Controversial Superman Opinions

[Flash Gordon]

Superman should come to blows with major corporations way more often. Think Omnicorp in Robocop (or most big ones today) corporations with 100% callousness when it comes to every day humans.

CEOs and boards of directors that make Lex Luthor wince. Withholding vital medications from the general public, creating giant Doomsday-esque creatures, Cadmus Labs having a whole subclass of mutated people living in the sewers of the City of Tomorrow, etc.

[Vordan]

Superman should come to blows with major corporations way more often. Think Omnicorp in Robocop (or most big ones today) corporations with 100% callousness when it comes to every day humans.

CEOs and boards of directors that make Lex Luthor wince. Withholding vital medications from the general public, creating giant Doomsday-esque creatures, Cadmus Labs having a whole subclass of mutated people living in the sewers of the City of Tomorrow, etc.

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: Metropolis being more of a cyberpunk city with other evil corporations beyond Lexcorp, and underground criminal organizations engaged in all kinds of messed up science experiments would go a long way to giving Metropolis some character. Just have it all hidden out of sight rather than out in the open like Gotham.

[manwhohaseverything]

You know what? I would like superman to have a start, middle and end story. A long form serialised story like manga, unlike comics. Instead of clark being stuck in a state. We can get real progression not only to the world, but the character as well. Book with no status quo thing. Have superman stop global warming or solve world hunger or build a flying city.

[Kuwagaton]

In all likelihood only three things can save Superman in 2020 forward: Black Label, Earth-1985, Earth-52.

I don't think "save" can be a thing but at this point the only appeal to me is probably the very slim chance of 1985.

But damn, I still need to finish Smashes the Klan!

[superduperman]

In all likelihood only three things can save Superman in 2020 forward: Black Label, Earth-1985, Earth-52.

Now they HAVE to do something with 1985! Too many people are demanding it!

[Johnny Thunders!]

I really enjoyed Frank Miller's Year One Superman and by the last issue, I was begging for a follow up. I have no clue what Earth-1985 would look like, but by now, wouldn't it be the Kingdom Come Universe? Earth 52, that has to be raw and still forming in some ways, aren't we in Earth 52? Or back to Earth 1985? They better bring Jim Aparo with Earth 85!

[Johnny Thunders!]

I don't think "save" can be a thing but at this point the only appeal to me is probably the very slim chance of 1985.

But damn, I still need to finish Smashes the Klan!

Me too! I thought it was great but then I started reading something else!!!

[Flash Gordon]

Too much stock is put in franchises and cinematic universes. Let Nic Cage play Superman in a B movie series fighting creature feature Brainiac, get Michael B Jordan to be a sizable budget Superman by a big name filmmaker, do an HBO show with Jon Hamm as Superman in the 40s.

Drop the journalist thing. In the Golden Age every character was a reporter of some kind. Let Clark be something different- even if he's a fireman or a labourer. Drop the whole Daily Planet thing, honestly. It's 2020. Lois can be a journalist if you NEED to keep that around.

Let Jimmy Olsen be a bigger part of the ongoing stories. Dude is rad.

[Jon Clark]

Too much stock is put in franchises and cinematic universes. Let Nic Cage play Superman in a B movie series fighting creature feature Brainiac, get Michael B Jordan to be a sizable budget Superman by a big name filmmaker, do an HBO show with Jon Hamm as Superman in the 40s.

Drop the journalist thing. In the Golden Age every character was a reporter of some kind. Let Clark be something different- even if he's a fireman or a labourer. Drop the whole Daily Planet thing, honestly. It's 2020. Lois can be a journalist if you NEED to keep that around.

Let Jimmy Olsen be a bigger part of the ongoing stories. Dude is rad.

While you are at it put him in a dark costume with a face covering cowl, make him an artificial life-form raised in a lab, and have him paid for his rescues. After all it's not like anyone actually wants to see the character handled consistently.

[Flash Gordon]

While you are at it put him in a dark costume with a face covering cowl, make him an artificial life-form raised in a lab, and have him paid for his rescues. After all it's not like anyone actually wants to see the character handled consistently.

I'm not talking about inconsistently, I don't know where you're getting that. I'm talking about doing different takes. Not being married to one single vision, but allowing films and shows to breathe and be different tonally and aesthetically. Not everything has to be so linear all the time. Superman has been around longer than all of us, you can dance a little bit with him- it's not gospel.

He can be Nic Cage fighting a behemoth Brainiac, in a lower budget more practical effects driven flick. Something a little campier for an older audience who've been through these things a lot. He can be Michael B Jordan in a modern, serious take that can cross over with other DC properties. He can be Jon Hamm in a show inspired by the Golden Age and the '55 show. Hell, he can be Brandon Routh in a low brow CW show. There's room for different stuff. That doesnt mean any of these are some crazy radical approach to the actual story, just different tones and aesthetics and ya know the stuff that actually makes film interesting?

[The World]

I think they need to put the World's Finest to rest once and for all. It should be like the Pre-Crisis interpretation of the relationship or it shouldn't exist at all.

[Jon Clark]

I'm not talking about inconsistently, I don't know where you're getting that.

This is where I got the idea

Drop the journalist thing. In the Golden Age every character was a reporter of some kind. Let Clark be something different- even if he's a fireman or a labourer. Drop the whole Daily Planet thing, honestly. It's 2020. Lois can be a journalist if you NEED to keep that around.

It struck me as yet another "change the character into something else" approach. The character survived 80 years as a journalist. He doesn't need to be radically redesigned just to be different for a new series. Build off what works.

[Flash Gordon]

This is where I got the idea


It struck me as yet another "change the character into something else" approach. The character survived 80 years as a journalist. He doesn't need to be radically redesigned just to be different for a new series. Build off what works.

That was an "unpopular opinion" unrelated to what I was saying before (this thread is meant for those, right?).

"Build off what works" is fine but when has it worked? Can you think of any film or anything in the past decade where Superman being a mild-mannered reporter has elevated the story? LOIS AND CLARK worked, but that was the early 1990s...it is 2020 now. It's pretty much a relic at this point, and I'd like the character to not just slip to the D-list.

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah I was gonna commend you because those aren't common suggestions at all.

I do think Superman is closer to Saul and the Molemen than that tone set by the DK trilogy. Cage works that way especially since he's kind of a draw for tv. But I won't fan cast anyone but Hammer. Or... Jordan. For whatever reason we're not ready for a black Clark even though it makes no difference, but at this point Calvin can work just perfectly as a new status quo and being so far out from Obama we're likely to get a fresher story

Period stuff I don't love though. To me it sounds like saying he doesn't work for today... or tomorrow.

[Jon-El]

Maybe they should try the broadcast journalism angle they used in the 70’s. I work in tv news and we always have some “one man band” types who take a vehicle & a camera and handle stories by themselves. It saves money so it’s a practice used quite often. They only pop in to the station to edit their work.