So, what is *your* take on Superman?

[666MasterOfPuppets]

OK people, what if we do this once again? I believe I started a similar thread years ago, but it was deleted. So, how would you write him? Would you change anything from his origin? Interactions? Relationships? Settings? Enemies? Powers? Suit? Fortress? Would you change anything from Krypton? Would he still work at The Planet? (Regarding this final question, I thought him quitting the planet and going independent was an interesting move, perhaps I'd try something similar, OR I'd change the daily itself)

In my case, my vision is very specific, and it starts with two words: alien god (but I guess you already know that, eh? ).

Alien, because I'm sick of him being portrayed as a meta and hell, if he's an alien he should be portrayed as such (and no, by that I don't mean that he should be detached from humanity or anything of the sort). And god, because he should be *crazy* powerful. And immortal. And a scientist. I think it's fun to see him in his lab creating stuff. I really want to enhance the sci-fi aspect of the character.

And here is where my touted "Superman guidelines" come into play. They are also very specific.

I would certainly redesign his suit to make it look more alien. It would be tough though. There are lots of awesome redesigns out there, but I'd give it a shot anyway. But damn, it's been so long since I last drew anything.

As for personality, perhaps among the lines of early n52 Supes. Intimidating when he wants to be, irreverent to those who want to put him down, and a bit of a temper.

And yes, there's SMWW.

So, how about you?

[DieHard200904]

Origin:

Probably would just use the Morrison/Morales origin story, I know it's recycling, but I find it simple not to change much.

How he is: I would be somewhat cautious about how I handled him, again, tease him, get him progressively more powerful, and restrict any depowerments to happen sparingly. I would make his Kryptonite weakness something he would phase out of with time, because I would prefer giving him, despite his great power, villains like Pre-Crisis Mongul that can overpower him so that he needs to be somewhat tactical in his fighting.

Relationships: You could count on me teasing the entire Pre-Crisis lineup: That includes Lana, Lyla, Lori, Lois, Diana, and even others. Let's face it, Superman is one attractive guy, and I would try really hard not to make any endgame obvious. In fact, during canon, I would simply make multiple Elseworlds type stories assuming that he got into a committed relationship/had kids with person X, while focusing on a young Superman in canon stories.

I would certainly bring back some characters, however brief, such as Linda Danvers, Conner Kent, etc.

I would like to keep the Golden Age/N52 personality at the start but go into the Silver Age personality later on. I would like to have him do some superdickery too.

Utilize a long line of villains from various ages against Superman ranging from Hercules wanting to prove who the strongest man is up to Conduit from Post-Crisis or Helspont.

I would make the Daily Planet an internet news service, and have some outings with the LCJ (Lois, Clark, Jimmy) team. I would have his close friends in on the secret and have them pull of schemes to help cover for the Secret Identity when needed.

[Ascended]

Oh, I'd change a lot.

Well....not so much "change" as "redefine" and possibly "update" could be a fitting word in some cases as well.

For me one of the big issues is the Planet. There's nothing wrong with Clark being a journalist, and, really, nothing even that wrong with the idea of him working in a failing industry. But the way the Planet is written is more jarring and otherworldly than a flying man. Its like no one told the Planet that print is dead, and the place just keeps on humming as if it were 1979 and people still read newspapers regularly. Im a big news junkie but even I left newspapers behind for my tablet years ago and get my New York Times digitally.

I'd update the Planet so it felt contemporary. That could be done in any number of ways but one that Im rather fond of is treating it like an underground movement. Perhaps the Planet was a massive, successful paper once, but like all of print it fell on hard times and struggled to adapt to the digital age. So Perry buys the name (perhaps with a loan from Lex, just for drama down the line) and updates it so its a fully online, "guerrilla" news source; attacking crime and corruption and scandal and wielding the truth like a twenty-ton hammer. Lois would stream the news live with Jim as her cameraman, and still write articles about the fantastical events that happen of course, and Clark would post blogs and opinion pieces as well as write articles on social issues (something Superman cant really affect directly).

There's a ton more, covering every aspect of the mythology, but ya'll will just have to wait for the day DC comes to their senses and hires me to find out what. (kidding about that. Well, half-way kidding. Im not exactly chasing employment there but wouldnt turn it down either).

