History Headscratchers / Superman

**** I could see Clark refusing to let himself get too strongly into politics, though, for the same reason Batman won't let himself cross the line and kill criminals. Superman has the power to easily enforce his opinion onto the world. If he decides that any particular political cause is absolutely just and ''needs'' to happen, he can effortlessly turn it into an ultimatum. To hold onto his ideals of democracy and respecting the public will (even in cases where he totally disagrees with it, like President Luthor), he may have a self-imposed taboo on getting too strongly attached to either side of a political issue. Just like Bruce Wayne knows how easily he could become a SerialKillerKiller if he lets himself cross the line, Superman is aware of how easily his patriotism lead to a BewareTheSuperman dystopia if he lets himself get too personally involved.

**** Not really; there's a bit of a difference between 'taking revenge' (petty and personal or otherwise) and 'being a bully'. If Clark ''routinely'' went to the diner to pick on the same guy, or if he routinely went around picking on people who were weaker than him just to enjoy being able to beat them up, you'd have a point about him being a bully. It's fairly clear he's ''not'' doing this, however, but is taking the opportunity to settle a score -- which, considering the bully very seriously beat the crap out of Clark on very-flimsy-to-no-pretext-at-all the first time they met, isn't ''that'' petty -- and maybe teach this diner bully a lesson or two, which you yourself admit he had coming. Teaching a bully a lesson they won't soon forget is a valid reason to do what Clark did; revenge is perhaps a little unworthy of Superman, but then, the guy's never been a saint, and despite having superstrength Clark still leaves the bully in a ''much'' better condition than the bully left Clark in the first time they met.

**** I do believe you mean "Guy ''Claiming'' to be From The Future", since the lack of a future for Krypton and its destruction means he won't have all that much foreknowledge that couldn't be obtained by sufficiently advanced subterfuge by a native of the era.

* Okay, so Superman can fly around the world really fast to go back in time. That's plausible enough, considering who we're talking about. But ''Superman: The Movie'' doesn't show him DOING anything different. In fact, it sure looks like the only difference is that Lois's car runs out of gas at a different place. Donner's cut of ''Superman II'' takes this to further heights of ridiculousness. There is no indication that he undid anything. The tough at the bar recognizes Clark as the weakling he downed in one punch, and everyone BUT Lois seems to know something happened. [[hottip:*: If this movie is when Lois's son from Returns [[{{squick}} is conceived]][[SoYeah ...]]]]The "super-kiss" may have been weak, but the time travel simply makes no sense, let alone the lameness of repeating the exact same gimmick.