¿Conner Kent or Christopher Kent or Jonathan Samuel Kent or Mon-El ?

[Zero Hunter]

I have said it many times before but it needs repeating. DC are idiots for not sending Chris Kent (Lor Zod) to the future and making him the full time Superboy of the Legion of Superheroes. It would give the Legion writers a Superboy of their own that they have total control over without having to worry about what is going on in other Super-books. It also opens up so many story avenues such as Mon-El taking on the big brother role to young Chris or Chris having to deal with being the son of one of Superman's greatest foes. It would be so easy for Mon-El and Braniac 5 to pull the kid out of the Phantom Zone. Maybe even have him aged up a few years so he is in his mid teens so he could be the young kid on the team.

It jut seems like such a no brainer idea and the fact DC never went with it and instead just dumped him into the Phantom Zone forever makes no sense

Jon is going to be the one and only Superboy for the forseable future that is just a given. I could see them bringing Conner back but he will not be called Superboy. I am not sure what new name they will give him, but it will not be Superboy. I think every character needs to have their own identity and name so I don't want 2 or 3 Superboys runnning around the same time period.

[Flash Gordon]

This is something that I go back and forth on, but usually end up being pretty in favor of as an alternative. The only thing that put me off this idea was that one Batman Beyond episode. It seemed so sad to see him grow old, but I know now that it doesn't have to be.

I'm the same way, I can never decide which idea I prefer more. There's so much glory to the mythology of Superman transcending himself and being an immortal sun god.

There's also a lot of beauty to him having a relatively normal lifespan, if a bit longer than humans.

Either way, his adventures later in life would be much larger scale than the superheroics we read about. He'd change things in a big way.

I didn't like seeing him old and tired in Batman Beyond. I don't like that Superman at all.

[Sacred Knight]

But I see nothing wrong with semi retirement. He'd leave the day to day Superman stuff to his kid, but he'd be on call if the universe were collapsing on itself or if the new Superman was down. I think the idea of "Superman Secondus" being Clark's kid works fine if Clark is in semi retirement. This lets him go on stranger less traditional adventures where things aren't solved by punching. He'd basically be doing what the Ultimates do at Marvel but more regularly, and he'd probably be on a first name basis with abstract universe shapers. And back on Earth you have a more traditional JLA member Superman in his heir (in my opinion Jon).

There's nothing categorically wrong with it, I just don't like it. I see him working as long as he possibly can, and only when perhaps his abilities start to wane, or so much time has passed and such a massive team of supers assemble that he knows he can travel the universe at large, that's the only reason I see him even semi-retiring. The idea, to me, is just for the sake of peddling another character, and that always has turned me off. Jon is fine, Conner is fine, Mon-El is fine, Chris is fine, but they're not Superman and they never will be, nor ever should be.

[SuperCrab]

Jason White.

We'll see how many people remember what I'm referencing. I'll wait.

No one?

Hint: I am beginning to wonder if Doctor Manhattan stole the year 2006 from all of your lives.

[Last Son of Krypton]

No one?

They should keep Cavill dead in the movies and replace him with Routh Superman with his Lois and Jason.

[JAK]

Yup! Been playing since launch day six years ago, though you wouldn't know it to look at my characters. I'm a casual player and I tend to avoid group content (I never know when I'm going to have to step away from the pc and I'd hate to leave a raid hanging) and I have a small army of alt characters, which also slows down my progression.

But if you happen across a bearded Superman rip-off wearing that glow-y Mr. Miracle gear with the Kryptonian Flexsuit and the Man of Steel emblem, give him a wave!

Oh, no problem - and I hear you, I played the beta on my PS3 and got the game a month after it was released. Six years goes fast! Actually, if you're ever on and need/want to run something, depending on the content I can walk you through it (189 CR 256 SP) that way you get marks/feats even if you have to run, so feel free to send a message. And I'll add you to my base permissions (you might like my Fortress Of Solitude base) - 16 armories, all but one are various Superman costumes from over the years (and one Dracula costume since I have a base with a Castlevania theme lol).

