Controversial Superman Opinions

[marhawkman]

It dates me horribly, but that's my preferred Luthor take as well.

In my headcannon:
- Luthor never knew young Clark.
- Luthor was secretly the world's richest man before Superman came along, having stolen most of his money from the internet to fund his insatiatble lust for science.
- Before Superman, Luthor was a ghost in the machine, content to (illegally and unethically) pursue his scientific curiosity in secrecy, farming out bits in pieces of his experiments to labs across the globe.
- Luthor is an utter sociopath, who doesn't see humans as anything more than lab animals. Sometimes he forms attachments to them.
- WHen Superman arrives, Lex is intrigued, and arranges to have criminals perform "stress tests" on his skills.
- This brings Lex to the attention of Lois and Clark, who methodically tease out the truth of Lex's existence.
- From that point forward, Lex is a wanted, if almost impossible-to-capture, man.

I love the idea of a criminal scientist.

This uses a lot of aspects of previous versions of Lex honestly. I'd throw in that some of Lex's many, many shell companies make money selling weapons to other villains. Lex HAS a public persona, it's just... not connected to most of what he does.

[ducklord]

This uses a lot of aspects of previous versions of Lex honestly. I'd throw in that some of Lex's many, many shell companies make money selling weapons to other villains. Lex HAS a public persona, it's just... not connected to most of what he does.

That's probably cool enough for the regular DCU. But if I ever got the keys to a reboot, I'd have Lex be a Keyser Soze on steroids before Lois and Clark out him - a guy whose very existence is a blind spot. If you type "Lex Luthor" into Google you get nothing. He doesn't leave cute little clues in his aliases, he faked his death years ago, and erased all records of his birth, schooling, and acquaintences. On top of that, he's a 2 trillion dollar hole in the global economy, spread out over countless shell companies and the Dark Web. He's everything Moriarity wishes he was.

At least, until Lois and Clark start digging.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I don't mind Cavill sticking around. I'd prefer over another young Clark film. I rather get a Jon, Conner, Kenan film over that. I was the same way with Pattinson and Reeves until the first trailer popped.

I never liked Kara till the new 52. It's similar to Dick until he became Batman II or Agent 37. Honestly I rather just merge her and Power Girl and use them as the Nightwing or Oracle figure of the Superman family.

I don't see Power Girl as independent from Superman because her whole pitch is being Superman's cousin from another Earth.

[JBatmanFan05]

But if I ever got the keys to a reboot, I'd have Lex be a Keyser Soze on steroids before Lois and Clark out him - a guy whose very existence is a blind spot. If you type "Lex Luthor" into Google you get nothing. He doesn't leave cute little clues in his aliases, he faked his death years ago, and erased all records of his birth, schooling, and acquaintences. On top of that, he's a 2 trillion dollar hole in the global economy, spread out over countless shell companies and the Dark Web. He's everything Moriarity wishes he was.

At least, until Lois and Clark start digging.

If I were a bigwig DC exec/editor, I'd definitely give a 50-issue series to this Keyser Sözesque take on "criminal scientist" (non-business-exec) Lex. Because I do think we have fundamentally too firmly closed off exploring pre-Crisis Lex (or versions of Lex a lot more like him like modern takes on perpetual criminal Lex).

We of course see business-exec convict Lex now & then (like with Williamson coming up), but that Lex is still, IMHO, too within the broad framework of Post-Crisis Byrne Lex. All Star Superman Lex is like perhaps the only Pre-Crisis-ish version we've seen in a long time.

[Jackalope89]

Also, there should totally be a super-villain named "Headcannon," who can deny reality by shooting random ideas out of his, um, head cannon.

That's essentially Control Freak from the animated Teen Titans. Guy built a reality warping remote that can make anything on television come true. He's a villain, but also kind of a fan of the Titans at the same time. He's not Deathstroke level evil or anything, just an entitled fanboy that starts trouble when things don't go his way.

[ducklord]

That's essentially Control Freak from the animated Teen Titans. Guy built a reality warping remote that can make anything on television come true. He's a villain, but also kind of a fan of the Titans at the same time. He's not Deathstroke level evil or anything, just an entitled fanboy that starts trouble when things don't go his way.

Yeah, but "controlling reality with a remote" has been done, I think. I just really like going all in on the Tick-like absurdity of a villain with a cannon on his head (or maybe his head IS a cannon), and every time he fires it off, reality changes.

And he's got partners in crime, of course:

Shipshaper - Can make any two people fall in love by shouting their magic words ("Now kiss!").

Hatewatch - I'm not sure what their power actually is, but they're really snarky about it.

