Metropolis: 10 Things The Superman Prequel Must Include

1. A City Without Superman

Lois Lane Action Comics
DC Comics

Whereas Gotham has gotten progressively crazier as the years have gone by, Metropolis has to tone things down.

It was plain for all to see that, by its second season, Gotham's showrunners were fed-up with the prequel format. Gone was the slow-burn towards Bruce Wayne's rise as Gotham's vigilante - in its place came a new policy that accelerated the process altogether. Bruce got his own suit at the end of season 3, villains aplenty dominated the show's proceedings and, for the most part, it felt as though Gotham's original premise had been totally forgotten.

Whether this was due to a lack of patience or executive demands from Fox is unclear, but what is clear is that the show has gotten way ahead of itself, specifically in respect to Bruce's character-arc.

Metropolis has to do better, and while the temptation to bring Clark Kent in early on will undoubtedly be there, the show's meant to be a Superman prequel. That means no capes, no red trunks, and no leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Supes' town is, like Gotham, a character in itself. It's home to more than just the Man of Steel so for once, DC, give this one to Lois. She's more than earned it.

What do you want to see in Metropolis? Are you happy with the synopsis so far? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.