How would you reboot Superman?

[Superfly Frankenstein]

Take Byrne’s Man of Steel, update the dated points, and you got a blockbuster.

[The World]

Wouldn't reboot, I'd deboot him rather. Bring back Superboy or something akin to it. Iron Giant style animated trilogy set in Clark's childhood. The Legion, Lana, Pete, the whole shebang. Realism obsessors be damned; Clark doesn't have 3 series set in his childhood because it's too unrelatable.

[ironman2978]

Take Byrne’s Man of Steel, update the dated points, and you got a blockbuster.

Yeah, honestly, there’s not much I would use from Byrne’s take tbh. I’d rather them take from Waid, Yang or Morrison.

[JAK]

Completely against bringing back any of the old Superman themes. You can’t keep looking backwards with Superman, you gotta do a clean reboot like what Batman is getting.

Indeed. Gotta foward guys, not back.

I once thought this, too. But if someone can turn the freaking "Here Comes The Spider-Man" theme into something amazing, there's no reason the same can't be done for Flesicher.

[Vakanai]

Didn't mean to ignore you, I didn't read the entire thread.

I actually like the idea of using the Legion. It'd fit nicely with my own idea of doing an animated theatrical "science fantasy adventure" thing with exotic locations. I think you could take the story of Valor/Mon-El and work it into a loose adaptation of Superman & the Legion and end up with a quality film. Use Clark and Gar's dynamic as the emotional heart of the story, reflect the theme of brotherhood through the Legion for different perspectives, with Earth Man as the external threat whose goals parallel the troubles between Clark and his estranged brother.

It's a side of Superman I don't think people have seen outside of the comic shop, and the Legion is a rarely used tool in the mythos so it'd still feel fairly fresh.

That could work. I've been toying with my own ideas, one of which is one of the time traveling villains, Time Trapper or Thawne maybe, was stealing parts of the phantom zone projector scattered across various museums and collections in the future to free Brainiac in exchange for the technology to bottle a city. So the Legion goes back in time to recruit Clark to help them stop it (I know Thawne's a Flash villain, but him freeing Brainiac in the future for the tech to bottle Central City in the past was an idea that popped in my head and I just like, and could see him telling teen Clark "Stay out of my way, you're not the one I'm after" and Clark just getting in his way; then in the end he and the Legion fight him and Brainiac). Kind of like toying with the idea of Clark seeing his legacy sort of in the man he will grow to be in archival footage and statues and things, but not being that man just yet. Something hopeful and inspiring.

And it could totally work animated.

(Sorry I didn't discuss your Mon-El idea, sadly most of what I know of him comes from the Supergirl show.)

But as far as casting goes, I have no idea. I don't watch enough tv to even have a good guess. I know that I'd reduce the size of the Legion to about a dozen, with only four or five getting a solid amount of screen time (Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Valor, and Brainy).

By casting I meant not actors but which LoSH characters should appear in the first movie, since there's probably too many to introduce all in one film. Guess I should've said roster instead. Lightning Lad, Karate Kid, Saturn Girl, Triplicate Girl, and Brainy were my personal picks. And maybe Bouncing Boy.

[Vakanai]

I agree that the Kegion of Superheroes is the way forward, jone in on the idea of Superman being a builder, by showing a group of young fresh characters that come to show what he will do for mankind. Kind of like a reverse Truth Justice and the American Way.

And maybe meege this with the T-shirt and cape era. At the beginning of the movie Clark has been living as a reporter, and the first act is when he puts on the cape and becomes a trust buster, he is dismantly something. And then the Legion appear, a way more sophisticated form of superhero.

Heck, Braniac could be the villain just like in the actual Grant Morrison run, but the real suit doesn't come from him, it comes from the Legion.

I kind of like the idea of combining the T Shirt and Jeans young Supes with the era of Legion of Superheroes young Supes. And definitely, would like to see the Legion be the ones to gift Clark his first suit.

I don't think the Legion would work. Unless we limit it to 3 of them. And they don't show up until after Morrison's first arc. Also we need to start fresh. No John Williams theme sorry.

I think the Legion would work very well, but I agree you would have to limit it to a core 5 or 6 with only 3 really getting focus. Don't really care about following Morrison's first arc or origin - I like their take on Supes, their portrayal of the character, but I just never like their storytelling really. If you can just take their version of Clark and put him in better executed and told stories, great. But that's just me, I know I'm in a minority here.

