Superman: Red Son and Superman: Man of Tomorrow Animated Feature Films

[Frontier]

spoilers:

Nope, neither of them show up or are mentioned at all.

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Okay, so something's up. You don't do original designs for Brainiac or have Wonder Woman's arm on a DVD spine unless there's something involving them coming out.

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[Vordan]

spoilers:

Okay, so something's up. You don't do original designs for Brainiac or have Wonder Woman's arm on a DVD spine unless there's something involving them coming out.

end of spoilers

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Would love a sequel with this cast about him fighting Brainiac.

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[Robanker]

The animation is not nearly as stiff as the first trailer made it look, and Superlad was correct in that it does look like a comic book in motion. The voice cast is great, particularly Lois and Clark. They each sell that they're their respective characters but younger than we're used to.

Some things I want to highlight:

spoilers:

Pros: * Living Kents (Sorry, Ascended) * Martha finally gets to drop half the pearls of wisdom, it's not all Jonathan. Finally. The Kents are a team. * Speaking of the Kents, I'm glad how well they adapt to J'onn. * Rudy is likable beforehand instead of a toad, so you care more about him. * Lois doesn't just immediately fall for Superman. They're clearly not doing the "she's into power" crap. * The Lois and Clark dynamic is great. She's Lois down to a T and you can completely buy how these two would make the best team in all walks of life. * Parasite is finally the monster I wanted him to be. He's a creature straight out of body horror with vampiric overtones. Finally! I have been WAITING for Parasite to get his due. More of this, please! * Clark isn't invincible. He gets really roughed up by Lobo, though admittedly he gets healed way too easily by sunlight. * Clark gets joy out of his powers. "You're right. This was the fun way. *PUNCH*" * Probably the most interesting J'onn has been in a very long time. Him and Clark bonding was great. Him being Clark's first super friend is a great touch. * Luthor is pitch-perfect. He's definitely the most ruthelss, connected and dripping with the kind of manufactured charisma that would let him control the city of tomorrow. * Lobo is such a bastard. It's pretty great. * The Superdickery moment at the end was pretty damn funny. Well set-up. Cons, because there are some. * Living Kents (Sorry, Ascended) * Lois has blue eyes, not purple. It's a hill I'll die on. * Batman predates Superman and is Martha's inspiration for the costume. BOO! Enough with that revisionist history. * If you wanted this to end in a big punch up, you will not like the resolution. Ultimately, it's not about that. Moreover, Clark spends the back half of the movie depowered so if you care about him being almighty, well, prepare to be disappointed. I enjoyed the resolution. * Clark does get a lot of help overall. The movie doesn't treat it as "these guys are cooler" so much as "getting help doesn't mean you're a wuss."

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They should have advertised this more at Fandome. It's great.

I know it's not the start of a new universe, but this style is good enough to be one.

[Vakanai]

I know it's not the start of a new universe, but this style is good enough to be one.

It's not?
Ten characters

[Robanker]

It's not?
Ten characters

They don't really set it up, unless there's a post-credits scene I missed? It's just treated like it happens in the DCU instead of in a Metropolis bottle.

For as much as I enjoyed it, I don't want another interconnected movie universe. Sequels are fine, but I want them to just have the freedom to tell rad stories. The last one just got worse as it went on, save for Death/Reign which were pretty good.

[Vakanai]

They don't really set it up, unless there's a post-credits scene I missed? It's just treated like it happens in the DCU instead of in a Metropolis bottle.

For as much as I enjoyed it, I don't want another interconnected movie universe. Sequels are fine, but I want them to just have the freedom to tell rad stories. The last one just got worse as it went on, save for Death/Reign which were pretty good.

Thank goodness, I was worried. And I feel the same way.

[Sacred Knight]

So two pieces of foreshadowing for a potential sequel.
spoilers:

Supergirl, obviously, after Lobo's ending statement about Kryptonians and Martians. Hell with J'onn's role in this movie I could almost see them introducing Supergirl with M'gann in a sequel. Second, maybe its just me but I picked up on some potential foreshadowing when Clark told Martha that he couldn't believe he'd never get to see Krypton, and she basically said maybe he would eventually considering he could do almost anything. Maybe a time travel story next time around?

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There are certain things about the origin that aren't my ideal, but I've been dealing with those details not being my ideal for a long time; nothing unworkable spoilers:

except the stupid Batman suit inspiration but DC is going to DC at some point, and if this is the highest degree of Batwank we'll see I'll take the trade in lieu of something worse

end of spoilers.

Bottom line though, especially in this time with all the absolutely awful stuff going on in comics, games, tv and movies, this animated movie is a bastion of light for a Superman fan. Probably the only light for quite some time. I'm happy to have it and only pray the true follow up isn't JL related, (not counting any potential actual JL project), rather a proper Superman sequel.

