Superman vs. the Authority Could Make for a Perfect DC Sequel

The news has finally arrived regarding James Gunn and Peter Safran’s upcoming slate for Warner Bros Discover when it comes to the DC Cinematic Universe. With the first movies and television series being a part of the initial outing with the title “Gods And Monsters”, one of the most surprising announcements was that the film-making duo would be bringing the Authority to life for the first time in their own feature-length film. With the upcoming arrival of these blood-thirsty superheroes, a potential sequel could unite the Authority with the Man of Steel using a previous comic.

Superman: Legacy will be the name of Gunn’s take on the Man of Steel which is touted as the beginning of this first phase of DC Cinematic movies, with the DC Universe runner having this to say about the upcoming take on the Last Son of Krypton and the influences from the comics that will be used:

“Superman, I really love the idea of Superman. He’s a big old galoot. He is a farm boy from Kansas who is very idealistic. His greatest weakness is that he’ll never kill anybody, doesn’t want to hurt a living soul. And I like that sort of innate goodness about Superman as his defining characteristic. It’s not All-Star Superman, but again, I’m a huge fan of All-Star Superman, and is very inspired by All-Star Superman.”  

While far from confirmed that we’ll see this take on Superman fighting the Authority, it would work well in terms of bringing to the screen one of Clark Kent’s biggest comic book stories. “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way” was the main story of 2001’s Action Comics #775, with the Man of Steel fighting against “The Elite”, a new team of superheroes that weren’t scared of doing anything necessary to save the world, including brutally murdering their enemies. This comic would help in creating the animated adaptation in 2012, Superman Vs. The Elite, which was a fairly faithful rendition of the issue in question.

So why pit these two DC properties against one another? Well, the original story by Joe Kelly and Dog Mahnke explored the need for a Superman in the face of much harsher heroes who were willing to cross a line that Clark never would and what it means for there to be a “Superman” in this day and age. The storyline asks some major questions when it comes to the idea of why there should be a Superman and whether the idea of letting your enemies live is a topic that is too “old-fashioned”. 

In the past few years, we’ve seen quite a few “evil Supermen” appear in pop culture, with the likes of The Boys’ Homelander and Invincible’s Omni-Man being just two major examples. With Gunn and Safran looking to create a more hopeful version of the Man of Steel with Superman’s next outing, comparing him to the Authority might make for a major entry into this new DC universe.

What do you think of Gunn and Safran’s plans for the DCU? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the DC Cinematic Universe.