DC Could Finally Beat Marvel To The Punch With Its New Superman Film
Multiple characters taking up the mantle and title of a particular hero is certainly not a new concept in the world of superheroes. Marvel and DC both have numerous superheroes who have appeared in various iterations, and have had many take over the name and responsibilities of those heroes. It's a common occurrence in comics, as it's a choice that works in that particular medium, but we're also starting to see it happen in superhero movie universes.
Phase 4 of the MCU seems to be setting up for a few characters to take over the mantles of past heroes, the first of which being Sam Wilson's entry into being the new Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. This was a big moment, as having the next Captain America be a Black man opened up the possibility for the really interesting and important storylines that were explored in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, not to mention that it's great representation. However, Sam Wilson's Captain America hasn't yet made his way to the big screen. If DC's Black-led Superman movie comes to fruition, they might beat the MCU to being the first of the two studios to release a film that reboots a classic hero with a Black lead.
Of course, this kind of representation shouldn't simply be an arms race for each studio to try and out-diversify the other just to gain more "woke points." Casting a Black lead in the role of Superman or having a Black man take over the role of Captain America should be for the sake of honest representation, and come from a desire to bring more Black voices to these big, blockbuster movies. So far, it seems that this is the intention of both studios, at least partially, but it is interesting that both of these moves from Marvel and DC are coming at around the same time.
Anthony Mackie's Captain America may have been the first to appear on screen, but if they play their cards right, DC could end up releasing a Black Superman movie before Captain America 4 ever hits theatres. The project has been confirmed, and is being produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. They haven't yet cast a lead actor, but the fact that a writer and producer are attached means that it seems like this movie is something that DC is committed to. The MCU has only really teased the idea of a Captain America movie revolving around Sam Wilson, and the details are vague, though reportedly Malcolm Spellman, lead writer on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is attached to the project. Either way, DC's Superman film seems more developed so far, and there's a good chance that movie will be the one to release first.
The exact storyline for the proposed Superman movie hasn't been released, and it's unclear whether this new version of Superman will still be Clark Kent or whether DC will draw from the comics, for instance dipping into the multiverse by having this version of Superman be Calvin Ellis. In the comics, Calvin Ellis is the civilian name of Kal-El, the Superman of Earth 23. He also happens to be the president of the United States in this version of Earth.
This could be an interesting route to take, because DC could touch on some political commentary, and it would be unique to have one of their heroes have their civilian identity be the leader of a country and be of great importance in both their hero and civilian life, and explore how they manage to juggle both. This approach might also call to mind similarities to Sam Wilson, because of the American iconography that would accompany both characters (albeit in different ways).
In the way that Sam's arc in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was about him taking on the mantle of Captain America and what that might mean as a Black man in the United States, it would be really interesting to see an arc involving Calvin Ellis and how becoming the American president as a Black man might carry a lot of the same implications and difficulties (and the fact that he's technically an alien not originally from Earth could also play a role in this story and add further compelling commentary).
Again, what's most important here is that both of these stories get told, and that more like them are made by these major studios. DC was the first of the two to release a solo movie for one of their female heroes, and it might be the same case for their reboot of Superman. However, while being first is great, what will be much more telling is if Marvel and DC both keep up the representation, or whether they'll release these movies and then feel like they've hit their diversity quota and never push the stories further. So far, it seems that their trajectory is headed in a positive direction, and audiences will continue to see more diverse superhero stories in the future, but perhaps the success of these potential films will dictate whether or not that becomes a reality.
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