Agree that the Williams theme, as iconic as it is, shouldn't make a comeback. However I do feel that theme music is important and has been missing in a lot of superhero films these days, so while they shouldn't repeat the past they do need to make a new theme that fits just as well. Something new, but still big and inspiring. It's a really important element that's been missing.

[Vakanai]

Wouldn't reboot, I'd deboot him rather. Bring back Superboy or something akin to it. Iron Giant style animated trilogy set in Clark's childhood. The Legion, Lana, Pete, the whole shebang. Realism obsessors be damned; Clark doesn't have 3 series set in his childhood because it's too unrelatable.

I'm just focusing on one movie, and making it Legion because I like that idea best, but if I were rebooting the character in the comics, this honestly. I might not call it Superboy, but the whole premise of Clark's adventures as a young superhero is definitely something I feel needs to be brought back. And not just as an important part of his origin, but like legit there should be an ongoing series, or at least a miniseries every year or two. A one off OGN in the Kids/YA or Black Label line. Something. It doesn't even have to be set in continuity if/in case the DC brass gets all weird about needing to push some big event that'll derail a series set in the past. Because, ugh, events. But yeah, Clark as Superboy/young Superman stuff needs to be put out there, without just rehashing the same origin repeatedly.

[Prime]

I once thought this, too. But if someone can turn the freaking "Here Comes The Spider-Man" theme into something amazing, there's no reason the same can't be done for Flesicher.

They use it but that's not the actual theme of the MCU Spiderman.

[Ascended]

I don't think the Legion would work. Unless we limit it to 3 of them. And they don't show up until after Morrison's first arc. Also we need to start fresh. No John Williams theme sorry.

I'd think a film could juggle five of the Legion in supporting roles of various importance. Three to five, anyway. I don't know if I'd want the others to show up in, like, the background or not....always hated it when the X-Men films would introduce a mutant just for the hell of it, and they'd only get two lines of dialogue. Seemed like a waste, yknow?

Maybe you have a few of them in the story and drop the idea that the others are away. Captured, or just off-world, or whatever.....and towards the end of the film they all return, either for the last battle or in the epilogue once the dust settles.

Either way, I think if you're gonna use the Legion, Valor is the key to that. The brother who Clark "betrayed" in his youth. Solid emotional arc, and it connects Clark's childhood and present to the future and makes it all one piece.

And I'm thinking of the Legion and t-shirt/Golden Age stuff as two separate projects, so there wouldn't be any concern about the fantastical 31st century clashing with the more grounded Golden Age flavored thing, if I got to make my two movies/shows. But if the two were to be combined? Approach the Legion as a old school pulp science fantasy/adventure group, and not like future sci-fi superheroes, and I think you could balance things out.

Also, I agree on the Williams theme. It's iconic. And not "iconic" like we often use it here, but genuinely iconic and recognized around the majority of the world. But we're talking about the Man of Tomorrow, not the Man of Yesterday. Did we not learn after Superman Returns that nostalgia is a siren's song that sounds sweet, right up until it kills you? Use it as an easter egg somewhere; somebody humming it on the sidewalk, someone's ringtone, that's great, but as the theme of the film itself? No. Make it a bonus song on the soundtrack maybe, but the film should build its own Superman, not rely on our fond memories of another.

I don't think we "need" it, per se, but it's expected.

Maybe that's the best argument *against* it, actually. Not saying it is, just spitballing ideas.

Absolutely. "I'm eyeballing it" is so perfectly confident yet still has a folksy-ness to it that I love it.

If I could travel the multiverse I'd find the world where Morrison wrote t-shirt Superman for a full decade and never ran out of fun ideas. Morrison's take on Action, of Clark as the folk hero of the modern age.....pure poetry.

As for Clark's anger....the man has a temper. Especially when he's younger. But I think the best way to spin it is as "righteous indignation towards corruption." When you or I hear about some smuck in a position of power who abuses their authority and we want to throw them into the sun, not because we're on a power trip but because the world would be better off? That's the kind of rage Superman needs to have. It's not a "personal" kind of anger, he's not angry for his own sake, he's angry for the sake of those suffering. Clark will suffer fools, and critics, and rivals, and his feathers won't be ruffled no matter what they say. He'll barely slow down enough to say "Sorry you feel that way." But he has a zero tolerance policy for corruption. That gets him from "calm" to "red eyed angry god" faster than Barry Allen can fart.

