There’s a new Superman movie — well, a BATMAN-Superman movie — coming out later this month. So I decided this week to read Philip Wylie’s 1930 pulp sci-fi novel Gladiator, which comic book historians say was the inspiration and template for the Man of Steel.
The comparisons to Superman are obvious. The book’s Hugo Danner, like Clark Kent, grows up in a small town, has tremendous strength, leaps tall buildings in a single bound, and bullets bounce right off’a him.
But there’s one big difference between Superman and Hugo. Supes has a firm grip on his life purpose — to fight bad guys and cosmic disasters. Hugo, on the other hand, constantly frets about not “fitting in.” He’s plagued by fear, and his story ends tragically.
Maybe Hugo Danner’s story is more true to life than Clark Kent’s. After all, in the real world, people who aspire to live outside the box and pursue great things are often resented, shunned, or forced to join the crowd.
But why embrace Gladiator‘s message of heartbreak and personal destruction, no matter how “realistic” it seems? Give me, instead, the improbable optimism of Superman. That’s an attitude that can drive you forward to an extraordinary, rewarding life.
