DC’s animated treatment of Superman: Red Son is coming up in the early part of next year. One fan on Reddit managed to sneak a glimpse of what Batman from the Red Son universe will look like this week. This marks another version of the hero to make a debut this year alongside the Bruce Wayne in DC Universe’s Titans. People should know that this Batman is very different from the one that most frequently stars in comics, TV shows, and movies.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Red Son‘s version of Bruce Wayne saw his parents killed in a hail of gunfire from Stalin’s police force. The young man swears revenge on the people responsible and dons the mask of Batmankoff. The distinct mask with an ushanka (that’s what they call those very cool Russian hats) up top is the most noticeable change in Batman from a visual perspective. There is so much more about this story that gets turned upside down though.
For starters, the three-part ‘prestige series’ exists in DC’s “Elseworlds” alternative universes. Mark Millar headed the project back in 2003 as he and a team of artists wondered what would happen if Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union as a baby rather in the fields of Middle-America. This change results in Superman becoming the Soviet’s greatest weapon and eventually a communist leader. The land prospers under his guidance and a version of Lex Luthor is brought in by Jimmy Olsen and the CIA to bring down the Big Red Machine.
The Cold War reaches a boiling point when Superman has to battle clones of himself that Luthor created. The resulting fight causes something like a nuclear disaster. It hardens Superman, and he begins to strike anyone who opposes his party down by lobotomizing them. It brings a whole new meaning to Superman Robots. That’s just a taste as Luthor becomes president and leads the country into direct conflict with Superman.
The cast for the feature includes Jason Isaacs (Batman: Under the Red Hood) as Superman; Diedrich Bader (American Housewife) as Lex Luthor; Amy Acker (The Gifted) as Lois Lane; Vanessa Marshall (Star Wars Rebels) as Wonder Woman; Phil Morris (Doom Patrol) as James Olsen; Paul Williams (Goliath) as Brainiac; Sash Roiz (Grimm) and Phil LaMarr (Supergirl) as Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart; and Roger Graig Smith (Arkham Origins) as Batman.
In addition to those iconic DC heroes, Red Son’s premise brings some Cold War-era figures into the mix. Travis Willingham (Batman: Bad Blood) will voice John F. Kennedy and Superior Man, while William Sayers (Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders) will voice Joseph Stalin, and Ave Zoli will voice Svetlana.
Superman: Red Son is being directed by Sam Liu (Batman/Superman: Public Enemies, Reign of the Supermen) from a script by J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League Dark). It will be released on DVD/Blu-ray and digital download during the first quarter of 2020.
