A new video preview is offering Superman fans everywhere their first glimpse of the upcoming animated adaptation of the classic comic book The Death of Superman. This will mark the second time the story has been adapted into an animated film, the first having been 2007's Superman: Doomsday.
Released in 1992, The Death of Superman was one of the defining books of what became known as The Dark Age of Comics, which saw many classic superheroes killed off or injured so that they could be replaced with younger or more extreme counterparts. The story pitted Superman against a new villain dubbed Doomsday, who was later revealed to be a Kryptonian biological weapon that was designed to become invulnerable to whatever traumas to which it was exposed. Superman was eventually able to stop Doomsday, seemingly at the cost of his own life. This epic battle was also famously worked into Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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The video preview, which can be viewed above, was released by We Got This Covered. The short video shows several completed scenes from the animated film inter-cut with comments from co-Director Jake Castorena, Voice Director Wes Gleason and Supervising Producer James Tucker.
"This movie is actually the first act of what the first original movie was," says Tucker, referring to Superman: Doomsday. Tucker goes on to say that unlike the first movie, which was more concerned with the action of The Death of Superman comic, the new movie will be more focused on Superman as a character and his relationships with his family, his co-workers and Lois Lane.
"His plight at the start of the movie is whether or not to share his life further with Lois," notes Tucker. "He's got this identity crisis going on," adds Castorena. "Do I stay human? Do I be the hero? Do I let Lois in?"
One notable difference between The Death of Superman and previous adaptations will be the increased role of the Justice League in the action of the story. While the team was part of the battle in the original comics, the Justice League of the time was largely made up of B-list superheroes not popular enough to support their own comic. The battle with Doomsday in the new film will include the likes of Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman and other superheroes with more power and prominence than the likes of Maxima and Bloodwynd.
While the brief clips of animation we see in this preview are encouraging enough, there is reason for concern. It is rather worrying to hear Lois Lane - one of the strongest female characters in Western comics when written properly - being described entirely in terms of her vulnerability and the creators hoping that is "an element that the audience can relate to." It's also troubling that so much emphasis is being placed upon Clark Kent feeling like an alien when many would argue that it is the character's humanity that defines him - not his status as a "Strange Visitor From Another World." Time will tell, however, if this Superman story flies with its intended audience.
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Source: We Got This Covered