Should there be a Superman (in the movies)?

Rumor has it that Henry Cavill has finished playing Superman, and although the news is not yet official, recent rumors Super Girl The film is in development this morning, claiming that Kara Zor-El will represent Krypton on the big screen.

With a popular (probably) party leader and the Steel Man himself seemingly set aside for the indefinite future, it seems appropriate to ask this age-old question (sometimes asked by Lois Lane herself). same): Should there be a Superman?

The answer is yes.

One thing that Zack Snyder's films were right, even though the criticism that he made them rather than showing that she has some merit, is that all the positive impressions the world has of the Superheroes share comes from Superman. While Wonder Woman and Batman have done good in the world, they have done it while keeping their existence secret, or at least rooted in the shadows. Superman went on the world stage and served to move things forward.

You can see that expressed in the promotional material for Shazam!, where Freddie is clearly a super fan of Superman, and is probably why Cavill almost made an appearance in this lighter and more optimistic film.

Even in a Dark Knight Returns-an inspirational universe where Batman "came first", Superman gave the superheroes their first public face. After all, nobody aspires to become Batman. Even his closest friends and surrogate children recoil when they begin to feel that they are becoming too much like him (it was Tim Drake's entire bow for a while).

Solo superhero movies can easily exist in a world without Superman, but if DC wants to continue in a shared universe, it would be difficult to do it … and if they want to act like any other character in a reworking still exists in a continuity shared with other movies, it becomes even more difficult.

To continue the established universe in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League – even with significant changes, it would be necessary to include Superman. His death and his return were the emotional core of the team films, and from the first blow Steel man Throughout Lois Lane's final monologue, Zack Snyder's films were really Superman's bow.

Given that Aquaman, Shazam!and both Wonder Woman the movies are all origins, it would actually be quite simple to write the events of Steel man and Batman v Superman out of continuity quietly and start building a universe with a different Batman and Superman, or one that they completely miss, but we already know beforehand look Shazam! it's not what's going on.

The introduction of Supergirl also raises the question: where did his cousin go? This could of course be written by sending it in space, or through time, or something of the sort … but the movies such as they currently exist and the Supergirl character are deeply related to Superman would be virtually impossible to undo without making changes that would further alienate the public.

If in fact Cavill is done, the question of how DC treats the most significant figure in the established world of his films becomes an operational issue, and the conversations that took place between fans and on Twitter less academic and more urgent than ever . Because the DC universe needs a Superman.