Just to stir the pot a bit, and get back on-topic, Fleischer engaged in some disturbing Freudian analysis of Superman in his The Great Superman Book. He suggested a lot of who Superman is stems from his Oedipal attachment to his mother Lara. Like most children, he wished his father dead so he could marry his mother. The horrible thing is, Kal-El got his wish, only he also lost Lara and his entire world. In a child's mind, he subconsciously believes his wishes affect reality and he now fears his wishes and their consequences.
It IS true that Lara does look a lot like Lois Lane, which actually may be unintentional and say more about the intriguing mentality of the artists and animators.
It is true that men marry women who are like their mothers. Perhaps that accounts for Superman's interest in Lana Lang; she is an honest, folksy product of middle America just like his Earth-Mother, Mrs. Kent.
Although I've never seen any sign of Superman having anything resembling a degree of resentment toward his father. If anything, he idolizes and idealizes him, along with his mother, for their sacrifice to save his life.
Superman as an orphan, probably has all sorts of hang-ups psychologically. He has, however, a titanic strength of will and purpose so that he overcomes them to the point where they never even manifest except as unavoidable, crushing loneliness. I would say Superman's loneliness is the strongest part of his character, emotionally, which makes him sympathetic; the LIFE OF CLARK KENT backup stories wouldn't work without it, and conjures up incredible poignancy with moments like seeing Superman and Supergirl keep Kryptonian holidays despite the fact their world no longer exists.
That said, Superman's love life must be very frustrating, because as he is a fundamentally lonely person he must have an incredible desire to connect with others, and one that because of his duties as Superman can never truly be met. In this context, his Fortress of Solitude room with details and objects from Lois Lane makes more sense.
Here's a question: around the Daily Planet Office, is it a known fact that Clark Kent is an orphan?
The truth is Lara is an also ran in the Superman mythos. There is a tremendous fascination with Jor-El...it's always his inventions that come crashing to Earth, his journals, etc. He invented the Phantom Zone, for example; the projector is a physical reminder of Jor that Kal handles often, and Jor's role as jailer motivates the villains in their schemes against Kal. Mon-El's origin is tied to Jor-El, that Kandorian scientist (Nam-Uk? Can't remember) is "an old friend of Jor-El." Kara is related to Kal through Jor-El's side of the family. In short, Jor-El casts a very long shaodow over Kal's life and Lara, in contrast, is a fairly undeveloped character whose role seems to fit the 50s mold of "dutiful housewife." Later attempts to flesh her out as an astronaut did little to fix this.
Well put.
I can think of one exception to this rule, however: the Superman movie, where it is Lara, not the sleepwalking, tipsy Marlon Brando, that carries the full emotion and tears of that particular scene. It was she who got all the poignant lines and was able to express true emotional tenderness.
Anyway, Kal was two when he left Krypton. Can a two-year-old have an Oedipus Complex? (I hope not...I'll have to keep a closer eye on my son!)
Just as long as you stay away from those creepy robot kids. Those guys suck!
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