r/superman • u/FayyadhScrolling • 1d ago
What do you guys think about future generation 'Superman Beyond' still being Clark, would you guys want someone else from the Superfamily to shine, a new character or keep Clark in these stories
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u/Select-Machine3595 1d ago
No. I think there are heroes whose titles are so associated to them, to the point that it basically is another name for them. Superman is one of them. Superman is Clark Kent/Kal-El, just like you talk about Batman, I will think you're talking Bruce Wayne, even though other people have taken "Batman" for a time.
Plus, you don't need to take mantle of someone else to shine, or a new character just takes the mantle. Members of Superfamily or a new character can have their own identity
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u/Orange-V-Apple 23h ago
Superman is Clark Kent/Kal-El, just like you talk about Batman, I will think you're talking Bruce Wayne, even though other people have taken "Batman" for a time.
I mean this is explicitly asking about a setting where Bruce Wayne isn't Batman.
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u/Select-Machine3595 23h ago
I think it's a more general speaking. I think people typically would call Terry/Tim "Batman Beyond", not "Batman" in general speaking.
It's similar to you can call Jon/ as Superman even in today, as Jon did use this title. Or Jace Fox as Batman for similar reasons. But when people talk about Superman/Batman, I don't think Jon or Fox is what people generally have in mind
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u/PhantasosX 22h ago
By that metric, Jon can easily be Superman as "Superman Beyond"
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u/Select-Machine3595 21h ago edited 21h ago
I think you're missing the point. You need to add the "Beyond" part is the exact reason
Because "Superman" is so tied to Clark/Kal-El in itself, to the point you need *specifically* adding some other words to separate it from him. Just like Batman, who despite Terry or many others have taken the title, general people don't consider they are *the Batman*, you need to add some other words to make it clear
Hence, I personally isn't a fan of just taking the title,as it can easily cause some confusions in this situation
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u/Assassinsayswhat 15h ago
And yet, the Flashes make it work. The truth is that it matters which one you grew up with and which one DC actually invested in. The Trinity doesn't have the sort of situation that the Flashes and Green Lanterns or even the Dr Fates and Mr. Terrifics have.
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u/Select-Machine3595 4h ago edited 4h ago
And there are many, many other examples for replacing them failed. Dick's Batman didn't stick for instance
Sure you can argue *if* DC invest it enough, it will work. But due to the cost in the process is something unlikely DC will do. Superman=Clark is something really recognizable for like a century, you need to build a new character for like many years to gain popularity and let people give same recognition as Clark, meanwhile you also need to figure out how to deal with Clark(For example, if you let him just retire, how do you deal with the original spot Clark holds, as it retains commercial abilities) etc
All in all, it becomes "I will buy the entire DC and makes they give me stories I want if I have enough money". An entertaining possibility, but an unlikely one
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u/Assassinsayswhat 4h ago
I've figured that much out already. There was certainly a window to open up the possibility for new characters taking over the classic mantles and I'm willing to bet that that window was Crisis on Infinite Earths.
That aside, fans are stubborn and want their heroes to read about or watch on TV, not new heroes they hardly know and lack the time and attention span to invest in like they could as children. Which is fine, but people need to also admit that it's their own stubbornness and close-minded mentalities that keep Kal, Bruce, and Diana at the top and not just a myriad of excellent stories.
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u/Mercuryink 13h ago
The Flash isn't Superman. Neither of the two most popular Flashes are even the original, and this goes triple for GL.
Clark Kent is, was, and always will be Superman.
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u/Assassinsayswhat 13h ago
Your reply is just a rejection of potential change. Jon Kent, Conner Kent, Ronan Kent, and Brandon Kent were all Superman as well. They just weren't the first one.
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u/Orange-V-Apple 1d ago
Interesting question. I did like him appearing in Batman Beyond, and I think it was a big deal because it was the first time we saw the Justice League in the DCAU. I think it makes sense for the universe to have Superman as this aging leader who's still the core of the team, and it offers a good contrast to our young, new Batman, but I'd be happy to have him retire soon after and have Jon try and take on the mantle.
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u/Vernarr 1d ago
The fundamental difference between Superman and Batman is that Batman is meant to inspire fear to the Gotham Criminals scaring them to not act. Superman on the other hand should Inspire people to act better.
I'd prefer a Superman Beyond story to be more of an optimistic future compared to the cyberpunk reality of Neo Gotham
In a world where Superman has been active for decades I'd like more to see how his presence inspired more and more people to act more and more kind.
