The Metropolitan Man
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Metropolitan Man |
| Author(s): | Alexander Wales |
| Date(s): | May 18, 2014 - July 25, 2014 |
| Length: | 80,698 words, 13 chapters |
| Genre: | Deconstruction, Rational Fic, Gen, Alternate Universe, Mystery, Action/Adventure |
| Fandom: | Superman fandom, DC Comics |
| External Links: | on fanfiction.net, on Fiction Hub, on AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Metropolitan Man is a Superman fanfic by Alexander Wales. It is a deconstruction of many of the overarching tropes and worldbuilding in Superman comics and films. It is also described as rational fanfiction, a genre that loosely originated with Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. The basic premise of The Metropolitan Man is a story from the perspective of (a still-villanous) Lex Luthor as he attempts to uncover the mystery of the motives and origins of the new super-powerful do-gooder, Superman.
The story was very well-received, with numerous discussions devoted to its plot on /r/rational. The fic has over 1000 faves and over 500 reviews on fanfiction.net. The ending was the most controversial portion of the story.
Summary:
"The year is 1934, and Superman has arrived in Metropolis. Features Lex Luthor as the villain protagonist as he comes to grips with the arrival of an alien god. Occasional point-of-view chapters/sections featuring Lois Lane. Takes place outside any established comics continuity."[1]
Reactions & Reviews
On Fanfiction.net
"Bleak, but unfortunately all too believable."[2]
Comments on the Ending
"Alas, this was never going to end with Clark and Lex working together. The world would have been all the greater if it did, but Lex would never have accepted. I love that Lex wins here from just being lucky. A million different things could have happened that ended with Superman completely unharmed and Lex unarmed, defeated or just killed. For all his brilliance, for all his schemes and plans, Lex Luthor defeated Superman by being very lucky. I wonder which annoys him more, the imperfect victory or the admitted second thoughts that things could have worked by working with Superman.Overall, I quite enjoyed this. It's hardly the version I'm used to thinking about, but everyone felt like they had real depth. Lex made for a good villain protagonist, and it's interesting seeing such a human, realistic depiction of Superman. Also Mercy was just the best."[2]
The Anguished One
"Thank you for the story, I really enjoyed it. Even to the end, I supported Superman through and through, but I can understand where Lois and Lex are coming from. Disagreeing with a compellingly written viewpoint character (Lex) is an uncomfortable feeling, but it's important to be able to sit with that feeling, and I thank you for that as well. The story was both enjoyable and thought provoking, through and through."[2]Guest
Other Sites
"As for the Metropolitan Man I didn't like it at all, from roughly the middle to the end (the end made sense as to how the writer wrote it, but the way the writer wrote it was...not a favorite of mine). It basically falls into multiple fallacies that annoy me in fandom: a) the fallacy that somehow inserting hard science into a superhero universe makes it better (it doesn't), b) that all aliens must be non-humanoid to make sense (we're an evolutionarily functional design, why would this not apply elsewhere? Why would a scientist send his only child to the only world where his son would not fit in unless heavily modified? If he could modify the child that much, why not modify the people of his planet to survive the cataclysm?), which only makes sense if there are only two sapient, sentient species out there and not the canonical hundreds of thousands of most versions of the DCU, and c) that all humans are cowardly shits who will drag down good people if they feel even slightly scared or jealous."[3]Comment by Olof Jönsson, in response to a rec
"Grim but good
Very well written, if somewhat depressing. Very focused on Lex Luthor's viewpoint, and makes him as sympathetic as it can, but I didn't find myself 100% convinced. You do understand why he acts as he does from the inside.I wouldn't necessarily describe it as rational, maybe more on the cynical side. Explores how an ideal superman should theoretically act, and treats Superman as an actual alien for a change. On the other hand I disagree that even Superman can be an ideal superman, and he acts much more human than Lex and Lois seem to realise he is, and more humane than they are.
The writing is compelling enough that that disagreement didn't hold me up as I read it, and a good story can give you a good argument, so still recommending this highly.
Lex is still the the bad guy though.[4]
Median Nick
"Why does everyone act like Lex is the bad guy?
Superman, from Lex Luthor's perspective. A very sympathetic perspective.Probably my favorite DC fic, and certainly my favorite Rational DC fic."[4]
5/5 star review by Duskstar
The Metropolitan Man is a rationalist story in the same vein as Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Lex Luthor is the villain protagonist and tries to cope with the extinction-level threat that the alien god known as Superman poses to humanity. The premise is executed well, and the story does a great job of showing every character's points of view, including Lois and Superman. The plot is very interesting and fast-paced, and it does a good job of showing Luthor acting intelligently.[5]
Further reading
- The Metropolitan Man: Post Mortem, archive link, a blog post by the author examining the story's strengths and weaknesses one year after completion (Feb 2015)
- [Q] End of The Metropolitan Man: what should Superman have offered?, archive link, a discussion thread on /r/rational, contains spoilers. (Dec 2015)
- The Metropolitan Man - Speculations and Theories - Potential Batman Sequel - A Cohesive Universe, archive.is discussion on /r/rational (July 2018)
- The Metropolitan Man (Fanfic) on TV Tropes
- The Gothamite, a serial recursive fanfic paraquel by Dave Heilker
References
- ^ Chapter 1, fanfiction.net Accessed August 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c Page one of reviews on fanfiction.net, Archived version
- ^ [Fanfic] Recommended Fanfiction, Archived version Accessed and archived August 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ficdb - The Metropolitan Man. Link to a wayback capture of reviews on the now-defunct Ficdb."
- ^ Comment on What's the best fanfic you've ever read? posted to r/FanFiction Nov 18, 2015