And for the record, that's not the direction I myself would go with the Planet, just one I find appealing.

[manofsteel1979]

A hercules in Strength!

A genius in intellect!

Champion of the oppressed!

Faster than a comet, more powerful than a solar storm

It's SUPERMAN

And who disguised as Clark Kent, fights a never ending battle for Truth and Justice.

Just, look...up in the sky!

[Francisco]

A hercules in Strength!

A genius in intellect!

Champion of the oppressed!

Faster than a comet, more powerful than a solar storm

It's SUPERMAN

And who disguised as Clark Kent, fights a never ending battle for Truth and Justice.

Just, look...up in the sky!

This by Krypton this!!

[StrikeJP]

I'd use Birthright as my origin and work from there. These are some bullet points I'd focus on:

-Clark and Lois would go on lots of reporting adventures. They would be a team, not necessarily adversaries (maybe sometimes). One week they could be in a political thriller uncovering government corruption, the next week they could be trying to figure out how Intergang got a hold of alien weaponry, etc. Also, as Ascended mentioned, the Daily Planet would need to be modernized.

-Jimmy would not only be a photographer but a tech wiz. He could help Superman out similar to how Felicity helps Green Arrow. Gives him something a bit more to do.

-Lex Luthor would not only be a main villain, but practically a supporting cast member. He would also kind of have his own secret identity. Ruthless business man by day, evil mad scientist by night.

-Supporting cast would be important. You would see lots of Lois, Jimmy, Lex, Perry, Kents, Lana, etc.

-I'd make the Secret Identity important again. Maybe dig Conduit out of the closet and tell a story of just how wrong life can go if someone figures out Clark and Superman are the same.

-And this would be his Costume (thanks to L.R Johansson):
Rebirth_Superman_shaner_redesigned_3.jpg

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Great posts everyone! Thanks for checking this thread out and commenting.

Seems we all agree on updating The Planet. Ascended's idea is indeed appealing. Also, digging Strike's take on Luthor, like a guy working from the shadows, the mind behind strange happenings in Metropolis and elsewhere around the world. A mystery for Clark and Lois to solve. Perhaps it could include some dark political connections. Some big cahuna a in the government or something.

And that's a cool looking suit, BTW. I'd go farther from the classic design, though. I've been brewing the idea of the suit for a while and I'm starting to see in my mind how'd I like it to look. Perhaps I'll pick up a pencil after all and attempt to draw it.

And besides, why just one suit? It's a thing that's bugged me for some time now. And not just in Superman's case, but the whole superhero community in general. He should have a "regular" suit, a Kryptonian armor, a ceremonial armor, and something relaxed for whenever he's resting at The Fortress.

As for the "genius in intellect": glad we're on the same page, ManOfSteel. Digging a lot the "faster than a comet, more powerful than a solar storm" line.

Regarding some members of the supporting cast, I've been thinking about including Supergirl or not. And I'm leaning towards not including her. Unless she's not a Kryptonian. I'd really like him to be the only one left. As for him having different relationships, sounds interesting and actually pretty contemporary. Especially when including those Elseworlds stories you're proposing, DieHard.

Perhaps I'd do the same, via flashbacks or something (perhaps an event that triggers a specific memory of a past relationship, so it ties to the main story being told, a la Man Of Steel). But I'm a SMWW guy, so I'd focus on that in the present.

[DieHard200904]

Great posts everyone! Thanks for checking this thread out and commenting.

Seems we all agree on updating The Planet. Ascended's idea is indeed appealing. Also, digging Strike's take on Luthor, like a guy working from the shadows, the mind behind strange happenings in Metropolis and elsewhere around the world. A mystery for Clark and Lois to solve. Perhaps it could include some dark political connections. Some big cahuna a in the government or something.

And that's a cool looking suit, BTW. I'd go farther from the classic design, though. I've been brewing the idea of the suit for a while and I'm starting to see in my mind how'd I like it to look. Perhaps I'll pick up a pencil after all and attempt to draw it.

And besides, why just one suit? It's a thing that's bugged me for some time now. And not just in Superman's case, but the whole superhero community in general. He should have a "regular" suit, a Kryptonian armor, a ceremonial armor, and something relaxed for whenever he's resting at The Fortress.

