James Gunnrecently announced a ton of new projects for his DCU. The most exciting of these is definitely his new take onSupermanthat he himself is writing and directing. It turns out that this has been his passion project for decades. Now he has a chance to bring his love of Superman to the big screen in a new way. We’ve already seen movies likeSuperman, Superman Returns,andMan of Steel. Then there are the television shows likeLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series, Smallville, Supergirl,andSuperman and Lois.All of these shows and movies have interesting plot lines that the new movie could draw from. Not only that but there are the videogames and comics that have stories that Gunn could take from.
There are decades of Superman stories out there. New villains for him to face, new challenges, and new versions of the character himself that could light up the big screen and change Hollywood forever. Here are some of the best Superman storylines that could be excellent films.
20All-Star Superman
There’s one Superman story that we already know that James Gunn is looking at.That would be the legendary “All-Star Superman” written by Grant Morrison. While we know that Gunn wants to do a movielike"All-Star Superman", we don’t know if he’s actually considering doing the actual story depicted in the comic.
That comic begins with Superman valiantly saving a group of astronauts who are on a mission that took them to the sun’s surface. Superman’s proximity to the yellow sun, which gives him his powers, supercharges him and makes him more powerful than ever before. Unfortunately, it proves to be too much. Superman only has one year left to live. What follows is an amazing journey through Superman’s life as he finishes a series of tasks before his time is up. It would make for a thrilling live action film, even for a young Superman.
19Brainiac
It is wild that there have been so many Superman films over the years and none of them have featured Brainiac. (Though the legendary unmadeSuperman Liveswith Nic Cage as Superman nearly did feature the famous villain.) Brainiac has proven himself to be one of Clark’s greatest adversaries over the years. One who has several different origins that would make for a great film.
While he is often depicted as a member of a completely different alien race, some of the best depictions of Brainiac involve him being an Ultron-style artificial intelligence developed on Krypton that may or may not have caused the planet’s destruction. Regardless of his origin, he is an intergalactic despot who travels the galaxy, collecting rare species and entire cities while obliterating everything else in his path. He’s a perfect movie villain, especially for a new franchise looking to set itself apart.
18Warworld
Today, the most famous comic book movie villain is without a doubt Thanos fromAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame.So introducing the movie-going public to the Superman franchise’s very own Thanos is a no-brainer. Mongul (and his various progeny who share his name) is the despotic maniac who rules “Warworld”. This society revolves around constant battles with other cultures and gladiator-style showdowns within its own world.
This pitch for a movie is pretty simple. Just put Ridley Scott’sGladiatortogether withMan of SteelandThor: Ragnarökwith a yellow Thanos as the main antagonist. If that doesn’t sound like a guranteed summer blockbuster, what does?
17Old Friends With Lex Luthor
With a new Superman movie franchise comes a new Lex Luthor. So far the movies have done several different versions of Lex including the evil genius version that Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey played and then the evil businessman that Jesse Eisenberg played. There’s one take on Lex Luthor that has yet to make it to the big screen, and it might just be the best take on the character ever.
Smallvillereinvented the relationship Superman had with his main enemy by introducing him as a friend of Clark Kent’s before he was ever Superman. Driven mad by Clark’s secret and his relationship with his father Lionel Luthor, Lex ends up becoming the evil villain we knew him to be. Only now there’s added drama as Clark will always look at Lex as his misunderstood best friend, instead of an evil tyrant. If Professor X and Magneto’s strange frienemy relationship made for amazing movie drama, this would be a winner for sure.
Related:Dave Bautista Wants to Play Lex Luthor in the DCU
For some, the definitive version of Superman didn’t appear in the movies or the comics. To those fans,Superman: The Animated Serieswas the best take on the character ever. There are several incredible storylines the show, and the subsequent sequels, introduced that would be perfect for the big screen. Arguably the greatest Superman story in the series came when Darkseid captured Superman and brainwashed him into thinking he was a son of Apokolips. He then led an army of Parademons against Earth as an alien conqueror. Even when he regained his mind and pounded Darkseid to a pulp, the damage to his public image had been done. Subsequent shows would even have his closest friends like Emil Hamilton turn against him because of this.
