The Daily Planet - Superman News and Speculation Thread

[Marvel united]

I just don’t want this Superman too dive too heavily into the racism angle. I just want 2 hours of escapism rather than getting a lecture. I think a lot of people will feel this way and these feelings are warranted, IMO. I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to see.

But not everyone has the privilege of escaping racism. It would be incredibly disingenuous to tell a Black Superman without tackling the issue.

 

[Lencho01]

I’d expect any version of Black Superman to be (mostly) comfortable with himself and who he is by the time he puts on the cape, so the conflict from that point on would be dealing with the public. The most powerful being on the face of the Earth has a black face. How does the world respond to that? What pushback and repercussions would he face for rescues and prioritizations that a guy that looks like Henry Cavill wouldn’t? What expectations would a Black Superman have to confront to do something - anything - about racial tensions and systemic injustices that other Supermen haven’t necessarily had to deal with? What would it feel like to rescue a guy from a burning building and have him thank you over and over even though Clark heard him drop the n-word the other day when he was disguised as Clark Kent?

And most importantly of all: how does Superman get a fade?

Those are all interesting questions to ask. I guess my doubt or lowered expectations comes from WB really want to go there with a possible blockbuster film. Like he’ll just be the same Superman/Clark Kent we would expect to likely see if we were played by a White guy as any other past version.

The reaction from some people to the idea of him being Black has made me think people expect this...



In addition to how does Superman have a fade, we gotta know if he gonna have the S curl and I ain’t talking about the just one...

 

[Prison Mike]

But not everyone has the privilege of escaping racism. It would be incredibly disingenuous to tell a Black Superman without tackling the issue.

I get that. I’ve encountered it myself A LOT growing up. Now when you open the news it’s plastered all over the screen with police brutality. But it also means that it doesn’t need to seep into every other facet of media. It’s fine if it’s addressed in a scene or two but I don’t want it to be the central focus of the movie so much so that it’s not even about Superman anymore. That’s a real balancing act that they need to figure out.

 

[Mani-Man]

The biggest tragedy in terms of comics is the fact that people find it bad when they tackle social issues or so nowadays.

The same characters that have been created to tackle social issues, immigration, war, depression, hate, racism, misogyny etc are now nothing more to some than action flicks.

And that is the saddest thing about where we are in the industry.

 

[Boy Scout]

Those are all interesting questions to ask. I guess my doubt or lowered expectations comes from WB really want to go there with a possible blockbuster film. Like he’ll just be the same Superman/Clark Kent we would expect to likely see if we were played by a White guy as any other past version.

I think they’ll tackle just enough to make having cast a black man a substantive choice. I don’t expect (or want) the entire movie to be social commentary on racial tension in the US.

EDIT: This movie needs to be fun. This movie needs to make people excited about Superman again. I’m excited about the prospect of touching on deeper messages and themes, but I also wanna see Superman smiling, having a good time, taking Lois out on a date, and punching robots so hard they explode on contact.

In addition to how does Superman have a fade, we gotta know if he gonna have the S curl and I ain’t talking about the just one...

I never thought the curl was essential, myself. Unless the actor’s hair does it naturally, I think trying to purposefully style his hair that way looks beyond ugly.

 

[writer0327]

The biggest tragedy in terms of comics is the fact that people find it bad when they tackle social issues or so nowadays.

The same characters that have been created to tackle social issues, immigration, war, depression, hate, racism, misogyny etc are now nothing more to some than action flicks.

And that is the saddest thing about where we are in the industry.

I think the problem is the balance. There's absolutely nothing wrong with making social statements in comics, but in order to weave allegorical political themes into the framework of a fun action/adventure story like Lee, Kirby, and all those who created these original characters did.... that takes some serious writing talent, which unfortunately a lot of writers today don't posses.

Today's stuff can be so obvious and on the nose that it stops being a comic book; it becomes more sociopolitical commentary instead of escapist entertainment.

 

[GreenKToo]

It's a small sample but if this site, FB, Twitter etc, is any indication, it has divided the fan base.

Yes, WB has people talking about Superman again, but I don't think this is the kinda PR that is necessarily good.

I have no problem with an African American or hispanic Superman as long as it's not too on the nose.
It shouldn't matter what race he is as long as he represents us all.
My fear is, I don’t want to be preached at for two hours, and I fear we will be..

