Man Of Steel (2013) Comic Influences

[thecolorsblend]

I'll flesh this out more over time.

But from the jump, I'm aware of three major influences with Snyder's MOS.

In chronological order, first comes John Byrne's Man Of Steel miniseries from 1986. Apropos title considering that Byrne's MOS served the same essential function as Snyder's MOS. Namely, to reboot the character. Everything that went before was nuked out of canon in both MOS's. That's worth something all by itself. But there are clear similarities between Byrne's depiction of Krypton and Snyder's. Also, it's implied in MOS #01 that Clark had spent quite a few years as a drifter and anonymous hero, much as he did in Snyder's MOS. More to follow on this when I feel like doing it.

Next is Mark Waid's Superman- Birthright. The idea of Kryptonians flying on bird-like creatures shown in Snyder's MOS has precedent in Birthright #01. Ditto the Superman symbol meaning "Hope" as opposed to the El family crest. There's also the big climax of Earth being invaded by Kryptonians. In Birthright, it's a false-flag operation while in MOS, it's an actual thing. But the basic concepts exist in both works.

Finally (and arguably most egregiously) is Superman- Earth One vol. 01. Now, there are limits to how much of this I'm willing to buy into. I can accept that Byrne's MOS and Birthright were both intentional influences on Snyder's MOS. But Earth One is a tougher nut to crack because Snyder was announced as the director of MOS in October 2010. The same month Earth One v1 released. Presumably, David Goyer had written at least a draft or two of MOS which Snyder reviewed before signing on the dotted line. I also presume that Snyder was hired prior to October 2010 but WB sat on the news for a while, as would be customary. So it's entirely possible that Snyder was locked in as director before Earth One v1 came out. If so, then you'd think Snyder would've already had basic ideas of what the movie would be and how it would look by the time he was officially announced as the director.

For those reasons, I have a hard time believing that Snyder would've had the time, opportunity or inclination to read much of Earth One v1.

And yet, there are quite a lot of similarities between Snyder's MOS and Earth One v1. Several of which can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2xnwGU400dPf-rWpBdAXUzfLe3SbP2a/view

Still, it should be noted that the above .pdf cites similarities between Snyder's MOS and Earth One v2. The second Earth One volume came out in October 2012 while MOS came out in March 2013. The battle in Smallville from MOS filmed in August 2011, almost a full year before E1V2 was released. Therefore, it's basically impossible for Earth One v2 to have been an influence on MOS as the .pdf file suggests. The timeline is simply unworkable. Further, it's highly doubtful that MOS could've influenced E1V2 since artist Shane Davis was probably already halfway through the project by August 2011.

And yet, the similarities between E1V2 and MOS are still apparent anyway. So it's at least possible that the similarities between E1V1 and MOS are coincidental as well.

But then again, we've got an awful lot of coincidence and random chance piling up around here. So hmm.

I'm not aware of Snyder or Goyer making any public statements regarding Earth One (aside from Goyer's short blurb on the E1V1 back cover) so it's tough to say whether or not Snyder + Goyer truly were deeply influenced by the first volume or not. The timing doesn't really fit but the similarities and coincidences are freaking staggering. For his own part, Davis had denied being influenced by Snyder, which seems unnecessary and obvious but he's done it anyway.

So in the end, idk what to think. Goyer said that Snyder made 98% of the film as he envisioned it. His Superman movie idea goes back to 2008, which again calls the entire timeline into question.

More specific examples and screen caps will follow whenever I get around to it.

[The Laughing Fish]

It's not a big deal, but I reckon this thread belongs in the Other DC Films & TV sub-forum.

I read a TPB copy of The Return of Superman a while ago, and when it summarised the Eradicator's backstory, it reminded me a lot like General Zod in MOS. In the comics, Eradicator was a Kryptonian AI who got in contact with Kal-El in the hopes of recreating Krypton on Earth; similar to Zod's plan to terraform the planet in the film. Like Zod in MOS, Eradicator got his superpowers from the sun, and obviously in both mediums, they faced resistance from Superman and were defeated.

