Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Flash.In an industry in which no project seems to be greenlit if it doesn’t relate to some form of pre-existing IP, two forms of storytelling seem to have taken root as the most popular. One is thecomic book movie, although this generation of comic book storytelling tends to focus on the interconnectivity between installments in the Marvel, DC, and SonySpider-Manuniverse rather than the sort of standalone quality that madeLoganorThe Batmanso unique. There’s also the “legacy sequel,” in which a beloved actor or series returns to its roots in order to recoup some sort of nostalgia that the audience may have for the original.The Flashwas meant to be DC’s amalgamation of these two styles with its “Flashpoint” storyline and the return ofMichael Keaton’s Batman. However,The Flash’s poor box office performanceand dismissal reviews suggest that audiences are no longer buying it. What’s ironic is that DC already made the perfect legacy sequel back in 2006 withSuperman Returns.
What Makes ‘Superman Returns’ a Strong Legacy Sequel?
The issue that so many legacy sequels face is that they think that simply bringing back an original actor is enough, even if the character doesn’t go on an interesting journey. Bringing backBill PullmanforIndependence Day: Resurgence,Sylvester StalloneforRambo: Last Blood,Sam NeillforJurassic World Dominion, orLinda HamiltonforTerminator: Dark Fatehad no value because the characters fail to do anything interesting or change in some fundamental way.Superman Returnssidesteps this issue entirely because it couldn’t bring back the original star; while it’s clear that the film takes place within the same continuity asSuperman: The MovieandSuperman II,Brandon Routhstepped into play the role of the Man of Steel due toChristopher Reeve’s tragic passing.
Brandon Routh essentially does an impression of Christopher Reeve in a performance that generally deserves more credit. On a story level, this makes sense; Superman doesn’t age, so there’s no point in trying to have an older, gruffer version of Kal-El in his version ofLoganwouldn’t be the right direction to take the character. However, it’s also more powerful on a thematic level to see Routh playing a version of Reeve’s Superman that seemingly hasn’t aged a day since the end ofSuperman II(as the film essentially ignores the events ofSuperman IIIandSuperman IV: The Quest For Peaceentirely). Superman is returning to Earth expecting the sort of freedom and hope that he had left it with, and finds the world in a much different place than he had expected. Similar to how Superman has to reflect on his own memory of the America he left, the audience is forced to consider whether they were looking back on the late-1970s and early 1980s with rose-tinted glasses.
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Although it doesn’t make any specific references to the event itself,Superman Returnsis clearly taking place in a post-9/11 world where the nation is trying to redefine its identity. The notion of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” isn’t as inherently promising as it once was, and Superman finds that his positivity doesn’t hold any value in a world that demands more complex answers.Similar to legacy sequelslikeStar Wars: The Last JediandTop Gun: Maverick,Superman Returnsexamines the ramifications that our hero’s actions left behind. Did anyone benefit from Superman just showing up as the world’s savior?
How Does ‘Superman Returns’ Give the IP a Modern Twist?
TheSupermanfilm franchise has always had a complex relationship with both America and Christianity; although the notion that an alien immigrant character created by two Jewish artists represents “Americana” is an inherently powerful one, it’s so often that filmmakers likeZack Snyderseem to turn Kal-El into a Christ-like figure.Superman Returnstakes a different direction, as it examines how the absence of Superman after the events ofSuperman IIhas left a power vacuum in the world that could be occupied by a corporation or military entity. Who better to represent the rise of the military-industrial complex than Superman’s most famous nemesis, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey)?
In a parallel to the post-9/11 arms race, Luthor is attempting to replace Superman with another superweapon that shares his destructive capabilities. This is also what allowsSuperman Returnsto hit on an emotional level, as Luthor’s only solution is to find another Kryptonian. Superman’s race may have been eradicated, but he did leave behind the illegitimate child Jason withLois Lane (Kate Bosworth), who is now in a relationship with Perry White’s (Frank Langella) son, Richard (James Marsden). It’s more than a little obvious that their child is really Superman’s, but in a way, the simplicity of the twist feels perfectly in line with the logic of the Reeve-era films.
The film doesn’t just examine the threats to Earth that emerged in Superman’s absence, but his failures as a man; he left Lane behind to raise Jason on her own, and it’s completely within her right to turn into a more cynical version ofMargot Kidder’s character who has now authored a Pulitzer Prize-winning piece on “Why The World Doesn’t Need Superman.” It was a powerful way to examine the past, and as a result, the nostalgic notes feel even more powerful. Thereturn ofJohn Williams’ rousing scorein the opening sequence, in which Superman saves the passengers from a potential plane crash, is one of the most electrifying action sequences in the entire franchise.
While it handles some of the most complex themes of the entire franchise,Superman Returnsisn’t just there to critique the character.Man of Steelmistook “maturity” for “brooding,” yetSuperman Returnsoffered a well-rounded version of the character that still argues on behalf of his existence; although the message about his role is a universal one for any interpretation of the character, it’s even more powerful within the context of the original timeline. Superman is flawed, just as every hero is flawed, and he has to adjust to a world that needs him to adapt.