(Sorry I didn't discuss your Mon-El idea, sadly most of what I know of him comes from the Supergirl show.)

No worries man. Valor has become little more than a footnote in Super history. Didn't watch Supergirl so I have no idea what they did with him there, but I assume it was quite different from the source material.

[Prime]

I'd think a film could juggle five of the Legion in supporting roles of various importance. Three to five, anyway. I don't know if I'd want the others to show up in, like, the background or not....always hated it when the X-Men films would introduce a mutant just for the hell of it, and they'd only get two lines of dialogue. Seemed like a waste, yknow?

Maybe you have a few of them in the story and drop the idea that the others are away. Captured, or just off-world, or whatever.....and towards the end of the film they all return, either for the last battle or in the epilogue once the dust settles.

Either way, I think if you're gonna use the Legion, Valor is the key to that. The brother who Clark "betrayed" in his youth. Solid emotional arc, and it connects Clark's childhood and present to the future and makes it all one piece.

And I'm thinking of the Legion and t-shirt/Golden Age stuff as two separate projects, so there wouldn't be any concern about the fantastical 31st century clashing with the more grounded Golden Age flavored thing, if I got to make my two movies/shows. But if the two were to be combined? Approach the Legion as a old school pulp science fantasy/adventure group, and not like future sci-fi superheroes, and I think you could balance things out.

Also, I agree on the Williams theme. It's iconic. And not "iconic" like we often use it here, but genuinely iconic and recognized around the majority of the world. But we're talking about the Man of Tomorrow, not the Man of Yesterday. Did we not learn after Superman Returns that nostalgia is a siren's song that sounds sweet, right up until it kills you? Use it as an easter egg somewhere; somebody humming it on the sidewalk, someone's ringtone, that's great, but as the theme of the film itself? No. Make it a bonus song on the soundtrack maybe, but the film should build its own Superman, not rely on our fond memories of another.



Maybe that's the best argument *against* it, actually. Not saying it is, just spitballing ideas.



If I could travel the multiverse I'd find the world where Morrison wrote t-shirt Superman for a full decade and never ran out of fun ideas. Morrison's take on Action, of Clark as the folk hero of the modern age.....pure poetry.

As for Clark's anger....the man has a temper. Especially when he's younger. But I think the best way to spin it is as "righteous indignation towards corruption." When you or I hear about some smuck in a position of power who abuses their authority and we want to throw them into the sun, not because we're on a power trip but because the world would be better off? That's the kind of rage Superman needs to have. It's not a "personal" kind of anger, he's not angry for his own sake, he's angry for the sake of those suffering. Clark will suffer fools, and critics, and rivals, and his feathers won't be ruffled no matter what they say. He'll barely slow down enough to say "Sorry you feel that way." But he has a zero tolerance policy for corruption. That gets him from "calm" to "red eyed angry god" faster than Barry Allen can fart.



No worries man. Valor has become little more than a footnote in Super history. Didn't watch Supergirl so I have no idea what they did with him there, but I assume it was quite different from the source material.

I see. But it seems the Legion of Superheroes would work in a sequel movie better or have their own movie with Superman in it. First one should establish Superman first and I think going GA power levels to start might actually resonate with audiences better. To have him train to maintain his powers and get more powerful. I mean, it worked for the other guy with spiky hair right?

[Ra-El]

No origin story, everyone knows who Superman is, his powers, Lois Lane, etc. If necessary, do an All-Star Superman and tell his origin in 2 minutes.
No other heroes, to someone watching it, Superman could very well be the only superhero in the world. Also, no nerfing him or grounding a flying man.

My idea for the story is simple, adapt King and Kubert [I]Up in the Sky/I]. While Superman is busy fighting a kaiju in Japan and an attack happens in an orphanage in the US. Lois, who will take Batman role in the story, goes to investigate and by talking with one of the children learns that a small girl was taken by aliens. She tells Clark (maybe they are married or dating, but she knows he is Superman). After some consideration, he decides to go after her in space.

I like this story because while it is big in scope, it's not a world ending threat, but the stakes are still extremely high. We could get to see Superman in scenario none of his movies have show, facing enemies that could actually challenge him in a fight.

[JAK]

They use it but that's not the actual theme of the MCU Spiderman.

Sure, but it would absolutely have been usable.

