Superman is looking more and more like the perfect way to start the DCU. Superman is the first superhero as we have known them, and has over 80 years of history under his belt. Superman is an icon and his comics have shown the directions that superheroes can be taken. DC hasn’t had the best time of things in the cinemas over the last few years, but luckily for fans, there are decades of amazing stories to adapt and take inspiration from. DC Studios is led by James Gunn, a huge comic fan, so that bodes well for the future. If there’s anyone who will look into the past of DC to find stories that fans will love, it will be James Gunn.
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Superman is being built as the center of the DCU, and the best way to do that is to take inspiration from the best Superman comics. Superman’s comic stories can easily be fodder for some amazing movies. These five Superman stories would make for brilliant DCU projects, giving the new superhero cinematic universe the killer stories it needs to thrive.
Grant Morrison’s Action Comics Run
The New 52 was a massive reboot of the DC Multiverse, one that has a bad reputation. However, that doesn’t mean that every New 52 comic was bad, and one of those would make for a brilliant DCU saga. Grant Morrison was give the reins of Action Comics and got to reboot Superman, taking him back to his socialist Golden Age roots. From there, the 19 issue run takes readers on a twisting narrative, one that reveals that there is a monstrous manipulator in the shadows controlling everything that happened to Superman. Morrison’s Action Comics is an amazing look at Superman and his world, and takes readers to places that few other Superman books have. It takes an important part of the DC mythos — the Fifth Dimension — and uses it in an entirely new way. While not everything needs to make it to the big screen, the DCU can take Morrison’s run on Action Comics — which is all one long story — and use it to inform an amazing series of Superman movies.
“Brainiac”
Brainiac is one of the most important villains in the Superman mythos, but he’s never made it to the big screen. Brainiac is on Lex Luthor’s level in the comics and is one of the few villains that Superman actually fears. There are some cool Brainiac stories out there, but the best for the DCU is “Brainiac”, from writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank. This story was basically a reintroduction to Brainaic, positing that every other Brainiac story up until now was just Superman fighting a drone of the actual Brainiac. There’s a horror aspect to the story that makes it special, capturing why Brainiac is such a force in the life of Superman. Plus, the story includes Supergirl, so that would mean that Superman and his cousin can share the silver screen. “Brainiac” is a modern classic and putting it on the big screen is a recipe for success.
“Warworld Saga”
“Warworld Saga” is perfect for the DCU. The story revolves around a weakened Superman, scared of failing the Earth as he loses his powers, teaming up with the Authority to complete an important mission — freeing Warworld from the clutches of Mongul. That’s the set-up for a story that many readers credit with beginning the current Superman renaissance. “Warworld Saga” has everything that superhero movie story needs. It has a team-up between characters, a monstrous villain, pulse-pounding action, and the type of Superman storytelling that shows why he’s such a perfect character. While the Authority isn’t getting its movie as was planned, they still deserve their place in the DCU and “Warworld Saga” is the way to get them there.
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Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come, by writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross, is a story about the DC Universe at a whole, but anyone who thinks it isn’t a Superman story at its heart needs to read it again. Kingdom Come deserves its place among the best modern Superman comics because there are few DC stories that get Superman better. Kingdom Come takes place in a future where the heroes of the past have retired and been replaced by a violent new breed. When a massive disaster rocks the United States, Superman returns to show the world what being a superhero means. However, there are shadowy forces, former allies and enemies alike, who think that Superman’s solution isn’t what the world needs. Kingdom Come has never been adapted, but its realistic art style would look amazing on the big screen. This story is peak Superman, presenting just what he means to the world, as well as the problems with the character and the way he sees the world and himself.
Superman: Up in the Sky
Tom King is one of DC’s greatest creators, but fans didn’t know how if his psychological style of storytelling — often focusing on the trauma of being a superhero — would gel well with Superman. All of that was changed when Superman: Up in the Sky, by King and artist Andy Kubert, dropped. Superman: Up in the Sky sees Superman decide to leave Earth to go and rescue one little girl from an alien menace. The story is a travelogue through space, with each vignette digging into Superman and who he is. It’s brilliant Superman storytelling, combining the disparate elements of Superman to create the perfect picture of the character. Superman: Up in the Sky would be the perfect way to show audiences who Superman is and what lengths he’ll go to in order to save a life.
