5 STORY IDEAS FOR THE MAN OF STEEL SEQUEL

To say that it's been a wild and slightly frustrating ride with the DCEU is an understatement. I'm in the minority that I've enjoyed all of the films that have been released. I see the flaws, I hear the rumors, but for the most part the films have been entertaining or exciting to me in some way. Man of Steel in particular was a highlight. I enjoyed the grittier, harder take on Superman. Within the context of the story they were telling it worked for me and I loved it. Even the follow up with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice I enjoyed because it was what I felt that film should have been. Justice League gave us a more "traditional" Superman where he was a bit more optimistic (I guess being resurrected will do that for you). For my money, Henry Cavill is a great actor that can do whatever is thrown at him. I felt like the character had a natural progression throughout his three movies.

Every so often there is talk of when the next Superman film will be released. I think we are long over due for another solo Superman adventure. He's the original superhero and has the potential to tell the most exciting and inspiring stories. I don't know what the hold up is, but I do know what stories Warner Bros should consider using. There have been so many great Superman comics over the years, I'd love to see one of these adapted.

SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES

 

Geoff Johns (my man) has told some of the best superhero stories over the last 15 or so years. I know because I've read a good chunk of them. One of my all time favorites is Superman and the Legion of Superheroes. In this story, Superman is reminded of childhood friends he had from the 31st Century. They are the Legion of Superheroes, a gathering of alien heroes from across the galaxy inspired by Superman's legacy. This story features Superman brought to the future to help them reinspire Earth which has been overrun with xenophobia and Superman's legacy as an alien has been written as a superhero born on Earth.

 

Now that I think about it, this is the PERFECT story to tell in Trump's America. Superman is a character that represents all life. His motto is to "preserve life at all costs." I've stated before how Superman fights for Truth, Justice and the American Way but not America the country but America the idea. The idea that human beings have the right to live with peace, security, and dignity. In the book, Superman is shocked to learn that his legacy is being tarnished. He sets out to prove that he represents everyone and even the bad guys are worth redeeming.

 

Honestly this would be the perfect story to tell post Justice League. What better way to keep a traditional, optimistic Superman then by showing him that he inspires a literal legion of heroes? It's the type of story that could probably only done on the big screen with a massive budget. Let's just hope that the visual effects improve.

 

Yeesh . . .

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

 

Another Geoff Johns (my man) gem, co-written by Superman alum Kurt Busiek. The best part of this story and why I think it would make a great film is that it's more of a Clark Kent story than a Superman story. It takes place after Superman has been "missing" for a year. In reality, it's just that Clark has lost his powers and has been able to focus all his attention on his job at the Daily Planet and with his wife, Lois. Given that Justice League has resurrected Superman I think this type of story would be a great way to reintroduce the new, optimistic Superman to the world. It would be a great way to see him enjoying the little things in life, like a couple scenes where he eats a pretzel with mustard and calls it "heaven." Little character pieces like that make Clark much more human than some critical fans give him credit for.

 

On the other side of things, this story features Lex Luthor coming across Kryptonian artifacts and using them to build weapons and machinery to wreak havoc on Metropolis (as one does). I think it would be so great to have more Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Let's say in the film, he's found a way to beat his charges and is rebuilding LexCorp. Of course, with the return of Superman, he's on the warpath again and intends to kill him, permanently this time. Man that would be a fun movie. It would also be a great way to include some lesser known villains to fight Superman like Bloodsport, Silver Banshee, Riot, and Neutron. It's one of my favorite Superman stories and possibly my favorite Clark Kent story.

 

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN

 

Since Batman v Superman and Justice League have tackled the Death and Return of Superman, it seems to me that the logical continuation of that story would be the Reign of the Supermen. This story featured four different people saying they were the new Superman: Superboy, a young clone of Superman, Cyborg-Superman, a pilot whose consciousness was merged with a Superman robot, the Eradicator, a Kryptonian artificial intelligence, and Steel, an African American male inspired by Superman's influence to become a hero. I think a feature film adaptation of this story would be really exciting and a lot of fun. It could also address the questions of "What does it mean to be a hero?" and "Who deserves the title of Superman?"

