Twelve years ago, DC Comics made the boldest publishing move in its history with the New 52 relaunch. That relaunch/reboot, while initially successful, ended up as a missed opportunity. Now, DC Comics is looking to start a new publishing initiative again with DC All In, only this time, they’ve seemingly learned from the mistakes of the past. The classic DC universe will remain, with a new, edgier universe existing alongside it. This was all announced by DC writers Joshua Williamson (Superman) and Scott Snyder (Batman, Dark Nights Metal) in a special announcement video, which you view below:

Snyder is part of what they are calling “Absolute DC.” This will be an adjacent universe featuring reimagined takes on DC’s biggest characters, starting with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. This resembles Marvel’s Ultimate Comics line from the early 2000s. Snyder himself will write Absolute Batman, which looks to feature the most jacked-up Dark Knight we’ve ever seen. Unlike the New 52, this new universe will coexist alongside the current DC Universe, which will continue with new creative teams or new storylines for their existing titles. The classic universe will not get a reboot again.

Another difference from Marvel’s Ultimate line is that while the DC Absolute titles will be their own universe, they will tie-in to a greater storyline connected back to the classic DCU involving Darkseid. As Snyder explained, the main DC Universe is a world predicated on “Superman energy.” This was something made explicit in the mini-series Doomsday Clock. Meanwhile, the Absolute Universe is a “wild world” composed of “Darkseid energy.” Certainly, the looks of the Absolute versions of the DC trinity look much darker and edgier. The heroes of this new universe will be underdogs. They’ll have to be “tougher and more resourceful” than their counterparts, according to Snyder.

Absolute Batman

This series is written by Batman legend Scott Snyder, featuring art by Nick Dragotta. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers on Wednesday, October 9.

Absolute Wonder Woman

For Diana, there is no island paradise, no sisterhood to shape her, nor a mission of peace. So what is the purpose of an Amazon warrior in this new universe? Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and breakout artist Hayden Sherman reinvent her from the ground up in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, on sale October 23.

Absolute Superman

Writer Jason Aaron (Thor) and artist Rafa Sandoval join forces to present a new Man of Steel with the launch of Absolute Superman #1. This Superman has no family, no Fortress of Solitude, and no home. Will he still stand for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in this new universe? Readers can find out when Absolute Superman #1 hits participating comic book shops on November 6.

DC Universe Ongoing Series

All of this begins in October, with the DC All-In Special. The special will be an 80-page flip book. It contains one side drawn by Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampere, and the other by artist Wes Craig. The other side of the book will be from the point of view of Darkseid. The seeds for all of this will begin in DC’s current summer crossover event, Absolute Power. The special will reintroduce Darkseid “As he should be, the greatest villain of the DC Universe,” according to Snyder. This will culminate in the much-anticipated return of a new Justice League, formed by Superman. The regular ongoing DC titles will get new creative teams, or new jumping on points for fans. Arriving first in October are the following:

Superman

Superstar artist Dan Mora joins Joshua Williamson in a new story arc spinning out of Absolute Power. One of Superman’s most lethal enemies returns. The Man of Steel and Superwoman (Lois Lane) must now deal with the return of the rampaging Doomsday. But how long will Lois’s newfound powers last? And as if Doomsday isn’t trouble enough, another one of Superman’s greatest enemies lurks in the shadows: the Time Trapper.

Action Comics

Another one of DC’s foundational titles goes weekly beginning in October! “Death of the Phantom Zone” spins directly out of Absolute Power and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. Writer Mark Waid and artist Clayton Henry plunge Superman into the Phantom Zone to prevent an otherworldly horror from laying waste to Metropolis. In the second story, “Supergirl: Universe End,” Eisner Award winner and Zatanna: Bring Down the House writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Skylar Patridge take Supergirl to the farthest reaches of space. All in pursuit of a mysterious threat only she can handle.

Batman

Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jiménez, and Carmine Di Giandomenico are back with a vengeance with a new story arc, “The Dying City. It features an unexpected turn from the Riddler, a mysterious new superhero named Commander Star, and the shocking murder of one of Gotham City’s greatest citizens. Batman ships twice monthly in October.

Detective Comics

Following “Gotham Nocturne,” another of DC’s most historic titles gets a new creative team in the form of superstars Tom Taylor (Nightwing) and Mikel Janín, and a new story arc, “Mercy of the Father.” Years after the tragic murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, a ghost from Gotham City’s past has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. This story will result in major changes for the Dark Knight, and things may never be the same again.

Expect more announcements for new creative teams for the classic ongoing DC titles at Comic-Con, as well as for the new series in the Absolute line.

Originally published July 17, 2024.

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DC Comics characters are going to have a big presence at Comic-Con once again, with tons of exclusive items featuring the World’s Finest heroes (that’s Batman and Superman, by the way). Among the items is an exclusive “Fusion” Superman/Batman Funko Pop! vinyl, straight from the pages of World’s Finest, a vinyl soundtrack commemorating 35 years of Tim Burton’s Batman, and a pair of posters showcasing Bruce and Clark from superstar artist Jim Lee. There’s even a Batman Returns poster for those of you who still worship Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. You can check out images and details for each SDCC exclusive down below:

Funko Batman/Superman Fusion Pop! Vinyl Figure

The combined willpower of Batman and Superman has brought the ring of Green Lantern to them, which fused the two heroes into one: Pop! Batman/Superman Fusion! Complete your Batman/Superman: World’s Finest collection by welcoming this exclusive hero to your DC lineup. The vinyl figure is 4.55 inches tall. Customers may purchase up to one piece per household. This composite hero is $14.99.

Batman – Original Motion Picture Score LP + Graphic Novel Box Set – SDCC Exclusive Batstripe Vinyl

Click To View Gallery

Mondo’s Batman – Original Motion Picture Score returns as a collector’s box set, featuring new vinyl variants bundled with DC’s Batman ‘89 comic book, a brilliant continuation of the story by screenwriter Sam Hamm, Joe Quinones, and Leonardo Ito. The box set comes in a newly designed clamshell with artwork by series artist Quinones and Paolo Rivera.

Of course, the soundtrack boasts Danny Elfman’s iconic score conducted by Shirley Walker, liner notes by John Takis, and original art by Killian Eng. The colors on the vinyl give total Prince “Batdance” vibes. This exclusive vinyl soundtrack is limited to 1,000 copies, split between in-person (booth at SDCC) and online. There will be 600 in-person copies, and 400 online copies. You can snatch this one for $55.00.

Batman Returns Poster

Celebrate the ultimate power couple, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, in a poster honoring Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) also appear. This Booth exclusive features art of Batman (Michael Keaton) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) by Dan Hipp, measures 24″ x 18″, and is an edition of 215. MSRP is $60.00.

All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #1 Poster

This poster features the cover art from 2005’s All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder by iconic artist Jim Lee. This series was a collaboration he did with The Dark Knight Returns‘ Frank Miller. The poster measures 24″ x 36″ and is printed on silver foil paper. It arrives in an edition of 265, and will set you back $80.00.

Superman #205 Poster

The Man of Steel never looked more ready to take on the bad guys than on the cover for Superman #205. This 24″ x 36″ poster features the art of DC publisher Jim Lee. It arrives printed on gold foil paper, in an Edition of 265. Like Lee’s All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder poster, this one is also $80.00.

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When James Gunn’s Superman hits theaters next year, it might for a moment feel like you’re seeing more than one Man of Steel up on the screen. That’s because, as reported by Variety, the son of the late Christopher Reeve, Will Reeve, shot a cameo scene for the Superman film this week in Cleveland, Ohio. Will Reeve, the youngest of the late Superman star’s three children, is the spitting image of his dad. So it’s sure to be a touching moment when he and David Corenswet share the screen in the DCU movie. Will Reeve is actually a journalist and ABC News correspondent, so his Superman cameo will fittingly be that of a TV reporter who meets the Last Son of Krypton.

Locals caught the filming of many scenes from the Superman movie, including Will Reeve’s appearance on set. In the past week, we’ve seen David Corenswet in costume on set, not only as Superman but also as Clark Kent. This version of Clark has a curly mop of hair and thick glasses. The Clark Kent disguise actually makes us believe that people would believe that Superman and Clark are two different people. Also spotted on set is Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hault as Lex Luthor. We’ve also seen Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), wearing his comics-accurate costume. But seeing Christopher Reeve’s son appear in the Superman production is definitely a very fun surprise.

Aside from the upcoming James Gunn film, Will Reeve will appear, along with his two siblings, in the documentary Super/Man. This new film chronicles their late father Christopher Reeve’s rise to fame as Superman, which led to three sequels. His acting career came mostly to a halt after a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995. The incident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Christopher Reeve would become an advocate and spokesperson for those suffering from similar injuries until his death in 2004. It’s safe to say his son’s appearance in Superman will be a more fitting tribute to Christopher Reeve than his CGI recreation in The Flash. Super/Man releases later this year, and Superman hits theaters in July 11, 2025.

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Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is one of the greatest and most influential comics from DC. The painstakingly crafted tale about an elder Superman and the Justice League facing a new generation of amoral heroes became a massive hit. Comics fans still feel its influence today, including in James Gunn’s new DCU. So the timing is right for a new documentary on the making of this classic comic, The Legend of Kingdom Come, which we’ve learned about via The Wrap. You can check out the first teaser trailer for director Remsy Atassi’s film, right here:

DC Comics expanded on many of the themes and visuals of Kingdom Come in other media over the years. First in the comics, then later in things like the CW Arrowverse. In fact, the Superman ‘S’ shield designed by Alex Ross for Kingdom Come? It’s now the same one we see in James Gunn’s Superman. In a statement, director Remsy Atassi said, “The Legend of Kingdom Come documentary will be an exploration of the mad, relentless dedication that goes into producing this stunning art form – and what it takes for an artist to achieve greatness.”

Both Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross will be interviewed extensively about their seminal creation in this documentary. Among the other creators interviewed are Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini. This series came at just the right time in the comics industry. In the mid-90s, violent antiheroes ruled superhero comics. DC’s Kingdom Come asked the question, “Is the world just too dark now for old-fashioned heroes like Superman? It’s a question that James Gunn’s new Superman film will likely pose as well.

The pre-Kickstarter launch page for The Legend of Kingdom Come documentary is online here. Fans can sign up now for alerts on the film and details about when the crowdfunding campaign goes live later in 2024. A Legend of Kingdom Come panel is also taking place at Comic-Con in San Diego this year.

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Superman & Lois’ upcoming fourth season will officially be its last, according to news we saw at The Hollywood Reporter. The series, which premiered in 2021, has been one of the best iterations of the Man of Steel mythos ever. Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane instantly won over the hearts of DC Comics fandom. But with The CW changing ownership, their programming is undergoing an overhaul as well, with fewer scripted shows. The final season of Superman & Lois will release as a part of The CW’s 2024-25 schedule and will arrive in the fall. Its official release date will be October 17 and it will premiere with a two-hour release event.

In a statement, The CW’s Brad Schwartz said the following:

“Over the last three seasons, Superman & Lois redefined both the superhero genre and family drama as Tyler, Elizabeth and the entire cast effortlessly portrayed these classic characters with new layers of depth and complexity that had never before been explored in the Superman universe. We are grateful for the years of hard work and graceful storytelling from the show’s writers, producers, actors, and crew, as well as our terrific partners at Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions. As Superman embarks on his final flight, the team is leaving us with an absolutely epic 10-episode must-watch-every-minute farewell to one of the most legendary CW families ever.”

The end of Superman & Lois shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, for many reasons. With James Gunn launching a new DCU and Superman: Legacy in 2025, he probably wants only one iteration of Superman in live-action. He also wants one consistent DC Universe across film and TV. This means the old Arrowverse (of which Superman & Lois is technically a spinoff) must come to an end.

The cancelation of Superman & Lois marks the true end of an era. Since 2012, after the debut of Arrow, producer Greg Berlanti launched a staggering 11 DC Comics-based shows. These include The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman, and for Max, Stargirl, Doom Patrol, and Titans. The last two were Gotham Knights and Superman & Lois. We just hope that knowing the show has an endpoint in advance will allow the writers to craft a fitting finale for the Kent family.

Originally published on November 2, 2023.

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Soon, the world will meet a new Clark Kent in Superman. (Formerly titled Superman: Legacy). DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the most famous superhero in the world as they transition the franchise from the DCEU to the DCU. Who will play the Man of Steel on the big screen this time around? What kind of story will we see him in? And who will bring it to life? We’re keeping track of all these answers and more.

Here’s everything we know about Superman so far.

Title

The DCU’s first official movie (though not its first official release) is now titled simply Superman. Of course, the movie began its life as Superman: Legacy. It will kick off the film side of what James Gunn has called the franchise’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters.” He has also called this movie “the true beginning” of the DCU.

Superman‘s Plot

While the film still has no official synopsis, Warner Bros. did provide a description of what we can expect from the story, which James Gunn says is not an origin tale.

Superman tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Gunn announced the film with art from the cover of All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. Whether or not that means the story is influenced, inspired by, or adapted from the 12-issue comic series in any way is unclear. What Gunn has said is the movie will focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” where he is still old enough to already be working for the Daily Planet.

We also have our first look at David Corenswet as the DCU’s Superman.

Superman‘s Cast

David Corenswet will play Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane.

In addition, four more actors have joined the cast of Superman. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. María Gabriela de Faría will play the villain The Engineer in the movie. Also known as Angela Spica, the character has nanotechnology built into her body. Additionally, Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen, and Wendell Pierce will play The Daily Planet boss Perry White. Saturday Night Live‘s Beck Bennett will play The Daily Planet‘s sports journalist Steve Lombard. James Gunn has also confirmed that Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor.

Gunn also recently confirmed the casting of Ma and Pa Kent on Threads. Pruitt Taylor Vince (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will play Jonathan Kent, a.k.a. Pa Kent. Meanwhile, Neva Howell will play Martha Kent.

Behind the Scenes 

James Gunn wrote the (definitely completed) script and is directing.

Superman‘s Release Date

Superman will soar into theaters faster than a speeding bullet on July 11, 2025.

Originally published on April 11, 2023.

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Unlike the previous administration, new DC Studios co-head James Gunn is very active on social media. Since DC announced him in the role, he’s been teasing the fans about which deep-cut characters from the pages of DC Comics might be on his mind concerning future projects. Gunn has done this with random image reveals. So far, he’s dropped a few comic book images of characters that might excite fans—including a few that have yet to appear in any live-action incarnations before. Some he teased, like Mister Terrific, were officially announced just months later. Let’s tally all the Gunn hints we’ve had so far, while remembering they might not actually be hints.

Deathstroke

James Gunn recently hinted strongly at another major DC character, the super-powered mercenary Deathstroke. When the fan asked Gunn on Instagram to “please wink if you have plans for Deathstroke,” the DC Studios head replied with a winky face emoji. So there you have it — the deadly mercenary Slade Wilson (the obvious influence on Marvel’s Deadpool, a.k.a. Wade Wilson) is coming to the DCU. Where will he appear? It’s anyone’s guess, but we think there’s a good chance he is the villain of the announced Teen Titans movie. He’s their main adversary, so it just makes sense.

Mister Mxyzptlk

He’s been one of Superman’s most powerful (and annoying enemies) since the Golden Age, and yet, he’s never appeared in a live-action film. We refer to the imp from the 5th Dimension, Mister Mxyzptlk. This diminutive fellow is actually an all-powerful being, who can bend reality to his will. Think Star Trek’s Q, and just as annoying, and wearing a derby. He appeared every 90 days to make trouble for Superman, only returning to his home dimension whenever Big Blue could trick him into saying his name backward. James Gunn recently posted an action figure of Mxy on his Instagram, which is raising eyebrows. While the assumption is Mxy would appear in Superman, we think it may also be for the upcoming Peacemaker season two.

Captain Atom

The latest post from James Gunn suggesting a possible classic hero coming to the DCU came as a response to a fan question. When asked if he liked the character of Captain Atom, he responded on his Instagram story saying “I’ve been a big Captain Atom fan for a long time.” He even added comic artwork to his response. We’d say that’s a possible hint that he has plans for Captain Atom.

So who is the good Captain? Like Peacemaker and Blue Beetle, he originated as a hero from the Charlton Comics line in the ’60s. DC bought those characters and absorbed them into the DC Universe proper in the ’80s. Nathaniel Adam was an Air Force officer who volunteered for an experiment involving nuclear power and alien alloy, in exchange for a pardon for a crime he didn’t commit. Disintegrated in the experiment, Adam reformed decades later, now fused with the alien metal, and wielding nuclear power.

Nathaniel Adam then became the government agent and superhero Captain Atom, and joined the Justice League International. He was also the basis for Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen, although slightly less powerful. Along with Booster Gold, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord, he’d be another famous JLI character joining the DCU. We think that lends further credence to our theory that the Justice League International is on the way to the DCU.

The Terrifics

James Gunn teased an image of the hero Mister Terrific back in 2022, a character later cast for Superman: Legacy. But now those plans seem to have expanded. He also shared an image of the DC heroes hovering around the Terrifics, a somewhat recent super team from DC Comics, introduced in 2018. The Terrifics are kind of a riff on Marvel’s Fantastic Four, as they are more explorer and adventurer types. Mister Terrific leads, and the other members include Plastic Man, the phasing Phantom Girl, and Metamorpho, who was also recently cast for Superman: Legacy. We could easily see them as subjects of a Max streaming series.

Deadman

On Halloween 2022, Gunn shared an image of one of DC Comics’ most prominent supernatural heroes, Deadman. Introduced by DC in the late ’60s, Deadman was circus performer Boston Brand. During a performance, a group of criminals murdered him. They (the supernatural powers that be) granted his soul the power to possess living people until he discovered who was behind his murder. In the meantime, he used the bodies he “borrowed” to help the innocent and fight various criminals.

Although a ghost, Brand’s spectral form still had his circus outfit and makeup he wore in his act. For the most part, he was essentially a superhero no one in the living world could see. However, a few mystical DC characters could perceive him. Despite being a prominent DC character for years, aside from a few animated appearances, we’ve never seen Deadman in live-action. From the look of things, James Gunn is hoping to change all that—unless he was just having some Halloween fun. Once upon a time, Guillermo del Toro talked about producing a Deadman project. Perhaps now is the time for that to finally happen.

It’s worth noting that Gunn recenly shared the image of Deadman again on his Instagram.

Lobo

And then, there’s the one that has everyone talking. Recently, Gunn posted an image of DC’s most famous intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo, and fans got super excited. The “Main Man,” a huge seller back in the ’90s, was long rumored for a movie or TV project. In fact, it was reported Syfy was developing a Lobo TV series a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it.

With folks clamoring for Jason Momoa to play the role, including Momoa himself, it seems now would be the right time to see the space biker finally get a movie of his own. The character is an over-the-top send-up of tough-guy characters, but handled correctly, he made for some very funny comics. We think the comedy sensibilities of the character feel right in James Gunn’s wheelhouse, too.

Kingdom Come

Maybe the post that had fans most excited came on November 30. Gunn simply tweeted out the words “Making plans” accompanied by an image by artist Alex Ross from his seminal series Kingdom Come. That comic was all about an older Justice League vs their younger, more violent successors in an End Times scenario. Now, on the surface, it’s just Superman around a table with other heroes literally making plans. It’s probably just Gunn’s fun way of teasing his upcoming DC Studios plans, using an image of their headlining heroes.

On the other hand, he also used this same Alex Ross illustration as his featured image on his Hive Social account. Could he have something cooking for Kingdom Come? It seems way too soon for a live-action adaptation. You need to reestablish the Justice League first as a viable franchise. However, Gunn recently stated that DC Studios planned to incorporate animation as well. It’s at least a possibility.

Again James Gunn could just be posting random images of all of these characters and stories he likes. Time will tell.

Originally published on November 16, 2022.

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Since 1948, less than ten years after his comic book debut, there have been several iterations of Superman on the screen, both big and small. Some have been all-time greats. Others, considerably less so. With the debut of David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel in James Gunn’s Superman, we’ve decided to rank all the live-action Superman costumes thus far. (There are 15 of them, believe it or not… and that’s not counting the guy dressed as Superman from the 1939 World’s Fair, or the one from the ’60s Broadway musical.) We’re sticking to film and TV here.

15. Tom Welling (Smallville, 2001-2011)

At the very bottom is someone who played Clark Kent longer than anyone, but sadly, never really got to play Superman. Despite the supposed “no tights, no flights” rule on Smallville, for ten long seasons, we waited for Tom Welling’s Clark Kent to finally suit up as the Man of Steel. And when he finally did in the series finale, it was utterly disappointing. It’s all just Clark ripping his shirt open? That’s what fans waited for? The final episode should have delivered a full suit, even if only for mere moments. We supposed the ‘S’ shield looks good, if we have to say something nice. It is technically a Superman costume, so it ranks on this list. But it ranks at the bottom… barely.

14. Nicolas Cage (The Flash, 2023)

Nicolas Cage was slated to play Kal-El in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives back in 1998, but for various reasons, that film never happened. 25 years later however, Nic Cage got to suit up as Superman for a brief cameo in The Flash where, as he was meant to do in the Tim Burton film, he gets to fight a giant spider. While it was fun to see Cage as Superman, the suit was all wrong then, and it’s all wrong now. An obvious rubber muscle suit for Batman makes sense, but on Superman? Totally ridiculous. The ‘S’ shield is disproportionately big as well, but that’s not too bad. It’s the horrible rubber suit look of it all that kills it.

13. Kirk Alyn (Superman serials, 1948-1950)

Actor Kirk Alyn was the prototype for what a live-action Superman would look like after starring in two Saturday afternoon serials in the late ‘40s. The suit in Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman were basically true to the comics, but sadly, also extremely cheap-looking. The designers couldn’t even get the ‘S’ shield to look fully sewn on in many shots. And sometimes close up, you can tell the top part of the costume is just a sweater. Plus, the boots just look like athletic socks. It’s not like Superman wasn’t already a national icon by this point, known throughout the world. He deserved better.

12. Tyler Hoechlin (Supergirl, Crisis on Infinite Earths, 2016-2019)

The first time actor Tyler Hoechlin appeared as Superman was on the second season of Supergirl on the CW, and that suit was …a choice. It’s not bad per se, but the designers made some decisions that made it feel very un-Superman in places. The gold clasps on the shoulders are weird for Supes, the belt has no real design to it, and there’s too much unnecessary detail in the torso area. We get the show wanted to differentiate from Henry Cavill’s Superman, who was still in films at the time. But this wasn’t it. Luckily, they improved on it for his own series Superman & Lois.

