Superman is kicking off the DCU in style, and this is the best idea that DC Studios could have had. Superman is the first superhero, and kicking off a series of DC movies with him feels right. Superman has existed for over 80 years and during that time fans have gotten some brilliant stories with Superman. These stories have laid out who Superman is and how far he’ll go to save the day, and there are lots of stories that would make for excellent movies and animated series. DC Studios wouldn’t go wrong with adapting a lot of Superman stories, bringing the classics of the superhero medium to the big screen.
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However, that doesn’t mean that every classic Superman story should be adapted. Not every story can survive the adaptation to live action. These five Superman stories are stone cold classics, yet they wouldn’t be right for the big screen for a variety of reasons.
“The Death of Superman”
“The Death of Superman” has earned its place among the best modern Superman stories. It wasn’t the first time Superman was killed in the comics — for years the “imaginary stories” of the past gave readers stories that dealt with Superman’s death. However, it was the first one in the mainline universe that actually killed Superman and it wasn’t a red herring. The battle between Superman and Doomsday is one of the most exciting, visceral battles in comic history and everyone thinks they want it on the big screen. However, one needs to look no further than Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice to see that it’s not a great idea to adapt “The Death of Superman”. The story and its aftermath depended upon the serial nature of comics to truly make an impact. Beyond that, there’s really no reason to tell the story on the big screen again.
“For the Man Who Has Everything”
Superman Annual #11 gave readers a story that has gone down as one of the greatest Superman stories ever. “For the Man Who Has Everything”, by the Watchmen team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, sees Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman visiting the Fortress of Solitude for Superman’s birthday. They find their friend in the grips of the Black Mercy, a killer plant that gives its victim their hearts desire, with Mongul there to destroy them all. This is an amazing Superman story, and many would like to see it on the big screen. However, here’s the thing — there’s already been a perfect adaptation of “For the Man Who Has Everything” in the cartoon Justice League Unlimited. This was the only Alan Moore DC adaptation that he ever allowed his name to be on, which means that it’s perfect. There’s no need to bring it to the big screen.
“Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”
Alan Moore’s time at DC gave multiple characters brilliant stories. When Crisis on Infinite Earths was coming out, Moore demanded to write the last two stories of the pre-Crisis Superman, literally threatening DC big wig Paul Levitz to get the gig, which led to “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”. Moore teamed with classic Superman artist Curt Swan and George Perez to tell the story of the final days of Superman. Superman’s villains have become more bloodthirsty than ever, challenging Superman in new ways. This leads to the reveal of his secret identity and Superman taking his loved one to the Fortress of Solitude to protect them. This leads to the ultimate Luthor/Brainiac team-up, a siege that costs the lives of Superman’s best friends, and reveal of a villain that no one ever expected to be this monstrous. “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” is a story that closed out the Superman mythos, saying goodbye to the Man of Steel. It’s a brilliant story, but it doesn’t need to come to the big screen.
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“Last Son”
“Last Son”, by Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, and Adam Kubert, is one of the best modern Superman stories. The story kicks off with a Kryptonian child falling to Earth, which draws out the fathering instincts in Superman. From there, things get insane, as after an attack by Bizarro, the truth behind the child’s origin is revealed — he’s the son of General Zod and Ursa, who they used to escape the Phantom Zone. This leads to Superman battling Zod, Ursa, and Non, a battle he loses. Zod’s actions force Superman to team up with his most dangerous foe, leading to a massive battle of epic proportions. Zod is a great Superman villain but he doesn’t need another big screen appearance — and this story is basically Superman II told exactly as Donner wished it could be, which is another strike against it. Plus, an argument can be made that the story wouldn’t be nearly as good without artist Adam Kubert’s breathtaking visuals. Live action is fine, but sometimes the art on the comic pages is superior and “Last Son” is a perfect example of this.
Superman: Space Age
Superman: Space Age, by Mark Russell and the art team of Mike and Laura Allred, is a retro masterpiece. The story starts at the end of universe in 1985 and then jumps to the 1960s, with Superman coming to Metropolis after leaving Smallville, and retells the story of his life in a three issue masterpiece of comic book storytelling. Superman: Space Age takes elements of the Silver Age DC Multiverse, combines it with ideas from Crisis on Infinite Earths, and gives readers a story that shows how Superman would react to the end of everything. It’s a near perfect story, but it just doesn’t belong on the big screen. Much like “Last Son”, it just wouldn’t look the same without the beautiful pop art styling of the Allreds. They do an amazing job of bringing Russell’s retro Superman story to life, and Superman: Space Age just wouldn’t feel the same without their work.
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