DC Animation’s reportedly working on an adaptation of Mark Millar’s Superman: Red Son, according to Revenge of the Fans. Given that the company’s been thorough in their quest to adapt the most highly regarded comics in their back catalogue, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but it is a welcome one.
Red Son hit store shelves in 2003 as part of the Elseworlds range and wonders how the DC Universe might’ve developed if Kal-El’s rocket had crashed into the Soviet Union rather than the United States. It’s a neat concept showing how the man who stands for Truth, Justice and the American Way can also just as easily become the embodiment of the Stakhanovite Soviet worker.
Upon the death of Stalin (whose name literally means ‘Man of Steel’), Superman assumes command of the Communist Party and goes on to transform the Soviet Union into a prosperous utopia while the United States teeters on the edge of economic collapse. The rest of the narrative explores the authoritarian police state he constructs to maintain the peace and the rebels (including a cool version of Batman) who try their best to overthrow their immortal, invincible leader.
It’s probably the best thing Millar ever wrote (though with a final yard assist from Grant Morrison) and hopefully, DC Animation will do it justice. While it’s never been directly adapted, creators have made homage to it in a variety of works, with analogues of the characters popping up in the Arrowverse and the ‘Red Son Batman’ providing visual inspiration for the ‘Knightmare’ sequence in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Revenge of the Fans even has an advance cast list for the film, and predicts that we’ll see either Travis Willingham, Dietrich Bader or Roger Craig Smith as Superman or Batman and Jason Isaacs as either Lex Luthor or Brainiac. Before then, though, we have Reign of the Supermen, Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, Batman: Hush, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines and The Long Halloween to look forward to, so don’t expect to see Superman: Red Son anytime before 2020. As always, though, watch this space for further updates.