I want to be lost in a feel good superman film. If they can deliver that, then superman can be covered in pink with purple polka dots for all I care.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I feel like there is a way to do this and tackle some of the social issues but not be preachy of over-serious. But I do worry that, once again, we could get a Superman movie that gets lost in the character’s symbolism and iconic value and not on the more fantastical aspects. Because just for me personally, the latter is what I want to see the most as a fan. I do think Superman can be inspirational and all that, but I also want to see him just do some cool and amazing stuff. There’s no good reason why a Superman movie can’t be as visually stunning or as fun as a Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Above all else, no more Jesus allegories unless you’re making Kingdom Come.

 

[Marvel united]

I get that. I’ve encountered it myself A LOT growing up. Now when you open the news it’s plastered all over the screen with police brutality. But it also means that it doesn’t need to seep into every other facet of media. It’s fine if it’s addressed in a scene or two but I don’t want it to be the central focus of the movie so much so that it’s not even about Superman anymore. That’s a real balancing act that they need to figure out.

The story is about Superman no matter what. He's the main character, he's the protagonist. But you can't ignore the reality of the world we live in today, especially with a Black Superman.

This is, in large part, why I think filmmakers have struggled to adapt to this character

I think they’ll tackle just enough to make having cast a black man a substantive choice. I don’t expect (or want) the entire movie to be social commentary on racial tension in the US.

EDIT: This movie needs to be fun. This movie needs to make people excited about Superman again. I’m excited about the prospect of touching on deeper messages and themes, but I also wanna see Superman smiling, having a good time, taking Lois out on a date, and punching robots so hard they explode on contact.





I never thought the curl was essential, myself. Unless the actor’s hair does it naturally, I think trying to purposefully style his hair that way looks beyond ugly.

I think we are going to get another deconstruction. I mean, we have to. If the intention was to make your run-of-the-mill summer blockbuster popcorn flick, a Black Supes wouldn't be in play right now, and Ta-Nehisi Coates wouldn't be writing the script. At the end of the day, you are challenging the icongraphy of an 80 yr old character whose image is cemented in pop culture all around the world. It has to mean something.

If you're not familiar with Ta-Nehisi's work, I reccomend his best selling 'Between The World & Me'
https://www.amazon.com/Between-World-Me-Ta-Nehisi-Coates/dp/0451482212#

It's an amazing, emotional, comprehensive deconstruction of America's history and the Black American POV. it's beautiful.

This man has built his career off of deconstructing the Black experience-- and his version of the Superman story is undoubtedly going to challenge some things, that maybe some people aren't ready for.

But maybe that's what the character needs

 

[GreenKToo]

They won't of course, but WB should come out and say what their intentions are, but I think they are enjoying this to much.

 

[Frodo]

It's a small sample but if this site, FB, Twitter etc, is any indication, it has divided the fan base.

Yes, WB has people talking about Superman again, but I don't think this is the kinda PR that is necessarily good.

I'd venture to say the vast majority of the GA doesn't even know about the development of a Black Superman film.

Fanboys being bitterly divided is nothing new, and while its a big story in the geekverse , there's really no PR to speak of that's all that meaningful at this point.

That said, race is always a divisive issue and it's expressing itself in fandom the way it does in society in general. That really shouldn't be a shocker.

To that note, WB shouldn't be surprised that the idea of a Black Superman won't be universally greeted with cheers and that fans will be divided about it.

That's not a strong enough reason to not do it,since the fanbase is divided about any number of things , and they certainly shouldn't put on the brakes if half the fans online don't like the idea of Superman being Black.

But still, if you're gonna make a move like making Superman a POC on film or TV , you've got to expect that there will be people upset. But, if you've got a strong enough story and you're strong in your belief in the project, you push through that and let the public decide with their dollars and their feet.

 

[Boy Scout]

I think we are going to get another deconstruction.

I think that’d be a mistake. We just went through a period of deconstruction and it failed. I have no interest in it being done again, even in a new and potentially more interesting way. I wouldn’t mind elements of it, though, mixed in with what ultimately needs to be an uplifting and fun movie. It would be a difficult, but not impossible, feat.