Sorry folks, now back to your regularly scheduled topic.

[Ascended]

I did say semi retirement. He'd still be up to help, but it would only be for the most outstanding of problems. I still think of Superman as a man at his core (not some sort of good guy machine), and I think he'd want to take a few years off active duty once Lois passes. In fact I think Jon, Conner, Kara, the other heroes, and the people of Earth would want him to have this time to himself. That doesn't mean he can't come back or that he won't help out. I'm just saying that he'd probably take some time to explore and have some stranger less punchy adventures. I don't think that's a knock on his resolve or a callback to the "Lois goes and everything goes to pot" idea. I think it's very important to play him as a man at his core. It makes it all the more impressive when he does the impossible if you remember that this is basically just a guy in a strange situation putting dark gods under what can only be called universal citizens arrest. He's basically a great guy who likes to stroll around his "neighborhood" and keep his community safe, but instead of a flashlight he's got the power of the sun in his cells.

I'm cool with Clark taking some personal time after Lois dies. With the understanding that he's not retiring or even stopping his work as Superman. That is a fundamental part of him and he could no more stop being Superman than he could stop being the Kents' son. But being Superman doesn't just mean patrolling earth and punching idiots in the face. It can also mean spending a month mapping out a sentient nebula and teaching it to communicate. It can mean staying in the Fortress for a few weeks researching a cure for a 5th dimensional idea-virus. Or re-freezing the polar ice caps, buying us a little time to fix the climate. Or making first contact with alien time divers.

EDIT: Just btw? All those ideas I just came up with off the cuff. Gimme a call DC, my skill can be your's for a price. :P

And Clark, I think, would want the distraction. But before long, a month at the absolute most, Clark is going back to patrolling the earth and punching idiots in the face (on top of all the other stuff). Because the Never Ending Battle doesn't take breaks, and neither can Superman. And I think Clark would need Superman as much as the world does.

They should keep Cavill dead in the movies and replace him with Routh Superman with his Lois and Jason.

That.....is such a crazy, terrible idea it might actually be genius.

Whatever it is that the comics end up doing, you'd have to bring Cavill back though, to play off Routh and showcase the differences and similarities. It could be in flashbacks if necessary, but without him there it'd just be a weird re-casting and I don't think people would get it. But two Supermen, one of whom is from an older version? The general audience has never seen something like that, and curiosity might pull them in.

[JAK]

No one?

Hint: I am beginning to wonder if Doctor Manhattan stole the year 2006 from all of your lives.

Oops! I forgot to comment on that! Sorry about that. DCUO talk distracted me. But yes, I do remember.

I'm cool with Clark taking some personal time after Lois dies. With the understanding that he's not retiring or even stopping his work as Superman. That is a fundamental part of him and he could no more stop being Superman than he could stop being the Kents' son. But being Superman doesn't just mean patrolling earth and punching idiots in the face. It can also mean spending a month mapping out a sentient nebula and teaching it to communicate. It can mean staying in the Fortress for a few weeks researching a cure for a 5th dimensional idea-virus. Or re-freezing the polar ice caps, buying us a little time to fix the climate. Or making first contact with alien time divers.

EDIT: Just btw? All those ideas I just came up with off the cuff. Gimme a call DC, my skill can be your's for a price. :P

And Clark, I think, would want the distraction. But before long, a month at the absolute most, Clark is going back to patrolling the earth and punching idiots in the face (on top of all the other stuff). Because the Never Ending Battle doesn't take breaks, and neither can Superman. And I think Clark would need Superman as much as the world does.

Great ideas here. And I agree - Superman's not a machine, but he became Superman due to a feeling of responsibility and his desire to help people. That desire doesn't go away, even when you're hurting. If he sees someone who needs him, they won't go unhelped. I especially love the "Clark needing Superman as much as the world does". Very cool.

That.....is such a crazy, terrible idea it might actually be genius.

