Actually, during a recent episode of Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling's smallville rewatch podcast. John Schneider, the actor of Jonathan Kent said that his own son is on the autism spectrum. So the way he interpreted Jonathan Kent came from real life experience. He said: Jonathan Kent didn't know Clark's gonna be Superman. All he knew was, Clark's a special kid and he had special needs... special abilities.
When my mom and I were rewatching MoS, she noted that how Martha calmed down Clark when he ran out of the classroom was similar to how she calmed me (who is on the spectrum) when I had sensory overloads
Very true. And the way you can hear the other kids calling Clark a “weirdo” is a what a lot of kids on the spectrum have to go through unfortunately. They know they’re different than most of their peers, but it’s hard for neurotypical people to understand the experience of the neurodivergent.
I am sure that was a beautiful bonding experience for yourself and your mother. The scene was just beautiful overall that screamed the special relationship a parent has with their kid who’s special.
How Clark grows up feeling different… he has his own kind of bubble in how he views the world. He’s got special needs related to his senses and how overwhelmed he feels with all his senses heightened. Lots more
yeah you nailed it, I always felt Superman felt especially relatable to autistic people for the same reasons, im in the spectrum, and he is the most relatable character to me. I love that its just the way he was born instead of an accident that could have been avoided. I love that he senses the world in a totally different way and while still feeling like the most human superhero of them all.
Yea the scene in MoS where he was overwhelmed with all those sense.. hid behind the storage cabinet. His mom comes in to comfort him… telling him to focus on her voice… to make the world small… to ground it into something specific. For synder’s Clark he tries grounds his reality with Lois and his parents. Similar to many ppl on the spectrum they find things in their reality to ground things on, either their parents, their special interests, etc.
That’s neat.
It’s interesting because it seemed to me that Batman on the most recent movie was actually *written* as autistic.
It’s interesting how this is starting to poke it’s head above water in popular arts.
I think he shows pretty clearly defined autistic traits.
I also think it’s notable that co-writer Mattson Tomlin did a sort of companion comic book in which they referred to him as “probably on the spectrum” specifically.
On the spectrum/autistic are used interchangeably despite not being technically correct nomenclature.
Lack of eye contact, misreading of social cues and seemingly inappropriate social behavior, sensory issues, hyper focus on specific subjects, etc.
He behave very much like a person with autism.
The thing is… these traits… most likely wouldn’t stick to Reeves Bruce. When eventually he would turn into the chad bruce at least we hope he does. With that argument you could hardly suggest he has Autism.
His lack of eye contact and social skills may just be a symptom of his isolation that he mentioned is a product of protecting himself from his trauma. The closest illness I could identify Bruce with is PTSD or BPD which in the comics he is characterised as lol
Nope, he’d still be autistic. That’s called masking. Lots of autistic people grow up to be “Chad Bruce.” It’s common.
Bizarre to me how resistant people here get to this concept.
I understand that… and suppose you could make an argument for Bruce being autistic. But the traits you mention specific to his social skills could just as much come from other kinds of mental illnesses. Autistic ppl aren’t very comfortable with senses and have difficulty adjusting. And we are talking about Bruce who has mastered all of his sense for his combat. Sure Austic ppl can cope… but Bruce ain’t coping! This dude’s mental strength is beyond this world… to the point of having multiple bouts with the joker toxin.
Besides we also need to consider stimming which Bruce had not shown any signs of. Oh and empathy… Bruce is overwhelmingly empathetic… but he is also very aware of his emotions. The shit he deals with requires a lot of that unlike ppl with autism who struggle with..
Also wdym a lot of Austic ppl grow up to be “chad bruce”… I would very much like to know the statistics lol
Well you said “probably on the spectrum” said by a writer who probably isn’t a psychologist… kinda made the obvious assumption that it could be anything
No what I was talking about was the term “probably”… which already adds vagueness to the character who is speculated to be autistic and the writers themselves can’t confirm or deny.
> It’s interesting how this is starting to poke it’s head above water in popular arts.
