Yep! I'm not a big fan of any of the modern Superman films, I think there's way too much punching and not enough super-human feats. And by that I mean rescuing people, or performing "miracles" that only he can in order to help the greater good.

Clark will let a monster punch him in the face dozens of times if he thinks he can save both the people and the creature's life. That's what creates dilemmas for me when I enjoy a decent Superman story, an ethical dilemma that can't be solved by hitting something as hard as possible.

The cool thing about Superman isn't that he has these fantastic powers, but that the person who wields them will always try to do the right thing, because they know nobody else can.

The original Superman movie nailed that aspect. Clark was confident and maybe even a little cocky because of his abilities... but when his father suffered a heart attack, all the super strength in the universe couldn't save him.

You are 100% correct in that a lot of superhero discourse online seems to aaaaaaaalways come down to "who would win in a fight", which has always baffled me, because comic books are LOADED with ethical and moral plays which are suppose to make us question whether violence is even a good answer for anything in the first place.

It's about using your own strengths to help facilitate the weakness of those who can't help themselves.

At least to me.