Superman: A U.S. Citizen No More?

Recently the Internet has been buzzing about Action Comics #900, in which Superman, the first American superhero may renounce his American citizenship. Read more here In the storyline Superman does this in a response to other countries always thinking of him as an agent of the American government, causing them to be suspicious of his actions. Many commentators have voiced their displeasure over this move by the current writers of Superman, and feel that an essential feature of the character is being taken away.

Personally I feel that as long as a good story is being told, it’s ok to mess with a fictional character’s mythology. Superman has been in constant publication since 1939, and in order to keep the character interesting and fresh, the writers need to shake things up from time to time. There has been some tremendous success in the past in taking such risks, such as The Death of Superman storyline. And there have been some tremendous failures, like when Superman becomes an energy being. Both times garnering mainstream media coverage.

I have been a fan of comics for many years, and in that time I have learned one thing. What is done one week, can easily be undone the next week. If Superman does renounce his citizen, I believe that it will not be for long before we hear of Superman announcing his pride in being an American citizen again. Until then, let’s not over analysis things and sit back and enjoy the story that the writers are creating for its readership.