Chapter Text
Super Hero or Super Menace?
a deeper look into National City's own super,
by Cat Grant
We all know, and presumably have our own opinions on the legendary Caped Crusader of Metropolis and his band of merry misfits. Whether you love them or hate them, trust them or watch indifferent from a distance, we've all accepted their help in times of crisis, when destruction rains down we happily call on the demi-gods to handle it. For all of us, or at least most of us, the sight of a red cape and a charming 'S' is a comfort, a hopeful beckoning towards a brighter tomorrow. We know Superman as a helper, a friend to all, someone who uses his powers for good, and who never in his long career of crime fighting, has ever taken the life of those criminals he so gallantly stops. Not even when they might deserve it, not even when the death of the enemy might be the safer path. Life, above all else, or some such drivel. We all comfort ourselves that while these Heroes might hold the power of gods, they would never use it against us, that they at least held themselves to a higher standard of behavior.
When Supergirl emerged, I myself can admit to a certain level of giddy excitement. Our own hero, our own Super; and a girl no less. It seemed almost too good to be true. Normally I would hold myself above such foolish hopes, but in a society where I, as many of you, have been trained to see that red 'S' as a symbol of hope and comfort, how could I be blamed for a little foolhardiness? After all I named her, I backed her, I held her aloft as National City's answer to Metropolis's famous Golden Boy. I now find myself questioning all assumptions, and hesitating to put my trust in the Girl of Steel.
After my fateful interview with Supergirl on the roof of one of National's finest skyscrapers, I reluctantly had to admit myself impressed. Supergirl was canny, confident and capable. She had proved herself at every turn. She pulled planes out of the sky, put out fires, hell she even rescued kittens from trees. She had proved herself just as trustworthy and infallible as her famous counterpart. This was until at my own Company event, the Catco Worldwide Spring Gala, none other than Superman's long-time enemy Reactron crashed the party.
Many of us will remember the legendary fight last year when Reactron, a normal human with a penchant for fancy suits, put Superman on the ropes. We all watched with bated breath as the Man of Steel barely scraped a victory on the outskirts of Metropolis. Shock, fear, outrage, these are all normal feelings to fave when our unstoppable hero proves...stoppable, after all we have trusted him with our very lives. But victory was had, and Reactron was, seemingly, defeated, until the fateful night of the Gala when he showed up demanding to see Supergirl. No doubt intending to use her against his long-time enemy as some nefarious means of revenge, he most likely suspected what we have all suspected; that Supergirl was less than Superman. Less capable, less indestructible, weaker in some way. How very wrong we were.
The battle cleared the courtyard outside the venue as Supergirl, seemingly trying to preserve the building and minimize property damage, drove Reactron outside. Her arrival while timely, did nothing to deter the villain from his no doubt murderous motives. Now, I was there in Metropolis on the day Reactron fought Superman. I watched as they duked it out just beyond the city bounds, as Reactron seemingly laid The Man of Steel out to dry. I had assumed, as many had assumed, that Superman was trying his best. That he was doing all he could to put a stop to this latest danger to the innocent people he defends on a regular basis. But as I watched Supergirl face this same opponent, I found myself questioning those assumptions.
While Reactron's hits were no less devastating, they happened less often. Unlike Superman's oafish way of throwing his weight around, using his obviously superior strength, stamina and powers to his advantage, Supergirl moved with intelligence, timing, and finesse. She baited and retreated, taunted and drew him further away from the Gala's guests. She was tactful, mindful of her surroundings and I was again reminded of her counterpart and his tendency to crash into buildings. The damage caused by Superman's battles is devastating to say the least. General Zod's attack stands out, but while it was the first, it was far from the last of Superman's battles that nearly leveled cities, and caused civilian casualties in the hundreds.
Like many of you, I forgave Superman for these things, tallied them as casualties of war, not his fault. After all, if he hadn't been there we, none of us, would have survived. While the damage was bad, it could have been far worse. But as I watched Supergirl manipulate this, one of Superman's greatest villains, so easily, to casually, I considered for the first time the carelessness of Superman. The immaturity, and lack of skill in his method of crime fighting. Yes, he is a god among men, but here for the first time I witnessed Superman's powers being handled with skill and poise.
There was no civilian casualty, injury was minimal, property damage negligible. How very like a woman to be mindful of the mess, wouldn't you say? She led Reactron like a mouse on a string, and with utmost control and brutality, she squashed him. I'm not sure I'll ever get rid of that image. A death so violent and sudden it still haunts me. One moment he was there, throwing insults and taunts like the best of them, and the next he was collapsing in on himself, like a bag of bones. Supergirl took the body away, leaving only the shattered windows and damaged ballroom floor to suggest any kind of disturbance had occurred at all.
Was Reactron a villain? Absolutely. He was a dangerous, psychopathic murderer who has and would surely have continued to take innocent lives. But did he deserve death? Without a trial, without the rights that our country's constitution guarantees him? I'm not sure. I think it's easy for us, for me, to forget that Superman and Supergirl are...not human's with extraordinary gifts. They're not an extension of our government, our police force or military. They are vigilantes from another world, accountable to no one but themselves, and capable of taking our lives in a second. With Superman we trusted his morality, and suffered his recklessness, but with Supergirl we are at the mercy of her judgement. It's not for me to say who deserves to live or die, though I may think some are more deserving than others, I don't have the power to take that life away. I don't have the power to take life as I see fit. Supergirl does. Whether we like it or not, she does, and perhaps we'll benefit from her help. Or perhaps we'll be the next to suffer her devastating final judgment.
This has been Cat Grant, with Catco Worldwide Media, bringing you the Truth, because you deserve it.