[Robanker]

spoilers:

You're right about sequel baiting, but my argument is more that it doesn't outright set up a new universe. They're just preoccupied with how everything ties into Superman. The most we get is that horrendous Batman suit inspiration, but otherwise all the DCU stuff has a thematic tie to Clark in such a way that it can be standalone. J'onn and Lobo are included to juxtapose with Clark as the last of their kind, aliens, and show how Clark really does see himself as an Earthling if not human. All of it absolutely could set up a new universe, I suppose, but it just felt more like a story not hiding that it's part of the greater DCU instead of the usual bottle they try to keep standalone movies in.

end of spoilers They leave it in a spot where it can launch a new universe, simply get a sequel or just rest as a standalone and it works on every level.

That said, the most refreshing thing about this was that, in a way, it made a good case for Superman being Earth's champion. He does need help sometimes. He does fight threats that can absolutely kill him. It's not always easy, and he's ready to die if necessary to save everyone-- BUT he does care and would like to resolve things in a way that solves the problem instead of putting it on pause. He's less Man of Steel and more Man of Tomorrow in the respect that he's forward-thinking, but not a chump. He doesn't like getting pushed around, spoilers:

even by Lois Lane who he's smitten with.

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spoilers:

I know some are going to be frustrated the ending wasn't some big punch-up battle, but I don't really need that to be how it ends. Would it have been cool? Sure, but I like how it concludes and it makes you wonder if Rudy chose to take the reactor to power up or to contain it, since the last insight we get to him is the woman and her child reminding him of his family. Was he pulled from the memory, enraged and wanting to make those people pay for rebuking him with molotovs? Does he know he's going to end up killing his family if he continues? Did Clark get through to him or did xenophobia get him to double down on hate? Does the man or monster win in the end? You can see it either way. But the core theme of Superman being the man of tomorrow does seem predicated on people being stronger by coming together and accepting one another, which is as forward-thinking as you can hope for from cape comics.

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Rather than a closed fist, the film ends with wanting the audience to see Superman as an outstretched hand... who has a closed fist prepared if that's what you greet him with. Which is the inverse of how Batman is usually portrayed as a closed fist with an outstretched hand afterward if you're willing to conform.

[Sacred Knight]

I'm more than fine with how it ends
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Rudy's redemption doesn't lessen the story just because Superman doesn't deliver the final blow or is the one to tangibly stop the reactor. We see what Superman is about in his weakened state, trying desperately to still slog his way to the reactor to do something. Rudy just gets there first. Not to mention that its Superman's words that awaken the bit or Rudy that's left in the first place, that then leads to his sacrifice.

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[Robanker]

I'm more than fine with how it ends
spoilers:

Rudy's redemption doesn't lessen the story just because Superman doesn't deliver the final blow or is the one to tangibly stop the reactor. We see what Superman is about in his weakened state, trying desperately to still slog his way to the reactor to do something. Rudy just gets there first. Not to mention that its Superman's words that awaken the bit or Rudy that's left in the first place, that then leads to his sacrifice.

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Yeah, I actually quite like the resolution. spoilers:

But was it explicitly redemption? That's how I read it at first, but in hindsight, he may have just gave in to his monstrous impulses and went after power. It's entirely possible Clark DIDN'T get through to him and it's more of a mournful end for the monster who was once a man. Ultimately, Clark's arc is unchanged as he clearly did everything he could and made a stand for what he believed in, but I do like the idea of Clark not having a clear answer as to if he was able to reach Rudy or not.

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Win, lose or draw, it's good to have a positive Superman portrayal. I just wish DC Fandome did more to highlight it. Would have made the Rocksteady panel a lot easier a pill to swallow if the same presentation also said "hey, we do care about the guy" instead of quietly sneaking it out back and letting another stream over at IGN promote it.

[Frontier]

They don't really set it up, unless there's a post-credits scene I missed? It's just treated like it happens in the DCU instead of in a Metropolis bottle.

For as much as I enjoyed it, I don't want another interconnected movie universe. Sequels are fine, but I want them to just have the freedom to tell rad stories. The last one just got worse as it went on, save for Death/Reign which were pretty good.

I'm getting the vibe that Lukic's films are going to be standalone films starring specific versions of DC Heroes. Maybe not a hard or firm official continuity with crossovers but with the potential for sequel's and continuations of these specific versions of these characters.

spoilers:

I cannot see why they would have an original version of Brainiac on the spine of a film he doesn't even appear in if they didn't plan a sequel using Brainiac. Or have Wonder Woman's arm as part of a connecting image when the next Lukic film is going to be a JSA film that is likely to have Diana as the main character.

end of spoilers

[Superlad93]

where'd you hear the next movie is gonna be a JSA animated movie?

[Vordan]

where'd you hear the next movie is gonna be a JSA animated movie?

IGN panel revealed the 2021 slate: Batman The Long Halloween 2-parter and a JSA movie set in WW2.

[Frontier]

IGN panel revealed the 2021 slate: Batman The Long Halloween 2-parter and a JSA movie set in WW2.

And considering how much DC has been pushing Wonder Woman in WWII...it's not hard to put two and two together.

[Robanker]

IGN panel revealed the 2021 slate: Batman The Long Halloween 2-parter and a JSA movie set in WW2.

Yup. Bomer is in it, too. Christmas came early.