Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons is voicing his belief that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was too dark of a take on the iconic heroes, and believes Kingsman: The Golden Circle director Matthew Vaughn would be a great choice to fix Henry Cavill's Superman in a potential Man of Steel sequel.

Batman V Superman was a financial success for Warner Bros., but was met with harsh reviews that centered around the film's spiritually lost Superman and its hyper-violent, slightly homicidal take on Batman, as well as its generally dour tone. The upcoming Justice League seems to be attempting a tonal course correction, with previews that suggest it could be more in line with this summer's DC blockbuster, Wonder Woman.

A comic book legend has joined the chorus of detractors hoping for a lighter tone in the world of DC. In an interview with Comic Book, Dave Gibbons explains why he thinks Batman V Superman underperformed, and that it was going against the trend of hopefulness in comic book movies.

"I think, as I said earlier, the trend in entertainment now is to actually come up with something which is more entertaining, which is less dark, which is much more full of hope. And I think probably the failure of the Superman-Batman movie was that it was really too dark, and that Superman was made as dark as Batman. And to me, that really doesn't work, I thought that's the perfect opportunity to contrast the two characters."

Henry Cavill as Superman in Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice

Gibbons, who co-created Kingsman with comic book writer Mark Millar, suggests Matthew Vaughn would be an excellent choice to rehabilitate the DCEU's Superman in a potential sequel to Man of Steel, which Vaughn himself recently confirmed he's discussed with Warner Bros.

"I know no more than you about Matthew being involved with a Superman movie. To me, off the cuff, it sounds like a really good idea. And I do think it's the way that these things are evolving. You know, there was a time when superheroes had to be really dark...but I think that the sort of thing that's popular nowadays is something that's a bit lighter in tone, that's a bit more adventurous and a bit more colorful, and I think of things for instance like, The Guardians of the Galaxy or the new Thor movie, or indeed, Kingsman. And, you know, I think that's the kind of entertainment that Matthew very much understands. And I'd be really intrigued to see his take on Superman. I'm sure it would be really good for the character."

A Kingsman-style romp would be quite the tonal shift for Henry Cavill's Superman, but with the DCEU seemingly in flux as Zack Snyder takes a step back and DC Films head honcho Geoff Johns more fully assumes creative control of the universe, it's certainly not an impossible prospect.

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Source: Comic Book