面上写着：“超人说：‘你可以用战时债券和邮票掴日本人的脸！”）。二战改变了美国社会，超人也随之发生改变，变成一个比以前更受人信赖的权威人物。

回归家庭的超人

战后，美国将新的文化关注点放在家庭生活上，试图以此回归正常的生活状态。“核心家庭”这个词进入人们的日常用语中。为了适应这一社会潮流，钢铁超人也建立了自己的家庭。

除了工作拍档兼妻子的洛伊斯·莱恩外，超人有了个堂姐，有了个宠物，还有了一个由氪星人组成的完整的大家庭，他们住在瓶中城Kandor里。

活在当下的超人

到了20世纪50年代及60年代初期，除了全力履行家庭责任和管理工厂里的罪犯外，超人当然还有更多的事要做。这一时期的超级英雄大多已经过时，幸亏当时恰巧有怪兽突围的游戏方法，这让未来超人的冒险经历偶然闯入了那个时代更为流行的一个类别——怪兽电影中。

“红氪石”能把超人变成各种不同版本的另一个他——长出了狮子头！看起来像只昆虫！道德观发生了颠覆！等等。当这个国家在不知不觉中通过青少年的崛起、摇滚乐以及“爱之夏”运动准备文化变革时，超人通过展示性格和自我意识的灵活性来为这一变革铺平道路。

不合时宜的超人

当美国社会开始与现实生活中的嬉皮士和魅力十足的摇滚歌星打交道时，超人就显得太过时了。此时的超人40岁，依然是一家温和派大都会报纸的记者，为了与职业搭调，还是身穿西装，打着领带，头戴帽子。而且，他似乎有点太强大了，想想吧，他能在完全不借助外力的情况下飞翔于太空、穿越于时空。

解决这些问题的唯一办法就是对超人进行“软重启”：超人的能量被大大削弱了，克拉克·肯特换了新工作，成为电视新闻主播，而且还有了滑稽的新同事、合乎潮流的行头和新近才有的懒散闲适的生活态度。

富有手段的超人

20世纪80年代中期，DC漫画公司孤注一掷，谋求发展。由于（其推出的）《无限地球危机》系列大获成功，出版商得以重新推出很多首推过的人物形象。承蒙当时漫画界最受欢迎的创作者之一约翰·拜尼的恩惠，超人也获得了重新被打造的机会。

关于超人神话的大量片段都被抹去了，克拉克·肯特从一个笨头笨脑的失败者变为赢得普利策奖的记者和小说家，和同样功成名就的洛伊斯·莱恩演绎了一段浪漫故事。与此同时，亚历山大·卢梭一直在背后搞鬼。他不再是个疯狂的科学家，而是一名拥有巨额资产的企业巨鳄。这就是20世纪80年代：贪婪对所有人来说似乎都是一件好事。

成为历史的超人

当然，这样的成功不会维持很久。经历了20世纪80年代以雅皮士为中心的风潮的重塑，1992年漫画杂志中《超人之死》的故事大获成功。在这个故事里，超人与洛伊斯·莱恩订了婚。他为了从一个怪物手中拯救大都会而献出了自己的生命，这个怪物有一个不加隐晦的名字——“末日”。

如果说这一故事看起来显得粗制滥造、不够成熟的话，那是因为它的确如此。在“超人”漫画书的作者中流传着一个“经久不衰”的笑话，后来变成了现实：为了配合当时同步上演的《洛伊斯与克拉克》电视系列剧的进度，“超人”漫画书的作者们需要紧急推迟洛伊斯与克拉克的婚期。但这一做法好像并没有影响漫画书的销量，新的故事打破了原来的销售记录，并且使得超人这一形象比之前数年（如果不是数十年的话）更受欢迎。

看来，最好的超人似乎是那个死去的超人。

感情丰富的超人

当然，超人不会死得太久。事实上，不到一年的时间，他就重新回到《动漫》杂志中。

死去、复活，最终迎娶洛伊斯，进入了21世纪的超人脱胎换骨，第一次开始意识到自己的感情。他这种意识太强烈了，以至于他焦虑时握紧的拳头或者落下的一滴泪已成为一种衡量标准，一看到它们，粉丝们就能分辨出某个特定故事情节的严肃度。

