Superman's history on the big screen spans decades, starting way back in the serials
in 1948 and eventually culminating in the acclaimed Richard Donner films that pretty
much everyone loved.
But since Donner was fired from Superman II, the past few decades haven’t been kind to
Superman's cinematic exploits.
From the failed throwback adventure Superman Returns, to the off-again, on-again Man of
Steel sequel, there's some reason to believe that DC may never actually make another standalone
Superman movie again.
"Yahhhhhhhhh!!!"
Too Good
Being a goody two-shoes hero may have resonated with earlier generations, but in today's crowded
superhero field, Superman falls behind a pack of characters far more nuanced than the heroic super alien.
Good stories need conflict, and while there's plenty of superpowered bad guys to fight and
more than enough special effects to go around, it’s the internal conflict that tends to
set a good movie apart from a mindless blockbuster.
When it comes to Superman, Kryptonite isn't his biggest weakness.
It’s perfection.
He's so good that it’s hard to really have him struggle with an existential crisis — and
it's those kinds of stories that help audiences connect with a character.
Man of Steel tried, but ended up with a moody, emo Superman, instead.
"...when I'm good and ready."
Too Powerful
Marvel seemed to learn this lesson faster than DC: Sometimes, your most famous characters
don’t quite work as leading men.
In Marvel's case, it was Hulk.
After two mediocre movies, they figured out he works best against the biggest villains
in the biggest adventures, like the first two Avengers films.
Superman has a similar problem.
Having a hero who's pretty much unstoppable makes it hard to set real stakes.
Sure, he may get banged up and bruised, but how many times can a bad guy whip out Kryptonite?
There’s not supposed to be that much of the stuff just lying around.
After seven movies, the most well-known danger to Superman has been played out.
Team-up trouble
The days of solo superhero flicks are numbered.
Even the A-list heroes like Captain America aren't alone in their franchises once you
get past the origin story, and almost everyone has super pals tagging along.
Heck, even Deadpool brought along Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead for the ride
in his first solo outing.
Comics are all about crossovers, so it’s no surprise the movies have followed suit.
The first sign that Superman may be relegated to co-star status was the 2015 news that Man
of Steel 2 was reportedly put on "permanent hold."
While rumors swirled in late 2016 that development was back on, there's still much more speculation
than concrete info.
It seems DC may be planning to just use Superman as part of its larger, ensemble films.
They can still tell Superman stories, but Dawn of Justice's box office performance proved
he doesn’t have to carry a whole movie by himself.
Money Talks
A film studio’s decisions almost always come down to money — specifically, how to
make as much of it as possible.
And DC's Trinity of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman are arguably three of the most
famous superheroes in the world.
But of those three, Superman and Wonder Woman have always played second fiddle to the Dark Knight.
Put simply: Every Superman movie put together has made around $2.3 billion dollars, while
just two of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies cracked a billion dollars on their own.
Yeah, that’s a lot of cash.
"I'm only burning my half."
That makes Batman the fourth most successful franchise in all of film, behind only Star
Wars, James Bond, and Marvel.
Yes, Superman certainly factors into Warner's plans, but Batman has always been the cash cow.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Packed Schedule
There’s also the fact that Warner Bros has DC movies scheduled out through 2020, and
a solo Superman movie is nowhere to be found.
Everyone from Cyborg, to the Flash, and even the Green Lantern Corps are getting their
own movies over the next few years — and the first Green Lantern flick was pretty much
a disaster.
So, DC has more than enough on its plate without trying to find something else for Superman
to do in the meantime.
But if the studio ever does figure out how to finally make another truly great solo movie
with the big blue boyscout?
Well...that'd be just super, man.
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