Last time on BIGBMH's Take on Superman...
I made my case for why the origin story should be told in the next movie and gave my ideas for how it should be done. If you haven't read that, then please check it out by clicking the picture!
Conflict
Figuring out which villain Superman should take on in the movie is pretty tricky. Before going any further, I want to establish this rule that I think every Superman movie should follow: Give him something to hit! I don't just want to see Superman just catching and lifting things. The airplane scene that came early on in Superman Returns was pretty cool, but it was pretty much the only good action scene in the entire movie. I want to see more than Superman stopping one of Lex's schemes. Unfortunately, Superman's rogues gallery isn't as strong as some other heroes. Narrowing it down to a few who can put up a fight, we have characters like Zod, Brainiac, Parasite, Metallo, and Bizarro. Like I said Zod has been done, so he shouldn't be in this movie. I want to save Brainiac for the sequel. Bizarro can definitely go head to head against Superman, but the whole backwards speaking thing would seem stupid on film. I've never been much of a fan of Parasite, so of the characters mentioned, I would choose to feature Metallo in this movie. However for the main villain, I want...Lex Luthor.
I know a lot of you are tired of seeing Superman take on Lex in every movie. However, Lex is a crucial character. Not only is he Superman's arch nemesis, but I'd even say he might be even more important to the world of Superman than the Joker is to the world of Batman. Lex is a major presence in the city of Metropolis before Superman gets there. He can't just not play a part in the movie.
I've said before that Lex should be a powerful businessman. He's also a genius weapons developer (think evil Tony Stark). Lex is corrupt and doesn't mind hurting people to get what he wants. However, Lex controls, most of Metropolis, including a sizeable portion of the media, so he's able to control how the public views him. As for the overall plot of the movie, Lex's story in the movie would mix elements of the plots of Superman Birthright and STAS Last Son of Krypton. (The following is a partial plot synopsis detailing Lex's involvement. When you read this, know that I would intend for the story to have more to it) Here's an excerpt from a plot synopsis of The Last Son of Krypton Part 3:
Billionaire Lex Luthor is presenting LexCorp's new battle suit robot when it is stolen by terrorists. Clark, in the alternate identity of "Superman", manages to capture two of them, but the one with the battle suit escapes after one of the terrorist's missiles damages an airplane's wings, forcing Superman to abandon the chase to save the plane. (instead of a plane, it could be a helicopter containing Lois and Jimmy) Soon, reports of the strange new entity start appearing on the news, and Lois is told to try to get an interview with him. Later, (pretty shortly after rescuing Lois and Jimmy) the terrorist who stole the battle suit, John Corben, starts to wreak havoc (attempting to escape), but Superman manages to defeat it after a tough battle by taking Corben out of the armor, ending with the well-known line "Shall we go a few rounds without the suit?"
The battle suit could take inspiration from other movie battle suits (Matrix Revolution, Avatar) and would provide a pretty cool action sequence.
Battle suit from STAS:
Battle Suit from Matrix Revolutions:
Battle Suit from Avatar:
Superman Saving Lois and Jimmy from Birthright:
Clark and Lois return to Lex's building for an interview soon afterward. While on the first floor Clark sees an elevator with armed guards on either side and makes a remark about the security. Lois informs him that the elevator leads to the mysterious LexCorp basement. No one is allowed in the basement other than Lex himself. On the way up to Lex's office, Clark, using his super-hearing, overhears Lex talking to someone (Mercy possibly) and uncovers the truth about the incident. The whole thing was a plot by Lex to sell the LEXO-SKEL SUIT 5000 to Kasnian terrorists (Luthor knew that the Pentagon would want him to design something bigger and better to combat the suit the terrorists had "stolen").
Superman later confronts Lex in his office, telling him he knows what he did and that he's going to find a way to bring him down. Lex tells Superman that he can't prove anything so it would be unwise to go against him. He suggests that if Superman were to work for Lex, it would be mutually beneficial. Superman tells Lex that he would never work with someone like him and turns to leave. Lex tells Superman something like "They like you now. It would be a shame if something were to happen to change that." Superman flies off angrily, leaving Lex standing there with a scheming smile that shows he has something planned.
Later, Lex is at a press conference to give his comments regarding the battle suit incident. When asked about Superman, instead of expressing appreciation like expected, he expresses concern. He tells the press that since they don't know anything about Superman, they can't be sure if they can trust him. (taking inspiration from Secret Origin) He would say something like "Is he even human?" Birthright and Secret Origin share the concept of Lex trying to make the public distrust Superman by creating and manipulating fear. I think this is a great idea and should be a big part of the movie.
Afterward, rumors start to swirl about what Superman really is. Clark feels that the best thing to do now is to let the world know the truth about him. He arranges an exclusive interview with Lois Lane in which he makes his intentions clear and tells about how he is the last survivor of Krypton. Lois's article shows people who Superman really is and they embrace him once again even with the knowledge that he is an alien. Mercy Graves, Lex's assistant, makes a remark about how Lex's plan backfired and Superman is more popular than ever. Lex smiles the same scheming smile we saw earlier and informs her that Superman has played right into his hand.