 

Each character has some sort of aspect of Superman. With Superboy, he literally has his DNA. Well, half. The other half is Lex Luthor, which would be a great wrinkle in the story if they go this route. The Eradicator is Kryptonian and can mimic Superman's powers but not his ideals. Cyborg-Superman is just as powerful as Superman but starts to go insane. In the comics, he's partially responsible for the destruction of Coast City, Green Lantern's home town. What a dick! Despite being human, Steel has the right moral values and his suit gives him flight and super strength like Superman. Each one may represent a piece of Superman but does that mean they deserve to be called Superman? This story would be a great way to keep the film located in Metropolis and deal with how the citizens deal with him. It's something the recent films haven't touched upon yet and this story would be a great way to do it.

 

SUPERGIRL

 

This is probably a long shot considering that Supergirl currently is starring in a successful television series on the CW. But then again Justice League featured Barry Allen/The Flash and Superman has guest starred on Supergirl so . . . Maybe?

 

My favorite Supergirl comic was the Jeph Loeb/Michael Turner story where she was reintroduced during Superman/Batman. In that story, she arrived in a Kryptonite meteor, unaware of how long Krypton had been gone. She is trained by Wonder Woman and the Amazons but eventually kidnapped by Darkseid and turned into a minion for his evil plans. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Barda rescue her and bring her back to Earth, introducing her to the hero community as Supergirl. If the film were to take that approach then it would be a cool way to have another film featuring DC's Trinity with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

 

Another option is how Supergirl was introduced during the Injustice 2 comic tie in. Her space ship crash lands in Kahdaq and she's adopted by Black Adam. Given that it was announced that Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam would not be introduced in Shazam but in his own film, it would be interesting to see this particular take done on the big screen. It's a way to separate the story from what was done on the TV show in terms of her origin. Plus, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking this, seeing Black Adam and Superman duke it out in live action would be pretty fucking amazing.

 

Of course the other option is the Man of Steel prequel comic book where Kara arrived on Earth and I don't know. Some shit happened I think. I read it in poor quality 5 years ago when I pre ordered my tickets for them on a crappy website and literally haven't been able to find it since. I mean I liked it and everything but it's gone, dude. It was reference, slightly, in Man of Steel when he finds the ship in the Arctic and there's a pod that's opened but I'd be surprised if the filmmakers followed up on that. After all, there are far more interesting ways to tell Kara's story in the films than following up on that old thread.

 

PUBLIC ENEMIES

 

I've mentioned before how Batman: Hush got me in monthly comic books but Superman/Batman kept me around. The first arc by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness was Public Enemies. In this story, President Lex Luthor discovers a meteor made of Kryptonite is heading toward Earth and he blames Superman. Batman tries to help Superman clear his name, which of course involves fighting multiple supervillains, other heroes, and eventually Lex Luthor himself in his Lexo-suit. It's an exciting story with a ticking time bomb as the Kryptonite meteor is hurtling toward Earth, weakening Superman, and scaring the people into believing Lex's lies about how Superman is the cause of their impending doom.

 

It's not hard to believe that a story can be told where Lex Luthor is released from prison and becomes president. I mean I don't want to be political here but we do have a current president accused of several crimes and he happens to be a billionaire, xenophobe. #JustSaying

 

In any event, this story could easily be told with Batman as a main character or he could be substituted for another character like Steel or Superboy or someone else we have not seen yet. I think this particular story has the potential to be an extremely exciting blockbuster film. It was already adapted as an animated feature and is one of my favorites that Warner Bros Animation has produced. I mean who wouldn't want a more traditional team up film with Superman and Batman where they have to fight a dozen or so supervillains? As a great man once said, "Shut up and take my money!"

 

Yeah that's the one!

 

 

These are just a handful of ideas that I think would make really exciting, fun, and unique Superman films. These comics are among my all time favorite Superman stories. I think it's safe to say we can put to bed the brooding, doubting Clark Kent and see him start to embrace a more fun, optimistic Superman. Again, I'm a big fan of Man of Steel and BvS but I agree that it's time for a more traditional Superman. More than ever, I think we need a hero we can look up to that inspires us in trying times. Superman has always been good at that. Let's see that happen again! Make Superman great again!

 

 

Till Next Time!

 

 

JJ - The Comic Junkie!