Which Character Do You Want As Superman In JJ’s Reboot?

[Mach2Infinity]

Clark Kent, and there is no "race swapping", his race is Kryptonian, giving him a different skin pigmentation should be a non issue.

Yes and no. On the one hand as you said he's a fictional alien character that looks identical to a human and we come in all shapes, sizes and colours. However, the central conceit to Kryptonians is they derive their super powers from a yellow sun. Lighter (pale) skin would mean they can absorb more sunlight surely? I don't know much about Calvin Ellis (other than he's from a different Earth and is US president) nor anything about Val-Zod. But they sound like radically different characters to the Clark Kent iteration who's more of an every man. So it's probably likely they'll go with him. Especially as this is meant to be a reboot.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a great writer despite being a divisive figure who's made some rather contentious statements. People seem to be split 50/50 on his Black Panther and Captain America runs. His Superman story might be more similar to Ang Lee's Hulk in it being a more psychological or intellectual in its approach. He's obviously going to bring a more deconstructionist/social justice agenda to it. We'll see how that goes. As long as J.J. Abrams only does a 'flyby' (one film) rather than directing several (as making a successful franchise seems a mission impossible for him) it could work.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah, I don’t know anything about Val Zod; I hadn’t even heard of the character before a couple days ago. I knew a little bit about Ellis though and I would guess that they will use that version if they decide not to use Clark Kent.

 

[Lobo]

I just brushed up on Val Zod, and think that his story would make for a very compelling movie. So I am hoping for him now if not Clark.

However I am greedy, so give me one more movie with Cavill for a proper send off with Brainiac as villain, as well as movies about Val Zod, and Calvin Ellis.

 

[Vaibow]

I feel they just don't know how to do Clark Kent, so they will go with Val Zod and offer us their own clean slate version of a superman.

The message will be 'anyone can be a super man'. Which is great and cool...

How could they do it, Val Zod could have been sent to another earth like planet... upon the destruction of krypton, along with........ woah, hang on a minute..........

What if the empty stasis chamber/bed was Val Zod, Clark discovering it activated the AI and he woke up, realized he was the only one who survived, grabbed a suit and hid from society... maybe Martian Manhunter found him, protected him... that's why they watched on from 'afar'. He is related to Zod, albeit 18000 generations prior. His powers were too weak to make any difference and instead assisted with his intellect, knowing it would be a scandal, him being related to Zod.

End of the Snyder cut, he reveals himself.

That would be damn cool.

 

[Celgress]

I'd be okay with either Calvin or Val. I feel both characters have great stories that should be told on the big screen.

 

[Lobo]

I feel they just don't know how to do Clark Kent, so they will go with Val Zod and offer us their own clean slate version of a superman.

The message will be 'anyone can be a super man'. Which is great and cool...

How could they do it, Val Zod could have been sent to another earth like planet... upon the destruction of krypton, along with........ woah, hang on a minute..........

What if the empty stasis chamber/bed was Val Zod, Clark discovering it activated the AI and he woke up, realized he was the only one who survived, grabbed a suit and hid from society... maybe Martian Manhunter found him, protected him... that's why they watched on from 'afar'. He is related to Zod, albeit 18000 generations prior. His powers were too weak to make any difference and instead assisted with his intellect, knowing it would be a scandal, him being related to Zod.

End of the Snyder cut, he reveals himself.

That would be damn cool.

That would be cool. Val as the empty pod is clever. I'd love that. Say he knew it was time to reveal himself after Steppenwolf attack and seeing the league.

I do think we are going to be getting an entirely new continuity though.

 

[NHawk19]

Since Clark is going to remain Clark in the books and historical material, why not introduce a new character people can follow even after the film is over? Plus they haven't even got Clark right yet anyway. Go with something less near and dear then save yourself the agony.

Plus it means that toy manufacturer's can sell both character's items and have them be relevant.

Calvin or Val is the answer.

Thing is after what JJ did to Star Wars, and Trek I'm surprised he's getting this anyway.

 

[Steyin]

Given the current climate, using Calvin as a politician could be interesting.

 

[BobJM]

So I just read Action Comics #9 from the New 52 that expands upon Calvin Ellis' backstory & character in Earth-23. I like the concepts, but I'd much prefer a different writer take a crack at it.

And even still, I think Clark Kent is more exciting a choice. Especially since Calvin's supporting characters in that story are an alternate version Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jorel, Lara, & the Kents. Why not just use Clark Kent as the basis if the characters will all be the same?

 

[Shockdingo]

Well I mean the whole point of giving him a different skin pigmentation is to show what it means to be black in America. Race will be play a big part in the movie. If they were just going to play a straight Clark Kent who just happens to look black and they don’t really acknowledge it, then it would be a non issue but there would really be no point to that.

Yeah, if they don't significantly acknowledge his blackness, that'll be weird and a problem. There's a hypervisibilitity on black bodies. I still remember when I was a kid the blatent way my family would be followed or stared at in stores. Just the way Clark would have to navigate slipping away to change would be different as a black man. You can't or rather shouldn't depict Clark and by extension Superman, as being treated exactly the same as mainline versions if you change his ethnicity.

