In the spirit of the holiday season, this is a series of short blog posts covering random things I have learned while doing Salesforce development, one for each day of Advent.

One thing I love to do on the weekends to unwind from a week of Salesforce development is go to the movies. (I just saw Frozen 2, highly recommend, maybe even more so than the original!) Back in March 2016, I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters. Personally I loved it, but to be fair I love anything with Batman and Superman in it. However, imagine my surprise to see that it reviewed terribly! On Rotten Tomatoes it got a 28%. I can see people dismissing it as a run of the mill action summer blockbuster, but 28%? Transformers got a 58%, you’re telling me this movie was not even half as good as Transformers?

Whatever. It’s a movie and people are entitled to their opinion. Just because they think differently doesn’t make their opinion any less valid than mine…

Here’s Why They’re Wrong

There are numerous criticisms about the movie, but the one that I disagree with the most is the “sad Superman” argument. The criticism focuses on the fact that Superman is “too brooding”, that should Superman is supposed to be the positive beacon of light, the Man of Tomorow, the Blue Boy Scout. Which is true. He is all of those things, and that aspect of his personality is explored in countless interpretations of the character.

But one of my favorite aspects of Superman is the fact that even though everyone else sees him as as a god, an invincible being that can do no wrong, underneath it all he is still just a man. Never really feeling like he belonged, which was exacerbated by the fact that he wasn’t even human.

And in the movie they really explore that part of him. He struggles constantly with imposter syndrome, unsure if he can bear the weight of what is expected to him as he is simultaneously praised as a saviour and attacked in the press as a villain. In the midst of it all, Superman goes to his adoptive mother, Martha, for some advice at the farm:

“Be their hero, Clark. Be their angel, be their monument, be anything they need you to be… or be none of it. You don’t owe this world a thing. You never did.”

I absolutely love this scene because of how relatable it is. No, we’re not superheroes, but how many of us have been so overwhelmed by our sense of duty, of responsibility, and just wished we could quit? And how many of us have us just needed to hear that loving voice to tell us that you don’t have to do it all, that you don’t owe anyone anything.

So take some advice from Mrs. Kent - it’s ok to take care of yourself first. Because if you burnout trying to save everyone else, you’ll never be able to help anyone. And give Batman vs. Superman another chance. It’s good, trust me.