The rumor of the upcoming Superman film possibly featuring a Black Superman has many discussing what the film could look like and which characters it could feature.
One character on the front lines of those discussions is Calvin Ellis, the Superman of Earth 23. He could be a perfect character for the movie to feature, even if he was alongside Henry Cavill's Clark Kent. Calvin Ellis is a Superman who is inspiring, ambitious and would make a great character to see on film. Fans would definitely be excited if this was the direction that WB decided to go in.
10 The Most Well Known Black Superman
Created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke, Calvin Ellis made his first appearance in 2009 in Final Crisis. He was part of the team of multiverse Superman that gathered to help Clark defeat the Monitor.
While Calvin is not the first Black Superman to appear in the comics, he is by far the most popular (unless you count John Henry Irons aka Steel, who took over as Superman after his death in Death of Superman.)
9 He Is The President On His Earth
Calvin Ellis took inspiring and leading people a step further on his planet and became the President of the United States. Calvin felt this was the best way to lead people and make actual change in his country.
On top of that, he is still Superman and maintains his secret identity. It is a lot for one man to handle, but fortunate Calvin Ellis is one of the best Supermen in the multiverse.
8 Leads A Multiverse Wide Justice League
Operating out of the House of Heroes, Calvin Ellis leads the group of heroes who are out to protect the entire multiverse. Justice Incarnate are defenders of everyone and are made up of heroes from all corners of the multiverse.
In the recent Infinite Frontier #0 Barry Allen has been chosen to join this group of heroes and explore the new omniverse, even now Calvin Ellis is still at the forefront of defending the entire galaxy.
7 Brainiac Serves In The President's Office
While on the main Earth Brainiac serves as a main villain for Superman, on Earth-23 he is Calvin's most trusted assistant.
He helps Superman run the country as his main helper in the oval office. He covers for Calvin when he is off doing his Superman duties. He is exactly what Calvin needs in order to help maintain his duel identity.
6 Michael B Jordan Wants To Play Calvin Ellis
Back in 2019 when the idea of a Black Superman film was first being thrown around fans immediately attached to the idea that Michael B Jordan should be the star of the film.
Of course, people immediately started to ask Jordan if he would want to be involved in a film. While speaking to Oprah, Michael stated that if he was to play Superman he would want to play Calvin Ellis.
5 He Is A Boxer
While Clark Kent tends to rely on his strength and innate fighting ability, Calvin Ellis has actually trained as a boxer, making him a top-notch fighter for those tough battles that come his way.
Grant Morrison even said that Muhammad Ali was an inspiration when making up the character of Calvin Ellis. He was taught by his adoptive father and it definitely served him well.
4 He Battled A Superdoomsday And Won
When a mega-corporation made their own Superman whose sole purpose was to destroy other Supermen from the multiverse, he was dubbed Superdoomsday. When the monster burst into Calvin's Earth, Superman rose to the challenge.
With the help of Lex Luthor, Calvin was able to push Superdoomsday back through his portal, which in turn shredded the evil Superman.
3 Runs A Justice League On His Own Earth
Along with being the President, leader of Justice Incarnate, Calvin also leads the Justice League on his home planet of Earth-23. He is a Superman that shoulders every responsibility that comes his way.
His Justice League feature Nubia as Wonder Woman, who has made recent appearances in Future State. It also has Vixen, Batman, and Black Lightning. This is a far more diverse Justice League than is featured in the mainstream Justice League series.
2 He Faced Down A Cosmic God
During his adventures of Multiversity, Superman came face to face with the Empty Hand, an all-powerful cosmic god. Alongside the other heroes from the House of Heroes, a place that lives outside of space and time and exists in an area called the Bleedspace, they traveled to battle the Empty Hand.
When they arrived on the world of the Empty Hand, he informed them that he had already destroyed one multiverse and he would soon end theirs. He then banished them from his earth. These events inspired the creation of Justice Incarnate.
1 The Name Calvin Ellis Is A Homage To Superman
The name Calvin Ellis was actually already used in a previous Superman story. In 1985, Alan Moore wrote a Superman story and during that story he introduced the name Calvin Ellis as an alias for Superman.
Repurposing the name is a fun homage to a little bit of Superman history.