11. Henry Cavill (Zack Snyder’s Justice League, 2021)

From a pure design standpoint, Superman wearing black and silver is fashion-forward and fetching… for another character, however. Maybe a Superman analogous character like Omni-Man in Invincible or something like that would be perfect for it. But, Superman is definitely defined by his colors, and removing them makes him feel less like the global icon he is. Sorry, but these are Batman’s tones, not Kal-El’s. So is this a bad costume? Not really. But it’s not what we want from a Superman costume, much less the “main” costume, so it ranks here.

10. Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2013-2016)

The costume for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (later reused in Batman v Superman) has a lot of things going for it. The cape is vibrant red, long, and regal. The ‘S’ shield is a tad more stylized, but recognizable and cool. And the texture of the suit itself adds details that are missed. But no red trunks, and not even a red belt to break up all that blue? It looks kind of like a big onesie. And we’re not even sure what those patterns on the hips are. Speaking of all that blue, it’s just too dull a blue, almost blue/gray. It’s not the worst, but it’s far from the best.

9. Tyler Hoechlin (Superman and Lois, 2021-2024)

The second Superman suit for Tyler Hoechlin is from his one headlining series, Superman & Lois. It’s a much bigger improvement on the Superman costume he wore in the Arrowverse shows, with a much better neckline, no clasps for the cape, and a much improved red belt to break up the blue. Still, the blue is way too muted, almost dirty looking, in typical modern superhero costume fashion. Why are costume designers so afraid of Kal-El’s traditional bright blue?! Still, the rest of it all works well enough that it ranks this highly, but not as highly as Hoechlin’s next suit.

8. Tyler Hoechlin (Superman & Lois Flashback costume, 2021)

In the first episodes of Superman & Lois, we get flashbacks to the Man of Steel’s early days as a hero in Metropolis. He’s wearing a very low-key, homemade version of his comic book costume, complete with red trucks, bright blue and red colors, and an ‘S’ shield that looks just like the ones from the classic 1940s Fleischer Studios cartoons. As Clark tells a kid in the episode “My mom made it.” Sadly, this was too old-fashioned for modern audiences outside of brief flashbacks, but this suit absolutely nailed the assignment.

7. Henry Cavill (Justice League, 2017)

Henry Cavill’s Superman costume has gone through a few iterations in 3 ½ films. In the original cut of Justice League, when he returns from the dead, he’s a much more upbeat version of himself, with a new suit to match. The new costume is much the same basic design as the Man of Steel one, only the colors are much brighter. On the downside, there are white highlights for every muscle, which is just overkill. (We get it Henry, you’re way ripped). Still, this is a decent Superman look that should have lasted longer than just a brief ending of a lame movie and a post-credits scene in Black Adam.

6. Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, 1993-1997)

Dean Cain was Superman/Clark Kent for four seasons on ABC’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1993-1997. The show was working from a much bigger budget than the syndicated Adventures of Superboy, but far less than the Christopher Reeve movies previously. The suit basically looks great, but the spandex fabric is a bit too shiny, and the fit is kind of off at times. So it gives it a Halloween costume feel. Also, the ‘S’ shield is just too big as well. Overall though, it’s pretty decent. It evokes classic Superman enough. It just evokes it in a strip mall Halloween store kind of way.

5. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, 2006)

This one is almost there. It’s so close to nailing it completely. Only worn once by actor Brandon Routh in 2006’s Superman Returns, this costume is meant to be an outfit worn by an older version of Christopher Reeve’s Superman. We love certain things about it—the shade of blue, the boots, and the fit of the trunks. But the maroon over the bright red and the too-small ‘S’ shield emblem on the chest are both big demerit points. Although, we do like that it was the first raised ‘S’ shield, and not just one made of fabric. It’s still a great Superman suit, but misses the mark on a few key points.

4. Brandon Routh (Crisis on Infinite Earths, 2019)

Brandon Routh got a do-over for his Superman well over a decade after Superman Returns on the CW Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. He played an older Kal-El in that event, one heavily inspired by the Superman of the comic series Kingdom Come, one beset by personal tragedy. He essentially wore that costume, lifted straight from the comics, and it looks amazing. Yes, the black instead of yellow feels very off-brand for Superman, despite its comic book origins. Luckily, by the end of the crossover, the black becomes bright yellow, and makes this version of the costume a true all-timer. Too bad it was only used in this TV event.

3. George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman, 1952-1958)

He wasn’t the first live-action Last Son of Krypton. But George Reeves’ version is what most people think of when they say “the original Superman.” Although mostly seen in black and white for ‘50s television sets, the creative team actually shot the series in color. And the color version of the costume is pretty great, even by today’s standards. The ‘S’ shield is perfectly sized, and the red and blue are just the right hue. Maybe the cape is too short (it was in the comics then, too), and the trunks do look a bit like adult diapers. But that’s really our only complaint. This costume is pure Superman, even seventy years later.

2. John Haymes Newton, Gerard Christoper (Superboy, 1988-1992)

Chances are, you’ve never even heard of this syndicated series from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, which was extremely low-budget. It often looked like a random sitcom of the era in fact. Running four seasons (and with two different lead actors), Superboy was produced by the Salkind family, who produced the original four Superman films. Because of this, the costume folks made sure the outfits for both John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher looked nearly identical to that of Christopher Reeve’s suit. It wouldn’t be shocking if it were a spare costume from one of the films. The show was pretty bad, but the costume? We can’t lie, it was pretty spot on.

1. Christopher Reeve (Superman I-IV, 1978-1987)

To this day, no matter how many people play Superman on screen, when you say the name “Superman,” they’ll think of Christopher Reeve. That’s not just because he filled the suit so perfectly in 1978’s Superman: The Movie and its three sequels (he did), it’s also that the suit itself is practically perfect. The colors, the cape length, the ‘S’ shield emblem placement—all of it is spot on. The suit looks straight from the pages of the comic books, and made everyone believe a man can fly. And even though it was the ‘70s and the material wasn’t as sophisticated as a movie from today, it still looked miles better than later costumes made from space-age fabrics. It remains the standard, and probably always will.

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The Super Powers line of action figures is a huge source of nostalgia for any DC Comics fan who grew up in the ’80s. The toy and merchandise line, which was introduced in 1984 and ran until 1986, defined the look and feel of DC Comics characters for the era. Most were based on the DC Style Guide art of José Luis García-López. Now, DC Comics is honoring the iconic toy brand on its 40th anniversary with a series of variant covers, imagining the classic action figure packaging with characters the original line never got around to.

In August, eight new DC Super Powers variant covers will imagine what an unreleased wave of action figures would have looked like if the Kenner line of Super Powers toys had continued. Variant covers appear on Batman #151, Gotham City Sirens #1, Green Lantern: War Journal #12, Nightwing #117, Power Girl #12, Superman #17, The Flash #12, and Titans #14. The covers feature brand-new art by original 1980s Super Powers product artist Alex Saviuk. One of the leading historians of the original Kenner Super Powers line and the cofounder of Action Figure Insider, Jason Geyer, designed and sculpted the variant covers. You can check out each one down below:

Superman #17 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Superman Gold art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/21/24)

Batman #151 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Batman art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/7/24)

Nightwing #117 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Nightwing art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/21/24)

Titans #14 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/21/24)

Green Lantern: War Journal #12 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Green Lantern John Stewart art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/21/24)

The Flash #12 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Kid Flash (Wally West) art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/28/24)

Gotham City Sirens #1 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Poison Ivy art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/7/24)

Power Girl #12 DC Super Powers Variant Cover

Power Girl art by Jason Geyer and Alex Saviuk (On sale 8/28/24)

Currently, McFarlane Toys has a series of Super Powers-style retro action figures in stores, producing figures that the original line never got to do, like Tim Drake Robin, or Deathstroke. Many of the figures for these covers are fan’s “Super Powers Most Wanted,” so maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll see them as more than just art on comic book covers one day. In the meantime, these DC Comics Super Powers tribute covers all hit comic shops this coming August.

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The DCU, under new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, is already shaking things up. Not only is Peacemaker season two coming out ahead of the Waller series, but there is officially a different film following Gunn’s Superman. That title goes to Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the adaptation of Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s astonishingly good miniseries of the same name. According to Deadline, the movie will come out June 26, 2026.

From the House Targaryen to the Kryptonian House of El, actress Milly Alcock, who played the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon has been cast as Supergirl for DC Studios. She’ll reportedly first appear in a small role in Superman before starring in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. That film will be based on the comic by Tom King and Alcock won the role over Emilia Jones and Meg Donnelly. The latter voiced Supergirl in DC animated films Legion of Superheroes and Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One. The Supergirl movie has also found its director in a very interesting choice, Craig Gillespie.

The Supergirl in the Woman of Tomorrow celebrates her 21st birthday in that series, so at only 23, Alcock is the perfect age in real life to portray that version of the character.

Gunn noted of Alock’s casting as Supergirl, “Strangely, Milly was the FIRST person I brought up to Peter for this role, well over a year ago, when I had only read the comics. I was watching House of the Dragon & thought she might have the edge, grace & authenticity we needed for the DCU’s Supergirl. And now here we are. Life is wild sometimes.”

When it comes to the movie’s director, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be directed by Craig Gillespie. In the past, Gillespie has directed Disney’s Cruella and the figure skating movie, I, Tonya. Both movies certainly had a distinct style, so it will be fascinating to see what the director does with Supergirl.

The character of Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El first appeared in 1959, during DC Comics’ Silver Age. She’s been a mainstay of the DC Universe ever since, in one form or another. Supergirl has appeared on the big screen twice before. First in the 1984 film Supergirl, played by Helen Slater, and then in last year’s The Flash, played by Sasha Calle. Of course, Melissa Benoist portrayed Kara Danvers on the CW Arrowverse series Supergirl for six seasons. We’re sure that Milly Alcock will bring her own spin to DC Comics’ iconic heroine.

Originally published on January 29, 2024

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While everyone is sharing their opinions on Superman’s new cinematic costume, the image James Gunn released also featured another big clue to the upcoming DCU film. Interestingly, it’s not exactly hidden in the background. In the image, as Clark Kent puts on his boots ready to fly to battle, we see outside his window a giant orb, sending presumably destructive beams down below to the city of Metropolis. So just what could this orb be? Brainiac? A different alien invader? Thanks to the folks at Comic Book, we actually think we have an idea.

The Giant Orb in the Sky Looks Like Solaris, the Tyrant Sun

The giant orb has the appearance of a giant eye, staring down its death-beam at the city beneath. This brings to mind Solaris, the Tyrant Sun. This is a fairly deep-cut villain, which first appeared in 1998’s DC One Million crossover event. It was created by writer Grant Morrison, who at the time was right in the middle of their iconic JLA run. Solaris appeared again, in a more minor capacity, in Morrison’s All-Star Superman. Many regard that series as one of the best—if not the best—Superman stories of all time. James Gunn has gone on record saying Morrison’s Superman run is one of his all-time favorites. So we think it makes sense he’d pull one of the Scottish scribe’s creations for Superman.

The Comic Book Origins of Solaris

Solaris is a stellar supercomputer that originally came from the 853rd century. This artificial star was created to warm the outer planets of the solar system like Pluto, which were terraformed and inhabited during this time. In this distant future era, the Justice League has evolved into the Justice Legion Alpha, a team of the modern-day Justice League’s descendents. Eventually becoming malevolent and seeking to destroy organic life on Earth, this artificial sentient sun went back in time to the modern era. It encoded itself into a techno-virus sent back to infect all known computer systems. The Justice League and the Justice Legion had to join forces to defeat it, but to do so, they had to create Solaris in the present to defeat its future self. So in a sense, Solaris’ time travel was a predestination paradox ensuring its own future existence.

Solaris’ Vast Powers and Abilities

As a sun, Solaris had the power of radiation, and could fire powerful thermal blasts. Imagine the Death Star, only if it were alive and with a mind of its own. Solaris also could control all computers and known machinery. Long after Lex Luthor and Brainiac were dust, it continued to plague Superman’s descendants for centuries. It became the biggest threat to Kal-El’s ongoing legacy. Despite this, it only appeared a few times, mostly in stories from writer Grant Morrison. During the New 52 era, a version of Solaris plagued Superman and Wonder Woman.

Did James Gunn Just Confirm Solaris as the Villain of Superman?

Could a giant glowing orb above Metropolis that looks like an eye be something other than Solaris? Absolutely. It could be a weapon of the villain Brainiac. Or even a sinister creation of Lex Luthor. In All-Star Superman, it joined forces with Luthor to turn Earth’s yellow sun into a red one. Maybe he creates Solaris himself in the new film? Given James Gunn’s status as an unabashed Grant Morrison fan, we have a feeling that the globe in the sky is the dreaded tyrant-sun. Certainly, it is a villain that gives Superman a physical challenge, beyond fighting another Kryptonian like General Zod (again), or Doomsday. We’re into Gunn giving us a very under-used villain from the deep well of DC canon for the Superman movie.

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At last, we have our first look at David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, in a lovely costume image released to social media by Superman director and DCU lord James Gunn. In our first look at this Superman costume, we see it has plenty of influences from Kal-El’s 86-year history. These influences stem from comics costumes, as well as from other Superman media over the years. Let’s break it all down.

The “New 52” Superman Costume

The biggest influence on this new suit is Jim Lee’s 2011 update for DC’s “New 52” initiative. Lee gave Superman his most radical redesign in decades for that reboot. He gave Superman a raised collar for the first time, and added tons of piping and extra details to the suit itself. The red boots suddenly had new ridges on the side, and most famously, a red belt replaced the red trunks. The suit was always controversial, and the classic suit returned just a few years later. This new cinematic suit keeps the extra details, like the raised collar. Thankfully, the red trunks made a comeback, too.

The Muted Tones of Recent Live-Action Superman Costumes

In the comics, and in most outside of comic books media, Clark’s colors were bright red, blue, and yellow. But in live-action, that changed with 2006’s Superman Returns. Brandon Routh’s costume switched out the bright red for an almost maroon color but kept the blue classic. Ever since, the Superman costume has become more and more desaturated on screen. Both the Man of Steel suit as well as Tyler Hoechlin’s on Superman and Lois have extremely muted tones. With this latest costume, it looks like the red pops, but the blue remains muted. We should note that the image James Gunn released shows a Superman mostly in dim lighting. In places where the light hits his costume (in the knee area) the blue looks rather bright. So we’ll have to wait and see what this new Superman costume looks like when his DCU movie arrives.

The Classic Superman Spit Curl

It’s technically not part of Superman’s “costume,” but it’s a classic part of his overall look. Since almost the very beginning of his comic book career, Superman has had a stylized spit curl in his jet-black hair. It’s almost like a little min “S” on his forehead (branding, folks!) Original ’40s Superman Kirk Alyn had it, yet TV’s George Reeves didn’t. Christopher Reeve famously kept it for his incarnation of the Last Son of Krypton, as did the live-action Superboy TV series of the ’80s. However, most live-action Superman actors have since dropped it. Dean Cain on Lois & Clark in the ’90s had slicked-back hair, as did Henry Cavill. Brandon Routh, whose Superman was a version of Christopher Reeve’s iteration, maintained the spit curl. We’re glad David Corenswet is staying traditional and bringing back the spit curl for modern times.

The Kingdom Come “S” Shield

Although we’d already seen it, we’d be remiss not to mention the “S” shield. Artist Alex Ross designed this new crest for the series Kingdom Come. That 1996 mini-series by writer Mark Waid was about an older Superman who returns to the scene years after retiring. In that comic, the yellow was replaced with black. This version of the emblem has been seen in live-action before. Brandon Routh used it in 2019’s Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. At first, it was a direct homage to the Kingdom Come look. By the end of that crossover though, it was a version in the traditional Superman colors. In fact, one of the very first things James Gunn teased when taking on the Superman job was an illustration from Kingdom Come.

Of course, we won’t really know how this DCU costume looks until we see Superman in action. We do know that this Superman costume is definitely full of influences from many previous takes on his iconic outfit. It remains to be seen if this one will become as legendary as many of the rest of them. Superman releases on July 11, 2025.

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Get ready for some serious excitement. James Gunn has finally revealed our first look at David Corenswet in costume as Superman in 2025’s Superman. Of course, this look includes our first glimpse at the Corenswet’s DCU Superman suit, something that’s been highly anticipated for quite a while.

James Gunn Reveals Our First Look at David Corenswet’s Superman and His DCU Suit

In this Superman DCU first look from James Gunn, we see Corenswet donning the traditional Superman red and blue, with his S logo emblazoned across his chest. We know that this S-logo takes inspiration from three different eras of Superman comics.

Gunn additionally shares about the first-look image from Superman, “The above photo was taken on set by Jess Miglio and was entirely in-camera.” It’s a pretty stunning shot and definitely increases our already intense excitement for the movie. In addition to Superman’s costume, we also see what we assume to be Metropolis and some kind of power surge. Very mysterious.

James Gunn’s Superman Will Include Superman’s Red Trunks As a Part of His Costume

But could it be? Yes, it can! After much debate about “will they” or “won’t they,” James Gunn has elected to give Corenswet Superman’s red trunks as a part of his DCU Superman: Legacy costume. Last year, Gunn held a Twitter poll to see whether fans preferred Superman’s costume with or without the red trunks. And “with trunks” won by a margin of about 10%. And it seems like now the people have received what they want.

When Will We Get to See David Corenswet and His Superman Suit Take Flight?

Of course, in our first-look image from Superman: Legacy, David Corenswet’s Clark Kent is just sitting there, donning his red boots. But hopefully, we’ll soon get to see him take to the skies as Superman. Could a teaser trailer be around the corner? Maybe when we’re exactly one year out from Superman‘s release, we’ll get another tidbit. Superman: Legacy releases on July 11, 2025.

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As most DC fans know, director Zack Snyder once had grand plans for his big-screen Superman saga starring Henry Cavill. Snyder designed Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League as just the start of something. For well-documented reasons, all of those plans got derailed. Now, the DC universe on screen is rebooting. But while promoting his newest Rebel Moon film, Zack Snyder opened up about his plans for Kal-El had he continued. Here’s what he had to say while speaking with GQ, via Collider:

He was going to have to succumb to the Anti-life, be destroyed, turn the clock back, and then get his chance for this battle against Darkseid. If you will… that would have finished his trilogy of becoming this guardian, and sort of, return him to his humanity.

The “Anti-Life” of which Snyder speaks is the Anti-Life Equation, a formula dreamed up by the late, great Jack Kirby for DC Comics in the ’70s. This formula sapped all living things of their will, and finding it was the villain Darkseid’s singular obsession. Superman would have succumbed to Anti-Life in the films, becoming a puppet of the Lord of Apokolips. So it makes sense that it would factor into Snyder’s ultimate plans, if Darkseid was going to be the final “Big Bad” of the saga. It also means Snyder would have probably shown a giant Darkseid vs. Superman brawl before it was all said and done.

Will Superman vs. Darkseid ever be a thing in live-action films now? Who knows. James Gunn is a huge classic DC fan, and he might have his own ideas for the Jack Kirby New Gods characters. We’ll have to wait and see as his plans for the new DCU continue to unfold. We certainly wouldn’t mind a New Gods series in the style of Game of Thrones. The possibilities with those characters, and their relationship to Superman, would provide fodder for endless stories.

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For decades, the two titans of comic book publishing, DC and Marvel, would occasionally cross over for special event comics. But we haven’t had one of these in over 20 years. The previous crossover comics have remained out of print, available only via the back issue bins at your comic shop. Now, Marvel and DC are reprinting these beloved comics at last, in two massive hardcover omnibuses collecting almost every single crossover, including the ’90s DC Versus Marvel event, and its fallout, the fused-together Marvel/DC Amalgam universe. Both omnibuses will be coming out this summer.

DC President Jim Lee illustrates new covers for both omnibuses, showcasing his first time drawing Marvel characters like the X-Men in an official capacity in decades. You can see both covers, which are Direct Market exclusives, below:

DC vs. Marvel

Direct Market cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair

DC vs. Marvel: The Amalgam Age

Direct Market cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair

Here’s what we know so far about the DC and Marvel crossover comics reprints.

DC Versus Marvel Omnibus 

Who would win: Superman versus Spider-Man? Batman versus Captain America? The X-Men meeting the Teen Titans? DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects crossovers between the core DC and Marvel characters starting from 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man to 2000’s Batman/Daredevil. The collection includes stories from some of comics’ most revered talents. It features names like Dennis O’Neil, George Pérez, Dan Jurgens, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Bagley, Gerry Conway, John Romita Jr., and more. DC and Marvel fans alike can’t miss these thrilling pieces of unearthed comic book history.

Specific issues included are Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27 (Batman vs. the Hulk), Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28 (Superman and Spider-Man), Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus 

This collection features stories first told in 1996 of the two superhero universes fused together into a new Amalgam Universe, combining DC’s and Marvel’s heroes, villains, and mythologies. The result was a series of unforgettable one-shot comic books starring the likes of Dark Claw (Batman and Wolverine), Super Soldier (Superman and Captain America), Iron Lantern (Iron Man and Green Lantern), and many more. Among the creators are Peter David, Dan Jurgens, Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, Ron Marz, José Luis García-López, Gary Frank, Bill Sienkiewicz, Claudio Castellini, and more. This represents one of the most fun and unlikely periods in comic book history.

This omnibus collects the 1996 DC Versus Marvel series, issues #1-4, and the subsequent follow-up one-shots. Included is DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and more. We imagine that the rest of the Amalgam issues like Amazon (Wonder Woman and Storm) and JLX (Justice League and X-Men) are also included. There will also be “a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material.”

No JLA/Avengers…Yet.

Now, arguably the most famous of the Marvel and DC Crossovers is not included here. We’re talking about JLA/Avengers. That 2004 event comic was the biggest and last of the crossover events. It was written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by the legendary George Pérez. When Pérez announced his terminal diagnosis in 2021 the two publishers rushed a very limited-run reprint for charity. But it sold out almost instantly. We can only hope that the legendary title receives its own new deluxe edition. That’s one book that should never go out of print.

The DC Versus Marvel and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age omnibuses both hit on August 6, 2024.

Originally published February 14, 2024.

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Two years ago, DC Comics’ ongoing flagship Justice League title ended with issue #75. It featured the death of the entire League. Oh, they got better pretty quickly. By the end of the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event, they were all back in the land of the living. Having said that, the comic giant decided to let the concept of the Justice League rest while they figured out their next move, leaving the Titans as Earth’s protectors. However, these two years have been the longest DC has ever gone without publishing a title with “Justice League” in the name since 1960. So what’s the hold up with a new Justice League series? And how can DC make sure a new iteration becomes a necessary and talked about comic book?

DC Comics: A World Without a Justice League

The Justice League of America first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28, published in February 1960. After a successful three-issue trial, the JLA received their own series by the end of that year. Unlike the World War II era Justice Society, the JLA had Superman and Batman as regular members. This elevated the team to A-list status. Since 1960, an ongoing book with the words Justice League in the title has been published by DC. That unbroken run ended after 62 years in 2022. The idea was that they’d come back bigger and better very soon. But unless you’re talking about out-of-continuity tales like Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, we’re all still waiting for the League’s return.