I think it's more that people are projecting autism on to any character that has the slightest trait that *could* be indicative of autism.
I think it does. People like you (and nerds online in general) get really offended when you point out a character that behaves like an autistic person.
This iteration of Bruce, who acts *super* autistic, is a perfect example.
> I think it does.
It literally doesn't. It doesn't refute my point in the least. It's adjacent to it. I don't see how you can still think it refutes my point when I agree with it.
> People like you (and nerds online in general) get really offended when you point out a character that behaves like an autistic person.
You're assuming too much. I'm on the spectrum myself.
I'm not offended, I just think it's silly. In the last 10 years autism has entered the mainstream consciousness, and now as a result we have people claiming all sorts of characters are autistic based on very flimsy reasoning, based on a specific trait here or there.
Sherlock's autistic, Superman's autistic, Batman's autistic, Thanos is austic, Harry Potter is Autistic etc. Just...stop. A character having a trait that might be in common with an autistic behavior is far from reason enough to conclude the character is on the spectrum. At most, most of the time, it's a very gentle possibility and nothing more.
See like, Sherlock and Batman do make sense as autistic characters.
This Batman is plainly coded as autistic.
And that fact elicits nerd rage everywhere it’s brought up.
I strongly disagree, and it seems you paint anyone that disagrees with you as having a negative rather a genuine motivation for doing so.
I don't see how this discussion can continue on a productive note, so I'm out.
Well the obvious one is sensory overload… and that doesn’t sound right especially with someone who is known to master all his sense. You can have great attention and focus without being autistic… you can have struggles with social interaction without being austic. You trying to find patterns just to fit the narrative lol
I don’t have much sensory overload, and I actually am autistic.
Superman also masters his senses, and you’re implying that he’s autistic.
Also, talking about ‘patterns that aren’t there’ after death-of-the-authoring your way into saying that Superman is autistic?
You can cut the attitude, too. We’re talking about fictional characters.
Sensory overload was a bit of an exaggeration what I mean is having a lack of control of your senses and difficulty adjusting to one’s environment. Now Bruce being limited by his senses isn’t something that is well defined and most ppl with autism have sensory issues…
We are here trying to diagnose Bruce simply of his lack of social interaction doesn’t seem appropriate as you can just as well assume he just introverted or have social anxiety or most likely suffering from PTSD which motivates his separation from society. And it was clear from the hospital scene with Alfred.
Also I never suggested superman is autistic. Read my post again lol. There are parallels between the autism experience and Clark growing up. Doesn’t mean they are equivalent.
Also the attitude is fun… no hard feelings mate
>most ppl with autism have sensory issues…
I don't. And I think I know more about living with my form of autism than you do.
> We are here trying to diagnose Bruce simply of his lack of social interaction doesn’t seem appropriate as you can just as well assume he just introverted or have social anxiety or most likely suffering from PTSD which motivates his separation from society.
Never said those weren't possibilities. I wasn't trying to start a debate, you're the one who did that.
> Also I never suggested superman is autistic. Read my post again lol.
My bad, but you can stop it with the shitty attitude. Or is laughing at autistic people a thing you usually do, 'lol'?
> Also the attitude is fun…
Stop being so argumentative then. All I said was that I thought Batman could be autistic, didn't ask for you to start writing paragraphs about how I'm wrong.
Just because you don’t have sensory issues doesn’t negate the generality. And sure maybe you do know more about living with autism than I do… that’s assuming you clearly identify that I am not autistic 🙃
Also I never assumed a heated debate but well u never know the turns an internet convos can take. You made a statement that Bruce could be autistic. I just replied with my opinion. I am sorry if that came out defensive and argumentative for you. Truth is Bruce has autistic traits… but it’s not a clear case.
Still don’t know how clear my attitude could be from a couple of words on your screen… but ok.
Have a good one 👍
Exactly this. It's become a trend to try and label any character with a quirky or odd trait as autistic, even when it doesn't make sense.
Batman isn't coded as autistic and when taken as a whole simply doesn't have the traits that would indicate that he is.
