1. An Ending That Leaves Us Wanting More...
There's a very intriguing line from the Man of Steel trailer. My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, theyd reject me. He was convinced that the world wasnt ready. What do you think? My friend, and contributor to this article, John Bierly and I have agreed on a hypothesis about this piece of dialogue. We feel that there's a very strong chance that this could be the very last line of Man of Steel. Are we 100% sure about that? No way. We have no real evidence we are basing it on other than we think it would be a great way to end the film. In our opinion there's no one he would be saying that to other than Lois Lane. The dialogue suggests that line would be spoken sometime towards the end of the film. It's also an almost playful challenge to whomever he's saying the line to and the audience itself. Is the world ready for Superman again? I firmly believe that we are. However the ending plays out on screen, I would love some type of reference to the future. Something like what we saw at the end of Batman Begins with Batman and Gordon talking in front of a new Bat-signal. Gordon hands Batman an evidence bag and when Batman turns it over it's a joker card. I will never forget the way I felt coming out of the theater after watching that film. Not only was the film great but the ending gave the audience hope for the future. Batman was back, he was ready, and so were we. I asked my fellow contributors for a quote to summarize their hopes for what Man of Steel could accomplish:
"There are two desirable potential outcomes for Man of Steel 1) it is a great movie that we will want to re-watch over and over until the day we die, and 2) it is a triumph for the character that places him at the top of the superhero hierarchy. Point 1 really just requires Man of Steel to be a good/great film which can be accomplished without doing anything really "Superman-y" with the subject matter. Point 2 however will require something special rooted in the character and I think it will need to be much more than the common request of "make Superman hit something." I believe, in order for Superman to be top of the totem pole (a place he hasnt really been since the 50s and 70s) there will need to be some massive feat of awe and wonder where he accomplishes the impossible. It needs to be more entertaining than Hulk smashing Loki, more emotionally compelling than the ending of The Dark Knight and bigger than anything seen to date. Now, this isnt just a blanket comment of "Man of Steel needs to be better in order for Superman to be seen as better," its a statement that Superman (the character) is meant to be the best at everything and his feats are that of the impossible. In order for Superman to be on top we need to get that, we need to see that and we need to feel that. Man of Steel needs to BE that, it needs to be the impossible." - Marcus Handleman "My hope for Man of Steel is to be true in what it is, first and foremost. For too long, media adaptations featuring Superman have seemed almost embarrassed by the fact that they are representing Superman. The time has come for a generational representation of the Man of Steel, with all of the inspiration and modern pathos a part of it. If people knew the Superman of 2013 instead of the one from 1978, everyone would be a fan." - Chris Clow "What Man of Steel must do is earn the audience's emotional investment in Clark Kent/Superman. It cannot assume there is any preexisting reverence for the character, which was a fatal error made by 'Superman Returns.' Once the audience is invested, show them this is a SuperMAN and have him punch someone or something in the damn face." - Sean Gerber A few weeks ago, I read one of the best things I've ever seen written about the Man of Steel. The author, coincidentally, was the same gentleman who graciously invited me to contribute to this article. Josh Costella wrote for Modern Myth Media, Raise your hand if you ever wished you could fly. Now raise your hand if you remember wishing you could fly before you first heard of Superman. In a nutshell, that's what I hope Man of Steel accomplishes. I don't just want to believe a man can fly. I want to believe in the man who's doing the flying. I want to want to follow him into the sun, to do better, and to be better, because of the soaring example he sets for the rest of us. - John Bierly
In 2013, we will see a man striving towards an ideal. He will stumble. He will fall. But in time, we will see him fly towards the sun. In time, we will see him accomplish wonders. What do you think?