James Gunn has already said that this DC universe is one that he hopes to emulate for the new movie universe. This story would certainly be cinematic gold. That and it could possibly pay off the Knightmare storyline from the Snyderverse. That’s two superbirds with one stone.
15For The Man Who Has Everything
There are a ton of Superman stories out there, but only a few dozen are considered to be among the best comics ever made. One of those stories is “For The Man Who Has Everything”, written by Alan Moore. It tells the story of Superman’s birthday, where the villainous Mongul delivers him an alien creature that puts Superman into a fantasy world where he was able to raise a family on Krypton. Once this beautiful illusion was destroyed, he lays quite a bit of pain on Mongul for the birthday present.
The only issue here is that everyone knows how Alan Moore feels about film adaptations of his work. If James Gunn adapted this story, there’s little doubt that it would open us all up to another round of Alan Moore telling anyone who will listen how much he hates the comic book industry now.
14Kingdom Come
Mark Waid and Alex Ross' “Kingdom Come” is truly one of the greatest stories ever published by DC Comics. The story tells of a dark future that has moved on from the golden era of superheroes into something much darker and scarier. A retired Superman comes back into action and turns against the new generation of superheroes led by a new hero named Gog. While they likely wouldn’t start with this story, they could introduce a young Gog like DC Comics recently did. This story is likeWatchmenorThe Dark Knight Returnsso it would make for a great direction for the entire franchise to aim for.
We already know that this comic is on Gunn’s radar. He posted a picture of “Kingdom Come” implying that if plans to bring this story to life aren’t already in the works that they could be in the very near future.
Related:Black Adam Producer Wants to Make a DCEU Kingdom Come Movie
13The Red Son
Another famous story from the comics is Mark Millar’s “Superman: Red Son”. This showed a version of Superman where he crashed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas. He becomes Russia’s greatest superhero and even meets alternate versions of the other famous DC Comics heroes. It is a fascinating way of removing the “truth, justice, and the American way” from the Superman equation and seeing what that makes of him.
It seems unlikely that James Gunn would do a complete adaptation of this storyline, but theSupergirltelevision series could offer an alternative. Their “Red Daughter” storyline instead showed a duplicate of Supergirl trained in Russia to take her counterpart down. Seeing Superman vs. Red Son Superman would be an excellent movie. That or it could end up becoming the superhero equivalent ofRocky IV.
12The Wedding
One of the most notable stories in all the Superman mythos is his marriage to Lois Lane. Despite the fact that there have been many depictions of Clark and Lois having a romance on the big screen, we have yet to see the pair actually tie the knot. This event has been covered in the comics and on television several different times. It would be an excellent framing device for a film where Superman not only has to save the world, but he has to do so before it’s time for him to make it to the church to give his vows.
Not only would this be a fun way to present a new Superman film, but it would make good on one of the greatest romances that has stretched across film history all the way to the black and white moving pictures days. It would also help set up the appearance of Superman’s son and one of the best characters in the Superman canon.
11Superboy: Jonathan Kent
Without a doubt the best addition to the Superman canon in recent years has been the addition of his son, Jonathan Kent. He’s superheroic progeny offers Superman the chance to not only show off his skills as Superman, but teach what it truly means to be a hero to the next generation. Since Jon Kent became Superboy, he’s since gone on to lead a Superman comic as his own, fully taking on his father’s legacy. That is a Superman story worthy of a film adaptation.
What would make this even better is Jon Kent’s best friend, Damian Wayne. The son of Batman has already been confirmed for the newest Batman film, so it would be perfect to introduce Jon as well. The pair could even be featured in their own Super Sons movie if people like them enough.