DC is probably thinking “absence makes the heart grow fonder” in considering when to bring back the League, which makes sense. Marvel did a similar thing when the flagship series Fantastic Four ended its decades-long run in 2015. When the quartet relaunched in 2018, it was to much fanfare. But what will make this League relaunch stand out from so many in the past, aside from an unusually long break? We have some ideas on angles DC could take with League when the World’s Greatest Superheroes make their very welcome return. In fact, some of these ideas could inform James Gunn’s new DCU.

The Original 7 Justice Leaguers Have All Died and Come Back, Forming a Unique Bond Among the Team

The original Justice League was founded by seven members—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. Many other members have come and gone over the years. Yet in a lot of ways, those original seven remain the most iconic version of the team. However, since Barry Allen died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, the founders have not headlined a book together. When Barry returned after 23 years in 2009’s Flash: Rebirth, the assumption was a big JLA reunion book was next. Then 2011’s New 52 reboot happened, and everyone met again for the very first time. However, the New 52 continuity has largely been undone, with much of the original history of the League restored. And we haven’t seen the Big Seven reunite as a team since. Now seems like an ideal time.

The Original Justice League: Death Becomes Them

Besides being a nostalgic reunion, one thing bonds the original seven. They’ve all died and come back. And not just the standard “We thought they were dead, but it was a clone/they were in a coma/it was an alternate universe version.” They all actually died, went on to a form of an afterlife, and returned. Yes, even the very human Batman in the event series Final Crisis. Some were dead for many years, like Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. Others, like Wonder Woman, for just a few months.

With this detail in mind, the Leaguers all having gone to face the Grim Reaper and come out the other side could serve as the basis of an interesting team dynamic. Are they all functionally immortal now? Writer Grant Morrison played with the metaphor of the “Big Seven” Leaguers as Olympian Gods of the DCU in his ’90s JLA series. Could that interpretation be more literal than metaphorical? They certainly share a weird bond no other team has at DC. (However, we must note, that the X-Men at Marvel certainly do.) It’s fodder for an interesting reunion take for DC Comics’ most famous heroes.

It’s Time for Justice League Unlimited in the DC Universe

Having said that, the original seven should just be a starting point for whatever DC does next. Because let’s face it, that’s a heavily white and male team for the year of our Lord Darkseid 2024. It’s time for the League to take a cue from their greatest media incarnation of the team, the Justice League Unlimited. It’s time to open the doors to every hero in the DCU. In the JLU animated series, the League became more than a team. It became almost a conglomerate for superheroes. It was a true society of superpowers, in a way their predecessors the Justice Society of America never were.

The comics have played with this notion before, like the excellent Justice League International run of the ‘80s. Yet never on the scale of the Justice League Unlimited cartoon show. The League expanding in this manner allows it to truly grow into something unique, something its rival the Avengers over at Marvel have never been. Maybe, the original seven founders realize they had to return from their respective graves to make the League something bigger than they ever dreamed of in the beginning. It could be something grander that goes beyond the definitions of what we now think of as a superhero team.

A Strong Comic Book Justice League Can Inform the Big Screen Version

Of course, comics are the primary source of inspiration for most live-action content. The New 52 League was the main inspiration for the DCEU version, from Cyborg as a founding member, to their first villain being from the planet Apokolips. So it would be fitting for whatever DC’s new Justice League becomes to inspire the eventual DCU version. We’ve believed for some time now that Gunn’s DCU would have an already existing Justice League in it, but if the comic book League is a gigantic group with many members and branches, we wouldn’t hate for that concept to make that transition to film and TV.

Whatever DC does when it inevitably relaunches the Justice League title, there should be top-notch creatives on it. Justice League should always be DC’s biggest title. It was in the Silver Age, again in the post-Crisis JLI era, and also in the ’90s Grant Morrison years. Like it or hate it, the New 52 Justice League carried the line, sales-wise, for a good long time. It was not an afterthought series for the publisher. It would be shocking if we don’t see a relaunch by 2025, the Justice League of America’s 65th anniversary. Here’s hoping it’s something that gets the readership excited, and springboard’s comics’ greatest superhero team into the future. They deserve a series that reflects their status as the world’s greatest superteam.

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Younger comic book fans might not know the name José Luis García-López. Rest assured, they do recognize his art. The Spanish-Argentine artist drew many iconic comics back in the day, like Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk, The New Teen Titans, and more. However, it’s one project that has cemented him as the DC Comics artist, and no fan could ever actually purchase it. In 1982, the publisher commissioned him to illustrate all their major heroes and villains for their in-house Style Guide. It was the reference book other artists were meant to use to get characters’ costumes right, especially in merchandise. Now, DC Comics is honoring JLGL with a series of variant covers using his original DC Comics Style Guide art.

Click To View Gallery

This July, the key character turnarounds from the legendary DC Comics Style Guide are set to be featured for the first time on a set of Artist Spotlight variant covers honoring the DC Comics legend. Look for Artist Spotlight variant covers on Batman #150, Green Arrow #14, Green Lantern #13, Shazam! #13, Superman #16, The Flash #11 and Wonder Woman #11. The Justice League of America has never looked so good. You can check each of them out in our gallery above.

DC uses many of these José Luis García-López illustrations in products for the Super Powers action figure line in the ’80s, and even on t-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise still today. Even with many costume changes at DC over the decades, these Bronze Age versions of the characters remain the most iconic. For years, fans have clamored for DC to release the entire Style Guide to fans, as before it was for internal use only (images have all been online for years). Here’s hoping this is the first step towards actually seeing that in print.

The post DC Comics Releasing Retro-Style José Luis García-López Variant Covers this Summer appeared first on Nerdist.

From an incredible line of One Piece sneakers from PUMA to a NASA TTRPG to a real-life Pokémon motorbike, here are some of our favorite pieces of recent entertainment news.

• Get Ready for a One Piece x PUMA Collection Worthy of a Captain
• Halloween TV Series Will Be a Total Creative Reboot
• My Adventures With Superman Gets Comic Series to Bridge Seasons
• Toyota Is Creating a Real-Life Miraidon Motorbike
• Nicholas Hoult Names Michael Rosenbaum and All-Star Superman As Lex Luthor Inspirations for Superman
• The Unknown: A Horror Movie Based on Viral “Willy Wonka Experience” Is in the Works
• NASA Reveals Its Very Own Tabletop Role-Playing Game Adventure, The Lost Universe

Get Ready for a One Piece x PUMA Collection Worthy of a Captain

If you love One Piece, prepare for an incredibly cool new shoe collection to sail into town. Puma and One Piece have collaborated on a line of fabulously themed sneakers that are “inspired by the fan-favorite characters Monkey D. Luffy (Gear 5), Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard.” Additionally, a release reveals that “each Suede sneaker brings its own unique color combination and playful graphic elements. Every pair comes in a specially designed box featuring a full-wrap sea map graphic.” The collection releases on March 23, 2024, in select PUMA stores and online worldwide. If you’re a One Piece fan, no adventure will be complete without these sneakers, so set a heading for your nearest PUMA store and don’t miss out.

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Here’s how to watch One Piece without filler episodes:

Halloween TV Series Will Be a Total Creative Reboot

Miramax Television is planning to create a series in the Halloween universe. Deadline shares that the show “is envisioned to potentially launch a cinematic universe spanning film and television.” Miramax’s Head Of Worldwide Television Marc Helwig shares the series will go back the franchise’s beginnings. He notes “The foundation of it is the original film, the John Carpenter movie, the characters of that film, and perhaps a group of characters that we haven’t really focused on that much in recent film versions or even in a number of them,” Helwig said. “It’s a creative reset completely and going back to the original film, as opposed to spinning out of any of the more recent film adaptations.”

Here’s are review of Halloween Ends

My Adventures With Superman Gets Comic Series to Bridge Seasons

Fans of My Adventures With Superman can rejoice. DC is creating a comic series that will detail Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen’s adventures between seasons one and two. A release shares, “Clark Kent is a bit down and out, spending Christmas alone in Metropolis. But when he gets a tip about a monster in the sewers, Superman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen spring into action to investigate this mystery. What is this monster that can absorb anything it touches, and why is it here in Metropolis?” The series is written by series producer Josie Campbell and drawn by artist Pablo M. Collar.

Campbell shares, “This story is one we actually talked about in the writers room, but we didn’t have space for it in season one. So get ready for romance, comedy, super-powers, Jimmy Olsen talking a lot about how he’s super-rich now, and all the goodness of the show bundled into this action-packed miniseries.”

If you haven’t watched yet, here’s the trailer for My Adventures with Superman:

Toyota Is Creating a Real-Life Miraidon Motorbike

Get ready for a Poké-immersion. Toyota is working on bringing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Miradion to life in motorbike form. Not many details are available yet about the project, but a possible prototype was teased in 2023. We first saw this news on IGN.

Learn more about Miradion, here:

Nicholas Hoult Names Michael Rosenbaum and All-Star Superman As Lex Luthor Inspirations for Superman

Nicholas Hoult and Michael Rosenbaum recently had a Lex Luthor meeting of the minds on Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast. During the chat, Hoult revealed, “I grew up. I think the first ever Lex I saw was you… Yeah, I grew up when Smallville was on, I can’t remember if it was Channel 4 or Channel 5 in the UK, but like growing up. I was like 11, 12, I guess. And so that was like the show that I would watch and see my first iterations of Superman and Lex and all those stories. Since I’ve seen Richard Donner’s movies and all the other ones and kind of seen some of the other performances, but you’re like the one. I love [your portrayal], it’s the best.”

Additionally, the actor noted, “I have been working out. No, you know what, there’s that bit in All-Star Superman where he talks about his muscles being real and like hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of like fuel for the fire.”

Here’s what we know so far about the DCU’s Superman:

The Unknown: A Horror Movie Based on Viral “Willy Wonka Experience” Is in the Works

A “Willy Wonka Experience” in Scotland went viral for being an absolute disaster, so, of course, a movie adaptation of the mayhem is on the way. Bloody Disgusting reveals a synopsis of The Unknown from Kaledonia Pictures. It shares, “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie. Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.”

Here’s our review of the other Willy Wonka movie, Wonka:

NASA Reveals Its Very Own Tabletop Role-Playing Game Adventure, The Lost Universe

Incredibly, NASA has released its very own tabletop role-playing game system called The Lost Universe. Now you can take your party into the cosmos. And, of course, the Hubble Space Telescope is naturally involved. A release shares:

A dark mystery has settled over the city of Aldastron on the rogue planet of Exlaris. Researchers dedicated to studying the cosmos have disappeared, and the Hubble Space Telescope has vanished from Earth’s timeline. Only an ambitious crew of adventurers can uncover what was lost. Are you up to the challenge?

This adventure is designed for a party of 4-7 level 7-10 characters and is easily adaptable for your preferred tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) system.

NASA’s first TTRPG adventure invites you to take on a classic villain (while also using and learning science skills!) as you overcome challenges and embark on an exciting quest to unlock more knowledge about our universe. Download your game documents below and get ready to explore Exlaris!

Here are some tips to make your tabletop games run more smoothly:

The post PUMA X ONE PIECE Collection, A Meeting of Lex Luthors and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

James Gunn’s new Superman film, titled simply Superman, has just begun filming. And many fans are wondering just what bits of Superman media Gunn is using as his source material for his new take. Well, in a post in Instagram, Gunn shared several images which show where he drew inspiration for his take on the Last Son of Krypton. Some are from comics, some from animation. But all are iconic in their own way.

Superman: The Movie (1978)

In the post, James Gunn answers a fan question on his inspirations “other than the Donner films.” That is a reference to Richard Donner, who directed 1978’s Superman: The Movie and much of Superman II. We know that the Donner Superman films starring Christopher Reeve are a key inspiration, as Lex Luthor’s minions Otis and Eve Teschmacher from those movies are in the film.

Superman #1 (1940)

The first image Gunn showed was a very early Joe Shuster drawing of the Man of Steel breaking out of chains, from the back cover of Superman #1 from 1939. This gives us an indication that, in many ways, Gunn is going back to the very beginning of Superman’s earliest comic book adventures.

All-Star Superman (2008)

The next comic book inspiration is from writer Grant Morrison’s seminal 2005-2008 series All-Star Superman. Specifically, issue #10. This famous image from artist Frank Quitely sums up everything that Kal-El is about. We see Superman save a suicidal person from taking their own life, by talking to them and showing love and compassion. This single page captures Superman’s essence in a nutshell.

Max Fleischer’s Superman (1941)

The following image Gunn posted was from the Max Fleischer animated shorts from 1941. These popular shorts were crucial in forming many signature traits of Superman’s, such as his ability to fly and not just “leap tall building in a single bound.” That costume featured a yellow border around the “S” shield, something the new cinematic costume will also have.

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1986)

Next, Gunn showed off an iconic page of despondent Superman with his dog Krypto in his arctic fortress. It’s illustrated by Curt Swan and George Perez, from the classic Alan Moore story “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” This story closed out the Silver Age/Bronze Age era of Superman comics, before the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot Man of Steel. As already indicated by Gunn, this seems to assure us that Superman will have his Fortress of Solitude.

Superman Annual #6 (1962)

This image, by perhaps the artist most identified with the character, Curt Swan, is from Superman Annual #6 from 1962. It epitomizes the Superman of the Silver Age, with his vast family of characters. There’s Supergirl, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, his friends the Legion of Super-Heroes, and villains like Mxyzsptlk and Bizarro. This seems to indicate Clark will have a large extended family of characters in this movie, adding fuel to the fire that Milly Alcock’s Supergirl will appear.

New 52 Action Comics (2011)

The next image is far more recent, from the New 52 reboot of Superman from 2011. In this cover from Action Comics #4 by Michael Choi, we see a young Clark in his earliest hero days, before he could fly, and wore a t-shirt, jeans, and boots. Oh, and a little cape. It’s not really Superman without the cape, is it? This reboot harkened back to the Superman of 1938, when he was a “working man’s hero,” who fought corrupt politicians and elected officials in the Depression. This is yet another example of a Grant Morrison take on Superman serving as inspiration.

Kingdom Come/Justice Society of America (1996, 2010)

Superman from the universe of Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ Elseworlds 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is next. Or rather, that older Superman’s appearance in the Justice Society of America story “Thy Kingdom Come” in the 2000s, when he crossed from the Kingdom Come universe to the “main” DC Earth. That story told of Clark Kent after he’d retired when a personal tragedy drove him away from Metropolis. The “S” shield design in the new movie is almost identical to Kingdom Come’s Superman, only without the black.

Superman: The Animated Series (1996)

Superman: The Animated Series debuted in 1996, set in the same world as Batman: The Animated Series. This image Gunn shared is from the show’s opening credits. The Superman of this series drew inspiration from the ’80s reboot of the character, particularly the evil CEO version of Lex Luthor. The show’s Metropolis was very art déco-inspired, which could play out in Gunn’s film. Creator Bruce Timm and Paul Dini largely reinvented the villain Brainiac for this series, as a Kryptonian AI. Maybe it’s a hint that he plays a part in the new film?

Superman For All Seasons (1995)

The late Tim Sale’s art from the four-issue mini-series Superman For All Seasons, written by Jeph Loeb, is next. It shows Clark Kent saying goodbye to his father Jonathan Kent as he prepares to leave Smallville for Metropolis. It has an almost Normal Rockwell quality to it, which may translate well to the big screen. Gunn has stated many times that the series Superman For All Seasons would be a big influence on his film. Showing this page is just another example.

Action Comics (2021)

Lastly, the most recent image used is from 2021’s Action Comics #1035, with a page from current Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampare. It shows a married Lois and Clark take to the sky where they kiss under the stars. This lets us know that the love story between the two ace Daily Planet reporters is going to play a key factor in the DCU’s new Superman film.

The post James Gunn’s Main SUPERMAN Movie Inspirations, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Although it will be some time before we see David Corenswet in the full Kal-El regalia for James Gunn’s Superman (no longer Superman: Legacy) we did get a preview of a very important part of the costume — the ‘S’ shield emblem of the Last Son of Krypton. Although the photo released by James Gunn on social media on Clark Kent’s birthday doesn’t give us a full view of it, we have a pretty good idea of what the symbol looks like now. It draws inspiration from three distinct eras of Superman. Some from the pages of DC Comics, and some from other media. Here are the principal design influences on the new Superman ‘S’ shield.

Kingdom Come Superman

The first Superman ‘S’ Shield that the new emblem recalls is the one artist Alex Ross designed for the series Kingdom Come. That 1996 mini-series by writer Mark Waid was about an older Superman, one who retired from being a hero after a personal tragedy. This is a darker Superman, so the yellow in the emblem was replaced with black. But the very minimalist ‘S’ shape is present in the version of Gunn’s design. We actually have seen this design in live-action before. Brandon Routh used it in the Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event in 2019. At first, it was a direct copy of the Kingdom Come look. By the end, it was a version in the traditional Superman colors. One of the first teases Gunn released on social media when he took over DC Studios was an image from Kingdom Come. Now we know why.

Golden Age/Fleischer Animated Superman

The yellow trim outside the ‘S’ shield goes back to the earliest days of the comics. About two years after Superman debuted in 1938’s Action Comics #1, his emblem began to be a black triangle with a big red ‘S’ in the center, surrounded by a yellow trim. The yellow trim didn’t last that long in print. But they used it in a major milestone in non-comics Superman media. We’re talking about the 1940s-era Fleischer cartoons, which ran as afternoon serials. These shorts were extremely popular, and a big influence on the look and design of Batman: The Animated Series. Although the comics quickly pivoted away from the yellow trim, it’s clearly present in the costume design David Corenswet is going to wear.

The Classic Superman Emblem

Finally, the color scheme for this Superman looks to be pretty classic. The iconic Superman emblem most people know, worn by Christopher Reeve and seen on countless pieces of merchandise, made its debut in 1944. And it mostly stuck around for decades after, undergoing only minor revisions. Red and yellow is how we mostly think of the Superman emblem today. So far, it seems that Gunn is sticking to that aesthetic. Although it’s hard to say, the color palette does look more muted than the classic version. It’s akin to the one worn by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, or Tyler Hoechlin in Superman and Lois. However, that could be lighting. The actual suit colors might “pop” a lot more than what we see in the image.

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.

The post The Comic Book Influences of Superman’s New ‘S’ Shield appeared first on Nerdist.

Superman: Legacy just had its first table read for the principal cast in Atlanta, where most of the filming will take place. We know this thanks to a cast selfie posted by James Gunn on social media. But the newest Superman film will also be shot in Cleveland and Cincinnati. We’ve learned this is thanks to tax credits the production received from the state of Ohio. This has significance for two reasons. The first is that Cleveland is where young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman as teenagers. The second though, might have larger implications for the DCU. You see, Cincinnati is the real-life home of the Justice League’s home base, the Hall of Justice. Well, sort of.

The Justice League has had many headquarters in the comics. A secret cave, a satellite in space, and a Watchtower on the moon. But thanks to the 1970s Super Friends cartoon, most people think of one HQ in particular when thinking of where the League hangs their capes—the Hall of Justice. Because it was so popular in the cartoon, the comics eventually incorporated it into mainstream continuity. However, Super Friends creators Al Gmuer and Joe Barbera lifted the design from Union Terminal in Cincinnati. First built in 1933, Union Terminal is a museum today. But with Superman: Legacy filming in Cincinnati, could using this building be too good an opportunity to pass up?

Now, we don’t even know that there’s a Justice League in this new DCU. That said, our best guess is that there is a functioning Justice League already in the film. The fact that prominent League members like Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho are in the film suggests a version of the Justice League already exists. If they do, then they need a base of operations. So with filming in Cincinnati, why not just use the building that inspired the Hall of Justice in the first place? At least the exterior anyway. We may just have our superhero tin foil hats on, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this bit of speculation turns out to be real.

The post Will SUPERMAN Feature the Hall of Justice? Here’s Why We Think It Might appeared first on Nerdist.

Superman made his debut in the pages of 1938’s Action Comics #1. Since then countless actors have brought the character to life on screen. Which live-action iteration of the Man of Steel is our favorite? George Reeves? Christopher Reeve? Brandon Routh? Henry Cavill? One of the many other performers who have played him? It’s almost impossible to pick just one as the best. But it’s not hard to name our top choice when it comes Kal-Els who have actually flown in the real world. The internet is rediscovering the joy of RC Superman, a moppy-haired remote-controlled recreation of the iconic superhero.

Chris Wolf, who goes by the online handle The RC Geek, recently celebrated his delightful 2015 device by uploading a new short YouTube video of his model RC Superman. (Which we first saw at Laughing Squid.)

His super remote-controlled device made its debut at the 2015 PVMAC Big Jolt all-electric RC event. It featured a body that looked like a blue and red model airplane up-close. (Well, a model airplane that had a head with floppy black hair for a nose.) But the real genius of his flying contraption is best appreciated when it’s actually being used. His design made it so that when RC Superman took to the sky, it captured the look and feel of the “real” Man of Steel.

This machine is fantastic unto itself. If we saw it in-person our brains would short circuit until we figured out what was going on. But seeing it soar high in the air in this latest video is its own reward. It features John Williams’ iconic Superman theme. That song makes this footage something special. It’s strangely captivating, as though, for just a brief moment, Clark Kent is real and here to protect us.

The song really does matter, too. Just compare the new video to the original longer one that doesn’t use Williams’ song.

It’s not a bird. It’s not a plane. And it’s not even actually Superman. But it’s still something that is bringing us joy after all these years—just like Superman himself has since 1938.

The post The Internet Is Rediscovering the Joy of the Flying RC Superman appeared first on Nerdist.

New Year’s resolutions. Almost everyone makes them. Very few people hold to them. But what about superheroes? If you’ve got the powers of a god and you make a resolution to “eat less dairy,” do you have a bigger obligation to keep to it? Well, we may never get an answer to that question. But via DC Comics’ official Instagram, we did get the New Year’s resolutions to several of the company’s most iconic heroes. In fact, six of the seven main members of the Justice League all revealed their New Year’s resolutions going into 2024. Sorry, Martian Manhunter, maybe next year. You can check them all out down below:

Ok, so all of these Justice League New Year’s resolutions were very tongue-in-cheek. Although some of these are ones we think the actual characters might actually have in the comics. Wonder Woman vowing to “mediate daily on the freeing power of truth?” is very on brand for her. And, “Revise the contingency plan for my contingency plan’s contingency plan?” That sounds very Batman. Hey Bruce, how about no more contingency plans on how to stop your fellow Justice Leaguers in case they go bad without telling them first? That never goes well.

