Superman has so far been given lackluster treatment by the DCEU, and the character really deserves a reboot in order to present the hero in a new light. Henry Cavill hopes to play the Man of Steel again, but a rumor currently circulating is that the upcoming movie, The Flash, may retcon Zack Snyder's three movies out of the DCEU altogether. This adds uncertainty about whether Cavill will be able to reprise his role, but it doesn't change one very important fact — both audiences and the character himself deserve a Superman reboot movie which does better justice to the character.

Superheroes, as we know them today, would not exist without Superman. Making his debut in DC back in 1938, created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, he's since developed into a pop culture icon with decades worth of depictions on TV, in movies, and in animation. The first Superman movie in 1978 was a predecessor to the entire modern genre, but it only picked out the most obvious aspects of the character to work with. A follow-up movie, Superman Returns, in 2006 was tonally disjointed and relied largely on nostalgia from the earlier movies. The most recent Superman movie appearances are in the DCEU, with Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. These not only showed Superman with a lack of humanity, but they actively stressed his inhumanity, emphasizing his alien origin and depicting him as a lofty demigod.

Related: Why A Superman Reboot Is Better Than Man Of Steel 2

The DCEU movies can be seen to fundamentally misrepresent Superman when it comes to this aspect of his character. The version of him in these stories feels incorrectly put together, even though all the correct pieces are technically still there. The most interesting thing about Superman, which the DCEU movies completely ignored, is that while he is an invincible superhero from another planet, he's also ultimately just a farm boy from Smallville. It's this inherent contradiction which can make Superman most compelling. Underneath it all, Superman should be a deeply human character.

The Man of Steel Needs a Heart of Gold

Frank Quitely's artwork from the All-Star Superman comics.

A DCEU reboot of Superman should shift the focus completely away from Man of Steel's alien invasion narrative, excessive flashbacks, and unmitigated wanton destruction. Instead, the real focus should be that Superman actually is the costume worn by Clark Kent, and that Clark Kent is basically just some guy. The kind of person who'd stop to help someone change a flat tire, lend someone his phone to call a taxi home, or return a lost wallet. It's the small acts of heroism and kindness which help an audience form an emotional connection with a character. That connection is what keeps viewers invested when Superman struggles with his more difficult challenges. To qualify as a hero means showing heroism in more than just an occasional stylized montage. As the archetypical superhero, this is more true for Superman than for anyone else.

Another vital way to make a superhero relatable is through their connections with regular people. The most important people in Clark Kent's life, as any schoolkid knows, are Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Martha Kent. The fact that these characters are so well known is probably the DCEU movies fail to develop them and leave the audience to fill in the blanks. Clark's relationship with Lois is completely devoid of chemistry, with barely any actual romance shown. Martha's main purpose is sliced out, with the computerized ghost of Clark's Kryptonian father telling him to go and be a hero. Jimmy Olsen is executed within moments of appearing onscreen. These characters, used well, should be there to humanize Superman. By contrast, Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy uses its characters to great effect. Peter Parker's relationships with MJ, Ned, and May show the audience what kind of person he is when he's not doing any heroics. He's relatable because he's basically just another regular person, who happens to also be a superhero.

Instead of an inhuman and unreachable quasi-deity, a Superman reboot should focus on showing Superman as representing the best of humanity. The aftermath of any real world natural disaster, is always full of everyday people working tirelessly to help those who're trapped or injured. They do this not for any reward or sense of duty, but simply because it's the human thing to do, and they often lament that they would do more if only they could. Superman's role in a reboot movie could serve to show how much more someone could help if only they were able.

Related: Why Snyder’s Man of Steel Has The Best Superman Theme

The Superman “Problem”

Superman comic panel: "There's always a choice"

A common criticism of Superman is that he's overpowered as a character. With a laundry list of superpowers, it's a valid point. Most writers choose to get around this by depowering him, usually with kryptonite, but an expanded universe comes with expanded options. The DCEU hasn't shied away from adding supernatural elements to its stories, and the presence of characters like Suicide Squad's Enchantress add the possibility of magic, which Superman's powers canonically give little protection against.

The most interesting thing to do with a character like Superman, though, is to put him into situations which he can't simply punch his way out of. This could include problems for him to solve, or multiple things happening at once, like the dramatic airplane scene from Superman Returns. Alternatively, Superman could be placed into a situation where his strength might actively make things worse. Arrowverse's Supergirl plays with this idea early on, showing that while Kara may be strong enough to lift an oil tanker, the ship itself may not be strong enough to stay in one piece.

Even better than this is to have Superman actively choose not to punch his way out of a problem. Being virtually invincible under normal circumstances gives Superman options which most superheroes don't. Highlighted by Superman's famous “world of cardboard” speech from the Justice League Unlimited cartoon, he hates using brute force unless he absolutely must. The message of a powerful figure working to de-escalate problems could be a potent one to include in a story, even when that doesn't seem possible. As one of the most famous Superman catchphrases says, there's always a way.

What Superman Can Stand For

Zack Snyder's cinematography of Superman, out of reach in the sky.

Superheroes have always represented greater themes, and movie versions of Superman frequently decide to show him as a Jesus allegory. The DCEU is no exception to this, with cinematography depicting him as a divine being with crucifix-like poses. However, this starts to feel like a strange creative choice given that the Man of Steel's premise hinges around how human he is, and that Superman's original creators, Siegel and Shuster, were both Jewish.

Related: Superman & Lois Gives The Arrowverse Its Own Mjolnir

The original allegory intended for Superman is as an immigrant. His parents know their world is about to be destroyed, so they send him to live a better life elsewhere. This takes on added meaning with the knowledge that both Shuster and Siegel were born to immigrant parents, with Siegel's family having fled from antisemitism in their homeland of Lithuania. This is a big part of why Man of Steel's emphasis on planet Krypton and Superman's nature as an alien feels so wrong. The issue of immigration is no less fraught in modern times, giving some deeply uncomfortable subtext to the implication that Earth isn't Superman's real home, as for many first and second generation immigrants, this is a painfully familiar message. It's also wrong, as Clark Kent never knew a life on Krypton and grew up on Earth, and his clear love for the place makes it his true home, no matter where his original parents were from.

An inspiring message for a Superman reboot movie to incorporate is that he has the power to actually stand up to systemic problems which are facing the world. An anti-capitalist allegory seems almost too obvious, seeing as his arch-nemesis is a greedy billionaire with devious, self-serving motivations. This closely ties in with the issue of climate change, which Man of Steel fails to explore in a meaningful way. The Kryptonians destroyed their world because of their own greed and hubris, which could easily have set up a climate allegory in the story, especially when Zod's plan is essentially to destroy Earth's environment. Climate destruction is not the sort of issue that can be punched into submission, especially not in a fight which destroys much of the city that Superman was supposed to be trying to save. A Superman reboot can avoid similar mistakes by considering its themes carefully, and perhaps even yielding some valuable insights.

Reboot movies have already saved characters from mediocre movies, with the new versions of Thor and Harley Quinn widely loved by audiences, saving their film versions from being potentially completely written off. The key to both was in making them more relatable as people and showing their human sides. Handled well, a Superman reboot movie could easily make him as popular as any other movie superhero, while proving to the world once and for all that his character is much less boring than most people think. It would be even better if Henry Cavill can still return as Superman.

Next: Is The Suicide Squad A Sequel, Remake, Reboot, or Standalone Story?

Key Release Dates