Warning: This article contains spoilers for Black Adam.
Warner Bros has opened up the possibility of producing a sequel to Man of Steel. Nothing has been confirmed, however, as to whether or not Henry Cavill will reprise the role after his appearance in Black Adam, or if other DC superhero characters would make a cameo. One thing’s for sure is that fans are excited.
The calls to bring back the son of Krypton have been predominately louder than ever before since the announcement of Black Adam. Superman fans and Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson have begged DC and Warner Bros to return the superhero on the big screen as he’s one of the most beloved superheroes in the DCEU.
Just as fans are sick of DC constantly using Batman characters, can the same be said for Superman?
Is ‘Man of Steel 2’ worth making?
Based on Man of Steel‘s Rotten Tomatoes page, the film received mixed reviews from critics but was well-liked by fans. Critics gave Black Adam and Man of Steel nearly similar average scores on the website. With that being said, there is some potential for Man of Steel 2 to find its own form of success through the eyes of the fans.
If Black Adam constantly pushed the message of “Superman is nowhere close to Black Adam’s power,” shouldn’t Superman fight back? A sequel to Man of Steel has received support from other celebrities such as Seth Rogen. Not to mention, the success of CW’s Superman & Lois proves that the character is still immensely popular with fans.
People want the Superman sequel to succeed, and it’s up to DC to hire the best team to make it happen.
How it can improve upon ‘Man of Steel’
There are multiple ways for the sequel to improve on Man of Steel. The film could still see Earth’s leaders continue to question the existence of Superman, ewith plenty of government officials arranging contingency plans just in case the superhero goes rogue. Someone like Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) could still have reservations about the Kryptonian and make some sort of clone, like Cyborg Superman, only for them to learn that they can’t take the Man of Steel for granted.
One other way the sequel to Man of Steel could improve on its predecessor is to connect it to the DCEU. Yes, it’s about the son of Krypton but make it seem like he’s not alone. Also, it needs to make up for the mistakes it made in Batman vs. Superman, where it killed its most beloved hero in just two movies. Make Superman’s second shot in life worth the wait. Give us the experience as to why Superman still needs to live on Earth.
In other words, don’t rush into making a Black Adam vs. Superman movie. Make us deserve Superman rather than rushing into fan hype.
Lastly, it needs to take a page from Dwayne Johnson’s handbook and think about what the fans want. While DC may have thought that giving a Batman vs. Superman is an ideal second installment for the DCEU, the film ended up diving fans and it continued later on in The Justice League. DC and Warner Bros have done an excellent job conveying themes of “questioning superhero ethics”. Give us a Superman story where not only is he somewhat the voice of reason for Earth but also makes the audience question his existence.
Fans on social media have given a variety of potential stories and cartoon adaptations they would like to see on screen. Perhaps look at some of the existing stories and think about how they could adapt to the DCEU. Or maybe take inspiration from those tales and how they could be added to the big screen.
The end credits scene of Black Adam showed that the Earth was ready for Superman. But now, it needs to establish that type of trust. An ideal sequel to Man of Steel should be the build-up before the events of the recent DC film. After the reception that Johnson showed when the movie opened in the international market, there is potential to make the second Man of Steel film a great one.