Speaking of being mind-controlled and going bad, we kind of love that Superman has “Make it the full year without being mind-controlled and going evil” as part of his resolutions. The world would surely be a better place if that happened less, Clark. We have enough “evil Supermans” on The Boys and Invincible. Some major DC Comics characters didn’t get to reveal their New Year’s resolutions alongside the Justice League. But we’d like to think Nightwing’s is, “Stop competing with my father figure.” Maybe Black Canary’s resolution is, “Stop raising my voice to Green Arrow, it makes his ears bleed.” Hopefully, next year we find out the DC Villains’ New Year’s Resolutions. Although we admit, we’re a wee bit scared to see the Joker’s.

The post DC Reveals the Justice League’s New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Nerdist.

The DCEU may be over, but over the decade of its existence, it left more than a handful of films to be watched and debated about endlessly. Although the original plan was for all DC films to have an exclusive home at Max, as of January, 14 DC films are also now on Netflix. Although two of them are technically not DCEU films, just films based on DC properties. Chalk this one up to the realities of streaming service revenue in tough financial times for all the major studios. This is why many of these same films are now on ad-supported Tubi as well. The news came via Netflix’s Tudum.

So which DCEU movies can you now enjoy on Netflix? You can literally start with the first DCEU film, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and work your way down. Next is Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

While that’s most of the DCEU films, there are a few still only on Max at the moment. 2023’s The Flash and Blue Beetle are still exclusive to that streaming platform, at least for now. Also, Zack Snyder’s extended 4-hour version of Justice League remains a Max exclusive. There are also two DC films not part of the DCEU as part of the Netflix deal—The Batman and the animated DC League of Super Pets.

As for classic DC Comics-based films, right now, most are only streaming on Max. Those include the four original Christopher Reeve Superman films (and Superman Returns) plus Supergirl and the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman movies. Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is also there, too. For those brave souls out there, the 2004 version of Catwoman and Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern are also available to watch.

How long the previously mentioned DC movies will remain on Netflix is a mystery at the moment. However, if you have a fix to watch Cavill as Superman and Affleck as Batman and only have a Netflix subscription? Then now’s your chance to watch the “Martha scene” in BvS as many times as you like.

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He may not be your favorite superhero, but if he’s not, your favorite superhero exists because of him. When Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938, it changed the comic book industry forever, starting a wave of superhero media continuing to this day. And while many other characters have overshadowed him recently, with Superman: Legacy on the way, don’t ever count out the big guy’s pop culture staying power. But with 85 years of Superman comic book runs from incredible creators, which ones are the very best? Here is our ranking of the best comic book eras in the Man of Steel’s long career.

10. Mark Millar

with Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong, and Killian Plunkett

Writer Mark Millar, known today for edgy fare like The Authority, actually started his American comic book career writing several wholesome Superman stories. These were contained in the pages of Superman Adventures, based on the ‘90s cartoon. As fun as these were, his next most famous Superman story became his most revered, 2003’s Superman: Red Son. Although a non-continuity Elseworlds story, this series explored a world where Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union, not Smallville. In Russia, cape wears you he grew up as a tool of the state.

What’s fascinating about this story over other Elseworlds is how Kal-El’s innate sense of fairness and goodness shines through. No matter where they raised him. It helped that the art by Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong, and Killian Plunkett was consistently top-notch too. Most writers on this list have far more Superman stories under their belt than Millar. So it says a lot that mostly because of just three issues, he left his mark on the Man of Steel.

Issues in Mark Millar’s Superman Run

Superman: Red Son #1-3 (2003) Superman Adventures #19, 25-27, 30, 31, 36, 52 (1998-2000)

9. Kurt Busiek

with Stuart Immonen, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Pete Woods

Writer Kurt Busiek was already a comics legend for his runs on Avengers and Marvels before going to DC and taking on Superman. But when he finally did, his Superman stories were among the best ever in the modern comics era. His first Superman story was an Elseworlds tale, Secret Identity. This four-part series was set in our world, centering on a guy whose parents, unfortunately, gave him the name Clark Kent. But when Clark actually starts developing powers like the fictional man he’s based on, everything changes. This mini-series follows Clark throughout his life as he struggles to live up to the fictional legend of Superman, and what his legacy means. Artist Stuart Immonen does some career-best work here, and it’s a truly fantastic read.

After that incredible run about the “fake” Superman, Busiek took on the real deal in both Action Comics and Superman. His “Up, Up, and Away” arc (co-written with Geoff Johns) focuses on what it would be like for Clark Kent to still be heroic after a year with no powers, emphasizing what made him “super” wasn’t his Kryptonian genetics alone. It also explored what it would be like to take up the cape after a year as an ordinary man. Busiek’s later “Camelot Falls” storyline really explored Kal-El’s biggest weakness outside Kryptonite: magic. The late artist Carlos Pacheco brought an unparalleled sweeping grandeur to Superman during this run. Busiek’s era is one that definitely deserves more attention and truly is one of comics’ best Superman runs.

Issues in Kurt Busiek’s Superman Run

Superman: Secret Identity #1-4 (2004) Action Comics #837–843, 850, 852–854 (2006–2007), Superman #650–675, 712, Annual #13 (2006–2011)

8. Mark Waid

with Leinil Francis Yu

Mark Waid has written some of the best Flash and Justice League stories for DC, and many argue his Kingdom Come mini-series is one of the best Superman stories ever. And while it is, since it focuses on the DC Universe as a whole, we’re not counting it as just a Superman tale. And yet, Mark Waid still makes the cut, despite mostly writing random Superman issues here and there until 2003. In that year, he and Leinil Francis Yu created the 12-part mini-series Superman: Birthright, which retold Superman’s origin story for the 2000s.

Waid made Superman more a citizen of the world than just America in Birthright, and introduced the concept that the “S” shield as the Kryptonian symbol for hope. Waid writes about Superman’s innate goodness in a way that’s not goofy or unbelievable, but truly endearing. Yes, it’s yet another Superman origin story. And not even our favorite on this ranking! But Superman’s origin story is retold and reinterpreted so many times because frankly, it’s that great. It’s practically Biblical. And Birthright is one of the best versions of this story told in the comic book medium.

Issues in Mark Waid’s Superman Run

Superman: Birthright #1-12 (2003-2004)

7. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

with Doug Mahnke

2011’s “New 52” reboot of the DC Universe elevated some characters, but others got the shaft. While Grant Morrison’s New 52 Action Comics was a brilliant reimagining, it strayed too far in some ways. Taking away his marriage to Lois Lane after 20 years, pairing him romantically with Wonder Woman, and wearing armor to boot, didn’t work long term. So in 2016, DC began their “Rebirth” era, and no one benefitted from this more than Superman. Writer Peter Tomasi, who was an editor at DC before writing monthly comics, brought back the classic nature of Kal-El, and actually improved him, together with co-writer and series artist Patrick Gleason.

During Tomasi’s run, mostly illustrated by co-author Patrick Gleason and Doug Mahnke, Clark Kent was married to Lois Lane again, and she and Clark had a young son, Jonathan Kent. Lois and Clark were raising young Jon in Smallville, foreshadowing TV’s Superman and Lois. Peter Tomasi focused his stories on the Kents as the coolest parents on Earth, alongside all the big world-ending battles. For years, Superman has been the avuncular “dad” of comics, and Tomasi and Gleason brilliantly made that literal with his Clark, who became the father everyone wished they had. Superman fans were lucky to have this era last a good four years.

Issues in Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Superman Run

Superman Vol. 4 #1–25, 27-28, 33-39, 42-45, Annual #1, Special #1 (co-written with Patrick Gleason, August 2016 to July 2018)

6. Jeph Loeb

with Tim Sale, Ed McGuinness

Writer Jeph Loeb has written some of the most defining tales for both Batman and Spider-Man, but also for the Man of Steel as well. This run began in the 1998 four-part mini-series Superman For All Seasons, which leaned heavily into the cozy, Americana aspects of Clark Kent’s story. Tim Sale, Loeb’s frequent collaborator on series like Batman: The Long Halloween, drew every page like it was sunrise over a Kansas cornfield. Each of the four issues featured narration by someone close to Superman, showing us how they saw him. Loeb and Sale portrayed the vastly different ways Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang, and Pa Kent viewed Superman, and his role in the world.

Not to be overshadowed by his past work, Loeb wrote a long run on the main Superman title, with artist Ed McGuinness. Loeb complemented McGuinness’ broad cartoony art with stories that suited it. These included a return to Krypton, and Joker getting the powers of Mister Mxyzptlk. Most memorable though? When Lex Luthor harnessed the prejudices of the American people in an effort to become President of the United States. (You know, stuff that only happens in comics). Loeb would eventually write some stellar Batman/Superman stories in a subsequent team-up book. But his solo Man of Steel adventures remain all-timers.

Issues in Jeph Loeb’s Superman Run

Superman For All Seasons #1-4 (1998), Superman vol. 2 #151-182 (1999-2002)

5. Geoff Johns

with Gary Frank, Adam Kubert, Pete Woods

Almost no one is better at DC Comics in rescuing lost elements of past continuity and giving it modern relevance than writer Geoff Johns. After tackling Green Lantern, JSA, and Teen Titans, in 2006 he turned his attention to Superman. Somehow, he found his way to incorporate all of Superman’s lost eras into a cohesive whole. At first, he had help from his professional mentor Richard Donner, who co-wrote his first Superman arc with him. Donner just so happened to direct Superman: The Movie, don’t ya know?

Working with amazing artistic collaborators like Gary Frank, Johns gave Clark and Lois an adopted Kryptonian son, restored Kal-El’s connection to the Legion of Super-Heroes, and combined every version of Brainiac into the ultimate iteration of the classic villain. He even made Bizarro fun instead of annoying again. The best chapter in Geoff Johns’ run was the six-part Secret Origin. A new retelling of Clark’s oft-told backstory, it found a way to unite everything. There were elements of John Byrne’s ’80s take on Clark Kent, to the 1978 film, to Smallville, and more. All combined into the best version of Superman’s origin story yet. The Geoff Johns run was relatively brief in the grand scheme of things, but it made an incredible impact.

Issues in Geoff Johns’ Superman Run

Action Comics #837–840, 844–846, 850–851, 855–873 (2006–2009), Superman: Secret Origin #1-6 (2009-2010)

4. Grant Morrison

with Frank Quitely, Rags Morales

Grant Morrison is one of the greatest voices in comics, and has written definitive runs on most of the famous superheroes at this point. And many feel their All-Star Superman is the most definitive take on the character yet. And we’re inclined to agree that, as its title suggests, it’s absolutely stellar. Produced with frequent collaborator Frank Quitely, Morrison told a 12-part story about Superman facing his own impending death, after his cells absorb too much solar radiation on a rescue mission.

All-Star is a celebration of everything we love about Superman, further solidifying him as a man who does good just without tragic motivation. Morrison knows how to embrace the wacky Silver Age side of Superman with earnestness, and somehow, things like Krypto the super dog don’t seem so silly anymore. Almost no part of Superman’s extensive mythology isn’t celebrated in some way in All-Star. This is a comic about the world’s oldest superhero that just might make you cry at the end.

And then, there’s the polar opposite of All-Star, Morrison’s 2011-2012 “New 52” reinvention of the character for Action Comics with artist Rags Morales. Morrison went back to 1938 for their take on Clark’s early years, making him a “hero of the people.” He’d stop the corrupt and abusive, only with godlike-level powers. Eventually, the “New 52” Superman went hard sci-fi, explaining how Superman got into a costume that was an alien suit of armor. That part of the book strays a bit far from what we want from Superman on the regular, but as an Elseworlds tale, it rocks. They are easily the Man of Steel’s most important 21st-century creative voice.

Issues in Grant Morrison’s Superman run

All-Star Superman #1-12, (2005-2008) Action Comics Vol. 2, #0-18, (2011-2013), Superman and the Authority #1-4 (2018)

3. John Byrne

with Jerry Ordway, Marv Wolfman

Despite massive success on the big screen, by the early ‘80s, comic book Superman was seen as a relic of a bygone era. He was too squeaky clean, too powerful to write stories around. Everything about him felt stale. After DC Comics cleaned house continuity-wise with Crisis on Infinite Earths, they gave Superman a major overhaul, going “back to basics” with one of Marvel’s most famous creators at the helm, John Byrne, who was partially responsible for the success of the X-Men.

Byrne revamped Superman’s origins and mythos in his 1986 Man of Steel mini-series, stripping away much of the goofier Silver Age aspects of his character (no Superboy career, so super pets, etc.) There weren’t thousands of other Kryptonians anymore. He truly was the Last Son of Krypton. Following Man of Steel, he wrote and drew a relaunched Superman and Action Comics, where he revamped both Superman’s supporting cast and villains for the modern era. He even un-killed Ma and Pa Kent, giving Clark a world in Smallville to go home to.

Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway worked in tandem with Byrne on Adventures of Superman at the same time. No one character got a better upgrade in the Byrne era than Lex Luthor, who went from cackling mad scientist to megalomaniacal CEO and one of the most powerful men on Earth. Much of the ‘90s Superman: The Animated Series was based on Byrne’s run. Although his run only lasted two years and roughly 50 issues, it remains a high watermark in Kal-El’s career. And it put Superman comics back on the map.

Issues in John Byrne’s, Jerry Ordway’s, and Marv Wolfman’s Superman Run

The Man of Steel #1-6 (1986), Superman Vol. 2 #1-22, Action Comics #584-600, Adventures of Superman #424

2. Mort Weisinger’s Silver Age Era

with Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Al Plastino, Curt Swan

Most of the names on this list are modern, adhering to what we think of as a creative team “run” on a specific title. This practice mostly didn’t start until Marvel in the ‘60s. Before then, different writers and artists tackled superhero characters, thinking readers didn’t care who was writing or drawing them. But in Superman’s case, the main creative force behind his stories for 15 years was a man named Mort Weisinger. Under Weisinger’s tenure, the Superman mythology expanded greatly, more so than in any other time.

Technically, Weisinger started on the Superman books in 1954, introducing spin-offs for Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. But in 1958, his genius really started to flourish, when Weisinger hired Otto Binder, who wrote the bulk of Captain Marvel stories for Fawcett Comics. He was mostly paired with artist Al Plastino, whose happy whimsical style was the perfect complement to Binder’s take on Superman. Most of the covers for the Binder/Plastino Superman issues were by Curt Swan, arguably the definitive Superman artist of all time. Jerry Siegal, Superman’s co-creator, came back to DC in 1959 as well, and wrote much better stories for the character in the Weisinger era.

From 1958 to 1969, Weisinger introduced elements like Supergirl, Krypto the Super Dog, the Legion of Super-Heroes, many shades of Kryptonite, and Kal-El’s powers coming from Earth’s sun. Then there are the villains, like Brainiac, Bizarro, and Parasite. Also, the Phantom Zone and its criminals, including General Zod. And although he didn’t create it, Otto Binder (under Weisinger’s guidance) greatly expanded the importance of the Fortress of Solitude. Under his watch, Krypton went from a footnote in Superman’s history to a full fleshed-out culture. Eventually, all those additions accumulated into too much (hence the post-Crisis Byrne reboot.) But almost no one contributed to Superman lore more. And silly as they are, these stories are just fun. And all foundational to what we think of today as Superman.

Issues in the Mort Weisinger Superman Era

Action Comics #241- 392, Superman Vol. 1 #120-231, Adventure Comics #247-396 (1958-1970)

1. Mike Carlin’s “Triangle Era”

with Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel

Our number one slot of Superman eras is a weird one, because it doesn’t belong to one creative team. It belongs to several, all working in concert over several years under one editorial voice. That of Mike Carlin. After John Byrne left the Superman books in 1988, sales dipped, and Clark Kent was back to where he was in terms of fan apathy. With three Superman titles still being published a month, group editor Mike Carlin suggested a format that would tie all these separate titles into one grand narrative. Carlin instituted a small triangle on the cover of each issue, saying where each issue of Superman, Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics fell in each respective year’s timeline. And it worked.

Writer/artist Dan Jurgens, industry vets Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and a few more largely forged this “triangle era” in its early days. With the addition of Superman: Man of Steel, the saga was now a weekly soap opera, something even X-Men and Spider-Man at Marvel weren’t at the time. And it flourished because each title’s individual teams talked to each other and truly coordinated under Carlin’s direction. This was something unprecedented in mainstream superhero comics.

The first year of the “triangle era,” 1991, didn’t see a big bump sales-wise. Despite the huge change to the mythos of having Lois Lane finally learn Superman’s true identity, as she and Clark become a true power couple at last. At a frustrated editorial meeting early in 1992, Mike Carlin jokingly said “What if we just kill him?” And then, they did. “The Death and Return of Superman” created a massive event in comics, rarely seen before or since. Sales soared, and the Superman titles became an addictive weekly fix and top DC seller for years following. The “triangle era” technically lasted until 2002, but really ran out of steam around 1997. This was when Superman got electric powers, a gimmick story best forgotten. But for those first five years, it was as good as the Last Son of Krypton’s stories ever were. Or may ever be again.

Issues in the Superman “Triangle Era”

Superman Vol. 2 #51-176, Action Comics #661-785, Adventures of Superman #474-598, Superman: The Man of Steel #1-119 (1991-2002)

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Dwayne Johnson was right when he said, “The hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change.” He was just wrong about who would end up on top. Power now rests in the hands of new co-heads of DC, James Gunn and Peter Safran. We’ve wondered what their ascension would mean for the superhero franchise since the moment they got hired. But we don’t have to wait any longer. Gunn has announced “Chapter 1” of projects in a unified DC universe, or what is known as the DCU.

Gunn shared the plan for the new DC Universe that he and Safran have devised for the first 8-10 years of their regime. That will include a space for other projects that don’t fall under the main DC Universe purview. Films like The Batman Part 2, Teen Titans Go, and Joker: Folie à Deux will fall under the DC Elseworlds banner, same as in DC comics.

Movies already in the works like Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman 2, will lead to Gunn and Safran’s new unified DC Universe. (Notably, Gunn said The Flash “resets the entire DC Universe.”) That singular universe will encompass film, television, and gaming. Gunn said characters will even move between animation and live-action, with the same actors playing the voices for the former.

But the biggest news from Gunn is the slate of new films and television shows DC is calling “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.” Below, we break down what we know about these DCU entries so far.

DC UNIVERSE CHAPTER ONE MOVIES

Superman: Legacy: The film side of the new DCU will kick off on July 11, 2025 with Superman: Legacy. Gunn is writing the script, which he says is “the true beginning” of this new unified era.

According to a release, the Superman movie will “focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.”

You can check out everything we know about Superman: Legacy here:

The Authority: Gunn’s “passion project” is a “big movie” that will introduce a very different group of superheroes. They believe the world is broken and needs saving. But they will also interact with all of the franchise’s other big characters.

A release shares more about this DC Universe movie, It notes “WildStorm characters will join the DCU as members of The Authority take matters into their own hands to do what they believe is right.”

The Brave and the Bold: Batman will come to the DCU in a story based on Grant Morrison’s comic series. It will feature Batman’s actual son, Damian Wayne, as Robin.

According to Gunn, “This is a story of Damian Wayne, who’s Batman’s actual son that he didn’t know existed for the first eight to ten years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He’s my favorite Robin.”

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Tom King (and Bilquis Evely)’s comic book series from last year is getting turned into “a big science fiction epic film.”

Gunn shares, “In our story, we have Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by incredibly loving parents. Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet, and she lived there for the first fourteen years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more f*cked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.”

It was recently reported that Ana Nogueira will write the DCU’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie.

Swamp Thing: Though “tonally outside the rest of the DCU,” the origin story of Swamp Thing will still feed into the rest of the DC Universe’s stories.

DCU CHAPTER ONE TELEVISION SHOWS

Creature Commandos: The first project for the new DCU is an animated series based on characters first introduced in 1980.

A release shares that this show will be “a seven-episode animated show in which Amanda Waller creates a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners; Gunn wrote all the episodes of the first season.” Gunn further shares, that team will include, “Rick Flag, Sr. He’s going to show up in other stuff. Then Nina Mazursky. Doctor Phosphorus, a Batman villain. Frankenstein—Eric Frankenstein, specifically. The Bride of Frankenstein, who’s the lead. Finally, G.I. Robot and Weasel.”

Waller: The second series from Gunn and Safran is Waller, a live-action spinoff from Peacemaker. It will see Amanda Waller teaming up with members from the Peacemaker team.

Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) will write this entry in the DC Universe.

Lanterns: Gunn says Lanterns will be a big HBO series starring Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The “terrestrial-based” show will be akin to True Detective. The two will investigate a “terrifying mystery” that has huge ties to the entire franchise.

Paradise Lost: Paradise Lost will take place on Themyscira, home of Wonder Woman. Gunn says it has a lot in common with Game of Thrones. A release shares this entry into the DC Universe “focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women.”

Booster Gold: Booster Gold might be DC’s most popular loser. He’s a hero who travels back in time with technology from the future that lets him be a superhero. That tech is also getting him his own show.

Even more exciting for DC fans? Gunn says these are just the stories he can tell us about right now. But this slate is enough to know the hierarchy in the DC universe really has changed.

Originally published on January 31, 2023.

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The world’s most notorious giant monsters, Godzilla and Kong, are pretty much unstoppable. And woe to any major urban area that’s in their way. So who does one call when the world’s greatest kaiju need to be stopped from rampaging? Why, the world’s greatest superheroes of course. Coming this fall from DC Comics and Legendary Comics is Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, a new limited series that finds Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest duking it out with the King of the Monsters and the Lord of Skull Island.

The upcoming seven-issue series, made in partnership with Toho International, comes to us from the creative team of writer Brian Buccellato (Detective Comics), artist Christian Duce (Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point), and colorist Luis Guerrero. It kicks off next month, but we’re looking further into the future. We have a synopsis of December’s Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #3, as well as an exclusive look at the variant covers for that issue, in our gallery below.

Click To View Gallery

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #3 

Written by Brian Buccellato/art by Christian Duce/cover by Drew Johnson/variant cover by Jonboy Meyers/variant cover by Mike Deodato Jr./1:25 variant cover by Simone Di Meo/1:50 variant cover by Arist Deyn   

$4.99 US/40 pages/3 of 7/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)/On Sale on 12/19/23 

Superman and Godzilla have gone head-to-head with devastating consequences in Metropolis as the Justice League scrambles to protect their homes from the monsters—Supergirl encounters Kong on Skull Island and Wonder Woman takes on Behemoth on Themyscira! Lost in the monster mayhem, though, are Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom… what nefarious connection do they have to everything?

