There is no question for me – I prefer DC over Marvel. That being said in terms of live action movies DC has a huge problem. There have been many critiques of what DC is doing wrong and Marvel is doing right – but this animated movie, The Death of Superman, is not only a statement of the problem with live action DC / WB, but also offers a very wonderful solution.
It feels like the phrase “Death of Superman” is almost a warning flag. That can be translated to (sing in the stylings of Sound of Music) “What do we do with a problem like Superman!” Now the solutions seem to follow two types of comic book tropes: Kill him, or simply corrupt and turn him evil…. (*cough Injustice *cough *cough). Thankfully DC Rebirth seemed to understand the problem and offered a similar solution as this movie – writer: Peter Tomasi.
On principle alone I had planned to skip “Death of Superman.” Well, until I saw Peter Tomasi’s name attached to it – I was more than instantly sold. What Tomasi does to solve the Superman problem is very interesting and so very satisfying.…
Those unfamiliar with the wonderful writings of Peter Tomasi – start with Green Lantern Recharge. Just a warning: you may fall in love with his writing so much that you’ll pick up just about anything the man writes.
Story
If you aren’t up to date with the comics you may be unfamiliar with the late 90s cash grab that was the Death of Superman. They don’t bury the lede with this one, they just bury Superman – well after a rather long and drawn out fight.
Going in you just need to understand that this is a two-part film. While there is a lot of setup in this film, it’s wonderfully executed, with tons of nods to the DC Universe history. Now there is the fabled Doomsday vs Superman fight – but what really sticks out and stays with you through the movie is the attention put into making you care about Clark Kent and Superman.
Now yes, they are the same person, but the rather humanizing and grounding story they present really helps frame who Clark Kent is and why he is Superman. In this story both Lois and Clark are secretly dating, no one at the Daily Planet knows. Meanwhile Clark’s parents are coming to town and this will be the first time Lois is going to meet them. If that wasn’t enough, Clark is debating whether or not he should tell Lois that he’s Superman. What I found so heart warming about this story is it really made the Superman / Clark Kent character really relatable. You could understand why he is hesitant to tell Lois – but at the same time you could see the parallels about keeping their relationship secret at the Daily Planet. There was so much love and attention given to all the characters in this movie. They even included Bibbo Bibbowski – who managed to bring me to tears at the end of the movie. What was most important of all – I actually felt emotion when the fight finally started. I was invested and really cared and understood the driving force of good that is Superman.
Thoughts
I cannot stress this enough – if anyone from live-action WB is reading this please look at this animated film, specifically the screenplay. This is how you handle characters: by focusing on their characteristics in and out of the tights. Grounding them a bit with their alter ego, but fleshing them out to be three dimensional. So if you absolutely have to kill someone, there is an emotional attachment.
Now with the rumors surrounding the possibility of Henry Cavill leaving the role of Superman, I have to say this, it’s not his fault. He was Superman – you put him in some of the most dark, dreary surroundings and somehow the man still shines. Can you imagine if you gave him a screenplay like this to work with?
Overall
In terms of my top 5 DC Animated movies – Death of Superman flew straight to the number one slot. Its attention and care for the characters of DC is astounding and a love letter to what the live action movies can achieve. Please DC / WB, utilize your writers like Peter Tomasi more often. You will be more than surprised – I don’t think I’ve ever talked a movie up so much with my friends and family.