 

[Fincher]

To me, Clark Kent is Superman, and I'm just not interested in anyone else as Superman.

 

[Vaibow]

Yeah, if they don't significantly acknowledge his blackness, that'll be weird and a problem. There's a hypervisibilitity on black bodies. I still remember when I was a kid the blatent way my family would be followed or stared at in stores. Just the way Clark would have to navigate slipping away to change would be different as a black man. You can't or rather shouldn't depict Clark and by extension Superman, as being treated exactly the same as mainline versions if you change his ethnicity.

Totally, it makes for a totally different take, an albeit uncomfortable but necessary watch...

Clark looking nervous, snooping around the back of a room to sneak off and change in a broom cupboard, now, swap and it's a black guy, you all know Cat Grant is whipping her iPhone out to catch him red handed stealing supplies... 'Karen Grant'.

This is what I meant earlier, to have a black Clark Kent totally changes the story.. for obvious, natural reasons... not only does he have to hide superman, he has to hide his blackness too, at times.... it is very interesting but it's also.... I get it, but that's not why I am going to watch a superman movie. You can ignore it, but then people will call it out.

To me, Clark Kent is Superman, and I'm just not interested in anyone else as Superman.

I totally understand, but to me.... it's what the S represents... for Calvin or Val to be able to don the cape, the S and 'be' superman - we can all relate to that, plus, visually... superman is stunning. The feats, the dynamics, it's amazing.

Now... what I loved the most was the secret identity, the fun we saw in the past with that.. changing in phone booths, storage rooms, hiding it... wearing glasses.. two places at once... that is so damn fun to watch and Snyder skipped over it, shamefully.

As a kids superman 4 and the double date scene was so cool...

I got thinking, I bet Black Adam is going to spear head DECU.E2 (earth 2). The signs are there, multiverse in Flashpoint, JSA is earth 2... this could be the next phase.

Bring it.

 

[Vaibow]

That would be cool. Val as the empty pod is clever. I'd love that. Say he knew it was time to reveal himself after Steppenwolf attack and seeing the league.

I do think we are going to be getting an entirely new continuity though.

Via earth 2? Flashpoint must explore this... it will not be hard to imagine this is earth 2, where Val Zod, Kara and Clark all escaped, then we see different time lines plan but but focus on metropolis.

Honestly, I just wanna see superman, whoever the alter ego is.... being superman... I do feel bad for Cavill, he and Ben Affleck in theory, well even Ray F have been screwed over with the characters via studio interference.

 

[DerekLake]

Val Zod but with a different story? I’m not opposed to “race-swapping”, but so much of Clark Kent’s upbringing and experiences are a result of the perception of his ethnicity. And I think any credible take on a black Clark Kent would have to take that into account such that it would be a different character (and a different Superman), even when taking into account life in a small town vs a big city. So why not be a bit more creative and give a black Superman an upbringing and experience that are more reflective of an African-American experience?

 

[Boom]

Had time to stew on this.

Clark Kent + Val Zod's costume.

 

[Calvin Ellis]

I still prefer Calvin Ellis with Val-Zods suit. Mainly because I just don't like how they did his cape post final crisis. But give him his Final Crisis suit and I'll be happy.

 

[BobJM]

Had time to stew on this.

Clark Kent + Val Zod's costume.

This.

 

[Boy Scout]

Calvin's costume is the best. I said what I said.

 

[KenoJMan]

There should be a third option of "No characters should ever appear in any Abrams reboot."

Star Trek fans were unhappy with his Star trek movies. Star Wars fans are unhappy with his Star Wars movies. And now SuperMan fans are gonna be through the roof with his SuperMan movie.

Maybe I'll be eating my words but that might just be wishful thinking.

This is a lazy lame way to be inclusive. Look at what MARVEL did right. Were fans arguing about Black Panther being black? Or were they happy for the movie and it's success? Are we gonna complain when Blade shows up and he's black? No. Are we going to complain about Falcon's race when the show starts next week? No! We are going to appreciate the awesome entertainment that comes from it. Use black characters that are black. Don't degrade blacks by only allowing them to play white characters. In order for blacks to have representation in these universes we need black actors playing black characters. Not a bunch of white characters played by light skinned black guys because the studio is scared to hire a black person who isn't at least mixed half white.

Take a page from MARVEL on how to be inclusive the right way where it's successful and you make a bunch of money. Look at Black Panther. There you go. Black characters can be awesome and profitable You don't have to borrow the white guy.

If I had to choose I'd go with Clark Kent. And maybe as a child he is exposed to racism in the heart of Kansas. But some people surprise him and do the right thing and that plus a few other events inspire him to believe in the good of people shaping him up to have the character traits of SuperMan. I will still root for this movie to be good especially if it's Clark Kent and they are really aiming to capture the essence of the character.

