Should an older Superman get his own movie?

[Vordan]

Personally my dream would be The Superman in the vein of The Batman. Year 2, Clark has already debuted as Superman, he’s tangled with Lex and a few other Rogues, and the city is divided on him.

I think right now they really want Jon to be the "main" Superman.

My theory is that it’s because Jon will ultimately be the new DCEU Superman to replace Cavill. They’re definitely pushing him as the “main” Superman of the present in the mainline, but everywhere else it’s still Clark.

If they skipped the origin and do a Year Two ala The Batman, I'd be down for young Supes too. And as a bonus, it'd probably have them write some minis and one offs set in a year two as well, and that's kind of a period that doesn't get as explored much for Supes as it is for Bats. Feels like Batman has very few origin stories compared to Clark, but has so much more wealth of early years stories. Superman just kind of has "another origin" and "already established and iconic" with little in between.

Miller basically wrote the perfect Batman origin, and everyone has been more or less satisfied with that as his origin since. Even Scott Snyder didn’t want to do a new origin initially for the New 52. Superman meanwhile hasn’t had an origin that’s been as universally held up as perfect, so writers keep shooting their shot at giving him one.

[Jim Kelly]

Wait, the whole "Superman is eternally 29" only started in 1971? Really? I knew Superboy continuity was only established to be 15 years before Superman continuity in 1971, but I thought the "Superman is 29" thing was an already established deal.

With the January 1971 cover date issues, these pages appeared in every Superman title--




And in addition this page appeared in SUPERBOY 171--



Prior to that issue of SUPERBOY, Clark's stories took place in an undefined time period that was sometimes supposed to be prior to 1938 although there were lots of anachronisms if that was the case. The new rule set Superboy's stories about 15 years (or less) behind Superman's stories.

That page in SUPERBOY 171 seems to say Superman has always been 29, but I find no reason to believe that's the case before this issue. It just seems an editorial assertion that Superman has been retroactively 29. In terms of his appearance, previously Curt Swan was told to draw Superman looking older, with a receding hairline, to fit the George Reeves image. By 1971, with Murphy Anderson inks, the Swan Superman is looking a lot younger than before.

Even in the early 1980s, the new rule was in place. However, in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, beginning with the first issue, Clark turns 16, so that would mean it was set 13 years before the stories in the Superman comics at the time. And references are made to events in the late 1960s in keeping with that time gap.

[Vakanai]

Miller basically wrote the perfect Batman origin, and everyone has been more or less satisfied with that as his origin since. Even Scott Snyder didn’t want to do a new origin initially for the New 52. Superman meanwhile hasn’t had an origin that’s been as universally held up as perfect, so writers keep shooting their shot at giving him one.

Eh, I like Year One, but every year that passes the less it works as an origin for me. Doesn't fit the sliding time scale approach, like Batman has to be old now for it to work. And not like the theoretical 40-ish to 45-ish old he might vaguely be now, maybe, according to some, but well over 50 something grandfatherly age where Dick and Jason and Tim should probably all be settled down with kids by now and even Damian should be in college dealing with trying to make a long distance relationship with Jon work, old. Just saying Year One is very clearly tied to an era, and that era is very clearly the 80s.

I honestly liked Zero Year better than Year One, at least the Red Hood arc. Everything after Red Hood was very much...not as good. Unpopular opinion, but I think every 15-25 years the origins do need to be rebooted or tweaked/updated. Batman's included.

Still, my point was less harping on Superman getting too many origins, Batman getting too few (wish we could split their origins evenly), but Batman getting too much material in this ripe "early years/Year 2" era and Superman having largely...none. Only Year Two early Superman story I can name that's not an origin story, is Smashes the Klan. Which is awesome, and shows just how great such stories could be, although I'd prefer something set closer to "now-ish" give or take maybe 15 years.

[Vordan]

Waid is writing one set in Year 2 of the Birthrightverse apparently but I agree, I’m not interested in origins, but I do like seeing “early years” Superman getting explored more.

[DABellWrites]

If they skipped the origin and do a Year Two ala The Batman, I'd be down for young Supes too. And as a bonus, it'd probably have them write some minis and one offs set in a year two as well, and that's kind of a period that doesn't get as explored much for Supes as it is for Bats. Feels like Batman has very few origin stories compared to Clark, but has so much more wealth of early years stories. Superman just kind of has "another origin" and "already established and iconic" with little in between.

The third is "Older and more jaded" thanks to Kingdom Come.

[Prime]

Not until we get an good Superman movie