不过，这个感情丰富的超人的问题在于，他过于忙着去体验感情，而没有真正做点什么。就像在2006年首次发行的漫画故事《无限危机》中，蝙蝠侠残酷地对他说的那样：“你上一次真正打动人的时候是你死去的时候。”正如你可能料想到的那样，作家们和艺术家们尝试通过修正超人的方向来解决这一问题。一场激烈的变革势在必行了。

再生的超人

2011年，DC漫画公司再次将之前的故事全部抹去，在《闪点》漫画系列中开启了一个全新的故事。

作为“新52”系列的一部分，一个全新的年轻超人又诞生了，他的形象更靠近西格尔与舒斯特最初描述的社会变革者的形象。

这个新的超人能多快适应现状、维持现状，直至最终体现现状，还有待时间的检验。在《超人与正义联盟》等系列中，他的确已经开始朝着这个方向努力。但如果这个角色因为重生而保持了那么多一点锋芒的话，这也许倒不是一件坏事。

钢铁超人

经历了所有这些重新创造与风格重塑后，超人是凭借什么成为超人的呢？是凭借他的行头和能力吗？嗯，这只是部分原因，但即便是这些元素也发生了变化。比如，2011年重启后，超人穿的红裤衩不见了；几十年来，他的能力也在不断发生变化。此外，他的个性也经历了或大或小的修正，所以说个性也不是原因。

相反，超人的识别度如此之高是因为他内在的人生态度：他相信人性是善良的，要是有什么事甚或所有事威胁到了这种乐观的、乌托邦式的价值观，他就会与之斗争到底。超人希望世界变得更好，并为此不懈努力，这样其他人就无需为此奋争。超人之所以成为超人，在于他心存希望，这也是最新的《钢铁之躯》预告片中所展示的。和其他的超级英雄不同，超人不想吓着你，也不想让你怜悯他多舛的命运。他想让你向上展望，仰望苍穹。

1. Krypton [?kr?pt?n] n. 氪星，距地球27.1光年，位于南天星座乌鸦座。在超人故事中，超人出生在氪星，本名为Kal-El。氪星即将毁灭时，超人的父母将还是婴儿的他放进太空船送到了地球。他的太空船降落在美国堪萨斯州。他随后被Kent夫妇收养，改名为Clark Kent。

2. alter ego [???lt? ?eɡ?u] n. 另一个我，个性的另一面

3. Joe Shuster：乔伊·舒斯特（1914～1992），加拿大和美国籍漫画书艺术家

4. Jerry Siegel：杰瑞·西格尔（1914～1996），20世纪杰出的超级英雄创作者之一

5. off [?f， ɑf] vt.〈美俚〉杀死

6. heavy [?hevi] n.〈俚〉强盗，恶棍

7. Kandor：瓶中城，氪星的首都

8. deus ex：杀出重围，突围。该短语为拉丁文，源自“deus ex machina”，指古希腊戏剧中的解围之神，他们通过解决高难度的戏剧矛盾来获得皆大欢喜的结局。

9. Red Kryptonite：红氪石。氪石是超人故事里虚构的物质，是超人的家乡氪星爆炸后产生的碎片，也是超人和绝大多数氪星人的终极弱点。红氪石可令超人出现幻觉，也可令超人的身体发生变化。

10. Summer of Love：“爱之夏”，1967年夏天发生在美国旧金山的一场文化与政治运动，也被称为“嬉皮士革命”。

11. soft reboot：软重启，一种技术用语，对应硬重启（hard reboot）。软重启与硬重启的区别在于，软重启后机器内存里的资料不会被清除，而硬重启后机器内存里的资料会被全部清除。

12. DC Comics：请参见34页注释19。

13. go for broke：孤注一掷，破釜沉舟

14. Crisis on Infinite Earths：《无限地球危机》，DC漫画公司于20世纪80年代推出的一个全新故事，对整个DC宇宙的设定进行重新修改，消除了平行世界，将残存的来自不同世界的英雄留在唯一的宇宙。

15. courtesy of：蒙……的好意（或准许），由于……的作用

16. swath [sw??] n. 长而宽的一条

17. Lex Luthor：亚历山大·卢梭，他被引入超人漫画时是单纯的疯狂科学家的形象，后来渐渐转变为一个阴谋家。

18. shoddy [???di] adj. 劣等的，粗制滥造的

19. status quo：现状