DCEU Superman Appreciation 2018

[HeroVladimir93]

After some thinking, I found some comparisons between Superman's character arc in the DCEU with that of Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. Both stories are representations of the hero's journey, which George Lucas directly used to craft Luke's story. No, the comparisons are not perfect, and even if they are, I don't think Zack Snyder copied what Lucas did while creating Superman's story for the movie, but they still work to a certain extent. Think about it:

In the first chapter (Man of Steel/A New Hope), the hero (Clark/Luke) has a normal life as a farmer until an old mentor (Jor-El/Obi-Wan Kenobi) reveals to him that he has a great destiny. The hero discovers his powers and embarks on a journey to defeat a villain (General Zod/Darth Vader) who is connected to his family and has a weapon of mass destruction (World engine/Death Star) at his disposal. The first act ends with the hero destroying the villain's weapon and helping a resistance group (U.S. military/Rebel Alliance) to victory.

The second chapter (Batman v Superman/The Empire Strikes Back) is absolutely brutal to the hero, breaking him physically, mentally and emotionally. Not only does the hero struggle at everything he tries to do, he continuously makes the wrong choices. The villain (Lex Luthor/Emperor Palpatine) manipulates the hero and lures him into a trap, either by threatening his loved ones or undermining his ideals. By the end of the second chapter, Superman gets killed by Doomsday while Luke loses his hand to Darth Vader. The only difference here is the small victory the hero gets. Superman manages, at least indirectly, to get Lex to face justice for his crimes while Luke ultimately rejects the dark side and chooses death, but as we all know, he survives, either by pure luck or by the will of the Force.

It's only in the third chapter of the story (Justice League/Return of the Jedi) that we see true growth in the hero, that he starts coming into his own and achieving his heroic destiny. The hero has become more powerful and we get to see him use his powers in ways we've never seen before. The major difference is in the outcome of the story. The only victory Luke gets is a moral one, while Superman ultimately succeeds in everything he does. Yes, Luke defeats Vader, but only after briefly tapping into the dark side and almost throwing away everything he learned over the course of the story. Even he had destroyed Vader, it's unlikely he would have stood a chance against the Emperor. The only moral failing Superman has is when his resurrection goes badly and he attacks the Justice League.

Like I said before, the comparisons aren't perfect but they still work. Overall, I've enjoyed the DCEU and its version of Superman. No, his story isn't perfect, but it was enjoyable enough and with some polishing, it could have redefined the hero's journey for a new generation of moviegoers. DCEU Superman could have been the Luke Skywalker of the superhero genre, and maybe to some people, he already is the Luke Skywalker of the superhero genre. No, I don't think Superman is perfect or infallible, nor do I believe he should try to live up to those expectations, because more often that not, he will fail. Even so, I can appreciate the DCEU's efforts to put Superman's character before his archetype, and in my opinion, Superman's character development was handled correctly in the DCEU and he did become the hero the Justice League needed, even if that journey took him to some dark places.

Ultimately, Superman is an escapist power fantasy and a highly versatile character that can fit multiple roles, depending on the era and the preference of authors and audiences, and I do my best to have an open mind to his story and evolution.

[Lokimaru]

After some thinking, I found some comparisons between Superman's character arc in the DCEU with that of Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. Both stories are representations of the hero's journey, which George Lucas directly used to craft Luke's story. No, the comparisons are not perfect, and even if they are, I don't think Zack Snyder copied what Lucas did while creating Superman's story for the movie, but they still work to a certain extent. Think about it:

In the first chapter (Man of Steel/A New Hope), the hero (Clark/Luke) has a normal life as a farmer until an old mentor (Jor-El/Obi-Wan Kenobi) reveals to him that he has a great destiny. The hero discovers his powers and embarks on a journey to defeat a villain (General Zod/Darth Vader) who is connected to his family and has a weapon of mass destruction (World engine/Death Star) at his disposal. The first act ends with the hero destroying the villain's weapon and helping a resistance group (U.S. military/Rebel Alliance) to victory.

