If Superman returns to the DCEU in a reboot, writers shouldn’t be afraid to humanize him with a little silliness. This will, of course, need some care. Audiences are increasingly tired of the quippy humor of the MCU, and the same style wouldn’t fit the DCEU at all. All the same, a touch of comedy could work wonders if DC decides to give Superman a much-needed reboot.
The DCEU began with the aim of having a darker tone than the MCU, replacing bright colors and quippy one-liners with a desaturated palette and stoic brooding. The reception early on was contentious, dividing those who preferred a grimdark vision of DC’s heroes, and those who felt that the DCEU had misinterpreted their favorite comic book characters. Joss Whedon’s style of humor in the Avengers left a lasting impression on the MCU, but the attempt to translate that over to the DCEU in Justice League was so cringe-inducing that it started an entire fan movement to pressure Warner Bros Studios into releasing an entirely different cut of the same movie. But this isn’t to say that the DCEU can’t develop its own sense of humor, distinct in tone from other superhero movies.
There’s an inherently comedic edge to Superman’s character in that he hides in plain sight as a news reporter and, despite being built like a professional linebacker, he actually gets away with it. A big reason is that he’s just a simple farm boy at heart, honest to a fault, charmingly polite, and disarmingly meek. The juxtaposition between the true character of Clark Kent and his persona as Superman has a lot of potential for adding a little subtle comedy into stories, while also humanizing him as a character. Unfortunately, this aspect of Superman has been almost entirely overlooked by the DCEU to date, to the detriment of the character.
Man of Steel missed several opportunities to weave this kind of humor into Clark Kent’s character. One example is an early scene where Clark washes ashore, his clothing mostly destroyed, after saving some people from a burning oil rig. This scene could easily add a few humorous elements, with Clark knocking at a door to politely ask a bewildered local if he could borrow some clothes. The absurdity of the situation is inherently funny — a very large man with impeccable manners, dressed in wet rags in the Arctic, asking very nicely to borrow pants. Simultaneously, it shows Superman's familiar virtue from the comic books. This could be reinforced with a later scene where he returns the clothes, perhaps neatly ironed and folded, with a postcard from Metropolis.
Other DC movies haven’t shied away from lampshading the humor in their characters. Wonder Woman emphasizes it when Diana finds herself in London, being amazed by ice cream (a recurring comedy beat from comics and cartoons). As well as adding a little silliness into the narrative, her awkwardness shows some of Diana’s character and background, highlighting things which she’s never actually seen before. For Superman, after growing up on Earth, this situation would work in reverse. Clark Kent would likely be delighted to show Diana his favorite ice cream parlor in Metropolis.
After starring in some of the MCU's worst movies, Thor has benefitted from this kind of treatment. Initially, a non-human character who most viewers found difficult to relate to, his fish-out-of-water humor in the Avengers movies helped to cement his popularity. His current characterization since Thor: Ragnarok has been, to borrow from internet slang, a himbo — a burly, handsome, kind-hearted man who’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Himbo characters have become strikingly popular and, while the characterization may not fit Superman, some elements of the characterization may suit Clark Kent. Superman is one of DC’s core characters, but his recent movie characterization has been largely inhuman and unsympathetic. A little silliness could radically change this, giving Clark Kent the endearing nature for which he’s known. The future is still uncertain but, hopefully, writers will learn from past mistakes if the DCEU gets a Superman reboot.
