I never understood why he was so muscular. I get it from a "super-hero aesthetic" perspective. But what made him develop such a large musculature? Is that a Kryptonian thing? Seems like he'd have a mostly normal-ish physique since whatever muscles with which he was born would more than suffice.
"While the parallels to Moses may seem obvious, Superman’s co-creator Jerry Siegel doesn’t mention the biblical prophet in his unpublished memoir. The individual he does credit as a “strong influence” is Samson.
“Samson the Hero,” as he’s known in Jewish tradition, is famous for his superior strength. But he also had superior speed and could leap long distances in a single bound. And he was a judge: He fought for truth and justice.
In his early comics, Superman is repeatedly touted as “possessing the strength of a dozen Samsons.” In “Superman #2” (September 1939) he knocks down the support pillars of a great hall, proclaiming that “a guy named Samson once had the same idea!” And on the cover of issue #4 (March 1940), he topples columns to bring down the roof atop scurrying crooks. All of these, Siegel wrote, were deliberate homages."
I never understood why he was so muscular. I get it from a "super-hero aesthetic" perspective. But what made him develop such a large musculature? Is that a Kryptonian thing? Seems like he'd have a mostly normal-ish physique since whatever muscles with which he was born would more than suffice.
https://forward.com/culture/504342/superman-10-jewish-things-siegel-shuster-samson-moses-golem/
"While the parallels to Moses may seem obvious, Superman’s co-creator Jerry Siegel doesn’t mention the biblical prophet in his unpublished memoir. The individual he does credit as a “strong influence” is Samson.
“Samson the Hero,” as he’s known in Jewish tradition, is famous for his superior strength. But he also had superior speed and could leap long distances in a single bound. And he was a judge: He fought for truth and justice.
In his early comics, Superman is repeatedly touted as “possessing the strength of a dozen Samsons.” In “Superman #2” (September 1939) he knocks down the support pillars of a great hall, proclaiming that “a guy named Samson once had the same idea!” And on the cover of issue #4 (March 1940), he topples columns to bring down the roof atop scurrying crooks. All of these, Siegel wrote, were deliberate homages."
https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/mensch-of-steel-supermans-jewish-roots/
https://screenrant.com/superman-secret-hebrew-name-jewish-kal-el-moses/
I could spin it as hypertrophy. https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/wendy-the-whippet-famed-for-massive-muscles-has-died-4645620
You could. But seems a bit weak as reason for ginormous muscles mostly because it's not going to end well for whomever (or whatever) has it.
Yea I doubt they even thought about it. But I'm pretty sure it would be a good thing to have in the modern world.
Deconditioning is brutal, elders can't power lift.
I wish I had it as far as I know.