As for the "genius in intellect": glad we're on the same page, ManOfSteel. Digging a lot the "faster than a comet, more powerful than a solar storm" line.

Regarding some members of the supporting cast, I've been thinking about including Supergirl or not. And I'm leaning towards not including her. Unless she's not a Kryptonian. I'd really like him to be the only one left. As for him having different relationships, sounds interesting and actually pretty contemporary. Especially when including those Elseworlds stories you're proposing, DieHard.

Perhaps I'd do the same, via flashbacks or something (perhaps an event that triggers a specific memory of a past relationship, so it ties to the main story being told, a la Man Of Steel). But I'm a SMWW guy, so I'd focus on that in the present.

I mentioned Linda Danvers because she was not a Kryptonian Supergirl, nor was Matrix before her. I also feel that some serious injustice was dealt to Linda in the late 90s.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

What happened to her? Can't remember...

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I have always seen Superman as a god who thinks he's a man, similar to how Batman is a man who has tricked criminals into thinking he's a god.

Because Superman is so god-like (which doesn't mean perfect), I think Lois & Jimmy really need to be the POV characters. The fact that DC hasn't had a Lois Lane solo comic in decades is astonishing to me. She's one of the most recognizable characters in history and DC doesn't think she could support her own series? How many times have B-listers and C-listers like Aquaman, Hawkman, The Atom, Doctor Fate and The Spectre gotten another failed solo series over the years while Lois Freaking Lane gets nothing? She's a woman so special, so human, so fearless and courageous that she's won the heart of the most powerful being on Earth, but she doesn't have enough potential to support a monthly series? I call shenanigans on all that noise.

I like the merger of billionaire mogul Lex and mad scientist Lex. While I think he should be spending time in prison, he should also be smart enough to wrangle himself numerous pardons, mistrials and endless appeals to walk free just as often. I think having Lex and Clark be friends when they were teenagers is important to their contemporary antagonism, because Superman needs to have known Lex before he was a villain. He needs to know that underneath all the hate and darkness, there is still a brilliant genius who could do great things for the world. Without that, the rivalry between them is missing a crucial element.

As far as the origin goes, I think a healthy mix of Waid's Clark/Lex from Birthright, Johns' Silver Age/Bronze Age/Donner/Byrne redux from Secret Origin and Morrison's Golden Age social crusader revival would work the best.

Superman has plenty of great villains that challenge him both mentally and physically, but the real challenge for a character as powerful as Superman is finding conflicts that put him to the test spiritually, that force him to make tough moral choices and emerge victorious. And I am not taking about executing Zod. Superman doesn't kill. Period. Superman always finds a way. Superman does the impossible.

[StrikeJP]

Also, digging Strike's take on Luthor, like a guy working from the shadows, the mind behind strange happenings in Metropolis and elsewhere around the world. A mystery for Clark and Lois to solve. Perhaps it could include some dark political connections. Some big cahuna a in the government or something.

And that's a cool looking suit, BTW. I'd go farther from the classic design, though. I've been brewing the idea of the suit for a while and I'm starting to see in my mind how'd I like it to look. Perhaps I'll pick up a pencil after all and attempt to draw it.

Regarding some members of the supporting cast, I've been thinking about including Supergirl or not. And I'm leaning towards not including her. Unless she's not a Kryptonian. I'd really like him to be the only one left. As for him having different relationships, sounds interesting and actually pretty contemporary. Especially when including those Elseworlds stories you're proposing, DieHard.

Thanks! Always seemed like common sense to me to combine both aspects of Lex.

I'd be interested in seeing your take on the suit! That being said, I do think its dangerous to stray too far from the original suit. My idea of the suit is that it needs that classic feel to it while being slightly modernized.

As far as Supergirl goes, she should be around, but I wouldn't make her a supporting cast. Same goes for Superboy.

On a side note, everyone loves T-shirt and jeans social crusader Superman... that would be my take on Superboy. That way we could have a more "mature/experienced" Superman. Meanwhile, Kon could fill out that "brash/impulsive" Superman void.

[sunofdarkchild]

My take is to define Superman by his relationships. His friends and family make him who he is far more than his powers. His relationships with humans are to be emphasized.