Finally (and arguably most egregiously) is Superman- Earth One vol. 01. Now, there are limits to how much of this I'm willing to buy into. I can accept that Byrne's MOS and Birthright were both intentional influences on Snyder's MOS. But Earth One is a tougher nut to crack because Snyder was announced as the director of MOS in October 2010. The same month Earth One v1 released. Presumably, David Goyer had written at least a draft or two of MOS which Snyder reviewed before signing on the dotted line. I also presume that Snyder was hired prior to October 2010 but WB sat on the news for a while, as would be customary. So it's entirely possible that Snyder was locked in as director before Earth One v1 came out. If so, then you'd think Snyder would've already had basic ideas of what the movie would be and how it would look by the time he was officially announced as the director.

For those reasons, I have a hard time believing that Snyder would've had the time, opportunity or inclination to read much of Earth One v1.

And yet, there are quite a lot of similarities between Snyder's MOS and Earth One v1. Several of which can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2xnwGU400dPf-rWpBdAXUzfLe3SbP2a/view

The Earth One similarities are definitely eye-catching; in fact, this forum has discussed this before. I'm not concerned about the likelihood of whether or not this was a coincidence, but what bothers me is how Shane Davis, and his wife, use this opportunity to accuse Snyder and company of "stealing" material from a comic. That's funny. One minute, people accuse Snyder of not being "cOmIc AcCuRaTe", but now they're saying his movies are too much like the comics?

Even more troublesome to me is Davis appears to be using this as an opportunity to advertise his latest book. Which is a cheap, and frankly, pathetic marketing ploy. If you read this Twitter exchanges on the Superman: Earth One thread I posted the other day, you'll know what I mean.

[The Dark Knight]

I'm not aware of Snyder or Goyer making any public statements regarding Earth One (aside from Goyer's short blurb on the E1V1 back cover) so it's tough to say whether or not Snyder + Goyer truly were deeply influenced by the first volume or not. The timing doesn't really fit but the similarities and coincidences are freaking staggering. For his own part, Davis had denied being influenced by Snyder, which seems unnecessary and obvious but he's done it anyway.

There are Earth One influences in MoS, either deliberate or unintentional.

There are two ways to respond:

1. Take it as a compliment
2. Freak out and call it plagiarism

MoS is a contemporary film, and the fact it's similar to Earth One is why I like it so much. A director can take influence from wherever they want, especially the comic field, which is an expansive ocean. Once something has been printed it's out there, and fair game as a source.

Is Snyder the only director, comic book or otherwise, to do it? No. But it seems like he's being treated like it. Musicians take inspiration from things they see and experience. Something pure and wholly original from a good night's sleep is extremely rare, and there's a strong likelihood it wouldn't reflect the current culture.   

Matt Reeves' Batman movie has clear references to the Earth One comics as well. What's going to be the reaction there? Another freak-out?  Way I see it, a director not referencing modern material in a contemporary film would be a dereliction of their duty.
 
Perspective is everything. I find it's all about how people react, rather than the incident itself. As someone once wrote down on a piece of paper when accused of ripping off others: "it wasn't a rip off, it was a love in."

[Silver Nemesis]

Here are a few more comic connections to add to the list.

Screenwriter David S. Goyer has cited Geoff Johns' run as an influence on his Man of Steel script. Goyer provided an introduction to the trade paperback edition of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's Superman: Secret Origin (September 2009-August 2010), which he wrote while he was working on the first draft of MOS. I won't transcribe the entire introduction in this thread, but here are a few relevant quotes:

The same week Geoff asks me to write this very introduction, Warner Brothers asks me if I will consult with DC's new Chief Creative Officer on the aforementioned Superman script. Weird, huh?

[...]

And then there's Superman, the Holy Grail of comic book characters. A character that I've always been too chicken to tackle. For starters, the guy can do basically anything. And he's not someone the reader can readily identify with. I once told Geoff that I thought it was virtually impossible to write a truly great, modern day Superman story.

Well I was wrong.

In SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, Geoff has managed to surmount those challenges. By digging back into Clark Kent's past and expanding upon the previously known canon, Geoff has truly humanized the Man of Steel. (Humanized even more so, I might add, by the wonderful illustrations of Gary Frank and Jon Sibal.)

Goyer highlights one particular scene of dialogue which was clearly referenced in Man of Steel.