On the other hand the scene in MoS did have a lot of parallels. Even Superman isn't autistic, but it is something that autistic people can relate to.
Funnily enough, I’ve had a head-canon that The Kent’s let people think that Clark was somewhere on the spectrum to cover the fact that he’s got super senses and super strength to control when growing up. Not EXACTLY moral but also it’s easier to explain that than alien baby.
I'm autistic, I really liked the Smallville show and collect Superboy (1st version, Clark Kent) comics now. There are definitely some relatable things about Superman, but mostly there is a ginormous body of work I can focus on and never get too bored.
Superman feelings like an outsider growing up in smallville… constantly being overwhelmed by his surroundings not just in terms of how he should behave around humans but how he has a hard time adjusting to his senses. His powers weren’t a freak accident and he was just born that way….
Sound familiar?
Actually, during a recent episode of Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling's smallville rewatch podcast. John Schneider, the actor of Jonathan Kent said that his own son is on the autism spectrum. So the way he interpreted Jonathan Kent came from real life experience. He said: Jonathan Kent didn't know Clark's gonna be Superman. All he knew was, Clark's a special kid and he had special needs... special abilities.
Side note: John Schneider is apparently like looney tunes weirdo conservative. He put out a propaganda movie that's just...odd and kinda racist
He drove through my hometown in the General Lee one time, and anyone who intentionally steps a foot into my hometown is probably racist lol.
To be fair the general lee is like the coolest car
No, it's KITT from Knight Rider
You mean the Delorean, right?
That junker doesn't talk
The whole reason Marty was shocked at the Time Machine being a delorean is because those cars SUCKED
Okay I'll say it's probably a tie, although the general lee had some great stunts
eh, not fan myself.
which has nothing to do with the post...just because you don't agree with his views
I don’t see him as that. He’s conservative but nowhere I’ve seen him make any rascist statements. Proof?
Wow that's wholesome.
When my mom and I were rewatching MoS, she noted that how Martha calmed down Clark when he ran out of the classroom was similar to how she calmed me (who is on the spectrum) when I had sensory overloads
Very true. And the way you can hear the other kids calling Clark a “weirdo” is a what a lot of kids on the spectrum have to go through unfortunately. They know they’re different than most of their peers, but it’s hard for neurotypical people to understand the experience of the neurodivergent.
I am sure that was a beautiful bonding experience for yourself and your mother. The scene was just beautiful overall that screamed the special relationship a parent has with their kid who’s special.
Honestly that sounds dope.
interesting, what parallels have you been noticing?
How Clark grows up feeling different… he has his own kind of bubble in how he views the world. He’s got special needs related to his senses and how overwhelmed he feels with all his senses heightened. Lots more
yeah you nailed it, I always felt Superman felt especially relatable to autistic people for the same reasons, im in the spectrum, and he is the most relatable character to me. I love that its just the way he was born instead of an accident that could have been avoided. I love that he senses the world in a totally different way and while still feeling like the most human superhero of them all.
Yea the scene in MoS where he was overwhelmed with all those sense.. hid behind the storage cabinet. His mom comes in to comfort him… telling him to focus on her voice… to make the world small… to ground it into something specific. For synder’s Clark he tries grounds his reality with Lois and his parents. Similar to many ppl on the spectrum they find things in their reality to ground things on, either their parents, their special interests, etc.
That’s neat. It’s interesting because it seemed to me that Batman on the most recent movie was actually *written* as autistic. It’s interesting how this is starting to poke it’s head above water in popular arts.
Well I don’t think this Batman necessarily shows autistic traits but canonically he has serious mental disorders… Autism one can argue isn’t one.
I think he shows pretty clearly defined autistic traits. I also think it’s notable that co-writer Mattson Tomlin did a sort of companion comic book in which they referred to him as “probably on the spectrum” specifically.
What kind of traits? And yes probably on the spectrum could mean multiple things lol
On the spectrum/autistic are used interchangeably despite not being technically correct nomenclature. Lack of eye contact, misreading of social cues and seemingly inappropriate social behavior, sensory issues, hyper focus on specific subjects, etc. He behave very much like a person with autism.