Characters to introduce early on-Linda Danvers/Matrix and Steel. These characters emphasize his ability to inspire people, including other heroes, and the stepsister relastionship with Linda is one of his most interesting.

Characters to be introduced later on-Kara and Connor. Even if Supes isn't the 'last son,' he should stay that way for a while. By their nature these characters cannot be there at the start of a new continuity. As a clone Connor is obviously someone who can't exist until Superman is established, and having another recurring Kryptonian character makes Superman less special if done too early.

[Last Son]

OK people, what if we do this once again? I believe I started a similar thread years ago, but it was deleted. So, how would you write him? Would you change anything from his origin? Interactions? Relationships? Settings? Enemies? Powers? Suit? Fortress? Would you change anything from Krypton? Would he still work at The Planet? (Regarding this final question, I thought him quitting the planet and going independent was an interesting move, perhaps I'd try something similar, OR I'd change the daily itself)

In my case, my vision is very specific, and it starts with two words: alien god (but I guess you already know that, eh? ).

Alien, because I'm sick of him being portrayed as a meta and hell, if he's an alien he should be portrayed as such (and no, by that I don't mean that he should be detached from humanity or anything of the sort). And god, because he should be *crazy* powerful. And immortal. And a scientist. I think it's fun to see him in his lab creating stuff. I really want to enhance the sci-fi aspect of the character.

And here is where my touted "Superman guidelines" come into play. They are also very specific.

I would certainly redesign his suit to make it look more alien. It would be tough though. There are lots of awesome redesigns out there, but I'd give it a shot anyway. But damn, it's been so long since I last drew anything.

As for personality, perhaps among the lines of early n52 Supes. Intimidating when he wants to be, irreverent to those who want to put him down, and a bit of a temper.

And yes, there's SMWW.

So, how about you?

I like Superman being as traditional as possible(without the heavy reimaginings of the post crisis era mainly), but not quite silver age either. My Superman is a man of two worlds but leans more toward human than Kryptonian since he experienced Earth culture directly growing up while Kryptonian culture was either learned through crystals and holograms or faint early childhood memories from before he was sent to Earth. He identifies as Clark Kent, but at the same time, he does pretend to be more timid than he really is to set himself apart from Superman. In a sense, his Clark is the person he might have been if he was really human and never had powers. Maybe he even had the "disguise" from a young age, like in Superboy comics.

As a person, he is very selfless and heroic, but not superhumanly so. He has moments of weakness and doesn't immediately have the answer to every problem. Still, I think what people perceive as unrealistically or unrelatably good is definitely achievable by real human beings, it just makes them feel bad because they don't do charity work or volunteer or go overseas and feed the hungry and build houses for the homeless and all that. Yeah, the average person is generally good in that they don't steal or kill or cheat but many are still relatively selfish and lazy, but that doesn't mean superheroes have to be.

I don't believe in the "there's always a way" mantra and believe there are occasions where Superman can't save everyone and some villains can only be stopped by killing them. I don't think Superman should resort to killing in his very first time out as Superman. At first, he can be the "there's always a way" guy who comes up with creative, non-violent solutions to problems but eventually, he'll reach his limits(with a villain like Doomsday, for example) and have to kill.

I don't think there's any problem with Superman being very powerful, as it's clear that characters such as the Hulk and Thor can be ridiculously powerful and still be popular and successful characters. I do believe most people actually enjoy ridiculous superhuman feats and don't pessimistically pick apart the physics of everything and complain about believability. As long as it's built up to properly, Superman can save the world by pushing it with his bare hands and it will be looked at as one of the greatest moments in cinematic history rather than an absurd, turn-your-brain-off, movie-killing moment. One of the main reasons people even like superheroes and sci-fi is because of larger than life characters and happenings that aren't possible in real life, like planet-sized space stations that can blow up other planets and ships that can travel several times the speed of light.

Anyway, power-wise, Superman's absolute muscle-tearing, back-breaking limit would be along the lines of moving the Earth, and it's not something he can normally do and takes an excruciating amount of effort that nearly kills him.

