A look back at the past 12 months to reflect on what kind of a year 2023 has been for Superman fans.
MOVIES
What a tumultuous year 2023 has been for Superman movie fans. We saw the return of Henry Cavill as Superman in “Black Adam,” followed by an announcement that he was back as Superman… only to have the rug pulled out from under our feet when that announcement proved premature, and in fact DC were going in a completely new direction when it came to their movie universe.
Henry was out. David Corenswet was in. “Superman: Legacy” was announced as the first big screen outing for the new DC Films universe being helmed by co-CEO James Gunn, who not only has written the script for the new Man of Steel movie, but he’s also directing as well.
The cast is a diverse and interesting one, with David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer. The film is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025.
While it received mixed reviews, 2023 also gave us “The Flash,” in which we were introduced to Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. Whether it’s a “one and done” situation for Sasha, the movie also gave as a look at the Multiverse Supermen, with Nicholas Cage as Superman fighting a giant spider.
On the animated movie front, 2023 gave us not one but two “Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen” animated films, we also saw “Legion of Super-Heroes” and “Justice League: Warworld” continue on the “Tomorrowverse”, with the announcement that that universe of animate movies will be concluding in 2024 with the “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths” trilogy.
2023 was also the 45th anniversary of the release of “Superman: The Movie,” which debuted in December 1978.
TELEVISION
The bright point in television in 2023 was the surprise hit in the form of the “My Adventures With Superman” animated series. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series, but I was pleasantly surprised with how great it was and can’t wait for Season 2 in 2024.
This past year we also watched another great season of “Superman & Lois”. However we now know that the upcoming fourth season in 2024 will be the show’s last. Nevertheless, Season 3 was another great instalment in the series, with a powerful storyline focusing on Lois Lane’s battle with breast cancer. The introduction of Michael Cudlitz as Lex Luthor was another high point of the series.
The “Titans” live-action series, featuring Superboy/Conner Kent and Krypto, concluded in 2023. The young heroes spent a large amount of time in Metropolis in this final season of the series, and even Lex Luthor featured briefly.
COMIC BOOKS
2023 was of course Superman’s 85th anniversary, with the character’s debut comic book (“Action Comics #1”) having been released in 1938.
I think 2023 will go down as one of the strongest years for the Superman comic books in decades. Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Joshua Williamson have given us stories that will go down as some of the best in recent memory. I have no doubt readers will look back on this time in years to come as another purple patch of amazing stories in Superman’s long comic book history. From “Kal-El Returns,” “Home Again” and “The Chained,” 2023 stories (especially in “Action Comics”) have been riveting.
Add to that additional titles like “Batman/Superman: World’s Finest,” “Superman: Space Age,” “Superman: Adventures of Jon Kent” and “Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow,” and there’s been something for everyone to enjoy. Even “Superman: Lost” had its fans.
ELSEWHERE
On the merchandise side of things, McFarlane Toys, XM Studios, Hot Toys and other toy manufacturers have given us quite a lot of new Superman action figures, statues and figurines in 2023. It’s been hard to keep up.
Here at the Superman Homepage, 2023 was very busy, especially towards the final months of the year, with the release of a number of 85th anniversary projects, such as our “Evolution of Superman’s ‘S’ Shield” and “The Changing Face of Superman” posters, the 2023 SHIELD Awards (which come to an end very soon), and the start of our 30th year online.
All in all, I think 2023 was a great year for Superman fans! The future looks bright, but for now, as we close out 2023, it’s good to reflect on the past 12 months and appreciate what a positive year it was for the Man of Steel.