The second chapter (Batman v Superman/The Empire Strikes Back) is absolutely brutal to the hero, breaking him physically, mentally and emotionally. Not only does the hero struggle at everything he tries to do, he continuously makes the wrong choices. The villain (Lex Luthor/Emperor Palpatine) manipulates the hero and lures him into a trap, either by threatening his loved ones or undermining his ideals. By the end of the second chapter, Superman gets killed by Doomsday while Luke loses his hand to Darth Vader. The only difference here is the small victory the hero gets. Superman manages, at least indirectly, to get Lex to face justice for his crimes while Luke ultimately rejects the dark side and chooses death, but as we all know, he survives, either by pure luck or by the will of the Force.

It's only in the third chapter of the story (Justice League/Return of the Jedi) that we see true growth in the hero, that he starts coming into his own and achieving his heroic destiny. The hero has become more powerful and we get to see him use his powers in ways we've never seen before. The major difference is in the outcome of the story. The only victory Luke gets is a moral one, while Superman ultimately succeeds in everything he does. Yes, Luke defeats Vader, but only after briefly tapping into the dark side and almost throwing away everything he learned over the course of the story. Even he had destroyed Vader, it's unlikely he would have stood a chance against the Emperor. The only moral failing Superman has is when his resurrection goes badly and he attacks the Justice League.

Like I said before, the comparisons aren't perfect but they still work. Overall, I've enjoyed the DCEU and its version of Superman. No, his story isn't perfect, but it was enjoyable enough and with some polishing, it could have redefined the hero's journey for a new generation of moviegoers. DCEU Superman could have been the Luke Skywalker of the superhero genre, and maybe to some people, he already is the Luke Skywalker of the superhero genre. No, I don't think Superman is perfect or infallible, nor do I believe he should try to live up to those expectations, because more often that not, he will fail. Even so, I can appreciate the DCEU's efforts to put Superman's character before his archetype, and in my opinion, Superman's character development was handled correctly in the DCEU and he did become the hero the Justice League needed, even if that journey took him to some dark places.

Ultimately, Superman is an escapist power fantasy and a highly versatile character that can fit multiple roles, depending on the era and the preference of authors and audiences, and I do my best to have an open mind to his story and evolution.

Actually Luke was more then a match for Vader thoughout the Fight in ROTJ he just didn't want to fight him. Had he taken the fight seriously from the start Vader would have been toast. We never really got Superman's concluding story arc cause much of what Snyder had shot was reshot and changed by Wheadon. Case in Point the Millitary and Media presence which had been a constant throughout both MoS and BvS were largely absent in JL disconnecting it from the previous films in tone.

[GreatKungLao]

It's wild to watch this today. I have forgotten this interview and I really like that insight he gave as to why kill Superman in BvS. Zack thought it is important for Superman's story arc and growth to embrace humanity even more by facing mortality, which is a tough thing to do with character who has such powers.

Recently I've been rewatching BvS and just now realising how every Superman scene that shows how divine Superman is followed by a scene that shows how simple he actually is. That news feed sequence in Ultimate Edition cuts to Clark calling his mom in the middle of a night. Africa and hearings cuts to him coming back home with groceries thinking about how to cook some food. Wow. I love it. Such a drastic switch between world's perception of Superman and how things actually are for him.

[GreatKungLao]

Why, Warner Brothers, why...

[HeroVladimir93]

Why, Warner Brothers, why...

Oh, they used the Final Crisis design for Darkseid. If Darkseid ever shows up in the movies, he should be wearing his Rebirth outfit.

[Netherman14]

Here I am, waiting for my copy of Batman v Superman UE to arrive while others are actually watching said movie.

[GreatKungLao]

[stargazer01]

Aquaman is getting great reactions. They mention the words Fun and Awesome a lot. I won't be surprised when it does a lot better at the BO than Man of Steel.

I mean, I'm glad for Aquaman, but it really saddens me as a Supes fan first.

[HeroVladimir93]

Aquaman is getting great reactions. They mention the words Fun and Awesome a lot. I won't be surprised when it does a lot better at the BO than Man of Steel.

I mean, I'm glad for Aquaman, but it really saddens me as a Supes fan first.

Yeah, it's a bit sad, but maybe, just maybe, this will help Warner and DC reconsider their attitude towards Superman.

[GreatKungLao]

Man of Steel is funny like that without making it look like a circus with clowns. Subtle sense of humor that is so underappreciated.

[GreatKungLao]

[GreatKungLao]

[GreatKungLao]

[GreatKungLao]

[GreatKungLao]