Please Stop Adapting the Death of Superman

Superman died once, did you know that? You probably did; considering the eruption the story caused in American pop culture in the early ‘90s, it would be hard to not know the Man of Steel once died. This was back when consumers were still just gullible enough to believe Superman would actually be dead forever, and before publishers realized the death and resurrection trope was a goldmine they could exploit into oblivion. It is without a doubt one of the most iconic Superman stories ever told, but it's also one we really don't need to see adapted aver again.

However, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are well on their way to releasing a new adaptation of The Death of Superman through the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. The story will be split into two films, The Death of Superman in late 2018, and Reign of the Supermen in early 2019. It’s clear that Warner Bros. sees this story as Superman’s response to Batman’s The Dark Knight Returns films from a few years back. However, what does it say about the character that his most iconic story, which apparently needs multiple adaptations in quick succession, is about him dying?

The Many Deaths of Superman

To understand the infatuation with the Death of Superman, you have to look beyond the initial story. It wasn't exactly an original idea to kill the Man of Steel in 1992; the publisher had been doing it for decades, only those stories didn't count. Much like Marvel's What If? stories, DC told Imaginary Stories (basically non-continuity), which is how we got the first "The Death of Superman."

In 1961, Superman creator Jerry Siegel returned to the character for Superman #149. By this point, the Silver Age of comics had transformed the character into an embodiment of pure fantasy. Each issue became an exercise in the suspension of disbelief, as Superman gained new extraordinary powers and was shown to be capable of doing just about anything. At this time, Superman comics were more a laundry list of amazing feats than actual storytelling endeavors.

By the time the original "The Death of Superman" story debuted, it made sense to explore what it would be like if the hero didn't always win, and if the superhero was actually capable of dying. In Superman #149, Lex Luthor finally manages to kill the Man of Steel, and it was permanent -- even if it didn't really count.

Inevitably, in-continuity stories were told about Superman dying, if only for a short amount of time. In 1966 Otto Binder and Curt Swan created "The School For Superman Assassins" in Superman #188. An assassin actually managed to kill Superman in this story, but the hero was brought back to life. In 1977, Steve Englehart and Dick Dillon told the story "The Carnival of Souls" in Justice League of America #145, where Superman is killed by magic and the League must save his soul.

This practice of bringing the most powerful man in the world to his knees continued on over the years. In Alan Moore and Curt Swan's seminal Superman story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow," DC said goodbye to the Silver Age version of the character in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The 1986 tale deals with the disappearance of Superman, and though it is revealed that the man never actually died, the superhero did. It's a story that deals with the mortality and lasting legacy of the greatest superhero that ever existed.

Even after DC finally decided to kill Superman "for real," the idea has been revisited many times over, though usually lacking the nuance of the original. By 1999, DC upped the ante to comically horrendous and brutal extremes with the continuous murder of Superman through time travel in The Kingdom and the brutal death of the original Golden Age Superman in Infinite Crisis. "The Final Days of Superman," which saw the end of the New 52 era Superman eventually looked back to the past with a title borrowed from "The Last Days of Superman" in Superman #156. The mortality of a seemingly invincible man has always been, and will always be, a central part of Superman as a character.

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Superman has recently been killed in several different forms of media over a very short amount of time, another reason to question why re-exploring this story is really something worth doing at this moment in time. After all, Warner Bros. already did an adaptation of Superman's death in Superman: Doomsday. Sure, it was an oversimplified version of the story to the point where it's more mess than art, but still, that was only 2007.

DC fans also just had to sit through another truncated version of the story told between Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, which was seemingly squeezed into an overly complicated cinematic universe just for the sake of familiarity. A much better version of the Death of Superman story has already been told in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All-Star Superman and its subsequent animated adaptation in 2011. Trying to tell this story yet again feels like heading back to the well one too many times. Daring to over-saturate the market with two many versions of the same story seems to be a questionable business tactic.

In a bubble, The Death and Return of Superman is certainly a storyline that is worthy of an animated adaptation. The story has helped to humanize a character that many fail to see as anything but a god, however, there are better ways to do that. Entertainment does not exist in such a stagnant reality because it needs to reflect the culture of the times in order to truly capture an audience and find success. Just look at what Marvel has managed to accomplish with Black Panther over a few short weeks. Timing is everything.

The Death of Superman may be fun and all, but it doesn't really say much about your flagship character when the only time he's compelling is after his death. The tropes of death and resurrection bring on unneeded messianic imagery that actually works to alienate him more than anything else.

Batman summed up with this depiction of Superman in Infinite Crisis, when he uttered the now-infamous line, "The last time you really inspired anyone was when you were dead." In the socio-economic political landscape we find ourselves in today, entertainment has never needed to be more socially relevant. It's time for DC to move past that one time Superman died and actually start inspiring people again while he's alive. Adapt new stories that show just what the character stands for instead of giving us another stand-in for White Jesus.

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Warner Bros.' decision to dedicate two whole full-length releases to the same recycled content prevents us from seeing and experiencing anything new about the character. Adapting something different would allow new stories and creators to get the spotlight. We also might actually get something a little more culturally relevant than the image of Lois Lane crying over her broken man.

If the studio wants to tell a story about hope and optimism, how about pulling from recent Rebirth-era Superman stories where the Man of Steel has been recast as a dorky father? DC has not shied away from adapting new comic book stories, like from Morrison's run on Batman and Robin or Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's run on Batman. Adapting Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's "Son of Superman" would be a great way to introduce Jonathan Kent and actually humanize Superman for once.

If the company prefers something a little heavier on action, how about an adaptation of Geoff Johns' run? His and Gary Frank's Brainiac story was already adapted in Superman Unbound, leaving the inhabitants of Kandor to establish New Krypton. A film that continues this plot line, where the Kryptonian survivors gain superpowers and free Zod from the Phantom Zone, would offer plenty of action and even some political intrigue as to what this means for Earth. While the comic storyline ended up being a mess, an animated adaptation could easily smooth out some of its issues.

Superman could even get politically relevant if Warner Bros. were to adapt Johns and Frank's "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" arc, where the Man of Steel returns to the World of Tomorrow as an adult. It is a story that deals directly with the fight against prejudice and nationalism as the Legion attempts to restore the dream they once implemented across the stars. It would be an extremely topical exploration of what could be America's fate in the far future.

It's a joke that Superman: Red Son and Kingdom Come have not been adapted yet, though the former is rumored to be in development. If Warner Bros. really wanted to switch things up, they could adapt Superman's battle with Lex Luthor over the fate of Lexor. It was a storyline that ran through much of the Bronze Age of Comics that introduced Lex's battle armor and saw him nearly reform as the leader of a planet. Name it Superman vs. Lex Luthor, depict the complicated dynamic between the two, and the ultimate tragedy of Lex's own shortcomings dooming his people.

There are so many better stories that deserve telling, and so many more important lessons that need to be taught. At the end of the day, we know that money was the reason this movie is being made. Warner Bros. saw the success that took place 25 years ago and it is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again. Instead, it's time for them to read the room and tell the stories that are actually worth telling.