In the first issue, Clark Kent is enjoying a night off with a very important dinner with Lois Lane. Then, the entire city shudders under the weight of the monstrous Godzilla, who emerges from the bay. Soon, the wall between worlds is breached… with Godzilla, Kong, and the Monsterverse emerging on DC’s Earth. In the second issue, the giant beasts threaten cities all over the globe, from Metropolis to Gotham City to Themyscira. So the Justice League scrambles to protect the citizens. We’re not sure what Green Arrow is going to do with a bow and arrow against giant monsters, but we can’t wait to find out!

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1, written by Brian Buccellato with art by Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero, will arrive at comic shops on October 17.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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Blue Beetle came in at a record-low weekend box office opening for DC, despite wonderful critic and user reviews. And it just cemented something we’ve all known for a long time. As far as films are concerned, to the general audience, the DC cinematic brand is broken. Yes, Marvel can get comic C-list titles like Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy and turn them into box office gold. But Warner Brothers has struggled for a decade to make anything click that’s not Batman, or Batman-related like Joker. Sure, Wonder Woman and Aquaman made a lot of money, but those are the exceptions and not the rule.

The DC Movie Stigma Is a Hard One to Overcome

We can get into the why of it all, but the “why” is a matter of opinion. Some folks believe the initial Synder tone of Man of Steel, BvS, and Justice League was too much of a turn-off to many in the general audience. Certainly, a vocal bunch of folks think turning away from Snyder was the problem. Whatever you think it is, the box office numbers don’t lie. The audience is just not here for the DCEU as we know it in large numbers. As for as this iteration of a cinematic DC universe goes, it was long past time to put a fork in it. DCEU, R.I.P., 2013-2023.

So what do DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran do? They’ve already laid out their initial slate of films and streaming series. They’ve titled DCU Chapter 1 as “Gods and Monsters.” Some say their announcement of the new DCU killed any enthusiasm for whatever DC films were left after the fact. While they might already have their approach in mind, at this critical moment, when the DC brand in movies has the stink of failed promise and struggles to lure in moviegoers, it’s time to look towards the past. Because DC has been in this exact place before. DC Comics, that is.

In the Early ’80s, DC Comics’ Biggest Challenge Was Marvel

From the ‘40s all the way through to the ‘60s, DC Comics was the brand to beat in terms of comic book sales. Nothing could touch them. Then, in the ‘60s, upstart publisher Marvel Comics changed the game, and by the end of that decade, DC seemed like your grandpa’s comics. Marvel continued to grow and grow in popularity. By the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Marvel left DC in the dust, sales-wise. By 1984, Marvel titles like Hercules and Dazzler and even ROM were easily outselling DC’s pop culture icons like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. Only DC’s New Teen Titans, and to a lesser extent, Legion of Super-Heroes, sold in numbers comparable to Marvel. And in many ways, they were the most Marvel-esque books, focusing on the interpersonal melodrama of attractive young heroes.

DC Comics Rebooted Their Entire Universe with Crisis on Infinite Earths

So DC Comics did what they had to do, and took drastic measures. They blew it all up. With Crisis on Infinite Earths, they destroyed their previous multiverse, and five decades of continuity, and started fresh with their biggest icons in a newly rebooted world. In 1986, Superman got a massive reimagining, jettisoning years of clutter around the Superman mythos, under the guidance of former X-Men creator John Byrne. Wonder Woman received an even bigger transformation, under the guidance of writer/artist George Perez. The stalwart Justice League of America became the action-sitcom Justice League International. And Flash became the first true legacy hero series, about a young ex-sidekick taking on a huge heroic legacy.

And then, of course, there was Batman. Frank Miller reinvigorated the Dark Knight’s mythos and brought him back to his 1939 roots with Batman: Year One. From there, it was off to the races. The fog that surrounded Bruce Wayne’s reputation ever since the Batman ’66 series suddenly lifted, and he was a big player again. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention DC taking a gamble on old forgotten titles like Animal Man and Sandman, titles that changed how the mainstream perceived comics. All of these things happened within a span of just a couple of years. But DC’s gambit worked. Their newly rebooted universe didn’t dethrone Marvel, but gone were the days of DC doing time at the bottom of the top 100. DC was finally a contender again.

The Rebooted DC Universe Led to a Sales Renaissance

According to the comic book sales history website Comichron, the difference between where DC Comics were selling pre-Crisis and post-Crisis is significant. Superman, which in 1984 was in the #76 and #80 positions in the Top 100, was the #1 monthly comic from June-October of 1986, and sold well in the years after that. Justice League, which was in the bottom 50 in 1984, was a consistently top 10/top 20 series by 1987. Flash and Wonder Woman were also selling in numbers they hadn’t in decades. And Batman? Well, by early 1989, Batman was neck-and-neck with Marvel’s X-Men. All of these things would have been unheard of just a few years before.

James Gunn needs to look at this era, especially for inspiration. Although DC rebooted its universe, giving tweaked updates to the hero’s origins, it was a universe with some history behind it. And a history that was more or less familiar. Superman, Batman and the Justice League had been around, we just learned that their histories became altered. Only Wonder Woman was presented as a fresh new heroine on the scene. A version of the DC history as we’d known it played out. However, DC writers were allowed to pick and choose what aspects to use. Sometimes this created big continuity messes. But mostly, it worked and truly gave these long-running characters a new lease on life.

It seems that already Gunn might be taking this approach. He’s said that his Superman: Legacy won’t be an origin story. And clearly, with the addition of many well-known DC heroes to that film, this will be a universe with history behind it. An older Dark Knight in Batman: The Brave and the Bold suggests the same thing. But while retaining a sense of history is important, much like DC Comics did, Gunn and Safran can’t be afraid to go nuts. Post-Crisis Superman changed many aspects of Kal-El’s lore for a new generation. Things like how Krypton was presented, and Lex Luthor’s role in his life. DC wasn’t afraid to jettison key parts of Wonder Woman’s mythos, either. Gone were things like her secret identity or her invisible plane, in order to update the concept. DC Comics was not afraid to take big swings. And DC Studios shouldn’t either.

Always Look to the Comics

We should note, that while DC Comics really re-jiggered their biggest icons, the successful series that pre-dated the reboot did continue intact. So, a big seller like New Teen Titans could go on as is, and it mostly worked. Gunn also seems to use this approach with Peacemaker, which existed, albeit tangentially at best, in the old DCEU. With something as successful, and as off to the side from DC’s “Big Guns” as Peacemaker and Blue Beetle, there’s no reason not to include them. The signal to the general audience that this will be a “new universe” will be in recasting their biggest most iconic characters. Not removing ones like Peacemaker or Blue Beetle.

Without a doubt, Gunn and Safran have their work cut out for them. The DC brand on film lies shattered on the movie theater floor. And they’re going to have to do a lot of work behind the scenes in front of the public to convince people that this new DCU is something different. But as history proves, DC Comics did it all before. DC Comics turned it all around, so here’s hoping DC Studios pulls the same trick. Really, in the end, the comics should be the source of inspiration for every live-action superhero movie property. No matter which studio it’s coming from.

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A big shock to longtime DC Comics fans has been the news that James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy isn’t going to showcase the Man of Steel as its only superhero. Recently, they announced that DC heroes like Hawkgirl, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho would all appear in the film as well. Suddenly, this movie takes on a whole new light. As the first film in the new DCU, it will seemingly introduce a universe where superheroes are already everywhere. And that might even include an already formed Justice League. And this approach would show that Gunn is bucking the trend started by the MCU, and later, the DCEU.

Superman: Legacy Might Skip Building Up a Superhero Cinematic Universe

Slowly building up to a big superhero team-up film had been the go-to approach since the MCU began in earnest with 2008’s Iron Man. When Marvel Studios started their big experiment, the strategy was to carefully establish their individual heroes before teaming them all up. There were four years between Iron Man and Avengers. With the introductions of Captain America and Thor in solo films taking place in between. This plan worked, and Avengers became an enormous hit. And some might say the true start of the MCU.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. wanted some of the superhero cheddar (outside of Batman, who always delivered). They introduced their new Superman, Henry Cavill, in Man of Steel. That was essentially meant to be their Iron Man. The other big DC heroes would, presumably, slowly roll out their own films before teaming up as the Justice League. But things didn’t quite work out that way. Man of Steel met with a lukewarm response. So its sequel, Batman v Superman, not only had the task of introducing the DCEU Batman, but also Wonder Woman. And in cameos, Aquaman and the Flash. It took four years between Man of Steel and Justice League. Yet their kitchen-sink approach to Batman v Superman made the whole thing feel rushed and unearned.

James Gunn Might Introduce a DC Universe Already Populated by Superheroes

Yet as different as the MCU and DCEU were in their execution, the approach was basically the same. Introduce one big hero as “the first,” then introduce others before the team up. But maybe James Gunn’s new DCU is just throwing that formula out the window. Gunn’s Superman: Legacy will introduce a Kal-El early in his career. And judging by all the other heroes in the film, there might already be a superteam in this universe. And although Superman is famously the first superhero in the real world, in the pages of DC Comics, there’s plenty of precedent for his not being the first superhero in-universe.

In the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Universe, there was a long legacy of superheroes before Superman arrived on the scene. The World War II era had the heroes of the Justice Society of America, punching mobsters and Nazis alike. Decades passed, and then the arrival of Superman ushered in a new era, which led to a Silver Age of heroes, and to the formation of the Justice League. But in modern comics, Superman definitely arrived into a world where superheroes were known. It seems James Gunn’s DCU might take the same tactic.

Will Superman: Legacy Feature an Already Existing Justice League?

With Hawkgirl, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho in the film, we think they probably exist as a team of superheroes. While Mister Terrific and Metamorpho have been members of the team the Terrifics together, it’s more likely that this grouping is some form of the Justice League. Especially as Hawkgirl and Green Lantern Guy Gardner are iconic stalwart members of the team in the comics. Maybe we see them trying to recruit Superman into their ranks in the film. Possibly, the big guy just isn’t ready or interested. At least not yet.

Will James Gunn’s DCU Have a Long Superheroic History Behind It?

Pure speculation, but we could see James Gunn introducing a DCU with a significant history behind it already. There could have been a Justice Society of America during the ‘40s and ‘50s, one which gets casually mentioned perhaps (but might be the subject of some future project). That JSA could have eventually inspired a Justice League, just as in the comics. The “build-up” to the DCU Justice League might not be the organization just existing, it just might be a build-up to how the team gained its most iconic lineup in a world-ending event, which would include Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

This approach would also allow for other projects using the name brand of Justice League before we see DC’s Big Guns together in a film. With Guy Gardner and Metamorpho around, and soon Booster Gold, why not a Max adaptation of the iconic and hilarious Justice League International comics? Or an animated series about whichever modern-day iteration of the League we might meet in Superman: Legacy? The sky is the limit in terms of potential if this cinematic universe is already teaming with heroes.

Between long-running animated shows like Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice, the audience that grew up with them, now mostly adults, are well aware of the DC heroes and their various teams. And older audiences are familiar with shows like Super Friends from their youth. We don’t need to see how the Justice League formed, or risk audience confusion. The world is different now. We can accept there’s a universe where all of these things are already in place. If all of this pans out, James Gunn’s Superman film might be even more ambitious than originally thought. And we’re even more here for it than before.

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Superman: Legacy is going to have a few more superheroes in it than just the Man of Steel. After the recent news that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively, Vanity Fair has revealed that new actors have joined the cast as prominent members of DC’s Justice League. It appears that this opening episode of James Gunn’s DCU Chapter 1 is going to set up a lot more than just happenings in Metropolis. Gunn has also confirmed that these newly cast actors will definitely continue to play the characters throughout the DCU. Let us break down each addition to the cast:

Isabela Merced Will Play Hawkgirl in Superman: Legacy

First, Isabela Merced, whose credits include Sicario: Day of the Soldado and the title character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will play Hawkgirl. The Winged Wonder is going solo, without her paramour Hawkman (Last seen in Black Adam). There have been several versions of Hawkgirl in the comics. There’s the reincarnated Egyptian princess Shiera Hall from DC’s Justice Society. Then, the alien warrior from Thanagar from the Justice League. In recent years, another Hawkgirl, Kendra Saunders, has taken up the name. The Hawkgirl known to most general audiences was the alien version, who was a prominent member of the animated Justice League series.

Edi Gathegi Will Be Playing Mister Terrific in Superman: Legacy

James Gunn has been teasing Mister Terrific since he took over DC Studios with Peter Safran. And now we know why. Actor Edi Gathegi, perhaps best known for the Twilight films, will play Mister Terrific in Superman: Legacy. In the comics, Michael Holt was known as “the third smartest man in the world,” right behind Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. On the verge of ending his own life after several personal tragedies, the Spectre intervened and showed Holt what he could do with his intellect and wealth to help others.

Holt used his genius to become the new Mister Terrific, naming himself after an old-time hero. He created all kinds of badass high-tech weapons, like his multi-purpose T-Spheres. Gathegi once played another hero, the mutant Darwin, in X-Men: First Class. But his character was ridiculously killed off, something that is memed to this day. Hopefully, Mister Terrific has a longer life on screen than poor Darwin. He deserved better.

Nathan Fillion Will Play Green Lantern Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy

Longtime James Gunn collaborator and friend Nathan Fillion, who has appeared in Gunn projects like Slither, The Suicide Squad, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, will play Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. The loud-mouthed, egotistical Gardner is one of several Earth-based Green Lanterns, and was a prominent member of the Justice League International. He’s a big jerk, and most of the other superheroes in the DC Universe can’t stand him. Particularly Batman, who once punched him in the face. He’s not the main Lantern for Sector 2814, those duties fall on Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Both of whom will be in the new DCU in the series Lanterns. Gunn has also promised we’ll see Nathan Fillion rock Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern bowl cut in the DCU. That’s a lot to look forward to.

Anthony Carrigan Will Play Metamorpho the Element Man in Superman: Legacy

Barry actor Anthony Carrigan also joins the cast as off-the-wall 1960s hero Metamorpho, the Element Man. Metamorpho sports one of the weirdest design aesthetics in all of comics, and has been around since 1965. In reality, he’s Rex Mason, a soldier of fortune. Rex was cursed by the Orb of Ra in an Egyptian tomb, and gained the ability to shapeshift and change his body into any element or combination of elements. Metamorpho had his own series in the sixties, which spawned a very groovy vinyl record with a catchy theme song. Over the years, he’s been a member of teams like the Justice League, Batman’s Outsiders, the Doom Patrol, and most recently the Terrifics, Mister Terrific’s own team.

Originally published on July 11, 2023.

The post SUPERMAN Announces Casting for 4 Major DC Characters appeared first on Nerdist.

We officially have our new Superman and Lois Lane. According to Deadline, and confirmed by James Gunn, David Corenswet has been cast as Superman, a.k.a Clark Kent, in the DCU’s upcoming Superman: Legacy. Rachel Brosnahan will play the journalist Lois Lane, who is also Superman’s romantic interest in the DC Comics universe.

Superman: Legacy is the first in a slate of new DC movies that will be a part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. Gunn and Safran hope to bring a new, unified perspective to the DC cinematic world. And all eyes will be on Superman to lead the charge. So, of course, the question of casting Superman: Legacy was a major one for fans.

Who Has Been Cast as Superman and Lois Lane in Superman: Legacy?

Since the announcement of the Superman: Legacy movie, there has been a lot of intense speculation on who might be cast to don the red cloak. Rumors swirled intently as to who would be the next Superman, but Gunn and Safran cautioned patience as they went through a thorough casting and audition process. And ultimately, our new DCU Superman is a bit of an unknown. Clark Kent will be played by David Corenswet in Superman: Legacy. Corenswet has acted in Pearl, The Politician, and We Own This City, but it seems Superman: Legacy will be his first leading role in a major studio movie. Honestly, that feels like a fitting origin for Superman.

Rachel Brosnahan, meanwhile, starred in Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for a number of years. Many have cheered her on for the role of Lois Lane. And, marvelously, it happened. Other actresses in the running were Phoebe Dynevor and Emma Mackey. But it is Brosnahan who has ultimately been cast as our favorite intrepid reporter in Superman: Legacy.

What Roles Will Clark Kent and Lois Lane Play in Superman: Legacy?

Superman: Legacy will not be a Superman origin story, but instead, it will “[tell] the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas.” Gunn once described his ideal DCU Superman as someone who was huggable. And honestly, looking at the casting of David Corenswet as Superman, it feels like Gunn achieved exactly that. Warner Bros. additionally shared of our Man of Steel that, “[Superman] is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.” We can totally envision Corenswet embodying this kind of Superman.

As for Lois Lane—Rachel Brosnahan’s casting is actually the first indicative piece of information we have about the character. None of Superman: Legacy‘s descriptions to date mention Lois Lane’s role in the DCU’s world. But we hope to learn more soon.

One way or another, thanks to this exciting Superman: Legacy casting news, we can imagine how our new DCU world will look just a little more clearly. And so far, we like what we’re seeing of Gunn and Safran’s vision.

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DC characters at the movies may be in a state of flux, as we are at the end of the DCEU and the dawn of James Gunn’s new DC Universe in film and TV. But the actual DC comics have been going strong for 87 years now. As the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many, many others, DC Comics spawned a modern mythology, chronicled in a new 3-part documentary series on Max called Superpowered: The DC Story. It premieres on July 20 on the platform, and you can watch the trailer right here:

Leslie Iwerks, who directed the excellent The Imagineering Story on Disney+ last year, directed Superpowered. Rosario Dawson, herself no stranger to DC as someone who voiced Wonder Woman in several animated features, is the narrator. The 3-part series will cover the birth of DC during the Great Depression. Then, of course, the arrival of Superman and Batman and the Golden Age of comics. And also the near collapse of the comics industry when it was under siege in the ’50s. This led to the Silver Age and characters like the Justice League, and ultimately, to modern icons like Sandman and the Milestone heroes. It’s 87 years folks, there’s a lot of story to tell in this one.

Superpowered: The DC Story premieres on July 20 on Max.

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It’s one of the coolest scenes in The Flash (and DC film history), period. Towards the climax of the film, when the multiple versions of Barry Allen are traveling through the Speed Force in an attempt to change history, or not change it, we see various timelines bleeding in. And all of them are familiar to fans of the long history of shows and movies based on DC Comics characters. This DC Multiverse scene offers cameos of some of the most iconic actors to ever play members of the Justice League, including several who are no longer with us. And we are gonna break down all the DC multiverse cameos in The Flash right here.

Superman (George Reeves)

Although not the first actor to play the Man of Steel (that would be Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s serials), George Reeves became an icon in The Adventures of Superman TV series, which ran from 1952-1958. A show that then ran for several decades after in syndication. Although several episodes were shot in color, they filmed most in black and white. And so, the DC Multiverse version we saw in The Flash of George Reeves’ Last Son of Krypton was seemingly in a black-and-white universe. We’re not sure if it’s logical, but it sure feels right.

The Flash, Jay Garrick

One of the more perplexing DC cameos in the Multiverse scene is the original Flash, Jay Garrick. As DC Comics fans are aware, he was the speedster of DC Comics’ Golden Age, operating from 1940-1952 in the comics. The Jay we see here was shot in black and white. Just like the George Reeves Superman. It looks like this was actor Teddy Sears, who played the fake Jay Garrick from the CW Flash series. He turned out to be the villainous Zoom. But why not John Wesley Shipp, since he was the real Jay Garrick in the show? Not to mention, the first live-action Flash, period. We don’t know the answer, but whoever the actor is, that is definitely the original Golden Age Flash running through the Multiverse.

Batman (Adam West)

If you blink you might miss him, but the original cinematic Batman, Adam West, appears in the Multiverse scene. And yes, thanks to the 1966 Batman movie, which was a spin-off of the TV series, that means West was the big-screen Caped Crusader over two decades before Michael Keaton. We didn’t notice Robin there with him, which is a shame, because it’s hard to imagine Batman ’66 without him. But the so-called “Bright Knight” is definitely there in his blue and grey tights, fighting the good fight.

Superman (Christopher Reeve)

For an entire generation, the late Christopher Reeve was the ultimate Superman. First appearing in Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman: The Movie, and its three subsequent sequels, Reeve’s portrayal is still thought of as one of the greatest superhero performances on screen. In his appearance in The Flash, it looks like he’s brought to life via archival footage and CGI. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, fans clamored for Reeve’s Superman and Keaton’s Batman to appear in a movie together. And now, that collaboration is sort of real.

Supergirl (Helen Slater)

Sasha Calle was not the first cinematic Maid of Might. No, that honor goes to actress Helen Slater, who played Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee in the very campy 1984 movie Supergirl. And later, Slater played the CW Kara’s adoptive mother on the TV series Supergirl. It was set in continuity with the Christopher Reeve Superman films. Although sadly, the pair never appeared on screen together…. until now, that is. Thanks to The Flash, the Kryptonian cousins fly together past the Metropolis skyline at last, thanks to some digital trickery.

Superman (Nicolas Cage)

In the biggest shocker of a cameo in The Flash, Nicolas Cage appears as Superman. And he’s fighting a giant spider too. As fans may know, they cast Nic Cage in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives way back in 1997. The film’s producer Jon Peters wanted his version of Superman to fight a giant spider. A giant spider he managed to work into his next film, Wild Wild Wet. Director Kevin Smith famously shared this story, which went viral. But that movie never happened. Now, at long last, Nic Cage gets to wear the cape and tights of the Man of Steel in The Flash. We can’t wait for the inevitable action figure.

Sadly, not every iconic live-action DC hero could make the final cut. Director Andy Muschietti admitted that there were plans for Marlon Brando’s Jor-El from Superman: The Movie, as well as some of the villains from Batman ’66, like the Joker and the Penguin. Perhaps the most brutal cuts were the removal of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman and Grant Gustin’s Flash. (The latter feels especially egregious, given the nine years he put into playing the role on TV.) Maybe we’ll see them in a future “Extended DC Multiverse Cut” of The Flash. After all, the world is no stranger to longer versions of DC films finding a way to happen.

The post Who Are All The DC Multiverse Cameos in THE FLASH? appeared first on Nerdist.

The Flash made its rules of time travel easy to understand by comparing Barry Allen’s impact on the space-time continuum with Marty McFly’s. But it also utilized Back to the Future for its plot. DC’s speedster realized what a mess he’d made of the past even before he met Michael Keaton’s Batman. He knew when he learned Eric Stoltz drove Doc Brown’s Delorean to fame rather than Michael J. Fox. Of course, Stoltz wasn’t a random recasting. He really did star as Marty McFly before Fox replaced him during production. That was just one of the many ways The Flash used famous sliding doors moment in Hollywood history to reimagine its world. From Nicolas Cage’s lost Superman and two big screen Kryptonians who never met, to Kevin Bacon and a reshuffling of the 1980’s leading men, these are the real stories The Flash turned from “almosts” and “what ifs” into alternate timelines.

Why Did Nicolas Cage Appear as Superman in The Flash?