Whatever it is that the comics end up doing, you'd have to bring Cavill back though, to play off Routh and showcase the differences and similarities. It could be in flashbacks if necessary, but without him there it'd just be a weird re-casting and I don't think people would get it. But two Supermen, one of whom is from an older version? The general audience has never seen something like that, and curiosity might pull them in.

A DCEU multiverse team-up would be amazing. I actually had an idea of a second set of DC movies set in the 30's/40's (starting with an "Action Comics" movie to help avoid confusion) and eventually having the two sides meet up somehow.

[Superlad93]

There's also a lot of beauty to him having a relatively normal lifespan, if a bit longer than humans.

Yeah I totally agree. It also clears up the issue of "hey, why isn't Kara immortal too." I mean Superman has access to time travel, so you don't even need him to be immortal in order for him to fight a talking black hole at the end of time. We saw in All Star that through time travel Clark becomes the Unknown Superman of 42AD (or something like that). He can do all of that crazy stuff and still end up only having lived just shy of 150 years.

Either way, his adventures later in life would be much larger scale than the superheroics we read about. He'd change things in a big way.

Agreed. We should semi regularly get the adventures of old timer Superman in main continuity as a break from the current adventures. I think the same should go for younger single Superman. Thor God of Thunder and Tom Strong had it right. There's no need to tell the story of these characters in such a linear fashion.

I didn't like seeing him old and tired in Batman Beyond. I don't like that Superman at all.

Agreed. That Superman was and remains to be a giant bummer. I honestly haven't seen old Superman done right since Elliot S Maggin. Right now everyone's to scared of the concept of a more "mortal" Superman (in lifespan) so all we're really left with is a hundred and one different variations on immortal Superman. But honestly, I've only read 3 versions of that idea that have been fun and worth it.

Edit: scratch that, the older Superman Secret Identity was beautiful and thoughtful.

Old timer Superman should amazingly fun. The key word to him should be jolly. At that point you're basically writing Santa with a cape. His powers are probably burning their absolute brightest like a star before it goes out. The guy in Beyond made me super depressed as a kid, and his follow up comic didn't really help much.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Got the same question on my Tumblr recently on it and gave my answer there. Too long to repost here, but long story short: I've never understood the big idea that certain superheroic titles need to end with their originators, I'm definitely up for a second Superman, and personally I think Jon would offer the most potential in that regard.

[Sacred Knight]

I certainly don't think all of them have to. Hell in the end it doesn't matter that much because we never get to that point anyway. For Superman though I hold this opinion just because of his usually portrayal of longevity. Due to that, I see no reason why, at least in a way that fits how I personally see Kal-El, why he wouldn't be keep and use his title of Superman far into the future. At least until the point in time in which a degradation of his skills, if that day would ever come, begins to show. In that sense its easier to rationalize for me with other characters. I mean, you want to tell stories of a future Damian as Batman, for example? You can easily defend Bruce's retirement due to age and wear and tear. Finding a way to rationalize Superman stopping is much harder because its so ingrained in his character that he's close to infinite. At least, its hard to rationalize in a way that satisfies me personally. Obviously as shown in this very thread for others its not a big leap, and that's fine too.

[SuperCrab]

They should keep Cavill dead in the movies and replace him with Routh Superman with his Lois and Jason.

I'm glad someone else remembers. Superman Returns, along with the first four Superman films, are all on Netflix right now to stream if anyone has the service and wants to see them again, or for the first time. Hey, Superman Returns may not have gotten the best reviews, but if you are already subscribed to Netflix, you can watch it without leaving your chair or your couch for no additonal charge after the subscription fee you've already paid, on your TV (If you have a Roku box, Chromecast, Apple TV, or a similar device attached, or a "smart" TV that just comes with that functionality), computer, tablet, smartphone, or on select video game systems. Can't beat that.

They got the rights to the movies relatively recently. I rewatched them all. They are missing the two most recent movies- Man of Steel and Batman vs. Superman, but all the ones previous to those are there.

