My name? My name is unimportant. I'm not what this is about. I've lived in this City my whole life, from the day I was born my home has been somewhere in Metropolis. It's a nice place to live. The weather is good (most of the time.) the people are friendly (more or less). Best city in America, heck! Best in the world! Darn proud of it too!

Sure we get a lot of Super Villain attacks, everywhere does now a days, but Metropolis? Metropolis gets the worst. Not the sickest or the most evil thank goodness, that's Gothams burden to bear. No what we get is the most powerful. We get Doomsday when other cities get Two Face or Captain Boomerang. Speaking of Doomsday, you know that guy almost killed me? True story! It was the first time he attacked the city and he threw a car through my building. Was buried for hours before I was dug out, limp in my leg never really did go away. But that's not what I judge as important from that day. No one in the world remembers anything about that date but remembering their reaction to the news that Superman was dead.

I'll tell you something, bars and what not made a bleedin' killing those few days after. It takes a lot to put the entire world into mourning, but it was us who took it the worst.

'Cause we did. You ever heard anyone talk for more then three minutes about Metropolis and not mention the greatest hero in the world? Don't even think about it, you haven't. Superman? The guy's modest to the point that he'd deny it, but he's the most important person on Earth.

Think about it. Nearly every superhero we got would follow him without question. He leads the Justice League! The frigging JUSTICE LEAGUE does what he says! Put against that, the fact that he's the guy who could dismantle the entire military with his bare hands. Hell, I'll ask you this. How many times have you seen news reports saying people are losing faith in the government? Yeah, how about how many times we no longer believe in Superman? That's what I thought.

I heard talk that the UN is talking about making him Earths ambassador. You know, the guy who meets with the few aliens who come in peace for a change. Only thing stopping them is the fact he isn't an earthling.

Bull. Crap.

Not an Earthling? It doesn't matter what the hell the place of birth on his drivers licence is! He's one of us. Heck there wouldn't be an "us" left without him. How many hundreds of times over has he saved the world? There's no way we can do anything other then agree that Superman is a person of Earth, even if he isn't human.

See, I met a guy, a tourist, he was from some tiny town miles away from anywhere with a superhero in it. And he asked me why anyone's favourite hero is Superman? According to him, the costume isn't as interesting, his powers are not that unique, and there are "cooler" heroes out there.

Damn kids.

There is so much wrong with that I laughed in his face. See the fact is that Superman doesn't need to fly like a plane and hit like a tank to be a hero. I bet you everything I have that if he had no powers then he would have been like the Green Arrow and become a hero anyway. Because Superman isn't "Flying brick man" a boring figure who bursts through a wall. Hits the bad guy once and leaves. No.

He's Superman.

He flies in, finds a way to cause the least amount of damage and the shortest possible fight time, and afterwards? He stays and he helps. With a smile on his face he makes the people in the area feel safe and reassured the danger is over. He fixes anything damaged and talks to the people effected. You ever see Batman spend a good hour playing catch with the little boy he saved from a fire? You ever see Green arrow talk for a long time with the little old lady he saved from being mugged?

The problem with everyone these days is they focus too much on the wrong part of his name. The fact he is "Super" and ignore the more important part, he's a "man" a great man whose very presence makes you feel safe. He shows up? Everyone in danger relaxes. Everyone knows that they're going to be fine because Superman isn't going to let anyone die.

You know that old saying? I always had a different ending for the words used so often they've almost become a joke.

But I can remember the first time someone said that. Decades ago, the news showed shaky footage of a man in blue sailing through the air after saving loads of people. And there was one voice in the back talking who instantly created what has gone down in history:

Look up in the sky!

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

No.

It's hope.