My Krypton and Fortress would be Donner-inspired to a certain extent, but Krypton wouldn't be an exact replica of the Donner version, though it would include crystalline buildings and terrain in the design(along with architecture inspired by the silver age and Byrne's designs, similar to the pre-Flashpoint Krypton). As part of Superman's origin, Clark would journey to the Arctic and throw a crystal into the ice which creates the fortress, where he communicates with a hologram of Jor-El, but not for 12 years as in the movie. The suit would either be a Kryptonian suit created by the fortress or he could return to Smallville where the Kents help him create a suit with his baby blankets.

[Lairston]

I would probably return to the Pre-Crisis Origin for Superman and the pre-Crisis Kryton blowing up like it did with Jor'el sending him to earth. The Kents discovered his ship and took him home and raised him. He grew up with his powers developing earlier than post Crisis. He would not be as strong as he is today but he would have been the equivalent of himself at ten when he was ten. So he would be Superboy in Smallville. And I'd probably even give him powers when he was a baby. Ie the Kent would really have to keep an eye on him that he doesn't do something as a baby to reveal himself. Maybe he could jump like he did in his earlier Golden Age adventures before he could fly.

He would reveal himself to Lana Lang at some point and they were an item growing up. And they might even have become engaged at some point but it would have been called off for some reason. And eventually they would break up permanently and his leaving Smallville hurt her and she has possibly some anger toward him for it. But its not something they wouldn't be able to work through and remain friends.

Him being Superboy would open up the possibility of the Legion in the future. There would be no other Superboy if I was running things. Superboy would be what it always was in the past: The adventures of Superman as a boy. The thing that drives me nuts about DC is today they think everything has to happen on the same earth and at the same time... It doesn't.

Moving into Metropolis, the Daily Planet would be changed to an online publication that people pay for access too like most newspapers today. Perhaps there is also still a print version as well. Lois Lane would be the one to get the first story of Superman's move to Metropolis. How? By him saving her such as the airplane route that was used in I believe Man of Steel. I might be misremembering that.

Lex Luthor would be the genius businessman of the post-Crisis era and his business was built on his scientific creations. Only he would be younger more like his discovered post-Crisis "son" (when he cloned himself when he was dying). He would hate Superman because he is an alien and consider him a threat to humanity and the world. He would make it his life's work to end Superman. No matter what good Superman does, he would find a reason to see it as a threat.

Powerwise, Superman would be like the Silver Age in power. He would be able to travel in time if he wanted. And he would be a genius.

His suit would not be changed from what it was in before nu52 and preferrably a return to the 86 suit or 2003 suit since those were my favorite suits. Anyone who thinks the costume is cheezy is free to head off to another Superhero. :P

[666MasterOfPuppets]

I like Superman being as traditional as possible(without the heavy reimaginings of the post crisis era mainly), but not quite silver age either. My Superman is a man of two worlds but leans more toward human than Kryptonian since he experienced Earth culture directly growing up while Kryptonian culture was either learned through crystals and holograms or faint early childhood memories from before he was sent to Earth. He identifies as Clark Kent, but at the same time, he does pretend to be more timid than he really is to set himself apart from Superman. In a sense, his Clark is the person he might have been if he was really human and never had powers. Maybe he even had the "disguise" from a young age, like in Superboy comics.

As a person, he is very selfless and heroic, but not superhumanly so. He has moments of weakness and doesn't immediately have the answer to every problem. Still, I think what people perceive as unrealistically or unrelatably good is definitely achievable by real human beings, it just makes them feel bad because they don't do charity work or volunteer or go overseas and feed the hungry and build houses for the homeless and all that. Yeah, the average person is generally good in that they don't steal or kill or cheat but many are still relatively selfish and lazy, but that doesn't mean superheroes have to be.

I don't believe in the "there's always a way" mantra and believe there are occasions where Superman can't save everyone and some villains can only be stopped by killing them. I don't think Superman should resort to killing in his very first time out as Superman. At first, he can be the "there's always a way" guy who comes up with creative, non-violent solutions to problems but eventually, he'll reach his limits(with a villain like Doomsday, for example) and have to kill.

I don't think there's any problem with Superman being very powerful, as it's clear that characters such as the Hulk and Thor can be ridiculously powerful and still be popular and successful characters. I do believe most people actually enjoy ridiculous superhuman feats and don't pessimistically pick apart the physics of everything and complain about believability. As long as it's built up to properly, Superman can save the world by pushing it with his bare hands and it will be looked at as one of the greatest moments in cinematic history rather than an absurd, turn-your-brain-off, movie-killing moment. One of the main reasons people even like superheroes and sci-fi is because of larger than life characters and happenings that aren't possible in real life, like planet-sized space stations that can blow up other planets and ships that can travel several times the speed of light.

