Concept artist Victor Martinez has shared an early design for Jor-El and Lara Lor-Von in James Gunn's Superman (before Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan were cast, presumably), and it seems Kal-El's Kryptonian parents were originally going to be introduced in a very different way.
"Early concept art for the Jor-El and Lara hologram seen inside The Fortress of Solitude," writes Martinez. "The idea was that their image would be projected within the crystals making up the fortress walls. Seen here with baby Kal-El as they prepare to give him away to Earth."
Gunn's interpretation of Jor-El and Lara arguably proved to be the most divisive aspect of the movie.
When Krypto drags the hero to the Fortress of Solitude to be healed by the sun following his defeat at the hands of Ultraman, the Caretaker Robots play the message Jor-El and Lara Lor-Von sent their son to Earth with. We then learn that the second half of the message was damaged in the crash.
Later on, Lex Luthor gains entry to the Fortress and The Engineer manages to decipher the corrupted part of the message. It turns out that Clark Kent's biological parents actually sent him to Earth as a conqueror, and specifically chose the planet because its people are weak and will be easily dominated. There's also the implication that Kal-El should impregnate as many of Earth's women as possible in order to restart the Kryptonian race.
In the DCU, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Von are really more like the Viltrumites from Invincible than the heroic figures that are generally depicted in the comics and all previous adaptations of Superman's origin.
Though this change to the lore does work well for this story and Superman's arc, it did not sit well with a lot of DC Comics fans.
In related news, a rumor is doing the rounds online that Superman (David Corenswet) will appear in the next trailer for Supergirl. The source is unverified so we wouldn't put too much stock in this, though we wouldn't be too surprised if the Man of Steel did feature since the news that he is set to show up in the movie has been out there for a while.
Check out the concept art below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
The cast also includes Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent.
"In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind."