MovieChat Forums > Superman II (1981) Discussion > The diner scene is extremely problematic...

The diner scene is extremely problematic

posted 5 years ago by TMC-4 (20279)
2 replies | jump to latest

It just makes it seem like Superman is so pitiful without his powers that he can't beat up a grouchy redneck in a diner. It just showed that he's nothing without the powers. In essence, as a character he's either feast or famine, either impervious or helpless. This is also why the whole the Kryptonite aspect is so problematic. Think about it this way, the whole idea of Superman vs. Batman is silly when you really think about it. It's either Bruce Wayne has Kryptonite and owns him hard or he doesn't and Superman would stomp him without breaking a sweat.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7801) 5 years ago

Yeah. But every character has to have a weakness. Of course except for Superman 3 Kryptonite never ended up getting used again in the Reeve movies. It could've been a plot point in Superman 2 that Luthor still had a bit of Kryptonite that he had kept with Miss Tessmocker to use on Superman after escaping. Then he uses it on Zod and his lackeys when Zod threatens to kill him at the end. Then Superman would've had the advantage in the fight.

[–] Costumer (1829) 5 years ago

I would disagree. With the powers Superman possess, learning fighting skills might be considered redundant. Would you use boxing to stave off a toddler? The differential in strength and resilience between Superman and a normal human is likely more than a thousand times the differential between an adult and a toddler.

He also has no experience with pain. The very shock of the first punch could paralyze him.