Also, I agree on the Williams theme. It's iconic. And not "iconic" like we often use it here, but genuinely iconic and recognized around the majority of the world. But we're talking about the Man of Tomorrow, not the Man of Yesterday. Did we not learn after Superman Returns that nostalgia is a siren's song that sounds sweet, right up until it kills you? Use it as an easter egg somewhere; somebody humming it on the sidewalk, someone's ringtone, that's great, but as the theme of the film itself? No. Make it a bonus song on the soundtrack maybe, but the film should build its own Superman, not rely on our fond memories of another.

I agree on Williams - I do think that the Williams theme has so eclipsed almost any others that you could use others and it wouldn't feel like nostalgia because most people would never have heard it, just us uber-nerds (especially if it's remixed properly). I mean, look at us saying turn 1938 Superman and/or Morrison 2011 Superman in to a movie/movies; that's the same thing but in story form. To me, the reason for that is that there's something there that we think can resonate with people in ways they hadn't considered with the character before, and is a huge departure from what people have come to expect. Drawing on pieces of the past and using them in new and different but "true" ways to forge a better future. I've always said that Superman Returns didn't fail because of nostalgia, per se - it failed because it didn't understand the heart of what drew people to the Reeve movies in the first place. Copying lines and plot points verbatim from the first film is extreme nostalgia in a way, but it (and the general tone and needless complication) completely undermines the "verisimilitude" that made the first film what it was.

I keep harping on the Fleischer theme because there's an energy to it that isn't in the Williams theme - as amazing as it is. So if the Fleischer theme is absolutely out, at the very least I'd like that kind of energy that goes with the Superman personality we've been talking about.

Maybe that's the best argument *against* it, actually. Not saying it is, just spitballing ideas.

I can see that, and it's especially good if we're keeping a Golden Age theme throughout. My grand idea is space and Silver Age for movie 2, so I think it'd be more necessary in that scenario.

If I could travel the multiverse I'd find the world where Morrison wrote t-shirt Superman for a full decade and never ran out of fun ideas. Morrison's take on Action, of Clark as the folk hero of the modern age.....pure poetry.

That would be good. Even as much as I couldn't stand the New52 when it was around, I'd read that now.

As for Clark's anger....the man has a temper. Especially when he's younger. But I think the best way to spin it is as "righteous indignation towards corruption." When you or I hear about some smuck in a position of power who abuses their authority and we want to throw them into the sun, not because we're on a power trip but because the world would be better off? That's the kind of rage Superman needs to have. It's not a "personal" kind of anger, he's not angry for his own sake, he's angry for the sake of those suffering. Clark will suffer fools, and critics, and rivals, and his feathers won't be ruffled no matter what they say. He'll barely slow down enough to say "Sorry you feel that way." But he has a zero tolerance policy for corruption. That gets him from "calm" to "red eyed angry god" faster than Barry Allen can fart.

Absolutely. And I think it takes a heavy dose of seeing what goes on in the world outside of too many bubbles to be able to grasp that idea enough to convey it in a story.

[manwhohaseverything]

I beg to differ.Hans zimmer theme has been very much taken up by people and as much iconic.
Anyways I would like something new as well,The theme i would prefer is something based on max fleischer cartoons like the tas one.Something that screams a guy on his foot taking the world by storm.An adventurer,a romantic and above all a kickass champion.

something like this for the main-energetic beats and christopher drake's superman theme for softer side.

[Lightning Rider]

Clark is a few years into being Superman. He's recently told Lois the secret, it's going great. Movie starts with a big press conference/news story, Daily Planet exclusive. Clark Kent and Lois lane have managed to have Lex Luthor arrested and imprisoned. They proved a lot of his villainous activity - with journalism! Including human experimentation, like the Kryptonite powered cyborg Metallo, and the human Parasite Rudy Jones. Everything looks great for Metropolis. That's all established in first ten minutes.

Then a shadow comes over the moon. An enormous headship. Brainiac has arrived. And as you may guess from the name, Brainiac isn't an idiot. He's well aware of the capabilities of the Kryptonian and sees a head on assault as futile. So he bottles metropolis like he did Kandor, but without shrinking it. Then he fires several devices into the sun, turning it red. And he'll wait.

In the bottled city of Metropolis, things are bad. The sky is red, panic in the streets and Superman's powers are fading fast. But he's Superman, so he's out there anyway, giving it his all, knowing (via a message from Brainiac) that the invasion proper will start in 72 hours.

