In today’s world, it’s easy to find negativity – and it’s even easier to let it overshadow the good. With seemingly endless war, hunger, and suffering, accepting the gloomy underside of humanity as the truth is all too convenient.
However, it’s humanity’s greatest strength to find – no, be – the good in an ocean of bad. People are profoundly skilled at it – they just need encouragement from time to time.
Superman (2025) has shown to be the much-needed motivation, offering a message of hope and kindness in a somber world. Superman emphasizes the hero’s compassion and humanity, inspiring its audience to continue Superman’s mission in the most effective way it can: by being human.
The film’s message begins with the way that Superman does Superman. When a hero with the power to fly faster than the speed of sound or shoot lasers out of his eyes tries to protect the world and its inhabitants, he grapples with the immense challenge of choosing how to do it. He could recognize that saving everyone is nearly impossible, making the conscious decision to allow some to perish for the greater good. Or, he could strive to preserve every life he can, guided by his sense of compassion and unbridled kindness towards all those willing to accept it.
How fictional Superman does his job deeply impacts real-life people. In his 2025 cinematic appearance, it is clear he chooses to be driven by his inner good. From protecting a lone dog from the descending foot of a Godzilla-esque beast to holding up a skyscraper to save a woman in a stalled vehicle from certain doom, Superman demonstrates that all innocent lives are precious to him. In doing so, he encourages others to view their peers in the same light. No matter a person’s past or the mistakes they’ve made, Superman still commits to protecting them the same.
But Superman’s message extends far beyond how he acts. Indeed, Superman acknowledges that his humanity, instilled in him by his adoptive Kansan parents, is his greatest strength. No matter how strong or capable somebody is, their most valuable asset is always their humanity. The ability to sympathize and treat others with respect and kindness is a basic but invariably important characteristic shared by all people.
Superman reinforces that notion, accepting that it’s normal for people to feel scared, angry, or sad. Moving past those feelings, however, and continuing to give others one’s best self is what makes people truly human.
In short, Superman not only highlights the hero’s humanity as his greatest power but also suggests that humanity is, necessarily, any hero’s best strength. Superman shows that it doesn’t take supersonic flight or ice breath to be a hero. Instead, all it takes is to embrace the inherent humanity in everyone.