If you're not familiar with Ta-Nehisi's work, I reccomend his best selling 'Between The World & Me'

I own it. Bought it over the summer, actually.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I think that’d be a mistake. We just went through a period of deconstruction and it failed. I have no interest in it being done again, even in a new and potentially more interesting way. I wouldn’t mind elements of it, though, mixed in with what ultimately needs to be an uplifting and fun movie. It would be a difficult, but not impossible, feat.



I own it. Bought it over the summer, actually.

Yeah, I’ve had my fill of deconstructionist takes on Superman. I just want a fun Superman movie.

That said; I would still trust Coates deconstructing Superman over a guy like Snyder, who seems to only think about deconstructing the character as a means to make him “cool” or “badass.” I do find amusing, however, his attempts to justify some of his choices. If he were to just say, for example, that Superman needed to kill Zod because sometimes lethal force is necessary to stop a devastating attack, then I would be fine with that. But no, Zack and Goyer had to take it a step further and come up with some convoluted nonsense explanation that it was a “character building moment” and that was the way Superman established his “no kill” rule. Like, what? I’m certainly glad that most people out there didn’t need to try snapping someone’s neck to make them realize they would feel bad afterward.

 

[Nemeres]

My guess is, it could focus heavily on heritage, bringing your culture elsewhere and keeping it alive, which is often a Superman theme. Birthright comes to mind. Black Panther was all about African identity, but even there they somewhat tiptoed around overt mentions of racism. I doubt they'd make that a major focus in a Superman movie, even with a black lead.

I think they'll aim at using certain broad themes of race and culture, but they'll focus on keeping it colorful, alien-filled and action oriented, like it's always been Abrams's style. But admittedly, I say that without having read any of Coates's work.

 

[BobJM]

I think it's funny that everyone is masking their 'concern' over Black Superman that they're going to be preached at. Funny's probably not the word...

Or the sudden outrage that characters like Steel and Cyborg aren't being prioritized at Warner Bros. That just seems like a convenient way to kick this can down the road and justify your anger/disappointment at the potential of a black man cast as Superman by saying that black people have so many other icons to choose from, why sully this good white thing?

I saw someone say that Superman is as American as baseball or apple pie. Yeah, and? Is the Black experience not quintessential to American history?

 

[Deck Rickard]

I think it's funny that everyone is masking their 'concern' over Black Superman that they're going to be preached at. Funny's probably not the word...

Or the sudden outrage that characters like Steel and Cyborg aren't being prioritized at Warner Bros. That just seems like a convenient way to kick this can down the road and justify your anger/disappointment at the potential of a black man cast as Superman by saying that black people have so many other icons to choose from, why sully this good white thing?

I saw someone say that Superman is as American as baseball or apple pie. Yeah, and? Is the Black experience not quintessential to American history?

I apologize if any of my comments came off that way; you’re right, there’s no reason to assume that a Black Superman movie would be preachy. There was some talk about the movie potentially being a deconstructionist take but it’s probably important to remember too that Abrams is, at heart, a guy who wants to make fun, thrilling movies. He doesn’t always succeed at that, but it’s typically his goal. So this film will likely be in that vein too. And that’s a good thing for Superman. I know I’m tired of seeing the Man of Steel on the big screen mope and act like his life sucks.

 

[Marvel united]

I think that’d be a mistake. We just went through a period of deconstruction and it failed. I have no interest in it being done again, even in a new and potentially more interesting way. I wouldn’t mind elements of it, though, mixed in with what ultimately needs to be an uplifting and fun movie. It would be a difficult, but not impossible, feat.



I own it. Bought it over the summer, actually.

Right. I get it, I understand... But this Ta-Nehisi Coates we're talking about here. And having read his work, you know what his bread and butter is.

I think the reason why Snyder's deconstruction failed is because they tried to change the character. It's not Superman who has to change, it's the world around him.

 

[writer0327]

I think it's funny that everyone is masking their 'concern' over Black Superman that they're going to be preached at. Funny's probably not the word...

Or the sudden outrage that characters like Steel and Cyborg aren't being prioritized at Warner Bros. That just seems like a convenient way to kick this can down the road and justify your anger/disappointment at the potential of a black man cast as Superman by saying that black people have so many other icons to choose from, why sully this good white thing?

I saw someone say that Superman is as American as baseball or apple pie. Yeah, and? Is the Black experience not quintessential to American history?