Later, Lex sends the media images of Kryptonian warships bearing Superman's symbol that he claims were taken by LexCorp satellites. Experts have analyzed the photos and confirmed that they are real. Lex then accuses Superman of being a Kryptonian spy, sent to scout ahead before the invasion. Panic starts to spread and the people turn on Superman. Superman has seen these images in the fortress, but doesn't understand how Lex could have gotten access to them. Regardless of his methods, Superman knows that Lex is lying to manipulate the public and ruin him. He flies to Lex's office to confront him. Lex lets him in and Superman starts to approach him angrily. Lex, sitting calmly at his desk, smiles his scheming smile once again and hits a button under his desk.
Steel plates cover the windows and walls of his office and a red light shines from the ceiling. He informs Superman that this is red sun radiation and strips him of his powers. Superman tells Lex something like "Even without my powers, locking yourself in a room with me after all you've done wasn't a good idea." Lex responds "Of course not. That's why I have this." He opens a little lead box revealing a glowing green ring.(OMG! Lex is a Green Lantern! No. Just kidding.) Superman stumbles backward. Lex slips on the ring and says "A radioactive piece of your home planet. I call it kryptonite. To humans it's harmless, but to you- (Superman tries to punch Lex but the affects of the kryptonite have weakened him and slowed him down. Lex easily dodges the punch and punches Superman in the face with the ring, knocking him to his knees) it's fatal. And there's just so much more where this came from!" Lex kicks Superman around a bit and then knocks him unconscious.
When Superman wakes up his hands are bound behind him. Lex informs him that as they speak the invasion is beginning. Superman tells him that he knows this is a lie and that he is the only survivor of Krypton. Lex replies "You know that. I know that. But when the world sees an army of soldiers dressed like you attacking Metropolis with alien technology, I'll have all the evidence I need to convince them that you cannot be trusted. Don't worry though. Soldiers armed with Lexcorp weapons will heroically defeat the alien invaders and the government will turn to me to arm them with the weapons necessary to defend the world against the rest of the invasion force." Superman replies "You can't have built an entire army?" Lex says "Very good! No, not all of it is real. I've armed a small group of Lexcorp soldiers with imitation Kryptonian weaponry. The rest, I owe to hologram technology. The same technology that allowed me to create the satellite pictures and the same technology that will keep the world convinced that more of you are coming." Superman asks "How? How have you learned so much about Krypton?" Lex replies "Wouldn't you like to know?" and chuckles to himself. Lex walks closer to Superman "You know what I love about this plan? You did half the work for me. I didn't have to figure out a way to get you because I knew you would come to me. You are just so predictable." At this point he's in Superman's face and Superman head butts him. Lex recoils, wipes the blood from his face, and laughs. "Superman, if I didn't hate you so much, I might actually like you. It didn't have to be this way. I offered you my hand in friendship, but you refused. Worse, you had the audacity to look down your nose at me. Now, the world will see who's really the better man" Superman replies "You really are pathetic. Everything you do is driven by your sick need to feed your ego." Visibly angered, Lex starts to leave, but stops and says "You'll be kept alive for now. After all, Lex Luthor, savior of planet Earth, wouldn't kill the only enemy soldier that could be kept for questioning. When this is over, they'll torture you for 'information about your army.' You see, the funny thing about human rights is, they only apply to humans. And when they're finished, I'll dissect you myself. Goodbye Superman"
Lois and Jimmy break into the Lexcorp building and free Superman. While attempting to escape they are met by Lex and John Corben (I'll explain his story later). Lex tells Corben to handle Superman. Superman, still regaining his powers, is caught off guard by Corben's strength. Corben tells Superman that he's now on his level. They start to slug it out, but Superman has the upper hand. Corben rips off the fake flesh on his chest and then the panel keeping the kryptonite secure (Lex has told him to do this only as a last resort). Due to the effects of the kryptonite, the fight shifts in Corben's favor. Superman finds a way to overcome him, (maybe one of Lex's weapons, maybe electrocution) and Corben is caught in an explosion. We think he's down, but (in a scene that rips off Terminator a little bit) he comes back, showing us the complete metal endo-skeleton. They fight once more, and Superman is able to hit him hard enough to knock the kryptonite from his chest. Corben powers down and Superman gets out of range of the kryptonite. Superman gets to the roof and soaks in the sunlight. With his power refilled, he goes to take on Lex's invading forces. This is the coolest action scene of the movie.
Lex has designed these fake Kryptonian soldiers to look like Kryptonian warriors with emphasis on the resemblance to Superman's costume. They have advanced weaponry, but also, in order to keep up the illusion, they have to appear to have the powers of Superman as well. Lex has designed the suits to give the soldiers enhanced strength and flight capabilities. Imagine Superman fighting about 10-20 guys slightly weaker than Ironman. Additionally, there might be some small ships or tanks for him to destroy. This would give us a chance to see Superman really cut loose with his powers. Of course, he wouldn't kill anyone, but he'd fight to disarm these guys with minimal injuries. I'd like to see things like Superman heat visioning one guys gun , rip off someone's armor, then turn around and use his freeze breath on two more guys. One thing that Superman has over so many other superheroes is the raw power at his disposal. It's not often that we get to see how powerful he is, but by showing him dispose of these guys with relative ease, you can put on a visual spectacle and leave people wanting to see him take on something bigger and tougher.
