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[QUOTE=Jim Kelly;4028285]1940s Superman looked average height. Covers Fred Ray.
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To be fair the clothes aren't form fitting on the servicemen, but he really looks like a tank compared to those regular guys. He's way above the dudes you'd see from the 1947 Cornell wrestling team.
Ivan Reis and the like draw him taller, but not that stout by comparison, IMO.
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A proper adult male figure in art should be about 7.5 heads high. In comics, most artists don't follow this rule and make them at least 8 or 8.5 heads. I haven't bothered to measure, but I think Shuster's Superman was 8 heads high. But then other comic artists in drawing the heroic form pushed it even further and went to 9 or 9.5 heads. I'm pretty sure if you compare Shuster to Boring, Wayne makes Superman at least half a head higher than Joe.
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So basically a tall Superman needs a head like Andre The Giant :cool:
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In terms of proportions, it shouldn't matter if a character is 5'10" or 6'2", he would be about 7.5 heads high either way. But comics artists distort proportions to make characters look more impressive.
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I kind of think Kryptonians in general should be taller than humans. Look at the average height of someone 100 years ago compared to today. I think they were at least a foot smaller. Krypton was supposed to be thousands of years more advanced than Earth.
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Superman is 6'3" in the comics but I always view him as either 6'4" or 6'5". I have always visualize him towering the rest of the JL members (except for Martian Manhunter and maybe Cyborg, in my eyes MMH in his superhero form stands about 6'7" but in his true form he is over 7' tall). I am fine with Batman standing at 6'2" and both The Flash and WW standing at 6'. Aquaman should swap his height measurements with Superman and standing at 6'3",Hawkgirl being the shortest around 5'6" - 5'8", both Hal and John standing at 6'2" and Cyborg at 6'3 before his accident, I see him standing at 6'5".
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Superman should be tall, but not abnormally so. 6'4" seems the tallest I'd want him. That's taller than most other heroes maybe, but not by much and not the tallest among the bunch. Diana and Barda both should be taller in my opinion.
Superman should look impressive but he doesn't have to be a giant. He looks impressive just by being him.
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Ideally I think would have him be the biggest guy on the league, but I don’t feel strongly about it. Nothing’s wrong with a Superman of average height. That being said him being say around Tom Cruise’s height, would be pretty weird for me, though probably not a deal breaker.
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I second the idea of Wonder Woman being taller.
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[QUOTE=raidensix;4028077]Just wanted to get other folks take on this. In the books, Superman is normally drawn taller/bulkier than other heroes like Batman, Flash, Aquaman, etc. In the JL movie, Batman and Aquaman are obviously larger than Superman and in the CW, Flash and Green arrow are definitely taller.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't take the DCEU as the final word on ... well, really anything regarding DC, but especially not on relative body sizes of its superheroes and supervillains.
Henry Cavill Supes is 6'1", Ben Affleck Bats is 6'4", Jason Momoa Aquaman is 6'5", and Gal Gadot Wondy is 5'10".
Whereas DCU Supes is officially 6'3", DCU Bats is 6'2", and DCU Aquaman is 6'1", and DCU Wondy is 6'2" (as of Rebirth).
Same for the CW: Grant Gustin (CW Flash) and Stephen Amell (CW Green Arrow) are both 6'1", while Tyler Hoechlin (CW Superman) is 6'0".
Tyler isn't quite as buff as Stephen, but is definitely more so than Grant.
Point is, actors should be cast based on their abilities first, matching looks second, and matching heights somewhere well after that on the list of priorities.
Now, to the main question:
Should Superman be taller than most heroes in the main canon DCU?
100% yes, IMHO.
His name is SUPERman. Not Above Average Man. Not Surprisingly Strong Man.
He gets the name thrown on him largely because he looks the part (and also, you know, DOES the deeds worthy of the name).
If it weren't for his warm demeanor and bright colors, you WOULD be uneasy around such a being who looks as powerful as he is.
Superman is far more Goliath than he is David in stature, as he should be.
There's nothing average about Superman, especially not in a visual medium like comics.
You want average, that's what Clark Kent is for.
Personally, being American, I look at today's professional athletes for reference points: in particular, those who play quarterback in the National Football League. The QB whose body reminds me most of the ideal Kal-El?
Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. 6'5", 250 lbs, bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone else at his position.
Now, about "hanging a lantern on Clark" if Supes is so tall: the writers and artists already addressed this in the Bronze Age and again in ALL- STAR SUPERMAN.
Kal has perfected his super-slouching. As Clark, he appears about 5'11" or so, but as Superman, he visibly gains several inches in height (6'3" - 6'5") just because he stands up straight.
And a 6'6" Wonder Woman (like the one seen in NEW FRONTIER) is a definite no for me: that's the female equivalent of a 7'1" Superman or 7'1" Batman, i.e. now you can only look to basketball players for reference. Basically now you've turned Diana into a freakshow.
Which is fine if you're a D-Lister like Big Barda, whose whole appeal is the freakshow aspect. Not so if you're supposed to be THE representative of all women in superherodom like Diana is.
I prefer Superman as the hero the other heroes refer to as The Big Guy.
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[QUOTE=Jcogginsa;4030397]I second the idea of Wonder Woman being taller.[/QUOTE]
well wonder woman certainty sees herself as a giantess among puny mortals subconsciously in her dreams going by the dream team story in JLA. :p
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6'3" or GTFO.
Okay, I'm exaggerating quite a bit here, but considering the latent biases people have toward taller folk, and against shorter folk, I don't want a shorter Supes. This is still one of the most cringeworthy things I've ever read about Superman:
[QUOTE]"We also wanted a guy with big stature. Ben is 6' 4". Henry [Cavill] is 6'1". We wanted Batman to tower over Superman. Not hugely, not like a basketball player. Superman needed to 'look up' to Batman. We wanted that dynamic, and Ben could do that, easily," he said.[/QUOTE]
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So shorter people should just give in to the hate of the Randy Newmans of the world and consider ourselves inferior because the taller people say so?
I think we need more under 6 foot heroes, not less.
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[QUOTE=Jim Kelly;4031256]So shorter people should just give in to the hate of the Randy Newmans of the world and consider ourselves inferior because the taller people say so?
I think we need more under 6 foot heroes, not less.[/QUOTE]
Yes, there should be more short heroes, but Superman isn't one I'd pick.
I'm 5'8" myself, so my height is slightly below average for the US. In addition to that pre-BvS garbage quote, I just would rather Superman avoid the whole kit and caboodle that comes with shorter guys. You know, stuff like this (BTW, I loved this indie project, so I'm not putting it down).
[video=youtube;PRVVGTHbzeg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRVVGTHbzeg[/video]
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If I was giving Superman advice, I'd tell him to always hover above the ground when he's out in public. That way everyone has to look up at him and, especially if he has the sun behind him, they can't really look straight at him. That way no one can really tell what he looks like or how tall he is.
If Tom Cruise were to play Hal Jordan, that's how they should play it with his Green Lantern. Also with that green glow, no one can see him clearly either.