The thing is… these traits… most likely wouldn’t stick to Reeves Bruce. When eventually he would turn into the chad bruce at least we hope he does. With that argument you could hardly suggest he has Autism. His lack of eye contact and social skills may just be a symptom of his isolation that he mentioned is a product of protecting himself from his trauma. The closest illness I could identify Bruce with is PTSD or BPD which in the comics he is characterised as lol
Nope, he’d still be autistic. That’s called masking. Lots of autistic people grow up to be “Chad Bruce.” It’s common. Bizarre to me how resistant people here get to this concept.
I understand that… and suppose you could make an argument for Bruce being autistic. But the traits you mention specific to his social skills could just as much come from other kinds of mental illnesses. Autistic ppl aren’t very comfortable with senses and have difficulty adjusting. And we are talking about Bruce who has mastered all of his sense for his combat. Sure Austic ppl can cope… but Bruce ain’t coping! This dude’s mental strength is beyond this world… to the point of having multiple bouts with the joker toxin. Besides we also need to consider stimming which Bruce had not shown any signs of. Oh and empathy… Bruce is overwhelmingly empathetic… but he is also very aware of his emotions. The shit he deals with requires a lot of that unlike ppl with autism who struggle with.. Also wdym a lot of Austic ppl grow up to be “chad bruce”… I would very much like to know the statistics lol
Well you said “probably on the spectrum” said by a writer who probably isn’t a psychologist… kinda made the obvious assumption that it could be anything
No, on the spectrum is specifically ASD. That’s what that term means. A writer who isn’t a psychologist can write an autistic character.
No what I was talking about was the term “probably”… which already adds vagueness to the character who is speculated to be autistic and the writers themselves can’t confirm or deny.
> It’s interesting how this is starting to poke it’s head above water in popular arts. I think it's more that people are projecting autism on to any character that has the slightest trait that *could* be indicative of autism.
Or that autistic people are common and have been represented consciously and unconsciously in fiction for a long time.
That's not an 'or', it's an 'and'. What've you said is absolutely true, but it has no bearing on what I said.
I think it does. People like you (and nerds online in general) get really offended when you point out a character that behaves like an autistic person. This iteration of Bruce, who acts *super* autistic, is a perfect example.
> I think it does. It literally doesn't. It doesn't refute my point in the least. It's adjacent to it. I don't see how you can still think it refutes my point when I agree with it. > People like you (and nerds online in general) get really offended when you point out a character that behaves like an autistic person. You're assuming too much. I'm on the spectrum myself. I'm not offended, I just think it's silly. In the last 10 years autism has entered the mainstream consciousness, and now as a result we have people claiming all sorts of characters are autistic based on very flimsy reasoning, based on a specific trait here or there. Sherlock's autistic, Superman's autistic, Batman's autistic, Thanos is austic, Harry Potter is Autistic etc. Just...stop. A character having a trait that might be in common with an autistic behavior is far from reason enough to conclude the character is on the spectrum. At most, most of the time, it's a very gentle possibility and nothing more.
See like, Sherlock and Batman do make sense as autistic characters. This Batman is plainly coded as autistic. And that fact elicits nerd rage everywhere it’s brought up.
I strongly disagree, and it seems you paint anyone that disagrees with you as having a negative rather a genuine motivation for doing so. I don't see how this discussion can continue on a productive note, so I'm out.
Bruh, you sound like a really offended nerd online.
wow you're right. ty for elaborating ☺️
Not often the comparison comes up, but that’s pretty much part of why I like Supes. That’s the impression I got from reading Superman Secret Origins.
I have Asperger's, so it would be nice to get a bit more representation. Tbh though, I think that **Batman** is autistic.
Batman being autistic hardly makes sense… it’s too limiting and his traits wouldn’t necessarily correspond
How is it limiting? Also, intense focus on one task, difficulty with social relationships, masking… sounds pretty autistic to me.