In 1996, Warner Bros. executive Jon Peters hired Clerks‘ Kevin Smith to write the script for a movie titled Superman Lives. Eventually Batman‘s Tim Burton signed on to direct. He had his famous Man of Steel ready to go, too. Thirty million dollars later and all Warner Bros. had to show for their efforts was some test footage of a long-haired Nicolas Cage in a Superman costume. Eventually the rest of us got one of the most notorious stories in Hollywood history and a documentary about the calamitous project. That is, until The Flash finally brought Cage’s Clark Kent to the big screen for some alternate timeline fun.

Kevin Smith’s tale about his absurd meeting with Jon Peters is infamous with good reason. (Whether you’ve never heard it or know it by heart, it’s always worth listening to.) Among Peters’ many ridiculous comments and requests, he didn’t want Smith’s Superman to fly or wear his red and blue suit. What he did want was for Superman to fight a giant spider at the end.

Burton had Smith’s script rewritten when he joined the production. He also had Nic Cage outfitted for a suit with traditional Superman colors. But all that time, money, and talent didn’t matter. Shortly before filming began Warner Bros. pulled the plug, denying us a Man of Steel who apparently really dug The Cure.

Now The Flash has finally rectified that. It has given us Nic Cage—who named his son Kal-El—as Kal-El. His Superman exists in another dimension. He also flies. That’s not what Jon Peters wanted, but at least he got to see Cage fight a big giant spider. (Which the producer did make happen in Wild Wild West.)

But that wasn’t the only alternate (super) reality Barry Allen let us see come to life. The Flash also brought together two children of Krypton that never got to share the silver screen even though they existed at the same time.

The Flash Brings Together Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Helen Slater’s Supergirl

In 1984 Helen Slater brought Supergirl to theaters. The spinoff took place in the same universe as Christopher Reeve’s Superman franchise. His Clark was originally set to appear in the movie, too. Supergirl was going to rescue him from captivity. But following the disappointment of Superman III the previous year, Reeve decided against starring in the film. Instead Supergirl‘s script explained Superman’s absence by saying he was in another galaxy on a “peace-seeking mission.”

Slater’s Supergirl did not return in 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, which was Reeve’s last time playing the hero. As a result the two ’80s Kryptonians never got to appear on screen together. That didn’t happen until The Flash showed them united side-by-side in their dimension, thereby creating a cool alternate timeline.

The Flash used another famous film franchise of the ’80s to create an alternate reality, too. It found inspiration in a time travel series that had fun changing events of that decade. Only Back to the Future did so both on screen and off.

Why Did The Flash Choose Eric Stoltz to Play Back to the Future‘s Marty McFly?

Michael J. Fox was Robert Zemeckis’s first choice to play Marty McFly. But with Fox unavailable due to Family Ties‘ filming schedule, Zemeckis cast Eric Stoltz in the role.

However, after six weeks of filming Zemeckis realized Stoltz just wasn’t working out. While the director has always praised Stoltz’s work and commitment on the movie, the actor just wasn’t bringing the comedic element the part required. That led to Zemeckis and producers firing Stoltz and developing a production schedule that allowed Fox to film Back to the Future on nights and weekends.

Deleted scenes and images from Stoltz’s performance have made their way out into the world since his departure. And it seems like one scene with Stoltz (or at least his fist) actually made its way into the final film. Otherwise, his version of Marty is lost to time. At least it is in this timeline.

In The Flash‘s alternate timeline, Stoltz didn’t just stay in the role. His version of Back to the Future was still a monumental hit. It catapulted him to stardom. It led people to get his face tattooed on their thigh calf. Was that because the movie was just that good it would have worked with anyone? Or because Stoltz made it good? What about the timelines where Ben Stiller or Jon Cryer nailed their (very real) auditions and got the part instead?The only way we’ll ever know if is Barry Allen messes with the timeline and therefore Back to the Future again.

Obviously Marty McFly wasn’t the only famous ’80s movie the Flash changed via time travel. He caused a chain reaction of big-time recasting.

Was Michael J. Fox Almost Cast in Footloose?

Famous casting “what ifs” are rarely as well-documented as Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future. Most auditions go nowhere. Sometimes performers discuss a potential role without ever seriously considering it. Other times they do want the part but aren’t seriously considered for it. And casting directors, producers, writers, and directors throws out big name as a possibility without ever having a chance of landing that actor. And yet, years later those people will still be mentioned as the list of people who “almost” got the role.

Still, even by those very (foot)loose standards there’s no evidence Michael J. Fox was ever up a possibility to play the part of Ren that Kevin Bacon made famous with his feet. That alternate timeline is totally unique to The Flash.

However, there is still a very fun connection between Footloose, Michael J. Fox, and The Flash. According to IMDb, Kenny Loggins wrote that Footloose‘s final scene was not filmed with his theme song playing. It was only added in post-production.

On set the actors actually danced to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” the very same song Marty McFly performed at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in Back to the Future.

Strands of spaghetti, indeed. And that’s just the beginning of The Flash‘s alternate Hollywood dominoes.

Was Kevin Bacon Almost in Top Gun?

While there’s no evidence Michael J. Fox was ever up for the lead role in Footloose, The Flash‘s other ’80s leading man switcheroo was a possibility. Producers did consider Kevin Bacon for the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. A bevy of other actors either turned it down or got passed over, too. (Tom Cruise, the top choice, initially didn’t want the part.)

(In The Flash‘s timeline where Bacon is Maverick, do you think him and Cruise also swapped roles in A Few Good Men?)

The list of other potential Petes included: Matthew Modine, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox, Scott Baio, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, Charlie Sheen, Jim Carrey, Rob Lowe, Kevin Bacon, Robert Downey Jr., John Travolta, and Eric freaking Stoltz!

As if all of that isn’t enough, the movie originally considered having TOTO or REO Speedwagon record “Danger Zone” before turning to Footloose‘s Kenny Loggins.

And with so many real world connections in alternate version of 1980s Hollywood that The Flash gives us, at this point we have to wonder if Barry Allen really did go back in time and alter our actual timeline. Maybe he’s the reason Michael J. Fox replaced Eric Stoltz in the first place. That worked out for Back to the Future, but we can’t forgive him for Nic Cage’s lost Superman Lives. Especially now that we know he would have kicked that giant spider’s a**.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Fans of the Kent family have good reason to rejoice today. According to Deadline, The CW has renewed Superman and Lois for an abbreviated fourth season. Also returning for another season is All-American: Homecoming. In normal times, a renewal for Superman and Lois would be a no-brainer, as it’s one of CW’s better-performing shows. But with The CW shifting away from original scripted programming under its new management, the fate of the series was very much up in the air.

However, Superman and Lois’ good news comes along with some bad news for another DC Comics-related series, Gotham Knights. That series is ending after only one short season. This leaves Superman and Lois as the final DC Comics-related series on the CW, which has been home to eight series based on DC properties, with six of them occupying the Arrowverse. All series, including this one, were produced by Greg Berlanti. Superman and Lois is only tangentially related to the Arrowverse. Both Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch originated their roles in episodes of Supergirl, but these versions exist on a separate Earth in the Multiverse.

Things will be different for Superman and Lois in season four, however. The network has reduced the episode count from 13 to 10. It reduced the budget as well, which likely means fewer fights in tights and big effects and more family drama. It might also mean they might reduce the rather large cast due to budgetary concerns. According to TV Line, seven series regulars have been cut: Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck, and Sofia Hasmik. This leaves only four series regulars returning for Superman and Lois season four. These are Tyler Hoechlin (as Clark Kent/Superman), Elizabeth Tulloch (as Lois Lane) and Alex Garfin and Michael Bishop as the duos twin sons, Jordan and Jonathan Kent. Michael Cudlitz, who will play Lex Luthor, will become a season regular as well.

With the WGA strike in full effect, it might be some time before production begins on season four. Given that this will likely be the show’s swan song season, here’s hoping they do the Smallville crew justice.

Originally published on June 13, 2023.

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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It is … Jack Quaid’s Man of Steel! Adult Swim, Warner Bros. Animation, and DC have released a new trailer for the upcoming series My Adventures With Superman. And if you thought it was already hard enough for a young person entering the workforce, wait until you see how tough it is while also learning how to be a superhero at the same time. The trailer for My Adventures With Superman also reveals its July release date.

As we can see in the trailer, Clark Kent’s story will get a modern day twist on My Adventures With Superman. We’ll be joining Krypton’s favorite son at the start of both of his professional careers. The show will follow young Clark at the onset of his budding journalism work alongside his new friends. Only, he’ll be doing that while learning about himself, developing romantic feeling for his co-worker, and being a superhero. Here’s the show’s official synopsis from Adult Swim:

My Adventures with Superman is a serialized coming-of-age story catching up with twenty-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane, and their best friend Jimmy Olsen as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet. The story follows Clark as he builds his secret identity as Superman and explores his own mysterious origins. Lois, on her way to becoming a star reporter, teams up with photographer Jimmy Olsen to break the stories that matter. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love… as Lois gets closer and closer to uncovering his secret identity!  Our trio share adventures, take down bad guys, stumble over secrets, and discover what it means to be heroes in their own right.

Plus—we get a tease of the show’s fun new theme song and opening sequence. The music is by punk band Kyle Troop & The Heretics, and the theme song and opening really set the tone for the series to come. We don’t yet know if this is an abridged version of the opening or not, but we like what we have so far. And we can’t wait to see this version of the Man of Steel fly into action.

In addition to Quaid’s Kent, the show stars Alice Lee as Lois Lane and Ishmel Sahid as Jimmy. My Adventures With Superman debuts at Adult Swim with two episodes at midnight on July 6. New episodes will follow every Thursday. They’ll then be available on Max the next day.

That’s good in case you miss them live—no way a young Superman would already have time travel figured out at this point in his careers.

Originally published on June 5, 2023.

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Recently, Nic Cage went on the record saying he didn’t need to be part of the MCU. Because, well, he’s Nic Cage. But apparently, being Nic Cage won’t stop Nicolas Cage from being in the DCU. Because, well, he’s Nic Cage, but it’s about time he is also Superman. Nic Cage is, of course, his own kind of Superman every day. But Cage almost played the Man of Steel in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives over two decades ago. The movie, of course, did not come to fruition. But now Nicolas Cage will become Superman, and he will do so by having a cameo in The Flash.

The Flash‘s director Andy Muschietti recently revealed to Esquire Middle East, “Nic [Cage] was absolutely wonderful. Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it.” Muschetti also noted, “I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon… He is a massive Superman fan. A comic book fanatic.”

Cage recently revealed that in Superman Lives, his version of Superman “was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair. I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there.” Honestly, we can dig it. But we don’t yet know how closely this emo version of Superman will resemble the cameo character that Cage will play in The Flash. However, we would like to see Cage with long black hair blasting Taking Back Sunday. Batman and Spider-Man have both gotten to go emo before. So why not Superman?

You can see a little glimpse of what could have been/what will be below. The video reveals Nicolas Cage doing some costume tests for Tim Burton’s Superman and maybe gives us a glimpse into his The Flash looks to come. And yes, we see the long hair and the eyeliner.

And soon, we guess we will get to see the real thing. Cage’s cameo and The Flash itself head to theaters on June 16.

The post This THE FLASH Cameo Is a Super Surprise Built Over Decades appeared first on Nerdist.

Superman has had, more or less, one costume his whole career. There have been some minor tweaks since the early days. But he’s essentially worn the same getup since about 1945. But his cousin Kara, a.k.a. Supergirl? She adds to her Kryptonian closet with some regularity. Here’s the history of Supergirl’s costume, from the 1959 “girl next door from space” look, to the badass Sasha Calle costume we will soon see in The Flash.

Note: Since the character has appeared in many costume iterations, we’re sticking to outfits worn by the main DCU comics character, not any alternate Earth or Elseworlds versions. So no Power Girl, who is almost an entirely different hero, and no Injustice Kara. And no one-offs, used for a single story then forgotten just as fast. We are including the movie and Arrowverse versions, as well as the animated ones, because they made a big impact and, in turn, the comics started to reflect them.

The Prototype Supergirl Costume

Less than a year before Kara debuted in the pages of Action Comics, DC tried out a Supergirl character to see if readers would respond in 1958’s Superman #123. DC had flirted with a female counterpart to Superman before, like in the ’40s when Lois Lane got powers. They created this Girl of Steel when Jimmy Olsen wished for a Supergirl to help Superman out by wishing on a magic totem. She died the very same issue they introduced her in. But readers liked her enough that DC introduced a real Supergirl one year later. She’d be just a footnote, if not for one thing. The costume she wore, which had a red skirt, would become Kara’s most recognizable costume. But Kara herself wouldn’t wear it until 26 years later in the Supergirl feature film.

Kara Zor-El’s Original Costume

The Supergirl most people know, Kara-Zor-El, first debuted in 1959’s Action Comics #252. When she arrived on Earth from Krypton to greet her cousin she wore this outfit, which remains one of her most iconic. She wore this particular costume for over a decade. It’s basically just her cousin Superman’s costume, but with a skirt and no pants. In many ways, this remains the most iconic Supergirl costume of all, except these days, most people think of it with a red skirt instead of blue. We’ll get to why in a bit. Oddly enough, Kara didn’t wear any version of her costume with a red skirt until 1983, nearly 25 years after her debut.

The Fan-Made Supergirl Costume Fashion

We know, we said no “one off” costumes. But this Supergirl costume phase was too important not to mention. In 1970, Supergirl fans started feeling like her costume was dated. The look she arrived in was a relic of the Leave it to Beaver era, and it was now a post-Woodstock world. So DC asked fans to send in their best costume designs. And the fans complied. They sent in dozens, and DC actually used a few of them. Since this was the early ‘70s, the aesthetics were, shall we say, very groovy. Most of these costumes were just worn once or twice. But one of them was the first time a Supergirl costume included pants. Something her prime-universe comics counterpart wouldn’t ever really wear until very recently.

The Cocktail Waitress of Steel

In 1972, Supergirl finally got her own comic book series instead of merely being a feature in the anthology title Adventure Comics. To celebrate, she got a new costume once again. Only this one stuck for the better part of a decade. It’s another costume very much of its time with a choker, low-cut blouse, and hot pants. Fans have often referred to this one as “the cocktail waitress costume.” As the decade rolled on, the hot pants became regular shorts and the pixie shoes became red boots like she had before. But the basic look remained for a decade. And this costume made it into much of the Supergirl merchandising of the time.

Kara Gets Physical in a Costume to Die For

In 1983, with production about to begin on a live-action Supergirl movie, DC decided to update Kara’s look for the MTV era. To reflect the workout craze, they have the Girl of Steel a perm and a headband. It was all very “Jane Fonda Workout” tape. Actress Helen Slater wore a version of this costume for screen tests, but the producers ultimately ditched the headband and the cape attached to the “S” symbol for the final film. However, they kept the red skirt, which people associate with Supergirl to this day. This costume only lasted a couple of years, but it was the outfit Kara famously died in saving the universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985.

The Hollywood Costume

Supergirl finally made it into live-action in 1984, in a big-budget feature starring newcomer Helen Slater. A spin-off of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, it sadly totally tanked at the box office and was a critical disaster. However, more people still saw that movie versus reading any one Supergirl comic, especially once it went to home video and cable TV. So this costume instantly became Supergirl’s most well-known. Ironically, it was a costume first worn by the version of the character that was just the prototype, and not the Kara version everyone knows.

The Replacement Supergirl Keeps it Classic

Kara Zor-El was dead and buried in DC continuity from 1985-2004. But in the interim, DC introduced a different Supergirl to the Superman family. And her origin was a tad complicated. But here’s the short version. This version of Supergirl was a protoplasmic lifeform called Matrix that could mimic human appearance. She came from an alternate Earth, where that world’s Kal-El died, and Lex Luthor created her to replace him. She eventually “fused” with a human woman named Linda Danvers, becoming an angel on Earth. Yeah, “Superman’s cousin” makes more sense to us as an origin, too. In any event, the costume worn by this Supergirl from 1988 to 1998 or so is almost exactly the same one we saw in the movie.

The ’90s Supergirl Cartoon Costume

Speaking of the ‘90s, Superman: The Animated Series eventually introduced their version of Supergirl, in the 1998 episode “Little Girl Lost.” This version was Kara, but not Superman’s direct cousin. Instead of Krypton, she was a survivor of the neighboring world of Argo. Her costume was very of its time. Belly T-shirt, Doc Marten boots, a super mini skirt, and a headband that looked like Alicia Silverstone’s in Clueless. In a change of pace for Kara, her shirt was white and not blue. She also had white gloves, a first for her. The comics version of Supergirl, who was not Kara at the time but Linda Danvers, eventually adopted the costume herself. Another example of outside media influencing the comics.

Supergirl’s Costume in the 21st Century

In the early 2000s, DC decided it was time to reintroduce Kara Zor-El. They didn’t resurrect the original Kara, but reintroduced a younger version as a brand-new character just arriving on Earth. This Kara 2.0, designed by the late artist Michael Turner, essentially had the same outfit as her original counterpart did in 1959. Except she now had a bare midriff, much like Britney Spears would have in that era. The costume has more yellow highlights as well. If not for the ridiculously over-exposed mid-section and wildly short skirt, we’d consider this one an all-timer.

The New 52 Costume

In 2011, DC rebooted its entire universe thanks to the event called Flashpoint. The result was “the New 52,” a new timeline with a new Supergirl. She was still Kara, but now more Kryptonian, more aggressive, and with a very weird costume. It definitely evoked the Jim Lee era of early ’90s comics the New 52 was mimicking. Her cape made a statement with a very dramatic collar. But the boots that leave the knees exposed? The weird red diamond shape over the crotch? All that extra piping in the costume itself? This was an overdone look and we weren’t sad to see it go.

The Supergirl Television Show Costume

When Supergirl got her own live-action TV series on CBS (later the CW) she appeared in a costume that reflected what most people thought of when they thought “Supergirl.” So basically, actress Melissa Benoist wore a more muted version of the 1984 movie costume for the Arrowverse. Actually, it’s a cross between the classic version and the then-current DCEU Superman costume worn by Henry Cavill. So, bright colors were not “in” at this time. But everything else about this costume was fantastic, and worked well on screen for four seasons of television.

The Rebirth Uniform

In 2016, DC Comics undid the New 52, and go back to something more classic. This era was called “Rebirth,” and it was a rebirth for Supergirl as well. The militaristic look of the new 52 was out the window. With the success of the TV series, DC decided to give Kara a look that reflected her live-action counterpart. Except the colors were brighter, and more dare-we-say, comic booky. And this might be the best Supergirl costume yet. It’s also the one worn by the Girl of Steel in Tom King’s excellent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow series. Which will soon be a major motion picture.

The TV Costume, Take Two. Pants at Last!

In the final two seasons of the CW’s Supergirl, Melissa Benoist got something she’d been asking for since season one: pants. Yes, Kara got a new costume this season, which covered up her legs at last. Although Supergirl was barely ever allowed to wear pants in the comics, this outfit changed the game. It definitely drew inspiration from a short-lived costume from the early ‘70s, only it improved on it. The latest comics costume for Kara took a cue from Melissa Benoist and finally added pants. But in a shocking twist, she has no cape, and has a jacket instead! We’re not sure how we feel about that.

The Flash’s Supergirl Costume

Sasha Calle will play Supergirl in The Flash, and this Kara Zor-El is different from anyone we’ve seen before. Just from the trailers, we can see she’s definitely harder-edged, and her costume looks more than a bit like Henry Cavill’s version. Although she is Kara, her costume was inspired by a non-Kara version of the Girl of Steel. It’s strikingly similar to Injustice’s Lara Kent, the daughter of Superman and Lois Lane. If Sasha Calle’s Supergirl returns, we expect yet another costume. After all, as you can see, the Maid of Might changing uniforms is as normal for her as flying.

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“Swimsuit Specials” were all the rage in comics back in the ’90s. Back then, publishers tried to cash in on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues by doing a version with their characters in skimpy swimwear. Of course, back then, the “models” were exclusively women. Things are a little more equal opportunity today. Case in point, DC Comics’ brand new G’nort’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, hitting your local comic shop this summer. If you’re wondering who the heck G’nort is, he’s an anthropomorphic dog-like alien who is the universe’s most incompetent Green Lantern. Fortunately, his name also rhymes with the word “sports.”

G’nort will be our guide through a 48-page collection of some of DC’s sexiest swimsuit covers over the years, all collected in one issue. We’re talking artists like Amanda Conner, Paul Pelletier, Nicola Scott, Mikel Janín, Jeff Dékal, Daniel Sampere, Gleb Melnikov, Derrick Chew, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Emanuela Lupacchino, Joëlle Jones, Megan Huang, Terry Dodson, Babs Tarr, Pete Woods, Joe Quinones, Hélène Lenoble, Otto Schmidt, Michael Allred, Sweeney Boo, David Talaski, Jenny Frison, and more. You can see examples of their heroes in beachwear in the gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

Additionally, this one-shot will include Steve Orlando and Paul Pelletier’s Midnighter and Apollo story, “Out There.” This was originally published in DC Cybernetic Summer. Most surprisingly, there’s a new 8-page story featuring The Penguin. Julie Benson and Shawna Benson will clothe Oswald in the tightest bathing trunks you can imagine, in a story with art by Meghan Hetrick. And of course, as with any good Swimsuit Special, there will be a centerfold. There will be three potential centerfolds with each copy, but who they will feature will remain a mystery for now. There will be a main cover by Vasco Georgiev, along with cardstock variant covers by J. Scott Campbell and Adam Hughes, and a 1:25 variant cover by Pablo Villalobos. The G’nort Illustrated Swimsuit Edition goes on sale on August 29.

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DC Comics may have been named for the title Detective Comics, but the most important comic in the publisher’s library is Action Comics #1. Although DC (then called National Comics) had existed for some three years already, it was Action Comics, and its headlining hero Superman, that changed the publisher and comic books forever. But although Action Comics #1 famously introduced Superman to the world, it also introduced another DC hero, Zatara, whose child became an iconic DC universe mainstay. Here’s how a single comic book changed the world.

DC Comics Before the Man of Steel

Publisher DC Comics wasn’t always DC Comics. It began as National Publications, founded by entrepreneur and World War I vet Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1934. Comic strips in newspapers were already wildly popular in America, and there were magazines already out there that collected known strips. But it was the Major who figured out that creating new original comic strips for the magazine format could work. The first issue of New Fun Comics #1 hit the stands in February 1935. But National still struggled until the creation of two young nerdy guys from Ohio saved the publisher and comics as a whole.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were two kids from Ohio who loved sci-fi stories and comic strips. While still in their teens, they came up with the concept of Superman, a powerful villain who was the mightiest man on Earth. He had mental powers and didn’t leap tall buildings. No bullets bounced off of his chest. And sadly, no one wanted this weird comic strip idea. Nevertheless, the pair were hired to contribute to New Fun Comics, where they worked steadily and created the supernatural detective Dr. Occult. He was kind of a Dick Tracy meets Lovecraftian horror hero.

