Any analysis of Superman and Captain America should involve two main points.
1) They are every bit the caricature of honest goodness that they are said to be.
AndĀ
2) BEING a a caricature of honest goodness means not just fighting obvious villainy, but raging against institutional injustice, even when it comes fromĀ āLegitimateā sources.Ā
There is a difference, however.
The Kentās raised Clark with a strong moral compass, but also good sense. Heās very aware that, as Superman, anything he does comes with a tinge of Threat. Heās keenly aware that with the power he wields, the only way he can continue to operate is by appearing completely nonthreatening to the status quo. Unless he is preventing immediate, obvious harm, he has to be very careful with his intervention. Heāll see a city councilman skimming funds from schools, a factory illegally disposing of waste, or Cops inflating their quotas with bogus charges, and heāll be outraged. But, Superman canāt do anything about those things. If he intervenes, people wonāt see Superman protecting civilians from police abuse, theyāll see Superman Threatening A Cop. If Superman expresses any opinions besides the most milquetoastĀ āBe Kind To One Anotherā stuff, it gets spun intoĀ āScary Indestructible Alien Man Wants To Take Over The Worldā.
So, Superman takes all that rage, every injustice and abuse he sees, and those that he cannot solve as Superman, he gives to Clark Kent.Ā
And behind theĀ āAw Shucksā Kansas Farmboy affect, Clark Kent is RUTHLESS. He will pick apart your life and nail you sins the sky for all to see.Ā
Like, everybody knows about Lois Lane, and sheās objectively the better journalist, but people always underestimate Clark. Those that remember anything about him usually think of him as harmless, the guy who comes to collect the statements your media people prepared, so youāre caught off-guard when the fangs come out. A Clark Kent interview goes like this:
First Question: Hello Police Chief Smith. So, how did you get involved in law enforcement?
Second Question:Ā What are the key values that drive your police department?Ā
Third Question: On September 14th, you called your officers together and told them to, and I quoteĀ ā Pull over every [racial slur] you can find out there. If they let you search, say you smell weed and bring them in. If they donāt, bringĀ āem in for refusing to cooperate. Just get those [expletive deleted] in cuffs and paying fines, or else start looking for a new jobā. Would you say this policy of deliberately targeting racial minorities is in line with the values you described earlier?āĀ
And Clark Kent doesnāt stop after he gets his headline. It might end up on Page 3, but heāll keep the story going until your career is torn to shreds and staked outside as a warning to others.Ā
And then itās back to human-interest stories and the feel-good beat until he selects his next target.Ā
Superman is forced to overlook things, but he IS looking, and he wonāt forget, and just because heās not throwing you into the sun, doesnāt mean he intends to spare you.Ā
Steve Rogers on the other hand will interrupt an interview to kick the shit out of a crooked real estate developer for driving people out of their homes. When arrested heāll sayĀ āIām sorry, how about we just chalk up the next time I save the world as community serviceā.Ā