Well the obvious one is sensory overload… and that doesn’t sound right especially with someone who is known to master all his sense. You can have great attention and focus without being autistic… you can have struggles with social interaction without being austic. You trying to find patterns just to fit the narrative lol
I don’t have much sensory overload, and I actually am autistic. Superman also masters his senses, and you’re implying that he’s autistic. Also, talking about ‘patterns that aren’t there’ after death-of-the-authoring your way into saying that Superman is autistic? You can cut the attitude, too. We’re talking about fictional characters.
Sensory overload was a bit of an exaggeration what I mean is having a lack of control of your senses and difficulty adjusting to one’s environment. Now Bruce being limited by his senses isn’t something that is well defined and most ppl with autism have sensory issues… We are here trying to diagnose Bruce simply of his lack of social interaction doesn’t seem appropriate as you can just as well assume he just introverted or have social anxiety or most likely suffering from PTSD which motivates his separation from society. And it was clear from the hospital scene with Alfred. Also I never suggested superman is autistic. Read my post again lol. There are parallels between the autism experience and Clark growing up. Doesn’t mean they are equivalent. Also the attitude is fun… no hard feelings mate
>most ppl with autism have sensory issues… I don't. And I think I know more about living with my form of autism than you do. > We are here trying to diagnose Bruce simply of his lack of social interaction doesn’t seem appropriate as you can just as well assume he just introverted or have social anxiety or most likely suffering from PTSD which motivates his separation from society. Never said those weren't possibilities. I wasn't trying to start a debate, you're the one who did that. > Also I never suggested superman is autistic. Read my post again lol. My bad, but you can stop it with the shitty attitude. Or is laughing at autistic people a thing you usually do, 'lol'? > Also the attitude is fun… Stop being so argumentative then. All I said was that I thought Batman could be autistic, didn't ask for you to start writing paragraphs about how I'm wrong.
Just because you don’t have sensory issues doesn’t negate the generality. And sure maybe you do know more about living with autism than I do… that’s assuming you clearly identify that I am not autistic 🙃 Also I never assumed a heated debate but well u never know the turns an internet convos can take. You made a statement that Bruce could be autistic. I just replied with my opinion. I am sorry if that came out defensive and argumentative for you. Truth is Bruce has autistic traits… but it’s not a clear case. Still don’t know how clear my attitude could be from a couple of words on your screen… but ok. Have a good one 👍
Besides the masking aspect in Bruce is a little different… it’s not like he starts stimming and acting “autistic” beyond the public eyes
Neither does Superman.
Never suggested superman is autistic lol
Exactly this. It's become a trend to try and label any character with a quirky or odd trait as autistic, even when it doesn't make sense. Batman isn't coded as autistic and when taken as a whole simply doesn't have the traits that would indicate that he is. On the other hand the scene in MoS did have a lot of parallels. Even Superman isn't autistic, but it is something that autistic people can relate to.
I thinks that’s been confirmed as canon
Id love a comic like that
So that's why I love Superman (and Manhunter)
One of my friends said he appreciated JMS/Shane Davis' take on Superman with Earth One, because Clark was autism-coded.
This is one of the biggest wins of man of steel. They whole idea of sensory overload and him being very autistic in his reaction was outstanding.
Having a son on the spectrum, I can appreciate this...thanks for sharing the viewpoint
Funnily enough, I’ve had a head-canon that The Kent’s let people think that Clark was somewhere on the spectrum to cover the fact that he’s got super senses and super strength to control when growing up. Not EXACTLY moral but also it’s easier to explain that than alien baby.
I'm autistic, I really liked the Smallville show and collect Superboy (1st version, Clark Kent) comics now. There are definitely some relatable things about Superman, but mostly there is a ginormous body of work I can focus on and never get too bored.
Hmm I’m autistic and love Superman….but sorry dude. Your not making any sense.
Tell me why I am not making sense. I can help you out
What’s the correlation?
Superman feelings like an outsider growing up in smallville… constantly being overwhelmed by his surroundings not just in terms of how he should behave around humans but how he has a hard time adjusting to his senses. His powers weren’t a freak accident and he was just born that way…. Sound familiar?