There's a heart breaking moment halfway through the first chapter in which young Clark is told the truth about his heritage. He races out into the night, sobbing, stumbling through the cornfields. Eventually, his foster father, Jonathan, finds him.

"I don't want to be someone else's kid," says Clark. "I don't want to be different. I want to be Clark Kent."

(And here's the kicker...)

"I want to be your son."

Right there, in that moment, Geoff contextualised Superman in a way that I'm not sure has ever really been done before. I had an 'a ha' experience when I read that. For the first time, I was able to grasp how lonely Clark must have been when he was growing up. And what a sacrifice Clark must continually make by being Superman.

As I write this, I am midway through my first draft of a new Superman screenplay. It's a task that has stymied many talented filmmakers in the years since Donner's film. And for all I know, it will end up stymieing me as well.

But I've got one advantage the other screenwriters that came before me didn't have – and that's access to all the wonderful Superman stories written by Geoff Johns – first and foremost being the SECRET ORIGIN reprinted in the very volume you are now holding.

Here's the scene in question.

And here's the scene in the film.

The moment where the distressed young Clark crushes part of a fence is similar to a scene in Secret Origin where he crushes a football. In both scenes, the involuntary crushing of an object is a symptom of his suppressed emotional turmoil.

Another scene taken from Secret Origin is the one where Clark freaks out and runs away from his classmates after his x-ray vision kicks in at school.

The scene where Jonathan is killed by a tornado might have been influenced by a scene from the 1948 Superman film serial in which a teenage Clark saves his dad from a tornado that sweeps through Smallville. The idea of a tornado being one of young Clark's earliest major challenges was also explored in the Smallville season one finale and Geoff Johns' Secret Origin.

Another Geoff Johns story that certainly influenced MOS, and which was co-written by Richard Donner, was Superman: Last Son (Action Comics Vol 1 #844–846 & 851 Action Comics Annual Vol 1 #11, December 2006-July 2008). This was one of two prominent Zod storylines that had featured in the comics shortly before Man of Steel entered production. The other was Superman: World of New Krypton (March 2009-March 2010), by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. But since MOS more closely resembles Last Son, that's the story I'm going to focus on here.

Snyder's depiction of Zod is largely based on the Post-Crisis comic version introduced by Donner and Johns during the Last Son arc; which is in turn based on the cinematic Zod introduced in Superman: The Movie (1978); which is in turn based on a mixture of the Pre-Crisis comic book Zod and the Silver Age villain Quex-Ul from 'The Super-Revenge of the Phantom Zone Prisoner!' (Superman Vol 1 #157, November 1962). Shannon's Zod sports the dark hair and beard of the Post-Crisis Zod, as opposed to the bald head and clean-shaven look synonymous with the Pre-Crisis version.

In the Pre-Crisis comics Zod attempted to carry out a coup using an army of Bizarro clones, as originally depicted in 'The Phantom Superboy' (Adventure Comics Vol 1 #283, April 1961). In the Post-Crisis comics he attempted to execute the coup with the aid of just two other Kryptonians, Ursa and Non, as depicted in 'The Criminals of Krypton' (Action Comics Annual Vol 1 #10, March 2007). In the movie he has a larger military force at his disposal, including two characters that are analogous to Ursa and Non.

Snyder's version of Faora is a mixture of her comic book namesake and Ursa. Nowadays Faora and Ursa are often used interchangeably and several of Ursa's characteristics have been passed on to Faora. For example, in the comics prior to Superman II (1980) Faora only ever worked with Zod and the other Phantom Zone criminals out of necessity. In contrast to Ursa's loyalty, Faora hated the general (and all other men) and often plotted against him. Ursa, however, is devoted to Zod and is usually depicted as his lover. Since Last Son was published, other versions of Faora – including the Smallville and New 52 versions – have displayed a similar devotion and/or romantic connection with Zod. It's unclear whether the Snyder versions of Zod and Faora are romantically involved, but she is certainly loyally committed to his cause. She also more closely resembles Ursa in appearance than Faora, sporting short black hair and a dark outfit that matches Zod's, as opposed to the brown hair and green and white costume traditionally sported by the comic book Faora.

