There seems to be a popular opinion amongst most comic book fans when it comes to Superman. He’s often called the “Big Blue Boy Scout” by many, and one of the biggest complaints from readers and viewers is that he’s “too perfect." This makes him unrelatable and difficult to read (even though fan-favorite Wolverine is practically indestructible, and Comic-Con cosplay staple Deadpool cartoonishly more so).

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However, the Son of Krypton has proven time and time again that, when it comes down to it, his powers make him more isolated than any other hero or alien. Here are ten stories from throughout Superman’s history which best showcase the fact that, underneath the many superpowers and seemingly great life, Kal-El actually isn't all too perfect after all. (Caution: There are MAJOR spoilers here!)

10 To Save a Superman

Superman #240 (1971), written by Denny O’Neil, features a cover showing a distraught Superman. He's holding a newspaper reading “Superman Fails,” while the public behind him angrily shouts at him. The story itself isn’t so dramatic. It features a weakened Superman who arrives at a high-rise apartment fire and saves everyone inside. But he is unable to save the structure.

Soon after, he is mocked by the public, which reveals a very unusual trait in Superman: pettiness. He declares that they can save themselves from now on. The story revealed that if Superman ever showed weakness, the public quickly turns their back on him. It’s one of the first mentions of Superman failing and the public’s feelings about his weakness.

9 The Incident

In Action Comics #900, the last story of five – “The Incident,” written by David S. Goyer – proves Superman is more than “truth, justice, and the American way." For all the love Superman is given by the government, this story proves they still don’t trust him.

When Superman is called by the President’s National Security Advisor for an act of civil disobedience in Iran, he renounces his American citizenship. The story may be only nine pages and it’s not the first time Superman has disagreed with the government (see Superman #53 (1991) “Truth, Justice and the American Way”), but it’s the best!

8 The Oz Effect

Before the re-emergence of Bruce Wayne’s father in the current run of Batman, Superman had his own father-related disappointment in Action Comics #987 to 991. It was in these comics that the mysterious figure known as Mr. Oz was revealed as Kal-El’s father, Jor-El.

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This story sees a son at odds with a father who incites hate, indifference, and violence. What’s most striking is the last panel of issue #991, when Superman hears all of the violence and hopelessness around him. Most would feel hopeless, brood, or grow pessimistic, but Superman tells his wife and child he’s going “back to work,” and that’s what sets him apart from everyone else.

7 Last Son & Brainiac

In 2006’s Action Comics “Last Son,” written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, Kal-El is faced with a young Kryptonian boy. Feeling alone and wanting to be a father, Superman is all too ready to adopt the boy, although his destiny is not with Clark. This makes him reflect on his true solitude amongst people.

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In the 2008 Action Comics “Brainiac” storyline, after an epic battle with Brainiac, Kal loses his adoptive father, Jonathan, to a heart attack. This proves he can’t save everyone with his powers. But what’s most telling is the epilogue, when a mourning Clark imagines beating Brainiac to death, proving he’s just as wrathful as anyone.

6 Metropolis Mailbag

Superman & Lois Find Unanswered Letters To Superman

Superman has always been a hero for the people – particularly kids. But in 1992’s Superman #64, he begins to open his annual rush of letters asking for help. One letter he receives is from a young fan asking Superman to remove and cure his father’s terminal brain tumor.

When Superman goes to visit, he finds out the father died. The angry kid yells at Superman, telling him he’s a fake and not good for anything. Having likely received requests like this many times, Superman explains he’s not so much "super" as he is "man."

5 All-Star Superman

Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman introduced the slow death of Superman via solar radiation poisoning, engineered by Lex Luthor. Each issue shows Superman’s last adventures, from a day of sharing his power with Lois Lane to a death row interview with Lex.

In the final two issues, Lex Luthor saves himself from the electric chair with the same 24-hour serum Superman gave to Lois. Even Luthor sees a truth he and most others are not ready to truly comprehend, which alienates Supes even more.

4 For the Man Who Has Everything

This story starts with Batman, Wonder Woman, and Robin encountering an alien plant called the Black Mercy. It puts its victim in a coma, feeding off their bio-aura while it gives them a dream of what their heart most desires.

What Kal-El sees is not a married life to Lois Lane, or reviving his dead adoptive father Jonathan Kent. And it’s not reliving any tragic loss of life during his tenure as Earth’s hero. Superman dreams Krypton is still intact, his birth parents are still alive, and he is married and has a son. Before DC’s current Rebirth age, this story proved Superman ultimately felt lonely and longed to be back on his world, with his own people – regardless of all the lives he’s saved.

3 Peace on Earth

Paul Dini and Alex Ross wrote this 1998 64-page graphic novel about Superman attempting to end world hunger by taking tankers filled with food around the world to those who needed them most. Most countries are appreciative, others are wary or fearful.

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When Superman attempts to deliver the food, a warlord poisons it with a chemical weapon, leaving the food inedible. Defeated, Superman quits his mission and returns to Metropolis, to a mix of praise and condemnation. The process of first getting permission for the mission, then carrying it out, teaches him the complexities of human nature.

2 Glasses

Released as part of DC’s 2019 anthology Mysteries of Love in Space #1, writer Jeff Loveness knocks it out of the park with his story “Glasses.” Told from Lois Lane’s perspective, she explains why she loves Clark so much, and why he's so important. It hits all the right marks when it comes to showing the sacrifices – big and small – Kal-El makes... because he has to.

The narrative here appreciates not so much the Man of Steel, but more Clark Kent. Lois admiringly says even though Kent could be anyone, he chooses kindness. It may be a simple statement and concept, but it’s voluminous in terms of how one chooses to live life. If anyone asks “what’s so special about Superman?” this is the story they need to read! Touching as it is, the story says a lot about the burden Clark faces every day.

1 What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and The American Way?

Action Comics #775 points out why Superman is so important in a day and age when revenge is often mistaken for justice, and getting even is more important than being truthful and just. “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?” sees a group of superpowered anti-heroes led by Manchester Black, calling themselves The Elite, who decide to take the law into their own hands.

By the end of the story, the people of Earth see Superman supposedly kill off Black’s team. When Black shouts that Superman is no better, Superman’s reply is brilliant: anger and vengeance are easy. Superman's killing is all a ruse, but he vows that as long as villains come back to threaten the world, he’ll never stop fighting. Maybe that’s why most don’t seem to like Superman. Because despite any of the losses he experiences, he never gives up, whatever he has to do and whoever he has to hurt for the greater good.

NEXT: Superman Vs Sentry: Who Is Really Stronger?