Then Parasite and Metallo escape.

What follows is a hardcore action scene with Clark just hardcore fighting for his life against two villains who can drain his already draining powers. It's a showcase of determination and valor, as he beats these two and saves a ton of lives in the process. And is left powerless.

But still, he's out there. Fighting. Saving. Lois gets a message. Luthor wants to talk. He has a way to end this. The red sun idea was his god dammit, stolen from a lexcorp data storage satellite in orbit around Neptune. But he knows how to switch them off. Lois, Clark and Lex formulate a plan to pop the cork off the bottle momentarily, allowing for the launch of a craft (With a big L on it), that will contain Clark and the shutdown solution for the red solar effect, directly into the sun.

Lex drones fight Brainiac drones in the skies over Metropolis to cover the craft launch. Then we're in space. Silence. The ship enters the sun's coronasphere. Silence.

John Williams.

A gold streak emerges from a yellow sun, blazing into the headship. Superman and Brainiac do battle, the victor is obvious.

Clark returns to earth, victorious. And the city celebrates....Lex Luthor. There's a mistrial. He's cleared. He's a public darling, the saviour of humanity, of Superman. Lois and Clark's story somehow discredited. Lex emerges on to his rooftop balcony, sh*t eating grin. Come now, alien, you didn't think you'd stop me with the law, did you? We're just getting started.

I'd certainly watch this. I always envisioned Brainiac opening the opportunity for Kandor and Kara if that can fit but all the same it's a great opportunity to flesh out a lot of aspects of Superman and Metropolis.

[Ascended]

I see. But it seems the Legion of Superheroes would work in a sequel movie better or have their own movie with Superman in it. First one should establish Superman first and I think going GA power levels to start might actually resonate with audiences better. To have him train to maintain his powers and get more powerful. I mean, it worked for the other guy with spiky hair right?

I've long said that the world needs a return of the Golden Age social crusader. That is as relevant today as it was in 1938.....maybe more so.

As for the Legion, I admit it's a bit of a weird flex. There's a lot of stuff there that'll eat up screen time; you gotta establish the 31st century, what the Legion is and who the members are, why they're important, and why Clark is important to them. It's a lot, and it does run the risk of pushing Clark to the side in his own story.

But you don't have to worry about establishing Clark. Everyone knows who Superman is, and while a film would have to establish that particular version of him, that's really just details. Even doing the Golden Age version, which is different in a lot of ways from what audiences are used to, isn't so strange that it requires a ton of time to set up. Clark is a character you really can just hit the ground running with; people are familiar with the basic idea, and the particulars of any single version can be worked out as you go. It might even be for the best to do that, and not spend a ton of time establishing the details of basic concepts everyone is already familiar with.

The real benefit of the Legion, I think, is that it opens up a side of Clark the general public is barely aware of at all. The guy has this real deep mythology, with all kinds of crazy planets, dimensions, and time periods to pull from, zany and weird characters....but what does the general audience see in nearly every Super project? Metropolis, Smallville, Lois, and Lex (or Zod and/or Doomsday, and that's it). And you can (and should) keep all that classic stuff too, but Clark going to the future adds things nobody has seen in a major film/tv production before, outside of the Legion's few cameo appearances in stuff like Smallville and STAS (and Supergirl, I think?).

It could absolutely go wrong. The Legion could pull all the attention away from Clark, and then fail to entertain anyone (or worse, succeed in being more entertaining than Clark himself, though I wouldn't worry about that with the Legion). The 31st century could come off as lame and unoriginal. There's tons of ways for it to derail Clark's narrative. But bad writing is bad writing, and that'd happen no matter what without the right people involved. But done properly, all you're doing is introducing a group of superheroes that'll expand Clark's world and cast.

If you treat the Legion the same way the Bat clan gets treated in a Batman story, you'll probably be fine. Dick, Damian, Tim, Kate, Babs.....rarely do they ever eclipse the main character, but (when done right) they not only stand on their own, they enhance Bruce's story and bring out a side to him that you don't see otherwise. The Legion could do the same for Clark.

In any case, I'm not as concerned about the details of any hypothetical project as I am the need to show people a side to Superman they're not familiar with. The basic nuts-and-bolts Superman story, we have those in abundance in larger media. What we don't have, are a lot of stories that take him out of his (or rather, the audience's) comfort zone.