Rumour: Superman to Lead The Authority in 2021?

[witchboy]

I love classic Authority, but I never liked them integrated into the DCU.
The whole point of them was that they were an anarchist JL.
Apollo was already Authority’s Superman.
This seems like an idea that will please no one.
It may work better if it’s a new team, but then they’re just Authority in name only.

[Superlad93]

Potential direction: Superman lead new team = basically Ewing's Ultimates.

The "we kill the bastards" part of the Authority was usually more of an
eye catching smokescreen (as far as the readers went) for a team book
about a proactive and very involved Justice League poxy.

All that to say, you can very easily take out the killing and have it still be
The Authority in terms of its mission and point. Once again, Ewing's
Ultimates.

[Jon Clark]

That's what i love about this. Two set of guys who Disagree fundamentally working together. They would have to agree to disagree and but heads.

Except this being DC either Superman comes off as a hero and the Authority are wrong or Superman comes off as ineffectual and outdated while the Authority actually solve the problems. Balance nuanced portrayals are not in the wheelhouse of a lot of their writers.

I expect a retread of Joe Kelly's story is this rumor comes to pass.

[Ra-El]

Potential direction: Superman lead new team = basically Ewing's Ultimates.

The "we kill the bastards" part of the Authority was usually more of an
eye catching smokescreen (as far as the readers went) for a team book
about a proactive and very involved Justice League poxy.

All that to say, you can very easily take out the killing and have it still be
The Authority in terms of its mission and point. Once again, Ewing's
Ultimates.

It's a shame Ewing is marvel exclusive... But something close to Ewing's Ultimates would be good.

[Vordan]

Hmmmm. My initial reaction was “Oh Jesus why?” but I’ve been mulling it over... and there’s potential here. The trick is what I would want is to explore the positives and negatives of both the “classic” hero portrayed by Superman and the more brutal “hands on” attitude of the Authority. Supes being on a team with people who don’t share his values is a good way to have natural storytelling drama that lets you explore his mindset and morals, as well as the Authority of course. But executed wrongly it will just be the Authority bowing before SuperJesus and confessing their sins, or Superman turned into an edgy dick. I’d need to know who the writer is before committing. Ellis I think could’ve pulled it off but he’s probably not going to be writing this now.

I’ll tell you one thing: They need to put Manchester Black on the team. He’d make for a great contrast between the Authority’s gray and the interactions between him and Supes would be hilarious.

[Ascended]

I give BC very, very, very little credit. I'll believe what they say when I see it on the printed page.

But *if* this is true, it's not necessarily the train wreck we're all assuming it'll be. That feels like a knee-jerk reaction, but let's sit back for a moment.

Clark is now representing earth in the United Planets. That puts him in a proactive role where he's actively taking a hand in the development of the world. In a way it hearkens back to his Golden Age roots while presenting his mission in a more mature, considered fashion (like the 20 year old protester who goes into politics because protesting doesn't usually achieve anything). Aside from the wanton murder, it's not really all that far removed from the original premise of the Authority. So maybe these two things are closer together than we're thinking they are.

I think if you embrace the idea that Clark's going to be doing things differently while holding a high level political office, and you adjust the idea of the Authority around and make them less murder-y....maybe this isn't the worst possible idea DC ever had.

I don't think it'll actually happen just because BC posted a rumor on a slow news day or whatever, and if it does happen I question DC's ability to execute the idea well. But conceptually? Depending on how they handle it....I could get behind this.

[The World]

It's funny because I'm partial to the idea but not with Superman leading them. I kind of liked that interaction between Superman in the Justice League in the N52 where he wanted the League to be more involved in helping the world but the Justice League wasn't interested. Superman breaking from the League and going somewhere where he can be more hands on intrigues me but then going to a team that's estranged from where Superman is use to sitting on the morality scale intrigues me. Kal attaching himself with people that are outside of his typical wheelhouse interest me, better than autopilot concepts at least.

But he shouldn't be leading them though, that for me would sink the idea.

[lotchj]

"How do we make Superman cool in 2020"
"Undermine him?"
"You mad, beautiful bastard."

I expect four variants an issue and delays by issue 3.

Please no. I'm so tired of ironic Superman pitches. Can we just play the IP straight and stop apologizing for him? He's plenty cool as is, just stop being ashamed of him.

I'm with you on that!!!

[kilderkin]

I really really don't like the sound of this

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I prefer the Wildstorm stuff on their own Earth, but there's potential in this idea if it's done right. Really all depends on the story and creative team.

[HsssH]

I never read The Authority, but I know more or less what their thing is, and yes, doesn't really fit Superman, but could work. What I like the most about this idea, is that we could finally see Superman on a team book where he doesn't have to defer for Lord Batman.

If this happens, it may not even be the version of The Authoroty fans are familiar with, but a new team with the same name.

I'm sure that Midnighter will happily do what Batman does.

[Myskin]

I'm sure that Midnighter will happily do what Batman does.

You are so right.

[manwhohaseverything]

I don't understand the problem with superman working with people who have killed. What's next? Superman shouldn't work with jason todd?he is too good for them. Please, give me a break.

"How do we make Superman cool in 2020"
"Undermine him?"
"You mad, beautiful bastard."

I expect four variants an issue and delays by issue 3.

Please no. I'm so tired of ironic Superman pitches. Can we just play the IP straight and stop apologizing for him? He's plenty cool as is, just stop being ashamed of him.

Except he kinda is entirely bland for me. There is no conflicts or debates.

[Myskin]

I wouldn't say that the problem here is that Superman will work with people who kill (heck, Superman worked with Lex Luthor at one point). What's worrying is that the Authority and Superman live in completely different worlds.

The Authority's ideological stance is not that different from Golden Age Superman's. The difference is that similar actions had more gruesome consequences than they had for GA Supes because that was the tone of the book. Kal-L made cars derail (but we didn't see the corpse of the driver), kidnapped Hitler and Stalin and forced arms dealer to join the army. The Authority deposed dictators and put them in the hands of their victims' families.

I have got a bad feeling that this direction won't be a good thing for the Authority, rather than Superman. To make them mesh together they will have to dumb the Authority down. It's another "I am Dr Manhattan and today I have learned an important lesson about hope from Superman" situation.

[JAK]

Here's a thought: isn't the t-shirt/jeans Superman still running around in the cosmos somewhere?

What if he's the Superman leading them? Given the JL interaction, this team would give him exactly the opposite feedback, and he'd be checking himself at times as well as them?