I'm hoping they get the rights to the The New Adventures of Lois and Clark and Smallville TV shows at some point. They don't have those, but they do have season one of Supergirl (They have been getting new seasons of all four currently running DC Comics live action TV shows about a year after the season premieres on broadcast television. I hear that may be moved up to setting the whole season right after the season ends on broadcast TV- so it may be 9 months instead of 12 to wait now. Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl are the four. And they actually fund original Marvel series that are exclusive to Netflix and appear there first.).

[Superlad93]

I'd have a problem with that myself. I can't see him every retiring even if it's a semi retirement. He'll always be Superman. It'd feel wrong unless he died or mysteriously vanished. Superman and the never ending battle go hand in hand. Yes the title can be passed along with the never ending fight but I can't see the man himself ever stopping or semi stopping.

I'm cool with Clark taking some personal time after Lois dies. With the understanding that he's not retiring or even stopping his work as Superman. That is a fundamental part of him and he could no more stop being Superman than he could stop being the Kents' son.

Before I say anything, I want to stress that I think for as long as Clark is alive people will call him Superman. That's just facts. But I don't think that stops another Superman from coming in to be the heir. That's why Morrison used the terms "Prime" and "Secondus."

I honestly feel that Clark could take on a more "light touch" role with the Earth (becoming VERY hands on when the world REALLY needs saving) and leave a lot of the day to day patrolling to his fresh faced young heir. He'd still be Superman and he'd still keep a very close eye on the Earth, but he just wouldn't fly in every time a rando giant robot decides to pop up. To me, Secondus handles the day to day stuff. Sure Clark will pop in between space explorations and dimension hoping, but for the most part I think he's just there for the big sh!t that goes down.

Either that or I wouldn't at all mind the better sweet idea of Clark's powers waxing and waning as he gets closer to old age ala Secret Identity but on a larger scale. Pushing planets out of orbit never used to be murder on his sciatica like it is now, and he's really gotta squint extra hard to get his 4D vision to gain focus. He's still one tough old timer, and his skill and experience are second to none, but his age is showing.

I wouldn't mind that or the first option. I mean, I get where people are coming from when they only associate the name Superman with Clark or when they say that Clark wouldn't even need a heir, but I've honestly always enjoyed the idea. We'd never see all of main continuity jump that far ahead and stay there, but more fun versions of the Beyond books are always a thing that could happen, so there's that.

[Superlad93]

Finding a way to rationalize Superman stopping is much harder because its so ingrained in his character that he's close to infinite. At least, its hard to rationalize in a way that satisfies me personally. Obviously as shown in this very thread for others its not a big leap, and that's fine too.

I can appreciate, respect, and even agree with this idea to a point. I've got a foot in both camps: I love stuff like DC 1 mission, The Adventures of Superman (2013), and Maggin's Superman, but I'm also infatuated with the idea Superman Secret Identity, Kingdom Come's ending (or was it JSA) and stuff like that. I can rationalize for both.

Unlike someone like Wonder Woman, Superman doesn't really have a sign on him that says "is immortal." One could just say that Kryptonians are really strong aliens but nothing overtly requires that solar powered Kryptonians should be immortal. It's more of a choice for the writer than it is a requirement for the character, imo.

[Flash Gordon]

I can appreciate, respect, and even agree with this idea to a point. I've got a foot in both camps: I love stuff like DC 1 mission, The Adventures of Superman (2013), and Maggin's Superman, but I'm also infatuated with the idea Superman Secret Identity, Kingdom Come's ending (or was it JSA) and stuff like that. I can rationalize for both.

Unlike someone like Wonder Woman, Superman doesn't really have a sign on him that says "is immortal." One could just say that Kryptonians are really strong aliens but nothing overtly requires that solar powered Kryptonians should be immortal. It's more of a choice for the writer than it is a requirement for the character, imo.

I'd say there's more of a case for Superman to live much longer than for Wonder Woman, to be honest.

It really depends on the verison of the story we're chatting about.