With the news that Henry Cavill will be returning to play Superman in the DC Universe, the Man of Steel is once again at the forefront for fans of superhero movies. The news has been welcomed by fans as Cavill has demonstrated on more than one occasion that he was made for the role, however, the only thing letting down his portrayal was the scripts and plot lines he worked with.
Many fans were unhappy with the darker tone of the character, especially in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. With a new entry on the way for the beloved Kryptonian, what does DC need to do to bring Superman back to his iconic roots and make him the hero that he has always been in the comics?
The CW show Smallville which starred Tom Welling as a teenager Clark Kent on the road to discovering the extent of his Kryptonian powers ran from 2001 until 2011. In the middle of the show's run in 2006 the adult Superman returned to the big screen in the aptly titled Superman Returns. Brandon Routh starred in the film which acted as a legacy sequel of sorts to the original Superman film from 1978. While the film proved there was a demand for further cinematic Superman stories, and Brandon Routh was a pitch-perfect casting choice for both Clark Kent and Superman, the film was ultimately disappointing for fans who cited a lack of action as a turn-off.
Cavill was originally considered for Superman Returns and when a new reboot was once again announced Cavill got the call to take up the tights. Man of Steel debuted in 2013 and like the 1978 original saw Superman come up against Zod and his cronies while finally becoming the man and hero he was destined to be. While generally well received, the film was regarded as too dark for a Superman story, as it results in him killing General Zod, a step the hero would not usually be seen to take. This criticism is leveled at many DC films with many fans saying that the films are both tonally and literally too dark, while it works for Batman, the tone needs to be matched to the characters in their own films.
With a new film on the horizon and Cavill openly stating recently "I'm so excited to tell a story with an enormously joyful Superman." With this quote, there's a hope that the next film could be returning more to the classic character of Superman, and if that's the case we should look back at the 1978 Superman film starring Christopher Reeve and why his performance in the role is so iconic.
The film sees Clark Kent joining the Daily Planet in Metropolis as a reporter and beginning his career and relationship with Lois Lane. Clark Kent is a bumbling, clumsy, and endearing small-town country boy in the big city. Reeve plays the role of the alter ego hiding in plain sight perfectly. He may be a little over the top with the meek and mild-mannered aspects of the character but when you consider that the only true disguise he has is a pair of glasses, it makes sense to be viewed as a sweet but ultimately wimpy man. Reeve even completely changes his posture and voice as Clark, slouching and pitching his voice slightly higher.
As Superman, Reeve stands tall and straight, exudes confidence, and never falters in his speech or action. What the original does so well is balance these aspects of the character. The Smallville boy and Superman personas are in tandem, his morals are at the forefront of his actions and thoughts, and he is determined to stop wrongdoing and protect people. Essentially, Reeve is the epitome of an overgrown boy scout from the 1950s. He even saves a cat from a tree for a little girl.
When giving an interview as Superman to Lois he quotes the famous line "I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way." During the film, Superman doesn't just tackle the big bad villain, he also apprehends smaller criminals as well. It doesn't matter how small the wrong, it's still wrong and this sense of morality is lacking in more recent entries in the series. The core of the character since his inception in comics is that he is a true force for good in the world.
Of course, that's not to say that the Son of Krypton isn't capable of great anger or that he doesn't have a darker side to him. He is deeply affected by guilt. The guilt of his adopted father's death and his inability to save him, even with all his abilities haunt Clark so much so that when Lois dies because he couldn't save her in time he is driven to do something out of character, something selfish. In his grief and rage, Superman goes against everything his Kryptonian father told him in the Fortress of Solitude and interferes with the Earth on an even larger scale. He uses his flight and speed to turn back time to save Lois.
The reason the newer films haven't captured audiences as much as the Christopher Reeve era is that they lack balance. They focus too much on the dark side of Superman and make the entirety of his story based around his relationship with Lois Lane. That relationship is obviously important to the character and history of Superman, but it has become the main focus instead of balancing his quest for justice and protecting the everyday person. The new cinematic stories don't have to have the high camp of the old films, but they need to put the heart back into the character for Superman to truly capture audiences again.