Two Nerdy Guys from Ohio Change the Comic Book Genre

Despite the relative success of National’s Detective Comics, there just wasn’t a big enough hit to save them as a company. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson sold the company to pulp publisher Harry Donenfeld, who decided a bigger and bolder lead strip protagonist with a catchier title was needed to entice readers. In April of 1938, National launched the anthology Action Comics #1, and they agreed to print a reworked version of Siegel and Shuster’s rejected Superman character on the cover. And nothing was ever the same again for National, for Siegel and Shuster, or for pop culture in general.

National paid Siegel and Shuster a measly amount for the rights to Superman, a character that would make them millions. DC would award the duo a large amount of money decades later, as the company recognized their mistreatment of them. But, they did get gainful employment at the time, writing Superman stories for the publisher for much of the following decade. Their new Superman was substantially different from their original teenage idea. No one wanted a bald villain with psychic powers, they wanted a good-hearted muscle man to save them.

Action Comics Makes Superman an Overnight Sensation

This new Superman was an alien, and wore a costume like a circus strongman. He now had physical powers and not mental ones. He graced the cover of Action Comics #1, lifting a car high over his head. And it sold out its 200,000 copy print run almost instantly. The next few Action Comics covers had different characters from the anthology, and didn’t sell nearly as well. Once National realized this, Superman held the covers exclusively. And within a year, Action Comics was selling over 1,000,000 copies a month.

It’s hard to overstate how quickly Superman went from one of many characters in a crowded anthology book to a pop culture icon. By 1939 he had his own self-titled comic book. He had a comic strip in the Sunday newspapers and made his first live-action appearance at the 1939 World’s Fair. By 1940, he had a radio show, a balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and an animated serial in movie theaters. Everyone in America knew the headliner of Action Comics #1 in record time. Only Mickey Mouse, and later, Bart Simpson, became that famous and that merchandised overnight.

Action Comics Ultimately Led to DC Comics’ Most Popular Magician

Superman’s success led to a horde of imitators, essentially launching the superhero genre. And now, this genre has been the backbone of Hollywood blockbusters for the better part of the last two decades. But what about the other legacy of Action Comics #1? The one that’s a bit more mystical in nature? Folks don’t talk about this one nearly as much as the Last Son of Krypton. But it’s an important part of overall DC Comics history. We’re talking about Zatara the Magician, father of future iconic heroine, Zatanna.

Aside from Superman, a metric ton of other characters debuted in Action Comics #1. Chances are you’ve never heard of characters like “Tex” Thompson or “Pep” Morgan. But Zatara the Magician? He ultimately led to the creation of one of the Justice League’s greatest magic users, Zatanna. At first, he seemed like just a ripoff of the popular comic strip character Mandrake the Magician. But unlike Mandrake, Zatara had actual magical powers, ones he could invoke by saying spells backward. He appeared in dozens of stories from 1938-1951, but the mystic hero faded away with the end of the Golden Age of comics. But while Zatara vanished, his legacy would not.

In 1964, DC Comics introduced Zatanna, the daughter of Zatara. She had the same powers and even a traditional magician’s costume just like her father did. However, her fame would prove to be much bigger than her dad’s. She became a Justice League member in the 1970s, and has been part of the team on and off ever since. Aside from perhaps Doctor Fate, she’s DC Comics’ most powerful heroic sorcerer. But she wouldn’t have happened had her father Zatara not been a success first, a character who few today know debuted alongside Superman in his first appearance.

No Action Comics, No Superhero Genre

Action Comics #1 is the single most important comic book at DC Comics and honestly comics in general. It might not have been the first comic printed by the New York publisher nor the one the company wound up taking its name from ultimately. But without it, there’s no Superman, and no superheroes, period. And we wouldn’t have an amazing superheroine wearing a tophat and fishnets who has become a fan-favorite Justice League member. Sometimes, the honor of “highest-selling single comic book” goes to other comics, often featuring Batman and Spider-Man. But inevitably, Action Comics #1 takes the top spot again. For this now-85-year-old comic, it’s good to be the king.

The post DC’s ACTION COMICS #1: Its Cultural Significance, Iconic Characters, and Surprising History appeared first on Nerdist.

James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios, recently announced the major changes to the DC Comics film universe. Known as the DCU, the eight to 10 year plan will begin with a chapter Gunn and fellow CEO Peter Safran are calling “Gods and Monsters.” Though the first chapter will begin with two television projects (Creature Commandos and Waller), the new DCU film slate will begin with Gunn’s Superman movie, titled Superman: Legacy. And this movie is now officially in pre-production.

Gunn shared the above image while talking about Superman: Legacy in the announcement. It’s from the cover of All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. He didn’t share any plot details, but he called it “the true beginning of the DCU.” Gunn shared the release date, too. Superman: Legacy will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.

Gunn once again confirmed this date via Twitter recently, along with the news that he will direct the film.

And we know officially know that Superman: Legacy is in pre-production. Additionally, its full script is written.

Responding to a fan who asked, “Have you written the whole script or just that page so far?” Gunn answered, “The whole script.” However, Gunn notes “It is not” safe to assume that casting annoucements will arrive at any minute.

Superman: Legacy‘s Plot and Casting

We don’t know who will play Superman, or the plot, or anything yet. When Gunn previously mentioned his Superman movie in December 2022, he said it would focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life.” Hence the reason Henry Cavill is not returning as the superhero. Gunn also clarified it would not be an origin story, so we’ll see Clark Kent already donning the Superman mantle. If we look at the 12-issue All-Star Superman for clues, it could fit. Morrison wanted to tell a timeless Superman story with these comics. However, the comic book series didn’t make our list of ideas for Gunn’s Superman movie. It leans more towards Superman’s death than his early days.

Then again, just because Gunn shared an image from All-Star Superman to go with his announcement doesn’t indicate anything about the story. Maybe he really just likes the art, and it’s part of an overall inspiration board?

Ultimately, all we know is from a Warner Bros. release that notes, “Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”

Whatever the case, know that we’ll bring you more Superman: Legacy news as soon as we learn it.

Originally published on January 31, 2023.

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It’s often seemed like the impossible dream for comic book movie fans. An honest to goodness cinematic Marvel/DC crossover event. While it may currently seem like a pipe dream, in a recent interview former Marvel creative and current DC Studios head honcho James Gunn admitted “I’d be lying to say we haven’t discussed it.” Yes, it would be years away. But it’s now at least something we can speculate about it. But what would our dream big-screen MCU/DCU projects even be? These are the ones that would be comic book movie nirvana for us.

Side note: We’re only talking about characters and not the current actors portraying them here. Simply because by the time this happens, if it ever even happens, who the heck knows who will be playing any of these roles. We’ll probably be on our fifth live-action Spider-Man and our hundredth live-action Batman by that point.

Justice League/Avengers

If we could only have one come true, it would be this one. The one that would blow the barn doors off of movie theaters, the Justice League vs. the Avengers. In the comics, this series was literally 20 years in the making. Because the two most iconic teams in their respective universes had to be a bigger-than-life experience and worth the reader’s money. And it was. JLA/Avengers gave us everything; billionaire playboy heroes Iron Man and Batman butting heads, and expert hand-to-hand fighters Captain America and Batman testing each other’s mettle. The God Thor vs. the Goddess Wonder Woman. Hawkeye and Black Widow vs Green Arrow and Black Canary.

The 2004 comic book event series, drawn by the legendary George Perez, was ultimately worth the long wait. And we hope any movie version would be the same. We’re not sure who they would fight, however. It would have to be a villain so big, it takes the biggest powerhouses in two universes to stop them. Maybe they literally take on the Gods of Olympus or something? All we know is that if we don’t get an image of Superman using Thor’s hammer and Cap’s shield to make one last stand against the bad guys, we will demand our money back.

X-Men/Teen Titans

We don’t know what form either the live-action X-Men or the Teen Titans will take in their respective cinematic universes, once they inevitably show up. But we know that sooner or later, both super teams of angsty young heroes will be a part of the action in the DCU and MCU. In the comics, the best Marvel/DC crossover event was easily 1982’s Uncanny X-Men/New Teen Titans. Not only did it feature both team lineups in arguably their most iconic versions, but they fought off Dark Phoenix and Darkseid together. It was the definition of epic in the comics, and would make for one of the most epic comic book movies of all time.

Batman/Spider-Man

On the surface, Batman and Spidey don’t have a ton in common. One has no powers, one does. One lives modestly in Queens, the other in opulence in Gotham City. One barely cracks a smile, the other one cracks jokes constantly. But both heroes were forged in pain and loss. Neither would be who they are if not forged in tragedy, and lost a parental figure (or in Bruce’s case, his actual parents). Because of that loss, their fight will never end. This one thing would form a strong bond between them. Plus, it would be fun to see Batman constantly annoyed at Spider-Man’s constant quipping. Our dream villain team up for this movie? Well, it’s gotta be Joker and the Green Goblin, right? So much villainous cackling, it might be overwhelming.

Batman/Daredevil

Another Batman team-up, and one we wouldn’t see in any Justice League/Avengers crossover. Simply because Matt Murdock isn’t traditionally an Avenger. But both heroes are the kind who prowl their cities at night, stalking criminals and striking terror into their hearts. And they both love to brood. It’s just a natural fit for a crossover. Marvel’s Man Without Fear has actual powers, and DC’s Dark Knight doesn’t, but we’re not sure he’d win in a fight against the Batman. Even if they don’t battle, these two together, fighting mad mob bosses and taking on ninja hordes, would be the moodiest superhero movie ever. But we’d be there on day one.

Superman/Captain America

Although we imagine a Superman/Captain America meeting would happen in some sort of Justice League/Avengers crossover film, we still want something with just the two of them. Because these two are their respective universe’s idealistic boy scouts, whose unwavering morality defines them. Plus, we want a time travel story where the Man of Steel travels back in time to World War II, where he helps Steve Rogers punch some Nazis. Think of how culturally therapeutic a movie like that could be. Hey, maybe the movie ends with them merging into one being, “Super Soldier.” That’s a thing that actually happened once in the ’90s.

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One of the casualties of David Zaslav’s draconian gutting of HBO Max has been upcoming DC animated series. Luckily, it seems, some of them have gotten reprieves from other networks. Bruce Timm’s highly anticipated return to Batman will head to Prime, for example. Another of these is My Adventures with Superman, a lighthearted take on Clark Kent’s first years in Metropolis getting to know Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. That show will now air on Adult Swim, and we have a first look teaser for it below.

The Boys star Jack Quaid provides the voice of Clark/Superman in this series. Funny that in real life he’d absolutely play Jimmy Olsen, but I digress. The animation style is evocative of the old Fleischer cartoons from the ’40s while still having a distinctive modern edge. Fans of the animation style of things like Voltron: Legendary Defender and The Legend of Korra will likely enjoy this.

My Adventures with Superman from creator Jake Wyatt will debut on Adult Swim “soon,” which can’t come soon enough as far as we’re concerned. The world needs a new Superman cartoon.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Superman’s Fortress of Solitude has been a staple of the Man of Steel’s mythology for decades. We’ve seen it in comics, TV shows, and in feature films. And now, it’s playing a big part in the series Superman and Lois on the CW. But what is the history of Kal-El’s majestic home away from home? And how did its media representations change from the source material, and then change the comics in return? Let’s take a deep dive into the history of Kal-El’s iconic tribute to his long-lost world.

Superman’s Golden Age “Secret Sanctuary”

Today, we think of Superman’s Fortress as an ice palace, far away from humanity in the Arctic. But originally, it was just a mountain cave where Clark stashed his belongings he didn’t have anywhere else to house. This “Secret Citadel” was located in a mountain range outside of Metropolis. It first appeared in Superman #17 in 1942, and it didn’t make many appearances. In those days, Superman’s Kryptonian heritage was more of an afterthought, a mere explanation for how he got his powers. The term “Fortress of Solitude” first appeared in Superman #58 1949, as Superman’s sanctuary located in “the polar wastes.” Interestingly, the name “Fortress of Solitude” actually predates Superman. The pulp adventurer Doc Savage had a Fortress of Solitude located in the frozen north, and DC Comics very liberally took the name and concept.

Kal-El’s Home Away From Home

The Fortress as we know it today really first appeared in Action Comics #241, in “The Super-Key to Fort Superman,” back in 1958. This Fortress was built into an Arctic cliff, and was safeguarded by a giant iron door. The only way to turn the lock on that door was with an equally giant metal key, located just outside. Not entirely subtle there, Kal-El. Of course, no one on Earth but someone with Kryptonian strength could lift said key, making the Fortress only accessible by Superman and his cousin, Supergirl. And, of course, Kryptonian criminals like General Zod.

During the Silver Age of Comics, and into the Bronze Age, Superman’s Fortress was both a museum dedicated to his Kryptonian heritage, and a tribute to his many adventures. There was a giant statue of his birth parents Jor-El and Lara, holding up the planet Krypton. In addition, there was an alien zoo, a legion of Superman robots, and the projector into the Phantom Zone, which housed Krypton’s worst criminals. Most importantly, the Fortress became home to the Bottle City of Kandor, a city from Krypton shrunken down by the villain Brainiac. There were statues of his childhood best friends, the Legion of Super-Heroes. And of course, the Fortress housed Superman’s super-powered dog, Krypto.

Superman: The Movie Showcases the First Live-Action Fortress of Solitude

The first time we saw the Fortress in other media outside comics was in 1978’s Superman: The Movie. Director Richard Donner radically reinvented the looks of the Fortress for his film. Instead of being carved into the side of an Arctic cliff, a Kryptonian crystal formed it from scratch in the frozen wastelands. This Fortress wasn’t “made,” so much as “grown,” and it didn’t have all the artifacts found in the comics version. In fact, all it had were slots for various Kryptonian memory crystals, that allowed Superman to access thousands of years of Kryptonian knowledge. Chief among them was an interactive hologram of Superman’s father, Jor-El.

We saw this version of the Fortress in Superman II, and again in Superman IV. The Fortress debuted on TV a year after the film, on the animated Super Friends cartoon. In the few appearances in that Saturday morning cartoon, the Fortress of Solitude was a bit of an amalgam of the comics Fortress, and the movie one. Thanks to the continuity-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, the classic version of Superman’s home would get wiped from reality. It would be several years before a new one appeared.

A New Fortress for a New Era

The Post-Crisis Superman got a radical reinvention, and didn’t even have a Fortress of Solitude for years. Finally, he received an ancient Kryptonian artifact called the Eradicator. Much like the big screen fortress, it “grew” from this device, also in the Arctic just like the movie one did. There were several nods to the Silver Age Fortress with this one, only now reflecting a modern take on Krypton. There was Kryptonian tech everywhere, from the planet’s golden age. The robot Kelex, who served Superman’s father Jor-El on Krypton, maintained the Fortress. He was to the Fortress what Alfred was to the Batcave.

The ‘90s Superman: The Animated Series took a “best of both worlds” approach to their version of the Fortress. Superman constructed it from parts of the Kryptonian android Brainiac’s ship, but also contained alien species liberated from cruel alien zoos. It was the perfect mix of Silver Age and Modern Age comic book sensibilities. 2011’s New 52 reboot kept a lot of these elements, although now the Fortress was spherical.

The Fortress of Solitude on Television

In the 21st century, we’ve seen the Fortress a lot in live-action. Smallville had a version, inspired heavily by the ’80s Richard Donner films. Both the TV series Krypton and Supergirl showcased the Fortress, again, taking their visual cues from the design and look of the 1978 big-screen Fortress. 2013’s Man of Steel perhaps changed the Fortress concept the most, as their version was an exploratory Kryptonian ship, thousands of years old, and trapped beneath the Arctic ice.

All of this brings us to today, to the Fortress of Solitude on Superman and Lois. The show kept a similar aesthetic to the Supergirl version, only seemingly larger and more expansive. In season one, the Fortress was where Clark brought his son Jordan when he began to exhibit Kryptonian powers. Later, Superman’s half-brother Tal-Rho built his own Fortress out in the desert. But the newest Fortress isn’t just for the Kryptonian side of the family. Although it’s programmed with holograms of Superman’s villains for his son Jordan to fight, it’s meant to be a home for the entire family, including Clark’s son Jonathan and his wife Lois. After all these years, maybe it’s time to drop the “of Solitude” part of the Fortress’ name.

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New DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are now focusing on making a unified DC Universe across film, television, and gaming. But they have said there is still room for stories outside the shared continuity. Movies like The Batman: Part II, and Joker: Folie à Deux. These projects would have their own branding based on DC Comics — Elseworlds.

In fact, James Gunn recently mentioned on Twitter that some upcoming animated projects will be Elseworlds tales. Over the next few years, there are some much-wanted DC Comics adaptations that fit perfectly into the Elseworlds brand, based on stories from the comics. Here are some key Elseworlds tales we hope to see come to life over the next several years.

Batman Beyond

As of right now, there are going to be two big-screen Batmans, with the DCU’s Batman in The Brave and the Bold, and Matt Reeves’ Dark Knight in The Batman: Part II. But what about Michael Keaton’s Batman, who is showing up soon in Flash? We don’t want just a “one and done” for him. Well, we have a solution. For years fans have been asking Warner Bros. to make a Batman Beyond movie, especially one with Keaton as “Old Man Bruce.” This would be based on the classic animated show. One which later became a comic set in its own universe apart from the main DC timeline. So, it is an Elseworlds of a sort.

True, right now might not be the time for this, what with two cinematic Caped Crusaders already. But we really want to see a film set in a Blade Runner-style future where young Terry McGinnis becomes the new Dark Knight, trained by the elder Bruce. This teenage Batman is part Spider-Man, with all the high school drama, part Iron Man, with the advanced armor, but mashed up with Gotham City mythology. Maybe this would be best served as an HBO Max series? All we know is that we’re dying to see it.

Superman: Red Son

While Batman has many great Elseworlds stories, Superman has about half as many. But there is one that stands above the rest, and that’s Mark Millar’s Superman: Red Son. The story imagines a world where baby Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas. In Russia, he becomes the symbol, and ultimate weapon, of the totalitarian state. Krypton had a red sun, Superman is now the “red son” of the USSR. Clever, Mr. Millar.

The story also features other DC characters, given a Cold War-era makeover. An animated adaptation came out a few years back. However, it didn’t have the running time to do the original graphic novel justice. We probably won’t see an alt-Superman until our Clark Kent one is firmly established. Yet at some point down the line, a Russian Man of Steel seems like a no-brainer as an Elseworlds story.

Wonder Woman: Amazonia

Right now, aside from the prequel series Paradise Lost, there doesn’t seem to be any plans for Wonder Woman in the “Gods and Monsters” chapter. We still don’t even know if Gal Gadot is going to play Diana Prince when we see her next, or if it will be someone new. But while they figure out what the heck to do with the primary DCU Wonder Woman, maybe an Elseworlds tale could be squeezed in?

The 1998 graphic novel Amazonia by William Messner Loebs and Phil Winslade, imagined Diana in the Victorian era. We see her fighting against an era of systemic sexism, oppression, and uncomfortable corsets. Heck, if Gal Gadot doesn’t return as the DCU Wonder Woman, her swan song could always be this excellent Elseworlds tale. We’re in it just for the costumes alone.

DC: The New Frontier

We are clearly several years away from a new Justice League forming in this DCU. Gunn isn’t going to make the same mistakes the previous regime did, and rush a team-up film before it is ready. Having said that, a TV series adapting Darwyn Cooke’s epic series DC: The New Frontier could scratch that JLA itch until the eventual main DCU version arrives. The New Frontier is about the era of superheroes during the late ‘50s Atomic Age, coming out of McCarthyism and into the Space Race.

This story is set on an Earth still in the late ’50s/early ’60s. In it, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the “old guard,” the last heroes still fighting the good fight post-WWII. They find themselves dealing with a new generation of Space Age heroes like the Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern, who represent the idealism of the JFK/Camelot era. Eventually, an apocalyptic threat unites them all. Cooke’s series explored American history through a superhero lens, and would make for a great HBO Max series.

The Crime Syndicate of America

This entry is a bit of a cheat, as there’s not one specific Elseworlds comic based on the Crime Syndicate to adapt. However, they are alternate versions of iconic DC heroes. And they do live on the parallel world of Earth-3, so we say they count as an Elseworlds. The Crime Syndicate are twisted, criminal versions of the Justice League. Powerhouses who are brutal crime lords and dictators on their Earth. However, they are not exact analouges for the League. Ultraman isn’t an alien like Superman, Owlman isn’t an evil Bruce Wayne, etc.

The best stories featuring these characters are the animated film Justice League: Worlds Collide, and the Grant Morrison graphic novel, JLA: Earth 2. (And we know James Gunn loves Morrison’s work). This would probably work best as an HBO Max series, since it would definitely be pretty dark and violent. There are a lot of “evil Justice Leagues” in media these days, like the Seven on The Boys. But the Crime Syndicate did it first, and arguably best. Let this be their time to shine.

Kingdom Come

You probably guessed this one was coming. Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come is the granddaddy of DC Elseworlds stories, seen as the “final chapter” of the DC Universe. It’s set in the not-too-distant future, one where violent superheroes become the norm. “Heroes” who spend more time fighting each other than saving lives. After a personal tragedy, Superman retires, leaving these unruly characters to run amok. But after a terrible incident that costs millions of lives proves the world needs Superman, he returns. And the League follows him. But as you might guess, things do not go smoothly.

We’ve made the case before that this story would be the perfect final chapter for the Snyderverse heroes. It would be a fitting farewell to their versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman as played by Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot. Right now, it seems James Gunn wants to focus on the future, and not tie up loose threads from the past. But maybe five or so years from now? Maybe then it will be time to do Kingdom Come. And if you wait some time, those actors will have aged into their roles naturally. Hey, in the meantime, an animated adaptation might work.

The post The Best DC Comics Stories for Future Elseworlds Projects appeared first on Nerdist.

As expected, James Gunn set the nerd entertainment world ablaze with the announcement of the first slate of DC Comics films and TV shows that will appear in the brand new DCU. We were immediately jazzed. And we’ve speculated, and hoped, for what versions of these characters and stories might hit the screens. But merely a couple days later, Gunn himself, as he is wont to do, has given fans a much more concrete idea of which DC Comics arcs will be integral to the upcoming relaunch. And go figure—they’re good.