During the Smallville battle Faora is assisted by a large mute Kryptonian named Nam-Ek. In the comics Nam-Ek was the name of a scientist and Phantom Zone criminal who inadvertently transformed himself into a Rondor-Kryptonian hybrid. He first appeared in the Bronze Age story 'The Loneliest Man in the Universe' (Superman Vol 1 #282, December 1974). The cinematic Nam-Ek lacks the back story or horned mutated appearance of his comic book namesake and instead more closely resembles the Phantom Zone criminal Non. Both are large, mute henchmen who serve Zod and fight alongside Ursa/Faora.

The comic book versions of Nam-Ek and Non do have something in common insofar as they were both once brilliant scientists who ended up being sent to the Phantom Zone.

When Zod and his cohorts are banished from Krypton at the start of the film, they are shown being deported in small individual rockets. In Last Son, Zod and his followers use small individual rockets to travel to Earth from the Phantom Zone.

The Snyder Zod interacts with Jor-El's hologram, as the comic book Zod does in Last Son.

In the movie Zod tells Clark that his goal is to "protect our civilisation and save our planet." In Last Son he tells Clark "I am here to save our world."

The scene where Superman saves Lois from the Kryptonian escape pod as it is crashing towards Earth is visually similar to the scene in Last Son where he catches Christopher's rocket as it is plummeting towards Metropolis. In both stories the Kryptonian vessel crash lands, but the occupant emerges from the experience unharmed.

The scenes of the villainous Kryptonians battling the United States military recall Last Son.

At the end of the movie Dr. Emil Hamilton uses the Phantom Drive on Kal-El's spaceship to create a singularity that draws all the Kryptonians into the Phantom Zone. Lex Luthor does the same thing at the end of Last Son using the warp drive on a Kryptonian rocket.

In both stories the villainous Kryptonians are sucked into the Phantom Zone, but Superman manages to avoid sharing their fate. He holds on to Christopher during this scene in the comic, while in the film he holds on to Lois.

Moving away from Johns and Donner, Jor-El's monologue during the first flight scene is partly taken from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All-Star Superman (November 2005-October 2008). In the film Jor-El says:

"You will give the people of earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal."

And here's Jor-El's almost identical line in All-Star Superman:

The scene where Zod subjects Kal-El to a vision in which he is immersed in skulls is similar to a scene from Batman: Ego (2000) where Bruce Wayne suffers an equally horrific hallucination.

I doubt this next one was a deliberate reference, but the image of Clark holding up the burning metal on the oil rig reminds me of a similar scene from 'Where is Superman?' (Adventures of Superman Vol 1 #524, June 1995) where he holds up a burning tree. In both stories Clark has been lying low and trying to conceal his powers while he works a blue-collar job (a logger in the comic, a fisherman in the movie) when a crisis occurs that forces him to return to action.

In MOS, the bully who picks on Clark back in Smallville is named Kenny Braverman. This is the real name of the Superman villain Conduit, who first appeared in 'Peer Pressure, Part I – A Whole New World' (Superman: The Man of Steel Vol 1 #0, October 1994). The comic book Kenny was also an antagonistic schoolmate of Clark and was shown picking on him in Geoff Johns' Secret Origin.

I'll end this post by noting that several other comic characters made their cinematic debut in this movie, including Dr. Hamilton, Pete Ross, Steve Lombard and Jax-Ur. All of these characters had previously appeared in TV shows and/or animation, but none of them had appeared in live action movies prior to MOS.

There are more similarities to be highlighted, but I'll leave it there for now.

[The Laughing Fish]

You can tell the whole gist of Jonathan Kent warning young Clark about using his powers so openly and to consider the consequences of doing so was inspired by this panel in Superman #1, from 1939.



A lot of people missed the whole point of the MOS scene because of Jonathan's use of the word "maybe". I reckon it's because people tend to use the word when describing something that's ought to be done. I was never convinced Jonathan wanted Clark to let kids drown to their deaths, but I do think the wording could've been better and I believe it would've been safer to spoonfeed the audience with more straightforward dialogue like in this panel. Because unfortunately, people got so caught up with the word maybe, they overlooked Jonathan is trying to protect Clark from using such powers when he's still a child and the existential risks they bring both for himself and the rest of the world. Thus, Clark is encouraged to decide if this is the responsibility he should take once he's older.