After some speculation, rumors, and people just saying random things it's finally been confirmed that a true sequel to Man of Steel is in active development at Warner Bros. For fans of the first film, such as myself, this is very good news! While MoS definitely has its critics, it also has a passionate fan base. For my money, Henry Cavill has been a great modern-day Superman. Clark is a very tough character to crack. On the one hand, he needs to be the world's greatest hero. On the other, he's still just a regular guy trying to figure out love, work, responsibility, and all the things that come with being an adult. Some people think that he's unrelatable because he's so powerful but really they are missing the point. Superman may be the most powerful hero on Earth, but Clark Kent is just a man. He's very relatable. I mean, how many of us can relate to being billionaires or Amazon warriors, or being faster than the speed of light? Yeah . . . didn't think so!
With talk of a real sequel to Man of Steel coming up I started thinking about all the things I wanted to see in a new Superman movie. Things we haven't seen before. New takes on old favorites. In my mind, Batman v Superman covered a lot of what I would've wanted to see in a Superman sequel including the world questioning Superman's place, Superman struggling with his identity and what his role in the world is, and even Lex Luthor and his brilliant manipulation of Superman and his loved ones. So what should happen in the next go round? I have a few thoughts . . .
MORE CLARK KENT
One of the things that I absolutely loved about the Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition was the inclusion of more Clark Kent. They fleshed out his story as an investigative reporter and a champion of the little guy. That's something that has always been important to Superman's history. While Clark may be invincible, he still has bills to pay and he's not exactly the richest guy in Metropolis. It makes sense that he would want to make sure all the people of Metropolis are being treated fair and as equals. I would definitely like to see more of Clark as the Reporter. It's definitely something that has never really been explored in the other Superman films. It was done a little bit on Smallville and Lois and Clark but I would love to see a sequel that focuses on Clark Kent's reporting skills and what makes him worthy of sharing a by-line with the "great Lois Lane". Speaking of which . . .
STRONGER LOIS LANE
One of my favorite parts of Man of Steel was how Lois figured out Clark's abilities. She even helped stop the Kryptonians by the end of the film. Then in Batman v Superman, she started off strong investigating the incident in desert and Lex Luthor's involvement with it. Then by the third act of the film, it just seemed like she was getting in the way or constantly needed Superman to save her. That's not Lois Lane to me. Lois needs to be the type of woman that can stand up to any threat that comes her way. She doesn't need Superman to save her. She is more than capable of taking care of herself. We saw a lot of that in MoS but less in BvS. That bothered me. I want a strong, tough, takes no bull shit Lois Lane. The type of character that shows no fear standing next to General Zod. The type of woman that Superman looks up to. I hope to see more of that Lois Lane in Man of Steel 2 and especially in Justice League. I mean, she's Superman's best friend/lover/life-mate! She's gotta be tough!
MAYBE JUST A LITTLE BIT BRIGHTER . . .
Again, I loved Man of Steel. Great film. Awesome action scenes. Good stuff there. But . . . I can't argue with the critics when they say there was a filter on the camera that made everything look a bit darker. Honestly, it's probably why the film has more critics than it probably deserves. The darker color scheme is a visual trick used in some horror or drama films that kinda brings the mood down. For those types of films, it makes perfect sense to bring the mood down. After all, you want people to feel uneasy during a horror film and in a drama you want the audience to have be in a place where the emotional moments are going to hit them just a little bit harder. However, that type of filter has no place in a summer blockbuster, let alone one about a flying man wearing a bright red and blue suit. While I don't expect to see Henry Cavill's costume start looking like Christopher Reeve's costume, I would like to see that filter taken off the lens during the editing process. Superman wears primary colors proudly in the comic books. Let's not forget that during his cinematic adventures! And speaking of brighter . . .
HOPE
Throughout Man of Steel, we're told a few times that the "S" on Superman's chest stands for HOPE. Yet, we don't get much of that in the first film. While I think he did inspire hope in quite a few people, including Batman, during BvS, I think it was lost a bit in MoS. Supergirl has done a fantastic job of showing that the House of El is full of people willing to inspire the people around them. Jor El was not able to do it on Krypton, but his hope was that Kal El could do it on Earth. I think that should be shown more in the new film. Show Superman as a symbol of hope. Plus, it will be interesting after his inevitable resurrection in Justice League what that will mean for the people of Earth. Does that mean hope never dies? Supergirl was trying to send a message of inspiration and hope throughout her first season, and I imagine that it will continue during season two. I'd love to see more of that in the films. Christopher Reeve was great at seeming like he could either kick your ass into the ground or be your best friend depending on what side you chose. I think Cavill needs to be a bit more like that. He's already a very intimidating man given his size. But I'd love to see more of the softer side of Superman. That's very important for his character to emphasize going forward post-BvS and Justice League. Especially considering that the world is going to be very wary of aliens after those films. It will be important to show Superman as "the good one" so to speak. He's the one we can count on to save us, even if there are others trying to kill us. Because that's what Superman does. He gives us hope! But not everyone will agree . . .
THE SUPERMAN REVENGE SQUAD
As far as villains go, this is one thing we've never seen in a Superman film to date. We've never really had a great team up of Superman villains. I mean sure we had Superman II with Zod and Luthor but that wasn't really a team up as much as it was . . . whatever it was. I don't really know how to describe it. I'd love to see a true villain team up. Granted that can spell disaster for a superhero film, just look at Spider-Man 3 and the Amazing Spider-Man 2.
These guys just can't catch a break!
Superman doesn't really have the BEST rogues gallery out there, ironically that would be Spider-Man and of course Batman. But he does have some pretty heavy hitters. I think a return of Lex Luthor mixed with Metallo, the Parasite and Bizarro would be an awesome idea for a sequel. First of all, it kind of does away with the alien invasion story that had been done in Man of Steel plus what's being done in Justice League and it's sequel (we assume). I'd love to see more man made villains that come after him due to either a personal vendetta or because they want to prove how tough they are by taking down the Man of Steel. It would be something different to do with a Superman movie. While Kal is trying to inspire hope these guys are doing the opposite, not by tarnishing his name but by trying to kill him and showing the world that they can do it. Oh man . . . yeah! That's exactly what they should do!.
These are just a couple broad ideas that I'd love to see tackled in a new Superman film. When I was a kid I was such a huge fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. I've spoken already about how much I loved Supergirl season one. I've been a Superman fan for a long, long time. I have high hopes for anything involving the character. While I've enjoyed the most recent films, I still feel that there is more that can be explored with Clark Kent and Superman. In the meantime though, I'll just geek out over (hopefully) seeing Superman in the black costume.
Squeal!!
Till Next Time!
JJ - the Comic Junkie!
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