Saving the Franchise: Superman - Part 2 "Villains"

Oh god, am I tired of seeing this guy.

I think if a poll were done, 90% of America couldn't name a SINGLE other Superman villain. Everyone knows Batman's rogues gallery. They were intrigued by the unknown Ra's Al Ghul, but they were positively giddy for the Joker just as they are drooling now for Catwoman (who is almost certain to appear in the next film). Although few express this, I think half the fun of a superhero movie is the villain. Sure, you can get by with some half-assed twit like "the Iron-Monger" if you have enough other elements to make the movie work, but a large part of the reason Dark Knight was such a huge success is that audiences loved Heath Ledger's Joker. For that matter, the reason Tim Burton's Batman was a huge success was because of Jack Nicholson's Joker.

But let's be fair, part of the reason we haven't seen any really challenging Superman villains (or many superhero movies until recently) is because we have not had the special effects technology to convincingly represent superpowered battles on screen. Since this is no longer a limitation, we need a fresh approach to Superman for the mainstream audience.

So who do I recommend for the next Superman film?

His name is Brainiac and despite the dumb name, he is possibly the most threatening Superman villain ever. The concept is fairly simple. He is an alien artificial intelligence who seeks to possess all knowledge in the universe to fulfill his programing. To this end, he will destroy worlds to prevent new knowledge from being created. Sure, that's a little silly, but reduce it to its core concept, and he represents the coldness of scientific objectivism stifling humanity. It is a great premise for conflict .

Now, I take back what I said. I actually like Lex Luthor and a Superman movie would be missing something without him, but Lex Luthor works just as well as a supporting character. The charm of Lex is that he is everything Superman isn't. He is selfish, arrogant, and amoral. In all ways, a perfect example of the worst of America. It isn't hard to imagine Lex Luthor attempting to exploit Brainiac while Superman tries to reason with him and the conflicts that may ensue from their three very different goals.

The next villain I want to see in a Superman movie is best suited to a second or third film, but the fact that the studios haven't even tried to make this happen is a special blend of ignorance and incompetence. His name is Darkseid (pronounced Darkside) and he is a god.

Darkseid is Sauron, Darth Vader, and Satan rolled into one. He is an alien, a god, and a dictator who rules the ruthless, conquering planet of Apokolips populated by slaves, demons, monsters, and firepits. He is to his world what Superman could be to ours. That is the conflict that would make for an epic film, both visually and thematically.

In writer Mark Evanier's words, "the style and substance of this master antagonist were based on just about every power-mad tyrant [creator Jack] Kirby had ever met or observed, with a special emphasis on Richard Milhous Nixon." He is a devil modeled not on the Christian trickster or deceiver, but on historical warlords and dictators such as Josef Stalin or Genghis Khan, the epitome of real world evil. Now that is a real challenge for Superman.

Now, franchise movies are generally thought of in terms of trilogies. Brainiac is a first film character capable engaging with Superman's origin through opposing dialog and ideology in a manner never previously seen in those repetitive origin stories. (In one version, Brainiac was created on Krypton offering Superman a vision into the final days of his homeworld.) Darkseid, on the other hand, would fall under the category of a third film villain under the heading of "nowhere to go from here." A confrontation with the ultimate evil is the sort of thing you have to build up to.

So what about a second film? Well, I'll admit, I'm a little stymied. Very few villains both seem like a genuine threat to Superman and translate well to film. Some choices:





Bizarro: the corrupt clone of Superman. This tragic figure is an abomination who makes up for his lack of intellect and backwards nature by exercising none of the control that Superman possesses.














Metallo: The man turned cyborg with a heart of kryptonite. A bit lacking in the motivation department, but at least he would look good in a movie. Voice by Malcolm McDowell in the cartoon, he would be a great choice to reprise the role on film. After all, age doesn't matter when you are a cyborg (and have CGI).















Livewire was created for the cartoon, but adapted into the comic. If you can't figure out her powers, you're retarded. She doesn't have the greatest origin (she was an anti-Superman shock jock who was touching Superman when she was hit by lightning), but Lori Petty gave her personality that could easily be replicated in CGI.





The second film could easily have all three created by Lex Luthor as his own personal Superman Revenge Squad. In any case, it's important to give Lex Luthor an arc through the films to establish how he and Superman respond very differently to the same situations.

Now, as for the one I'd love to see, but likely never will, the most powerful Superman villain of all!

Mr. Mxyzptlk (according to the animated series, it's pronounced "mix-yez-spit-lick"), seen here with his girlfriend Ms. Gsptlsnz, is the Chuck Jones-esque all-powerful imp from the 5th dimension who torments Superman with his utter-ridiculousness (appropriately voiced by Gilbert Gottfried in the cartoon). Think of "the artist" in the famous "Duck Amuck" cartoon. Mxyzptlk is the Bugs to Superman's Daffy. While Brainiac forces Superman to confront his humanity and Darkseid challenge his morality, Mxyzptlk is a complete affront to logic and reason that brings out a curious combination of Superman's intelligence and playfulness.




Of course, I'll never see that, but Brainiac and Darkseid? Fingers crossed.

Next, the conclusion. Be there and be square.