As Gunn explains, they aren’t going to directly adapt all of these books, just “the feel, the look, or the tone of them are touchstones for our team.” Even so, it’s very interesting to see these are the tonal basis for the DCU. Notice, not a Frank Miller book in the bunch! For way too long if you ask me, the people making DC films have relied on only the hard-edged work of Miller when adapting comics to the big screen. As though only The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One were the only comics that exist.

At any rate, all of these tomes are worth checking out. To give you a primer, let’s look at each of them and what we might glean for the style and attitude they could bring.

All-Star Superman

The first of two books from writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, All-Star Superman might seem an odd choice for the DCU’s first outing with the Man of Steel. It deals with Superman, at the end of his life after too much sun exposure makes him terminally ill. With the limited time he has left, he tries to right as many of Earth’s wrongs as he can. These become “The Twelve Labors of Superman.” Morrison wanted to tell a “timeless” Superman story that wasn’t an origin story .

Though it deals with the end of Superman, it also gets to the heart of what it means to be Superman, and what Superman means to the world. Morrison is one of the writers who really gets the heart of the character, and more importantly, the team gets what humanity thinks of him. It’s not, as some films have focused on, that he’s an unknowable god, to be worshipped and feared. It’s more that he’s the best of Earth, doing the best he can for the most people. It’s a great place for the beacon of hope to be in Superman: Legacy in DCU Chapter 1.

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely ran for 12 issues from 2005-2008 and is in one volume.

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1

Here’s the second Grant Morrison book on this list. Morrison had written the Dark Knight before, most famously in the one-off graphic novel Arkham Asylum in 1989. But in 2006, Morrison took over writing Batman full time, along with artist Andy Kubert. In these issues, Morrison pretty much reestablished and shifted the very lore of Batman. They introduced Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s son with Talia al Ghul. Damian was raised as an assassin in the League of Shadows. After years of training other young people, as surrogate father and mentor, Batman has to contend with his own flesh and blood, who loves killing. It’s dark, but excellent.

Additionally, this first omnibus volume gave us the rebirth of Ra’s al Ghul, which seems reasonable, followed by an arc which “killed” Bruce Wayne seemingly for good. This led to material collected in the second omnibus, which Morrison wrote with artist Frank Quitely, where Dick Grayson had to take over as Batman and work with Damian’s Robin. That further led to Bruce’s rebirth and a franchising of the Batman IP to other big cities worldwide, collected in Morrison omnibus three. The image that Gunn shared along with the The Brave and the Bold announcement is actually from the second omnibus.

All three omnibuses are hefty tomes, best to start with one and go from there, but we imagine all of Grant’s vision for DC Comics will show up in the DCU in some way. Gunn and Morrison are friends and all.

The Authority Omnibus

This is a pretty interesting one, since it didn’t actually start as a DC Comics title. It was part of Jim Lee’s Wildstorm comics imprint at Image Comics. As with a lot of hero teams in the Image Comics days, the Authority were a harder-edged take on DC and Marvel-style heroes. These ones were specifically a Justice League-esque team of super-powered folks who took the law into their own hands. Two of them, Apollo and Midnighter, were in a committed gay relationship and mirrored, powers-wise, Superman and Batman. We wouldn’t have later dark superhero riffs like The Boys without the Authority.

This omnibus collects the whole of the team’s antics prior to DC acquiring Wildstorm and its characters. Writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch wrote first appearance of the characters, while others like writers Mark Millar (Swamp Thing) and Tom Peyer (Legion of Super-Heroes) and artists Paul Neary (The Ultimates), Frank Quitely (Batman and Robin), and Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics) wrote from there.

This contains The Authority #1-29, Planetary/The Authority: Ruling the World, Authority Annual 2000, Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority #1-5, stories from Wildstorm Summer Special and a story from Wildstorm: A Celebration of 25 Years. Unfortunately it’s no longer in print, but the smaller volumes still are.

The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Various Artists

Batman and Superman have had hundreds of different interpretations from different writers and artists over the years. Even the Authority have had several different teams of creatives in their most important run. When it comes to Swamp Thing, no offense to other teams, but Alan Moore’s 44-issue tenure in the 1980s is the definitive take on the character. I have love for the original Len Wein/Bernie Wrightson series, but that was 10 issues with the pair together. Alan Moore not only made Swamp Thing his own, he redefined the character’s entire being, introduced a million wild concepts and characters, and made a genuinely moving Gothic romance in the process.

It’s no wonder Gunn and company will look to this run for the big screen Swamp Thing. Despite being beloved to comics fans, only the short-lived 2019 Swamp Thing DC Universe series took the time to approach any of the themes Moore gave the marshy monster man. This run is scary, horny, trippy, sad, and triumphant all at the same time. If anything, we’re mad it’s the last of the projects to come out.

DC has collected this run in several different permutations. The pictured one is volume one of the three volume Absolute hardback edition. It collects The Saga of the Swamp Thing #20-34 and Swamp Thing Annual #2 (Moore’s first 15 issues). Even if you only read this, you’ll get a great sense for the tone and heart the DCU’s Swamp Thing will convey.

And that’s a damn fine mix of comic books right there. Get to reading, people; we only have a couple of years before the DCU properly begins.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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With James Gunn’s big reveal about the DC Studios slate, we are both very excited and have lots of questions about this new cinematic DCU. Although Gunn and Peter Safran have been very open about what their plans are going forward, as well as their DC Comics inspirations, it doesn’t mean we don’t have some thoughts on the new direction. Here are some aspects of the DC comics we hope to see make it into the first chapter now officially known as “Gods and Monsters.”

Superman: Legacy

We already know that James Gunn is a big fan of writer Grant Morrison’s seminal All-Star Superman, and even tweeted a copy of the graphic novel recently. Although we doubt that story will be directly adapted, as it’s a kind of “Death of Superman” story, we think a lot of elements will make it into Superman: Legacy. With a name like Legacy, we expect it to deal with Kal-El’s Kryptonian heritage.

In All-Star Superman, Kal comes face to face with his Kryptonian ancestor Bar-El. Turns out, he was pretty awful, which for Clark was like finding out he was related to Charles Manson. We’d love to see that story in a film. A basic comics concept to play with too is the eternal “is Superman more alien or more human?” We hope this movie tackles this concept, seen in many a comic book, but in a fun and positive way that never dims the Man of Steel’s inner light. We also hope we see Superman’s #2 villain, Brainiac, at long last. He’s overdue.

The Brave and the Bold

We know The Brave and the Bold is going to focus on the Dynamic Duo of Batman and Robin, with Robin being Bruce Wayne’s son Damian Wayne. But Gunn and Safran have also mentioned that this is a “Bat-family” movie. This means we’ll likely see more of the Gotham Knights than just Damian. As Safran said about the Bat-family, “we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.” We heartily concur.

We really hope that The Brave and the Bold also introduces us to Nightwing, a.k.a. Dick Grayson, a.k.a. the first Robin. And we also hope we see Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. They are both pillars of the DC Comics Universe, and need to be on the big screen. It’s unlikely that Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe will ever include the sidekicks. So this is a great way to differentiate the two distinct Caped Crusaders.

Lanterns

One of the best parts of DC’s Green Lantern mythos is the sheer amount of Lanterns actually out there. So it’s smart that our first GL project in the new DCU focuses on more than one space cop, in the form of Hal Jordan and John Stewart. But don’t forget the other Lanterns in this project, please. We hope that this series also introduces other iconic Earth Lanterns, like Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz. Remember, it’s a Green Lantern Corps. The focus should be on the two leads, but we want to see other ring-slingers too.

Paradise Lost

An Amazons series that takes place in the distant past is the perfect place to do a true Greek mythology show set in the DC Universe, drawing from versions we’ve seen in DC Comics. Obviously, we’d see famous Amazons from the Wonder Woman mythos like Queen Hippolyta and Antiope. But we’d also want to see them fight things like Gorgons and Minotaurs, and not just each other. The 2017 Wonder Woman movie lightly touched upon the Gods, but besides Ares, we didn’t really see any. Paradise Lost could rectify that. This chapter is called “Gods and Monsters” after all. Live up to that name.

Booster Gold

Booster Gold, real name Michael John Carter, is DC’s most lovable loser. But he’s also secretly its biggest asset. One of the cooler aspects of his character introduced in the past several years in the comics was that Booster was made a guardian of the time stream, insuring that history flows properly. Yes, similar to Marvel’s TVA. But because everyone in the world thinks of Booster as a doofus attention-hog hero, it becomes easier for him to hide his true noble mission in plain sight. It’s a great angle for the character, and one we hope the TV series picks up on. And of course, we hope to see Booster interact with his BFF Blue Beetle at least once.

The Authority

In many ways, the original Wildstorm series The Authority was the template for later “bad superheroes” in pop culture. Think the Seven from The Boys, or Omni-Man from Invincible. Although the characters from the book are less straightforwardly bad than those guys are, and actually have noble intent. They may do terrible things, but they think they’re doing the right thing.

What we really hope for is that DC Studios doesn’t shy away from the Authority’s two gay lead characters, Apollo and Midnighter, and their complex relationship. In the comics, these two are more than just “gay Superman and gay Batman.” Although yes, they did start as just that. They even got their own comic book series eventually, which the filmmakers should definitely look at. Just make sure they stay front and center, and also don’t water them down.

Waller

Waller seems to be an extension of Peacemaker, so in a way, we have no notes. Peacemaker was pretty much perfect. Maybe her role in the organization Checkmate from the comics could be explored further? But truly, the one thing we hope to see is a show that doesn’t soften Amanda Waller up. She’s not just a hardass, but a very morally compromised character. And yet, she’s one we still root for. Think Walter White in the early seasons of Breaking Bad, only with a superheroic arsenal at her beck and call. We know that Viola Davis will deliver.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of the most celebrated runs of the character ever, if not the most celebrated run. And it’s not even two years old! So it makes sense for DC Studios to use that outer space adventure as a template. But as James Gunn said in his slate reveal, Supergirl grew up in a different world than her cousin Kal. Kara Zor-El actually remembers Krypton and Kryptonian culture firsthand, unlike Superman. So hopefully, we’ll see a lot of the more out-there aspects of the Superman family/Krypton mythology. We’re talking Bottle Cities, Phantom Zone projectors, and lots of flying pets. We can’t get enough of those super pets.

Swamp Thing

The relatively recent Swamp Thing show on the short-lived DC Universe streaming service actually did the comics justice, despite airing for only one truncated season. (They really did that show dirty.) But we think the upcoming movie could lean even more heavily into the original Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson comics from the 1970s. Gunn has said that some of the new DCU movies will be R-rated, and we can’t think of a better one to go that route than the horror-infused story of Alec Holland.

The Creature Commandos

The Creature Commandos don’t have a very big amount of comics to draw from in terms of inspiration. The first appeared in Weird War Tales in the early ’80s, as a mash-up of World War II action stories with classic Universal Monster archetypes. Think Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman as soldiers. Since then, they’ve had a handful of mini-series here and there. So our only wish for this project is to let the unlimited budget animation provides allow for Gunn’s imagination to go wild. Make it as bloody and over-the-top as a cartoon might allow.

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DC Studios’ co-head James Gunn has announced that DC Studios’ upcoming Superman movie, which he is currently writing, will focus on a young Clark Kent just starting out, bypassing the origin story. We’re all for this, as between the 1978 Richard Donner movie, Smallville, and Man of Steel, they’ve covered the origin story of Superman pretty thoroughly in media. But doing a story about Kal-El’s early days in Metropolis is not as played out yet.

But where to find inspiration? Often, the best Superman stories actually were about his origins (Birthright, Man of Steel) or his final days (The Death of Superman, All-Star Superman). Or they were way off-brand Elseworlds stories, like Red Son. But there are examples of “early years” Supes stories that would be great for the big screen. Stories where they might incorporate aspects of them into film, if not the whole thing. Here are but a few of our favorites.

Superman and Action Comics by John Byrne (1986-1988)

In 1986, writer/artist John Byrne did the first radical reinvention of Superman’s mythology, largely based on the streamlining done in Superman: The Movie. His mini-series, Man of Steel, retold the origin story. But his next two years on Superman and Action Comics fast-forwarded a bit. They told new stories of a young Clark Kent. Many of those could serve as inspiration for a young Superman film, including tales of his first encounters with kryptonite, and updated versions of classic villains like Brainiac, Metallo, and Bizarro. Many consider these some of the best Superman stories ever. They would serve as an excellent foundation for a new big-screen reinterpretation.

Superman: For All Seasons (1998)

This four-part, 1998 series came to us from writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale, the very same creative team behind the legendary Batman: The Long Halloween. A less grandiose story than that one was, For All Seasons follows a young Clark Kent. However, the four chapters were not told from his POV. Instead, they broke up each chapter into seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each one narrated by a different person close to Superman, like his father Jonathan, his enemy Lex Luthor, and his love Lois Lane. It’s not really action-packed enough to make for a big-budget movie. Nevertheless, several elements of it could play into any young Superman story.

“New 52” Action Comics by Grant Morrison (2011-2012)

DC Comics’ New 52 reboot remains controversial to many fans. Still, Grant Morrison’s 18-issue run on Action Comics thrilled most readers. Here, Morrison told a new version of Superman’s earliest days in Metropolis, bringing him back to his roots of 1938 as a champion of the oppressed, and something of a blue-collar hero. His Superman didn’t even start out wearing a costume, he wore a t-shirt with the S-logo and jeans. This was a bold and modern retelling, and largely skipped the Krypton/Smallville stuff. Some stuff wouldn’t translate, but enough would to at least consider it.

Superman: The Animated Series “Stolen Memories” (1996)

Most of the first episodes of Superman: The Animated Series dealt with a young Man of Steel in his early days, and the show remains one of the best examples of the character in any media. But if we were to pick one episode to adapt and expand on, it’s “Stolen Memories.” This episode introduced Brainiac to Superman’s rogues gallery. The series’ version of the evil A.I., which had ties to Krypton and Jor-El, is maybe one of the best versions ever. If I were James Gunn, I would definitely rewatch the whole animated series from start to finish. And I’d pay special attention to this chapter.

Superman: Peace on Earth (1998)

Writer Paul Dini, together with Kingdom Come artist Alex Ross, created a timeless story that got to the core of Kal-El’s character with Peace on Earth. The one-shot story focused on Superman wanting to do more than just punch villains and stop disasters on Christmas. He proposed the United Nations help to end world hunger by spending a day delivering as much food as he can to those that need it anywhere in the world. Of course, some greeted with resistance even that kind gesture. It’s not a very action heavy story, but certain elements of it may inspire a new live-action portrayal of Superman.

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes (2009)

One aspect of Superman’s lore they have never explored in live-action (except in one episode of Smallville) was Clark Kent’s connection to the Legion of Super-Heroes. His time as a young man with the super team of the far future was formative in helping him become the hero he is. In Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s story, Clark’s childhood friends come back for him. They take him to the 31st century, when a new xenophobic movement has risen on Earth. They need the future to remember that its greatest hero was actually an alien immigrant himself. This one might be a bit too “out there” for some. But we also think James Gunn would knock the future stuff out of the park.

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DC Comics films are in a state of transition. Despite announcing just a few months ago that he was back, Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. New DC Studios co-head James Gunn confirmed the news, saying in a tweet that his new Superman will be a young hero just starting out, played by another actor. All pretty much confirming that his DCU will be a reboot. Many fans, including us, think a full-scale reboot is the best way forward. Continuing to put bandages on the existing DCEU doesn’t seem to work. It’s time to start fresh.

Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

However, we believe that since a full-scale reboot is likely on the horizon, the versions of these iconic heroes we’ve seen on film this past decade deserve a fitting ending. Especially Henry Cavill, who they had only just announced as returning as Kal-El. Shouldn’t he get at least one more great film for his version of the iconic hero? Especially after so many fans cheered his long-awaited return. It would just be a sad ending if his last time in the role is a walk-on cameo in Black Adam.

And then, there’s the issue of Wonder Woman. After becoming a global icon thanks to her solo film, doesn’t Gal Gadot’s Diana deserve a proper final act too? Especially as WB canceled whatever Patty Jenkins had planned for a third film. Before any possible reboot happens, we think the Princess of Themyscira deserves a glorious sendoff as well. And that sendoff should be an adaptation of one of DC Comics’ most beloved stories, Kingdom Come (spoilers for the original comics).

Kingdom Come: A rebuttal of ’90s comic book nihilism

Originally published in 1996, Kingdom Come was creators Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ statement on the state of superheroes at the time. Ever since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns in 1986, comics saw “grim ‘n gritty” anti-heroes surpassing traditional ones. The late ‘80s, and especially the early ‘90s was an explosion in popularity with these kinds of characters. Chief among them the Punisher, Wolverine, and gun-toting Cable. When the Image Comics boom happened, new characters like Spawn and others leaned heavily into the dark antihero vibe. It became a cliché, and eventually, a joke. Waid and Ross told a story about where a continued obsession with these kinds of “heroes” might lead us.

“They chose the man who would kill over the man who wouldn’t. And now they’re dead.”

Kingdom Come was set in a relatively near future. Violent, often gun-wielding heroes spend more time fighting each other than fighting criminals or saving innocent lives. The old guard of Justice League heroes have mostly retired. The reason for this was thanks to Superman abandoning his post as Earth’s protector, after humanity deemed his brand of heroism outdated. When the Joker killed dozens of reporters at the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane, Superman apprehended him.

But a new vigilante named Magog, a not-so-subtle take on Marvel’s Cable, decided to kill the Joker in cold blood. Superman arrested him for murder, but the public wanted Magog’s style of punitive justice. The world picked Magog over Superman, who they now considered a relic. So he retreated to his Fortress of Solitude for a decade, leaving the Earth to a new breed of not-so-heroic heroes.

With Superman and many of his fellow old-school Leaguers following suit, either gone or operating in the shadows, the world falls apart. Things come to a head when a reckless incident from Magog results in millions of lost lives. Superman returns to the world, which welcomes him back. He seeks to see a return to a time of virtuous heroism. But his methods for returning to “the old ways” isn’t exactly right either, as he seeks to force this new generation to see things his way, or suffer the consequences. His old friend Batman realizes he’s in way over his head.

A truly apocalyptic generation gap

This upcoming battle between generations of superpowered people is witnessed by our POV character, a kindly old pastor named Norman McKay. He, with the help of the unearthly Spectre, try to prevent the upcoming Armageddon. One that will happen thanks to two generations of superpowered people clashing in battle. Without giving the whole story away (really, you should read it), Kingdom Come’s final act is a dark one. Although its ultimate ending denouement is one of hope. One that celebrates the pure heroism of DC’s Trinity, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and what they represent to pop culture. Oh, and Shazam too. He plays quite a role, but that one’s a bit spoilery. (Again, read Kingdom Come).

A rousing end for Cavill’s Superman and Gadot’s Wonder Woman

So, why attempt Kingdom Come as the finale for the old DCEU? For starters, Henry Cavill truly deserves a great Superman story, and Kingdom Come is that story. Clark has a full character arc, and the story ultimately explains why Superman is the greatest superhero of all time. It’s the Superman story Cavill deserves. It’s also a great Wonder Woman story. The Amazon goddess must reckon with whether her skills as an ambassador of peace or as warrior of righteousness are more effective in this world. It’s a much better conclusion to Gal Gadot’s version of Diana than Wonder Woman 1984.

In Kingdom Come, Batman must also reckon with the toll decades of crime fighting has had on his body. And how it hindered his ability to keep Gotham City safe. And he must also be the voice of reason when his old allies cannot see the flaw in their methods. Now, Ben Affleck could or could not return to play Bruce Wayne in this. In the original comic, Bruce is an old man. But thanks to their respective Kryptonian and Amazonian DNA, both Superman and Wonder Woman have aged very little. While it would be nice to see Affleck return to the role, we don’t see it as a deal breaker if they recast him with someone older.

The DCEU was perfect for Kingdom Come as a finale from the start

It also makes sense for the DCEU’s endgame (pardon the marvelous phrase) because it’s simply always been a darker version of these characters than the comics. In the original comic, it seemed almost a stretch to believe that world of the Justice League could cause such a violent new generation of heroes. It’s not much of a stretch to believe the world started in Man of Steel would result in this new breed of metahumans.

Although there are dozens of DC heroes in Kingdom Come, they are mainly background soldiers in Superman and Wonder Woman’s army. (They will all make for great action scenes, and even better toys). However, The focus of the story is entirely on Clark and Diana, along with Bruce Wayne and Billy Batson. Not to mention our human guide, Norman McKay. All versions of these characters exist in the DCEU as is, except for Norman, and deserve a proper conclusion.

Making plans. pic.twitter.com/cubPgga066

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 30, 2022

A certain breed of fandom will no doubt take issue with certain portrayals of the characters, chiefly Superman. His arc, where a tragic piece of his past forces him into self-imposed exile, before returning triumphantly when the world needs him, was hated by many when applied to characters like Luke Skywalker and Captain Picard. However, one thing those fans won’t be able to say is that it’s not true to the comics. It’s straight from one of DC’s most beloved comic book tales. Cavill, Gadot, and even Zachary Levi’s version of these heroes deserve some kind of closure, even if it’s years from now. Based on some of his recent posts, we know James Gunn is a Kingdom Come fan. Here’s hoping he loves it enough to allow for it to be the old DCEU’s swan song, after a new cinematic DC Universe is ushered in.

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Henry Cavill has had a tumultuous end to his 2022. First, we heard in a shocking announcement that Cavill would not return as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s hit show The Witcher. This marked the most major recast in recent history. Then it was announced that Cavill would return as DC’s Superman. Cavill made his appearance in a loudly-hinted-at after the credits scene in Black Adam. Now that will not come to pass either. There will, however, be a new Superman movie coming to the DCEU. Henry Cavill and James Gunn took to social media to share their respective Superman news.

Cavill notes that returning as Superman seemed confirmed from his perspective. And so he announced he would once again play the epic role. However, a recent meeting seems to have changed this. It makes sense that things are shifting in DC’s world, but this feels like one evolution no one could have expected.

As Cavill notes, James Gunn and Peter Safran recently took over as co-CEOs of DC Studios. And their charge is to put together a master plan for DC’s cinematic outings. Since Gunn has been dropping hints about the new world he is creating on-screens for DC. Everyone expected that after Black Adam, this plan would include Cavill as Superman, though. But it sounds like the refreshed DCEU will have a brand-new Man of Steel.

But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

Gunn offers, “In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.” However, he makes sure to clarify in a later post that the new Superman movie coming to the DCEU is not an origin story for the hero. But he does go on to say, “But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”

Whether that’s placating or promise, we’ll have to wait and see. But ultimately, we feel sad for Cavill, who clearly hoped to return as Superman for a long time. But as he reminds us, we can feel sad for a bit, but must remember Superman goes on. Whoever wears the cape in the future, we can’t wait for the next chapter of the character’s legacy.

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