"You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle"
About this Quote
His phrasing does quiet work. “Relate” suggests emotional access, the sense that a character’s inner life maps onto yours. “Identify” is stronger: you step into their skin. Dalton argues that identification requires friction. The extraordinary quality isn’t a permanent trait, it’s “drawn forth” under pressure, implying it was latent, untested, maybe doubted. Crisis becomes a moral X-ray.
The subtext is also a critique of escapist hero-making. Superman is a category, a brand. “Real man” is deliberately grounded, even a little old-fashioned, and it carries Dalton’s era’s anxiety about masculinity: heroism as character rather than dominance. Triumph “but only after a struggle” is the key clause - the victory matters because it costs something. Without the cost, there’s no story, just spectacle.
Contextually, Dalton’s coming from a career built on playing competence with cracks showing (and, famously, redefining Bond with more bruises than winks). He’s staking a claim for a more human template of heroism: not powers, but choices under stress, visible effort, and the dignity of not being bulletproof.
Quote Details
| Topic | Overcoming Obstacles |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Dalton, Timothy. (2026, January 17). You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-cant-relate-to-a-superhero-to-a-superman-but-72162/
Chicago Style
Dalton, Timothy. "You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-cant-relate-to-a-superhero-to-a-superman-but-72162/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"You can't relate to a superhero, to a superman, but you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs but only after a struggle." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-cant-relate-to-a-superhero-to-a-superman-but-72162/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