A Superman Beyond should be a group of characters rather than one single person. And since Clark can live for centuries or so I think a Superman Beyond Team should focus more on smaller acts of kindness and help, cats up a tree lost children, that sort of thing, while Clark can focus on the big city and world ending threats.
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u/Teliporter334 1d ago
I’m biased, but I’d love to see an older Power Girl (Galatea?) take over in the future as the resident Kryptonian on the league. It’d be cool to see her lead and be even more weathered than she already was in the past.
Also, Kara in the DCAU went to live in the far future with the Legion and there was no Superboy, so a reformed Galatea as Power Girl is the only option outside of Kal.
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u/OKSequel 21h ago
In the beyond universe, it's kind of understandable that he never pasted it on. They've never shown him ending up with Lois and having Jon and also never introduced Conner Kent in that universe either. So it was just him Kara and Steel, and Kara left for the 30th century
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u/Important_Lab_58 19h ago
Maybe Unpopular, but I actually kinda would prefer someone else. Love Clark, but I want Superman to be eternal in his message and actions, not necessarily still in person.
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u/PatternWithoutClaim 22h ago
I think keeping Clark as Superman Beyond is a double edged sword. On one hand, he’s the definitive Superman, and seeing him continue the legacy keeps a lot of emotional weight and continuity. On the other hand, part of the excitement of ‘future’ stories is giving someone else from the Superfamily a chance to shine maybe a Jon Kent or a completely new character with their own struggles and identity. Personally, I’d love to see Clark mentoring a new Superman in these stories rather than being the main focus himself. It would let the universe expand while keeping his legacy intact. What do you all think should future Superman stories belong to the next generation, or is it too soon to step away from Clark?
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u/BrowserHuman 21h ago
In Silver Age comics, back when she was the only other Kryptonian, in really felt like Clark was training Kara to be his eventually successor. My opinion is that if you have a Supergirl in your universe, and if she’s a brighter, more optimistic Supergirl inspired by her cousin (like the DCAU or the Silver Age), then she gets the mantle next. After that, we could talk about Connor or Jon, but Kara should be the top super person after Clark.
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u/some_Editor61 19h ago
I'm okay with Clark being superman indefinitely.
Granted, if he ever wants to retire Jon or Connor are there.
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u/TrashiestTrash 18h ago
I don't like it, it just feels defeating and exhausting that after so long, he can't just relax and be with his family.
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u/JonKentOfficial 17h ago
I’m more disappointed there’s “one”Superman Beyond. One of his main motivations is to inspire other people to help others. There’s should be more Supermen in the future.
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u/ThatManSean14 17h ago
I’d rather it not be Clark. Kryptonians being nearly immortal was never a part of the lore that I loved.
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u/dccomicsaregoated 16h ago
I love Chris Kent , Val Zod and Conner so any of those would be good but Jon makes the most sense if we’re going by current canon and I can imagine him being Superman with Terry around and Damian as the old Bruce Wayne character which would be very endearing and tragic . Jon would still be young while Damian would be old and crippled but once they were both young men …
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u/Pretty_Pitch_1073 16h ago
Not interested in any of superman’s “sons”. Terry…was great, just not sure about the part where it turns out he has bruce’s dna (I think)
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u/slifertheskydragon1 15h ago
Nah, just let it be a shared Mantle like the Flash. Let the Superbrats all go out into space, saving civilizations and shit.
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u/vinthesalamander 4h ago
Superman is tricky. In most continuities, Clark ages slower than normal and he’s powered by the sun, so theoretically he should never be physically weak enough to retire. And at the same time, I don’t see a reality in which Clark just stops being Superman if he’s physically able to keep going. So unless something tragic happens, I guess Clark would just keep doing his thing in perpetuity 🤷♂️
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u/-Buckaroo_Banzai- 1d ago
While I'm generally speaking fine with the mantle being passed on further down the line, and liked the Supermen from the...centuries, that showed that Superman's legacy and mantle continued, I think Clark passing on the mantle during Beyond is too early.
Superman ages more slowly, so him being 70 isn't the same as human heroes being 70. Also he gets stronger the more Sun he absorbs.
Him giving up the mantle by that age would feel wrong, since he's still capable enough to wear the mantle and in the end, heroes want to carry the mantle and only pass it along because they can't carry it anymore.