They need to devote the same level of time, money and effort they do promoting original black characters as they do their original white characters. That's real diversity. Colorizing and reskinning an already popular character does nothing towards the expression of black voices, stories and culture. I'm glad Marvel pushed BP because that's the kind of action we need.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

The biggest tragedy in terms of comics is the fact that people find it bad when they tackle social issues or so nowadays.

The same characters that have been created to tackle social issues, immigration, war, depression, hate, racism, misogyny etc are now nothing more to some than action flicks.

And that is the saddest thing about where we are in the industry.

Interesting that you say that the same week I watched a video covering social issues X-Men the animated series tackled and reasons to admire it as a kids cartoon, and it's a good point.

I like that in Superman: TAS they covered how marriage should be without dragging the conversation to dragging preachy exposition territory.

 

[emielaen]

This film potentially tackling issues that are around us everyday doesn’t mean it can’t also be fun, uplifting, exciting, or thrilling. They’ll have to find balance.

 

[BobJM]

They need to devote the same level of time, money and effort they do promoting original black characters as they do their original white characters. That's real diversity. Colorizing and reskinning an already popular character does nothing towards the expression of black voices, stories and culture. I'm glad Marvel pushed BP because that's the kind of action we need.

I appreciate the need for original characters, but we have no idea what this movie will even be like, so how is it you’re able to speak on a yet-unproduced film's expression of black voices, stories, and culture? We've had 1 news article announcing the writer and producer.

But you're so quick to denounce the project based on 'reskinning' alone. Especially if this film ends up about Val or Calvin—original black characters. Would still find issue then? Is Steel not similarly inspired by Superman, even wearing the S on his chest?

A Static Shock movie is in development. Green Lantern Corps starts filming soon w/ adventures focusing on POC characters Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, among others. Batwoman on CW will have a black woman under the mask. Not a recast Kate Kane, but a new character entirely for audiences. WB is putting time, money, and effort into promoting original characters as you've requested. Simultaneously, a Coates Superman—whoever ends up wearing the cape—can coexist with these projects, and more, too.

 

[Boy Scout]

Right. I get it, I understand... But this Ta-Nehisi Coates we're talking about here. And having read his work, you know what his bread and butter is.

Yup. And I’m not mad at it. I don’t want it to not be there. I just don’t think that it’d be a smart move to make the movie entirely about that.

It’ll be interesting to see who they choose to direct this. Coates and Abrams are already a very interesting, borderline contradictory pairing. The director might be able to bridge the gap.

As far as the writing goes, my hope is that Coates will be able to re-contextualize Clark’s upbringing and experiences by examining them from a black man’s point of view. What does “truth, justice, and the American Way” mean for a person who’s been harassed time after time by the cops because of the color of his skin? How does a black man with that much power grow up to become the humanitarian and idealist that Superman has traditionally been for decades? There’s so much potential here.

I think the reason why Snyder's deconstruction failed is because they tried to change the character. It's not Superman who has to change, it's the world around him.

I want them to Winter Soldier this ****.

 

[dhandler01]

I appreciate the need for original characters, but we have no idea what this movie will even be like, so how is it you’re able to speak on a yet-unproduced film's expression of black voices, stories, and culture? We've had 1 news article announcing the writer and producer.

But you're so quick to denounce the project based on 'reskinning' alone. Especially if this film ends up about Val or Calvin—original black characters. Would still find issue then? Is Steel not similarly inspired by Superman, even wearing the S on his chest?

A Static Shock movie is in development. Green Lantern Corps starts filming soon w/ adventures focusing on POC characters Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, among others. Batwoman on CW will have a black woman under the mask. Not a recast Kate Kane, but a new character entirely for audiences. WB is putting time, money, and effort into promoting original characters as you've requested. Simultaneously, a Coates Superman—whoever ends up wearing the cape—can coexist with these projects, and more, too.

I mean Hamilton "Re-Skinned" every Founding Father and it totally destroyed American History...

 

[Frodo]

They need to devote the same level of time, money and effort they do promoting original black characters as they do their original white characters. That's real diversity. Colorizing and reskinning an already popular character does nothing towards the expression of black voices, stories and culture. I'm glad Marvel pushed BP because that's the kind of action we need.

