Read This: What’s wrong with Superman and can he still be fixed in 2016?

So what’s the problem, exactly? Elbein agrees that the character got off to a very strong start, but says that Superman’s adventures became safe and formulaic during the 1940s and ’50s. When real competition came along from Marvel in the form of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four in the 1960s, Superman wasn’t ready. In comparison to those characters, who had more relatable problems, Clark Kent seemed like a relic from another age. So, DC Comics tried reboot after reboot and gimmick after gimmick, including killing the character off, having him get married, and splitting him in two. And through it all, the company has tried to cater to the whims of jaded adult readers, even though the Superman character was originally created for children. The constant reinvention of Superman has never really stopped, creating a perpetual identity crisis that has followed him through adaptations into other media, like Smallville and Man Of Steel. But the real problem may be a simple one. As Elbein puts it: “In its constant attempts to ‘fix’ Superman over the last 20 years, DC has largely forgotten to tell stories with him.” That may be a crucial mistake.