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July 22, 2013: Is it a Superman Sequel or a World's Finest Film?

By Steve Younis

On the afternoon of Saturday, June 20, "Man of Steel" director Zack Snyder took to the stage in Room 6A in the San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con International 2013 to make an announcement.

"I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for supporting the movie," said Snyder of Man of Steel. "It was great working with such an awesome character and have everyone respond. But I wanted to come up personally, because I know there's been a lot of speculation about what we're doing, and I wanted it to come from me and say that it's official that we're going to do another Superman movie."

If he'd had stopped there I would have been doing cartwheels and jumping up and down with utter excitement... But he didn't. He went on to say...

"The truth is I'm not going to tell you what it's about, but I can say that maybe there's a single element that will be in the film that I could help you out with. And so I was thinking about how to do that, and I pored through the DC Universe to find a way to tell you this thing, and I came across a thing that might sum it up. We're writing it now, so it doesn't exist, but there's a thing to help you understand. So I have a friend here, Harry Lennix, who was in Man of Steel, and I bring him out because his voice is better than mine. He's going to read a little thing - we're not adapting this thing, but it will help you."

So Harry Lennix walks to the microphone and quotes the following dialog from Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" graphic novel:

"I want you to remember, Clark. In all the years to come, in all your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you."

Now, I've highlighted a few words in the above dialog from Zack Snyder because I think they're important. Allow me to explain...

It's official. They're making "another Superman movie". Does that mean this next film will be a Superman movie or a movie that Superman is in? Sounds like the former, the way he said it, but your guess is as good as mine. And there is a difference. If this is a "World's Finest" or "Superman/Batman" movie, then it's a movie that Superman is in. If this is "Man of Steel 2" with Batman coming to Metropolis, then it's a Superman movie in which Batman is also included. I'd prefer the latter... but then I'd actually prefer Batman not be in the film at all. But I'll get to that...

Snyder was clear that they're "not adapting" Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" (which DC Entertainment already did as an animated movie earlier this year), so as Superman fans we can breath a sigh of relief. But did he use the quote from "The Dark Knight Returns" as a way to introduce Batman as the "single element that will be in the film," or is the quote an indication of the type of story they're going to be telling? Again, too early to tell as they're "writing it now" and the script "doesn't exist" yet.

The information provided by Snyder isn't much to go on, and different people will read different meanings in what little information we were given in the few minutes he was on stage.

There seems to have been three reactions to this announcement, perfectly highlighted by the different approaches various news media have taken when reporting on it:

Reaction #1 - "Man of Steel" Sequel Co-Starring Batman

Some of the headlines used include: "Superman is coming back and his co-star will be Batman", "Superman will return in a new movie ... with Batman", "Superman is Coming Back - This Time With Batman", and "Batman joins Superman for forthcoming movie".

Reaction #2 - Superman vs. Batman

Having heard Lennix read a quote from "The Dark Knight Returns", the headlines I read which believe this movie will focus on the two superheroes fighting each other include: "Batman to battle Superman in sequel", "Superman to Face Off Against Batman in Man of Steel Sequel", "Superman to face Batman in new superhero movie", and "Superman And Batman Battle In Man Of Steel 2".

Reaction #3 - Superman and Batman to Team Up

Other news media reported on this as a team-up movie, with headlines such as: "Superman and Batman teaming up for 'Man of Steel' sequel", "Batman, Superman to unite on big screen", "Batman and Superman Team Up in 2015", and "Superman, Batman to team up in new film".

Fan Reactions

These three categories seem to reflect not only the news headlines reporting on this announcement, but they also seem to mirror fan reactions.

Will this be a Superman movie with Batman thrown in for good measure? Will it be a "World's Finest" movie with the two characters teaming up to fight a common villain? Will it be inspired by Frank Miller's story and see Batman taking on Superman in an epic battle?

The speculation has lead to some heated debate across the internet. True to form, the reactions seem to have split the fandom down the middle. There are those who love the idea. Those who hate the idea. And those who sit somewhere in between.

My Reaction

Personally, I'm not exactly thrilled. I was hoping Warner Bros. would allow Superman to have another solo film before bringing in any other superheroes into the mix.

I understand the financial reasoning behind the decision. It makes good business sense to put your two biggest comic book characters in a movie together. It'll undoubtably be a huge financial success for Warner Bros.

But I'm not looking at it from their perspective. I'm looking at it from mine. A Superman fan's perspective. And my perspective, will be different to the perspective of other Superman fans, I'm sure.

And let me be clear... I'm a Superman fan. Yes, I'm also somewhat of a DC Universe fan, but that's mainly because Superman is a DC Universe character. I'm not a Batman fan. So my perspective will be different to those who love both Superman and Batman.

I feel somewhat cheated that they're throwing Batman in with Superman in this next movie. Imagine, as a Batman fan, after "Batman Begins" was released, if Warner Bros. had announced that instead of doing a what ended up being "The Dark Knight" that they'd instead decided to bring Superman in for the second Batman movie. It would be a slap in the face to Batman fans who were looking forward to seeing the continued development of the Batman character.

This feels like a slap in the face to Superman fans.

Call me selfish, but I wanted to see a stand-alone sequel to "Man of Steel" to further explore Superman's character in this new cinematic version, before seeing any of the other DC heroes come into play.

Batman fans got a trilogy of solo films. Why can't Superman fans enjoy the same deal?

Now we'll never truly be able to measure the success of this new Superman franchise, because we've only been given the one stand-alone movie. Even if this next movie is truly a sequel to "Man of Steel" (with Batman as a support character), the film's (likely) financial success will always be attributed to the inclusion of Batman.

Before you say, "But Steve, it's not a competition between Superman and Batman!". Tell that to Warner Bros., who decided to make this next movie's story a competition between Superman and Batman.

As a Superman fan, it once again stinks of "Batman to the Rescue," which seems to be the trend at DC Comics these days. All bow to the all-powerful and infallible Batman.

The fact that Snyder chose to have Lennix read a quote from "The Dark Knight Returns" only adds to the fears of fans who might feel the same way. If this truly is "another Superman movie" as Snyder announced, then we better not end up with a movie where Batman gets the upper hand on Superman.

Yes, Snyder said, "we're not adapting this thing," meaning they're not filming a movie based on "The Dark Knight Returns" story, but he added, "it will help you" in understanding what they're doing. Now in my view, the whole reason he had Lennix read that quote was because fans attending Comic-Con would automatically recognize it as a story that involved both Superman and Batman. But it has created some panic amongst Superman fans who don't want to see a movie where Batman betters Superman... especially if this is supposed to be a Superman sequel to begin with.

Don't get me wrong. I'm extremely happy that we'll get to see Henry Cavill play Superman again in another movie, and I'll be eagerly following this movie's progress over the next two years without a doubt.

Had this announcement come after the second movie in the "Man of Steel" franchise, I would have been thrilled. It's a stepping stone towards the "Justice League" movie. But bringing in Batman to what was announced as "another Superman movie" leaves me somewhat disappointed. I don't want Batman in a Superman movie. I want Batman (and Superman) in a "World's Finest" and/or "Justice League" movie.

What it boils down to is, as a Superman fan, I think it was a mistake to announce another Superman movie using a quote from "The Dark Knight Returns".

If you're going to make a "Superman/Batman" movie then announce it as such. Don't say we're making another Superman movie, but it'll have Batman in it. As a Superman fan that's not what I want to hear.

Steve