Absolutely. At the same time, that doesn't mean if they want a minority actor to portray an already popular character that they can't or shouldn't since there are already minority characters that they haven't exploited. Exploiting other minority characters and casting a minority in traditionally white role are two separate things, and aren't really connected unless the argument is that minorities shouldn't play White characters since there are minority characters which haven't been exploited.

The reality is, you can do both and it's not an either or proposition. WB should exploit as many original Black characters as they have. At the same time, that doesn't mean that therefore, WB shouldn't cast a Black actor as Superman. They can do both. It's not an either or thing.


The MCU has already done both . There's Black Panther who's Black and Heimdall and Nick Fury who were white in the comics and in live action, who's now Black.

Yes, I know Fury was made Black in the Ultimates before the films. The point still holds true. They're exploiting their original Black characters like T'Challa and Jim Rhodes, while colorizing Nick Fury, Heimdall, Ned Leeds, and " MJ ". There's more than one way to achieve diversity, and it's certainly not limited to limiting minor actors to only playing originally minority roles.

 

[writer0327]

I appreciate the need for original characters, but we have no idea what this movie will even be like, so how is it you’re able to speak on a yet-unproduced film's expression of black voices, stories, and culture? We've had 1 news article announcing the writer and producer.

But you're so quick to denounce the project based on 'reskinning' alone. Especially if this film ends up about Val or Calvin—original black characters. Would still find issue then? Is Steel not similarly inspired by Superman, even wearing the S on his chest?

A Static Shock movie is in development. Green Lantern Corps starts filming soon w/ adventures focusing on POC characters Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, among others. Batwoman on CW will have a black woman under the mask. Not a recast Kate Kane, but a new character entirely for audiences. WB is putting time, money, and effort into promoting original characters as you've requested. Simultaneously, a Coates Superman—whoever ends up wearing the cape—can coexist with these projects, and more, too.

They way I see it, these guys have the entirery of Milestone Media to develop at their pleasure. So if they wanted to give us black guy with Superman's powers, they could develop a movie for Icon, who is literally black Superman. Instead of reskinning popular, historically white characters, we're at a point where we should be delving into the original, unique black characters who have always been black and who were created with the expressed purpose of introducing and telling stories of black superheroes. So yeah, I have a problem with race swapping original white characters for that purpose, because its more of checking a box and less giving us actual black stories and voices. For me, Val Zod and Calvin Ellis are exactly that, tokenized versions of Kal-El, sequels and spinoffs of the original character. Instead of pushing original black characters that have been pushed into the background, they simply take advantage of this particular character's popularity and do something for diversity. Just like Future State. It's insulting. They have a ton of other original black characters and IPs they could build up so we could possibly get the next Black Panther, but they choose not to.

A Static movie is phenomenal. Can't wait. If their goal is to push diversity of heroes, we need more of that, and less GLC, Batwoman and the black version of Superman. They aren't starving for original black characters, its like I said elsewhere, it's as if DC only has comfort and confidence in pushing characters and IPs that have been historically white, and that's a damn shame.

 

[Lencho01]

I think they’ll tackle just enough to make having cast a black man a substantive choice. I don’t expect (or want) the entire movie to be social commentary on racial tension in the US.

EDIT: This movie needs to be fun. This movie needs to make people excited about Superman again. I’m excited about the prospect of touching on deeper messages and themes, but I also wanna see Superman smiling, having a good time, taking Lois out on a date, and punching robots so hard they explode on contact.





I never thought the curl was essential, myself. Unless the actor’s hair does it naturally, I think trying to purposefully style his hair that way looks beyond ugly.

I agree with you. Like we all know the variety of stories that are possible with all these characters, Superman in particular, given the nature of comics and whatnot. But it’s just a matter of how TPTB want to balance that with generally fun film that appeals to a wife audience. Maybe the film will have its moments while dealing with Superman having to defeat some enemy. For example, a crazy alien invasion (Brainiac adding to his collection?) for Superman to battle while Clark Kent has to deal with possible gentrification in the neighborhood he just moved to in Metropolis. Like he just moved there and now has to face the reality of having to move out or pay crazy rent and see people who’ve lived there for years or generations have to move too and how that affects their lives.

They’re gonna have to tackle the death of Superman again but instead of returning with a mullet, it’s gonna be Jheri curl.