The New Frontier - Exploring the Movie Further

Exploring Further

In the Man of Steel, Clark Kent is unsure of who he is because he doesn't know his true origin. He has some pieces to the puzzle, but the missing pieces keep him from stepping into his true identity.

As a young boy, Clark learns he has special abilities, and none of them make sense until his adoptive dad reveals a secret. Clark is really from space. He's not an "earthling" at all. Somewhere he has a different set of parents and a different name. But that only brings more questions than answers. What his adoptive dad tells him next is what truly grounds Clark amidst the unknowns. He believes Clark has a greater purpose and teaches him compassion, selflessness, and meekness (power under control). These shape Clark's view of the world, and in a sense, who he is SUPPOSED to be, but it only gives him some clarity.

From his adoptive dad's example, Clark decides to use his special abilities to discretely help people, but a part of him never settles. He knows he has a greater purpose, but he's not sure what that looks like. Too many questions remain unanswered to have a clear picture of who he truly is. So, he goes searching for his true origins.

In the icy north, Clark's search leads him to a spaceship where he encounters his biological father, Jor-El, who explains Clark's true origins and name. Clark or Kal-El is actually from Krypton, a planet destroyed by the ruling class's greed and pride. Seeing the coming disaster, Jor-El sent Kal (Clark) to Earth, not to revive the Kryptonian line, but instead to be a beacon of hope and help to the people of earth. With his special abilities, Clark can be a hero that protects them and shows them a better way. That is where he comes from and why his father sent him to earth.

Learning his true origins puts his life into perspective and brings further clarity. His adoptive dad pointed him in the right direction, and his biological father gave him the rest of the origin pieces he needed to step into his true identity. He is the compassionate, meek Clark Kent AND the powerful, purposeful Kal-El; together they help Clark step into his true identity, the Man of Steel or SUPERMAN.

But that's not all, notice one more thing. Clark needed to do MORE than just KNOW his origin to step into his true identity. He also had to TRUST! First, he had to trust that both his adoptive and biological fathers had his best intentions at heart, and second, that they spoke the truth about Clark's origin. If Clark chose to reject either's intentions or stories, he would not have learned HOW to use his special abilities well. He would have wandered through life, where he was a pretty good person, but not truly who he was meant to be!

He would never have lived as or become the Man of Steel we know and love! Thankfully, he does trust, and from his true identity, Clark goes on to save the people of earth, even at the cost of a chance to revive his people.

We are no different. Our story is all about trust. Yes, we must know where we come from to know who we are, but it only matters IF we trust our Creator's story-that we are created by the hands and from the heart of a good God to be little images of himself on this earth. Knowing our true origin can help us live from our true identity, but ONLY if we trust that it is true. Like Superman, our choice will define the life we live and who we become.

Further Discussion:

After reading this, what other parallels do you see between humanity's/your story and Superman's? Do you see some of the other ideas from the "Truth of the Month" video in the movie? Discuss them together.