Nearly a decade since the first movie, Man of Steel 2 with Henry Cavill, is finally coming to the DC Extended Universe. The desire for the long-awaited Superman sequel has been building for years, crescendoing now with the release of Black Adam. And the intention would seem to be taking the character in a more traditional direction, but that should be tempered with some of what Zack Snyder brought to the table.
A Superman film that's a bit too classic will only further damage the character's reputation. In potentially hewing close to an outdated version of the hero, Warner Bros. Discovery may cement that such a take is the only way to "get Superman right." Thus, at least a bit of the grounded nature of the first Man of Steel needs to return if DC fans are going to believe that a Man of Tomorrow can fly in today's market.
Man of Steel Had a Controversially Human Take on Superman
Zack Snyder's Man of Steel was inarguably the polar opposite of the previous movie versions of the character. Analogous to the differences between Tim Burton's Batman movies and the 1960s Batman TV show, this new cinematic Superman wasn't the flawless cardboard cutout hero Christopher Reeve played. Likewise, the world was far closer to the real world than ever before, from how it looked to how everyday people reacted to his presence. Needless to say, the fanbase, which hadn't seen the Last Son of Krypton on the big screen in years, was in for a surprise.
Things only got darker in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which actually had Superman die in its climax. This film's tone and quality made it even more toxically divisive than its predecessor, with Joss Whedon's attempt to course-correct with a lighter Superman in his version of Justice League simply too little, too late. Now, Superman's return to the DCEU will try to pull this more organically, but the pendulum swing shouldn't be to the opposite extreme.
It's Time to Move Beyond Christopher Reeve's Superman
As iconic as the Reeve and Richard Donner movies were, it's far beyond time to move past them and give a new generation their own modernized take on the character. Thus, if the DCEU's attempts to lighten Cavill's Superman up include turning Clark Kent into a bumbling doofus while Superman has no real character, it's a recipe for disaster. It's an outdated version of the character that belongs in another time, much like the Adam West Batman. Sure, it's fun to revisit West's Caped Crusader on occasion, but Superman has been haunted by the Donner movies and never allowed to escape from their influence.
And it isn't just Superman's character, as the general tone of the Donner movies also needs to stay in the past. Superman Returns already tried to bring said tone back in a modern film, albeit halfheartedly. The result was an incredibly boring film whose Superman was far more morally questionable than Man of Steel's. Likewise, the DC Extended Universe Wonder Woman 1984 was heavily criticized for abandoning the more serious tone of its predecessor for a needless Donner throwback. Its mall scene, in particular, is an example of just how uncool Superman will look if he's made to be this way in a movie again.
Superman needs to hit it big with modern audiences, and it won't be done by replicating a film series that was outdated and old-hat by the late '80s. A brighter color palette, more overtly heroic actions and having Cavill smile more will go a long way in making Man of Steel 2 feel more like a Superman movie. At the same time, the verisimilitude of Snyder's Metropolis and the people living there is needed to make things come alive, helping to turn Clark Kent and those around him into as beloved characters as Batman and his supporting cast.
As scandalous as it was, the cynicism of Snyder's Metropolis gave Superman and his actions some weight. Seeing a man fly isn't enough anymore, and part of making Superman's powers seem larger than life is having an all-too-human world react in a human fashion. The colors may be brighter and the tone a little lighter, but Man of Steel 2 desperately needs to keep this sense of Superman in a "realistic" world.