DC Comics have proven that they aren’t afraid to shake up Superman‘s status quo, from killing him off in the early ’90s to revealing his secret identity to the world in December last year. Even the most iconic characters benefit from big changes every now and again, and reports suggest that there are more of them in store for Clark Kent going forward.
According to the ever-reliable Bleeding Cool, the publisher is planning to make Supes the leader of The Authority, the dictatorial superhero team that rose from the ashes of Wildstorm’s Stormwatch. This would be a dramatic shift for the Man of Steel and his boy scout ethos, as his would-be teammates are known for their militance and like to get the job done by any means necessary.
Appointing Supes as the head of a politically active hero squad would expand on some of the themes we’ve seen in recent comics, too, with the government growing increasingly distrustful of him and uneasy about his latest nickname, ‘King Of The Earth.’ But make no mistake, joining up with The Authority would fly in the face of the character’s principles.
Moreover, the report goes on to say that Superman’s new role in the DC Universe is only the beginning of the sweeping changes fans can expect. This storyline will apparently lead into an arc in which young Jonathan Kent becomes the new Man of Steel and his father is aged up.
While this new take on Superman sounds like an extreme shift, keep in mind that the character has been around since 1938 and remained prominent the entire time. DC has to take steps to keep their most famous icon fresh and move with the times, so they should be applauded for taking risks and it’ll no doubt be interesting to see how this turns out.
Published: Jul 1, 2020 01:36 pm