The President version of SuperMan is awful in my opinion. I gave the book a chance 12 years ago because I love Obama and he was based off of Obama. But that version of SuperMan really sucks if you ask me. I don't know anything about the other version.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

People keep acting like Abrams is directing this movie and that the SW sequel trilogy was this universally maligned thing just because old guard Star Wars fandom hates it. The sequels have a significant fanbase, it just skews younger (for obvious reasons) and female. Granted, not like Rise of Skywalker was enormously popular among that crowd but Abrams had about thirty-five minutes to write and direct it so I'll cut him some slack there (I still blame him for a lot of that though, it says a lot that Colin Trevorrow - one of my least favourite directors - had a vastly superior version even though he's very much a worse version of JJ, JJ is Spielberg lite and Colin is JJ lite).

Abrams issues are all with his flaws as a writer and director. His basic vision, casting and a whole lot of other things are almost universally on point. I wouldn't want him to direct this either, but having his voice in the room is a great thing. Even if he was directing, while I'd be a bit disappointed, there is no doubt in my mind he'd assemble the best cast Superman has had yet.

 

[Frodo]

Abrams is just producing and being a producer is a whole different ball game from being a writer/director.

Yeah, a Producer can have creative control in the sense of vetoing ideas and in casting , but unless the Producer is also the writer and the Director, The Producer role is quite different from a director and writer role.

I see , Abrams role as being more of a shepherd over the project as opposed to being the guy or gal in the field breaking down the story, character motivations, and working out the plot points.

That, presumably, will be the whoever the Director or The Writer or writers are.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

Abrams is just producing and being a producer is a whole different ball game from being a writer/director.

Yeah, a Producer can have creative control in the sense of vetoing ideas and in casting , but unless the Producer is also the writer and the Director, The Producer role is quite different from a director and writer role.

I see , Abrams role as being more of a shepherd over the project as opposed to being the guy or gal in the field breaking down the story, character motivations, and working out the plot points.

That, presumably, will be the whoever the Director or The Writer or writers are.

I'm not sure how many directors will be willing to jump on this franchise who aren't just journeymen looking to make a name.

If it's not Clark, you are going in at a deficit. If it is Clark, you're basically just filming Abram's Superman.

 

[Frodo]

I'm not sure how many directors will be willing to jump on this franchise who aren't just journeymen looking to make a name.

If it's not Clark, you are going in at a deficit. If it is Clark, you're basically just filming Abram's Superman.

I'm not quite sure what you're point is in relation to Abram's being a producer. I got the impression that the creative drive behind the film was Coates not Abrams, so it isn't "JJ Abrams" Superman film in terms of the creative direction.

He's the executive producer ,not the creative force. It means that he liked the idea ,and he's producing it, not that he's come up with the story and he's just finding a director to bring it to life

So whether they have a journeymen director who's looking to make a name for themselves or not, is a separate issue. It won't be "JJ Abrams Superman". It may be for fanboys who see the Abrams name as producer and assume it's "his baby", but the Superman film is gonna belong to whoever directs it journeyman or not.

As far as which Superman it will be, I'm actually beginning to suspect that it may not be Clark, Val Zod, or Calvin and that the pitch for the film was of an original character.

That would certainly fit into WB's have their cake and eat it too type multiverse concept in having a white Superman/Clark Kent in other films and having a potential one shot Black Superman who isn't bound to previous canon .

I could see WB being comfortable with that situation . And we still don't know whether it's going to be a theatrical release or an HBO Max project. Heck, we don't even know if the project ends up getting off the ground given WB's history of stalled projects. So there's alot still in the air.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

I'm not quite sure what you're point is in relation to Abram's being a producer. I got the impression that the creative drive behind the film was Coates not Abrams, so it isn't "JJ Abrams" Superman film in terms of the creative direction.

He's the executive producer ,not the creative force. It means that he liked the idea ,and he's producing it, not that he's come up with the story and he's just finding a director to bring it to life

So whether they have a journeymen director who's looking to make a name for themselves or not, is a separate issue. It won't be "JJ Abrams Superman". It may be for fanboys who see the Abrams name as producer and assume it's "his baby", but the Superman film is gonna belong to whoever directs it journeyman or not.

As far as which Superman it will be, I'm actually beginning to suspect that it may not be Clark, Val Zod, or Calvin and that the pitch for the film was of an original character.

That would certainly fit into WB's have their cake and eat it too type multiverse concept in having a white Superman/Clark Kent in other films and having a potential one shot Black Superman who isn't bound to previous canon .

I could see WB being comfortable with that situation . And we still don't know whether it's going to be a theatrical release or an HBO Max project. Heck, we don't even know if the project ends up getting off the ground given WB's history of stalled projects. So there's alot still in the air.

Coates’ name isn’t bringing in the money. When Spielberg or Scorcese produce something it’s their names that are keeping things together.

Coates can be fired or another writer brought on to rewrite his script. Abrams is the constant force to the end.

So for all intents and purposes it’s Abram’s Superman project.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Yeah, no, there's a reason they're hyping up Coates more than they typically do screenwriters. I'm sure its a story he came up with in collaboration with Abrams but obviously its going to be more built around his voice as a writer than Abrams.

It reads to me as a Man of Steel scenario where it was ultimately Nolan shepherding Goyer's vision. Only, you know, Coates can actually write which is something I can't say for Goyer apart from his lucky stroke with Begins.