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PMP#203: What Superman?

August 19, 2025 by Mark

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In light of the new James Gunn film Superman, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the character, his stories, and past films and shows.

Did Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) miss the point? Are the Richard Donner films (chiefly 1978’s Superman: The Movie) as good as nostalgia would have us recall them? How does one write a convincing plot centered around a flawless, basically all-powerful hero? How should the Lex Luthor character fit in?

Given that he’s the ur-superhero with a direct line to philosophy via Nietzsche’s Ubermensch, we should have some thoughts about the appeal of such a character.

Here’s an article about the redesign of Lex Luthor as Trump in the ’80s.

Follow us @law_writes, @sarahlynbruck, @MarkLinsenmayer. Al has no social media in his supervillain lair.

Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial pledge, or you can sign up directly with Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark’s podcasts together on the Mark Lintertainment Podcasts Channel.

Filed Under: Film, Superhero Tagged With: film podcast, pop culture podcast

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Pretty Much Pop brings together philosophers, artists, comedians, and other smart folks to talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.

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