[phonogram12]

Beg your pardon but I'd like to point out that many famous performers and entertainers are/were introverts. I'm one myself and we're perfectly capable of interacting with people when we need to. We just don't particularly like it and find it draining whereas an extrovert would love being around people.

Some time ago there was a big debate on this forum about whether Batman was an introvert or not. I recall a bunch of people claiming he couldn't be because "he can socialize if necessary." That's the definition of an introvert. At the time it really bugged me because those people seemed to think that an introvert is incapable of any social interaction which is false.

This is basically an over-complicated way of saying I agree with you about Superman.

Ha, at first I thought your comment was going one way, but then it went the other. I'm an introvert as well and can relate to a lot of what you just said.

[millernumber1]

If I were a bigwig DC exec/editor, I'd definitely give a 50-issue series to this Keyser Sözesque take on "criminal scientist" (non-business-exec) Lex. Because I do think we have fundamentally too firmly closed off exploring pre-Crisis Lex (or versions of Lex a lot more like him like modern takes on perpetual criminal Lex).

We of course see business-exec convict Lex now & then (like with Williamson coming up), but that Lex is still, IMHO, too within the broad framework of Post-Crisis Byrne Lex. All Star Superman Lex is like perhaps the only Pre-Crisis-ish version we've seen in a long time.

That's probably cool enough for the regular DCU. But if I ever got the keys to a reboot, I'd have Lex be a Keyser Soze on steroids before Lois and Clark out him - a guy whose very existence is a blind spot. If you type "Lex Luthor" into Google you get nothing. He doesn't leave cute little clues in his aliases, he faked his death years ago, and erased all records of his birth, schooling, and acquaintences. On top of that, he's a 2 trillion dollar hole in the global economy, spread out over countless shell companies and the Dark Web. He's everything Moriarity wishes he was.

At least, until Lois and Clark start digging.

This sounds AMAZING.

[Stanlos]

I have some questions about your thoughts on the villains. Do you guys like Brainiac being the cause of Krypton's demise?

Do you like Superman and Lex both being from Smallville and knowing each other?

[superduperman]

Also, there should totally be a super-villain named "Headcannon," who can deny reality by shooting random ideas out of his, um, head cannon.

This isn't controversial. This is something the rest of us should be demanding!

[Stanlos]

If I were a bigwig DC exec/editor, I'd definitely give a 50-issue series to this Keyser Sözesque take on "criminal scientist" (non-business-exec) Lex. Because I do think we have fundamentally too firmly closed off exploring pre-Crisis Lex (or versions of Lex a lot more like him like modern takes on perpetual criminal Lex).

We of course see business-exec convict Lex now & then (like with Williamson coming up), but that Lex is still, IMHO, too within the broad framework of Post-Crisis Byrne Lex. All Star Superman Lex is like perhaps the only Pre-Crisis-ish version we've seen in a long time.

Would this Luthor be based in Metropolis or on one of the Moons in Stormwatch fashion? He is giving very Henry Bendix vibes

[superduperman]

Supergirl: Being Super is Supergirl's best origin.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I have some questions about your thoughts on the villains. Do you guys like Brainiac being the cause of Krypton's demise?

Do you like Superman and Lex both being from Smallville and knowing each other?

I'm fine with the latter. Smallville was my high school favorite.

The former is optional as I like Krypton to explode from its own internal issues than an outside agitator.

[Stanlos]

Supergirl: Being Super is Supergirl's best origin.

Hmmmmm. I think I missed that when getting the Supergirl trades. Was this between the Loeb and N52 series? Or around the Future State stuff?

[Jon Clark]

I have some questions about your thoughts on the villains. Do you guys like Brainiac being the cause of Krypton's demise?

No, I prefer Krypton's demise be entirely "natural" without any villain behind it. I could live with a variation on the animated series take where Brainiac is running a con=game convincing the Kryptonians that the planet is in no danger, only to flee just before the destruction with Kandor. But even there Brainiac would be the Coluian infiltration unit and not a product of Kryptonian tech.

Do you like Superman and Lex both being from Smallville and knowing each other?

My preferred take on Lex is based on the classic origin where they were kids in Smallville together. But for me the important point isn't Lex growing up in the same town, it's Lex meeting young "Clark" before either of them is an adult and the feud/rivalry being formed then. It can be Superboy meeting Lex because both are being honored as exceptional teens, Clark exploring his powers by flying coincidently where Lex lives at the time, both young men investigating a kryptonite meteor's landing spot. The key points are that Lex is already a polymath-to-beat-all-polymaths, Lex never learns the name "Clark Kent", that the meeting ends with Lex feeling emnity, and that neither of them is finished maturing.