Anyway, power-wise, Superman's absolute muscle-tearing, back-breaking limit would be along the lines of moving the Earth, and it's not something he can normally do and takes an excruciating amount of effort that nearly kills him.

My Krypton and Fortress would be Donner-inspired to a certain extent, but Krypton wouldn't be an exact replica of the Donner version, though it would include crystalline buildings and terrain in the design(along with architecture inspired by the silver age and Byrne's designs, similar to the pre-Flashpoint Krypton). As part of Superman's origin, Clark would journey to the Arctic and throw a crystal into the ice which creates the fortress, where he communicates with a hologram of Jor-El, but not for 12 years as in the movie. The suit would either be a Kryptonian suit created by the fortress or he could return to Smallville where the Kents help him create a suit with his baby blankets.

I agree with your perception of Superman not always having an answer. As for killing the villain, of course he'd do everything in his power to stop them, but it'd be interesting to see him put in such situations. And that's where the greatest challenges for the character lie. Perhaps he does find a way to stop the villain without killing them, but what if he can't find it? What if the villain makes it impossible for him to choose NOT to kill him/ her (a la Man Of Steel)? What are the implications? And no, I don't think this means Superman would become a dark character, or that he did it because of revenge. It's just a moral dilemma that he, inevitably, has to face (IMO).

As for the power levels, I'd make him even more powerful, but that's just me.

I would probably return to the Pre-Crisis Origin for Superman and the pre-Crisis Kryton blowing up like it did with Jor'el sending him to earth. The Kents discovered his ship and took him home and raised him. He grew up with his powers developing earlier than post Crisis. He would not be as strong as he is today but he would have been the equivalent of himself at ten when he was ten. So he would be Superboy in Smallville. And I'd probably even give him powers when he was a baby. Ie the Kent would really have to keep an eye on him that he doesn't do something as a baby to reveal himself. Maybe he could jump like he did in his earlier Golden Age adventures before he could fly.

He would reveal himself to Lana Lang at some point and they were an item growing up. And they might even have become engaged at some point but it would have been called off for some reason. And eventually they would break up permanently and his leaving Smallville hurt her and she has possibly some anger toward him for it. But its not something they wouldn't be able to work through and remain friends.

Him being Superboy would open up the possibility of the Legion in the future. There would be no other Superboy if I was running things. Superboy would be what it always was in the past: The adventures of Superman as a boy. The thing that drives me nuts about DC is today they think everything has to happen on the same earth and at the same time... It doesn't.

Moving into Metropolis, the Daily Planet would be changed to an online publication that people pay for access too like most newspapers today. Perhaps there is also still a print version as well. Lois Lane would be the one to get the first story of Superman's move to Metropolis. How? By him saving her such as the airplane route that was used in I believe Man of Steel. I might be misremembering that.

Lex Luthor would be the genius businessman of the post-Crisis era and his business was built on his scientific creations. Only he would be younger more like his discovered post-Crisis "son" (when he cloned himself when he was dying). He would hate Superman because he is an alien and consider him a threat to humanity and the world. He would make it his life's work to end Superman. No matter what good Superman does, he would find a reason to see it as a threat.

Powerwise, Superman would be like the Silver Age in power. He would be able to travel in time if he wanted. And he would be a genius.

His suit would not be changed from what it was in before nu52 and preferrably a return to the 86 suit or 2003 suit since those were my favorite suits. Anyone who thinks the costume is cheezy is free to head off to another Superhero. :P

I see many of us are agreeing on a particular version of the DP. And it's great, because it's not just about updating the character, but the world he lives in. Like Perry said in DOJ, it's not 1938 anymore. It's not black and white, but also shades of grey. And in that same way, technology has advanced a great deal since Superman was first introduced, so it would stand to reason that where he works must use that technology or face the consequences.

As for Lex, yeah. I think he should be more complex a villain than just one who hates Superman because he lost his hair because of him. There have to be motivation behind him that make him a believable threat, especially since he's a human villain, who lives in amodern world.