The defeat of Lex's forces would mark the end of Lex's plot for this movie. Lois and Clark would discuss how although the world knows that the invasion was fabricated, Lex will deny his involvement and his lawyers will find a way for him to get away with everything. However, his image is now tainted. He has fallen from grace, and the world now sees him for what he is. We see some nice ending (with Superman flying off, standing on a rooftop, ripping his shirt open or something like that) and the credits start. But then we see something else. Lex walks angrily through his lobby and approaches his guarded basement elevator. The guards step aside and he takes the elevator down. He enters a small room (camera facing him) and starts talking to someone. "It didn't work! Even with the information you gave me, he was still able to win!" The camera shifts to show who he's talking to. It's Brainiac! "Patience Lex Luthor. When my plans are complete, not even the son or Jor-el will be able to stand in our way" End.
I know some of you were thinking Lex's knowledge of Krypton and Kryptonite was a major plot hole. For those of you who figured out where I was going with it, nice job. I think tying Brainiac and Lex together helps both. Brainiac helps make Lex a more formidable villain. Revealing Brainiac's behind the scenes involvement at the end, after setting up his involvement with the destruction of Krypton in the opening would really set him up well to take center stage in the sequel. But before, we look to the future, let's not forget about this movie's other major villain, Metallo.
I said that Lex is the main villain, but that doesn't mean I want Metallo to be a lame lackey. Think about The Incredible Hulk. General Ross was the central antagonist to an extent. He was the one sending Blonsky after Bruce. He was the one calling the shots and he represented Bruce's fear of the military attempting to turn the Hulk into a weapon, However, Blonsky had a big role and ended up becoming a serious threat. He came into the movie pretty early on and provided the main physical conflict for the Hulk. Metallo would more or less be this movie's Abomination. You probably noticed that he was the terrorist who was involved in Lex's battle suit plot near the beginning. Lex manages to get him out of prison, but he's still pretty ticked off. This job was supposed to make him rich, but instead he was shown as a terrorist on national television. His only option now is to continue working for Lex. When Lex tells him that what he has planned is a chance for him to gain great power and get back at Superman, Corben leaps at the opportunity. There would probably be a little bit more for him to do and maybe some more explanation of his motivation, but that would pretty much take him to the point where we see him when he squares off against Superman in the Lexcorp building. Since he is only powered down at the end of the movie, it leaves the possibility for him to play a minor role in the sequel.
The Future:
I have a vague idea of what I'd like to see happen in the sequels. The threat level has to escalate as the series goes along. For the second movie, I'd definitely like to see Superman fight Brainiac, but other than that I don't really know what the plot of the movie would be. It would reveal that Lex found the Brainiac satellite before the appearance of Superman. He's kept it in the basement and communicated with it for some time. Brainiac has helped Lex to improve Lexcorp's technology beyond its already cutting edge level of sophistication. It has also taught Lex much about Krypton, and when Superman shows up, Brainiac gives him the information about his weaknesses. Brainiac has informed Lex about a goal he has in mind, something that will give Lex great power. In reality, Brainiac is deceiving and using Lex to build him what he needs for his own purposes. Brainiac's real plans involve the end of all life on Earth, just as he helped happen on Krypton. This is obviously not what Lex wanted. Lex somehow manages to survive Brainiac's betrayal and escapes. Once things go crazy and Brainiac's attack starts, Superman may be forced to work with Lex to save the world. Like I said, my ideas for the Brainiac movie aren't very concrete because I haven't read much involving Brainiac. To me, one of the cool things about Brainiac is that Superman wouldn't have to hold back at all in the fight like he did in the first movie. The Metallo fight was difficult because he was weakened by kryptonite. This time we see Superman at full power struggling.
The third movie would feature Darkseid. I think it would start off on Earth and move to Apokolips. To make things more intense, this would show Superman ticked off and fighting more brutally. Darkseid would probably have to kill someone Superman cared about like he did in the animated series. Superman would come to the brink of killing him, but stop. This movie is a test of Superman's morals and his ability to control his anger. Over the course of the story, Darkseid would test him like he's never been tested before, physically and emotionally. In the end Darkseid would plan a larger scale invasion of Earth leading Superman to look for others to help him face this coming threat. This leads into the Justice League movie. For more on this, check out my planned future of the DC movie universe article.
Thanks for reading! Please check out the video version of this article here! As usual, it's a little more flashy than the article and it's a nice alternative for people who don't feel like reading everything. If you enjoyed this article, please help me out by pushing the like button! Even if you completely disagree, comment anyway and tell me your ideas for how things should go! I'm always up for a civilized debate.