All Things Superman: An Open Discussion

[Doc Ock]

So, The Man of Steel is seemingly going to be like a remake of Superman II. Just great.

Nope. Have faith!

 

[Lead Cenobite]

I understand people being worried about a rehash after Superman Returns, but really, at this stage we don't know enough about the movie to say it's a rehash. I defended Superman Returns too before I found out about the land scheme rehash, and I don't regret it either, because I didn't have enough information to make judgments.

 

[DorkyFresh]

Ok, when did I say that the movie should be a Superman movie in name only? When?

i'm only taking what you said and applying the same type of illogical nonsense you were spouting. check my sig.

 

[Sabaoth]

It's funny how WB has control over what is going on...

Snyder had to have Shannon audition to convince WB, that he was right for the role....so he is on a short leash.

After Superman Returns came out and there was all this talk of a sequel, the rumor mill spit out three consistent rumors : the sequel was going to be called Man of Steel, Superman was going to get physical in it, and the villain was Zod.
Google it. It's still there.

So I think all of you who think we are getting a remake of Superman II are wrong, we are really getting what WB had planned as a sequel for Superman Returns.

So this is really the sequel for Superman Returns with a new director, cast, and a retelling of the origin for good measure.

WB had it planned all along....they're out there laughing at fanboys who think that Snyder is making important decisions.

 

[Kurosawa]

So, The Man of Steel is seemingly going to be like a remake of Superman II. Just great.

Faora? A very bland sounding female villain with a very bland look.

Faora was a vastly superior villain to Ursa. She had a concentration camp of all men that she hated and seduced with her beauty, and when she tired of them she killed them. She killed 23 men. She is a serial killer, a kidnapper, and a concentration camp commandant. She's more viscous than most Superman foes, plus her expertise in the Kryptonian martial art of Horo-Kanu makes her a terribly difficult opponent for Supes. In fact, Superman had to retreat from his battle with her in her first appearance. And this wasn't a story written by some Marvel hack like Gerry Conway, Cary Bates created this character and his Superman was supremely impressive and a winner. And Superman beat her too, but she did give him a hell of a challenge.

 

[Sabaoth]

Faora was a vastly superior villain to Ursa. She had a concentration camp of all men that she hated and seduced with her beauty, and when she tired of them she killed them. She killed 23 men. She is a serial killer, a kidnapper, and a concentration camp commandant. She's more viscous than most Superman foes, plus her expertise in the Kryptonian martial art of Horo-Kanu makes her a terribly difficult opponent Supes. In fact, Superman had to retreat from his battle with her in her first appearance. And this wasn't a story written by some Marvel hack like Gerry Conway, Cary Bates created this character and his Superman was supremely impressive and a winner. And Superman beat her too, but she did give him a hell of a challenge.

Sounds interesting. I'll see if I can locate the issues with her tomorrow.
Faora seems like an Ursa prototype, a possible inspiration for Richard Donner?

 

[The Sage]

It's funny how WB has control over what is going on...

Snyder had to have Shannon audition to convince WB, that he was right for the role....so he is on a short leash.

After Superman Returns came out and there was all this talk of a sequel, the rumor mill spit out three consistent rumors : the sequel was going to be called Man of Steel, Superman was going to get physical in it, and the villain was Zod.
Google it. It's still there.

So I think all of you who think we are getting a remake of Superman II are wrong, we are really getting what WB had planned as a sequel for Superman Returns.

So this is really the sequel for Superman Returns with a new director, cast, and a retelling of the origin for good measure.

WB had it planned all along....they're out there laughing at fanboys who think that Snyder is making important decisions.

The villain was supposed to be Brainiac, confirmed by Mike Dougherty in an interview, so I doubt this is the planned SR sequel with a new crew, especially since Nolan and Goyer approached WB with their own ideas which caused this movie to go into production to begin with.

 

[Dark Knight]

It's funny how WB has control over what is going on...

Snyder had to have Shannon audition to convince WB, that he was right for the role....so he is on a short leash.

After Superman Returns came out and there was all this talk of a sequel, the rumor mill spit out three consistent rumors : the sequel was going to be called Man of Steel, Superman was going to get physical in it, and the villain was Zod.
Google it. It's still there.

So I think all of you who think we are getting a remake of Superman II are wrong, we are really getting what WB had planned as a sequel for Superman Returns.

So this is really the sequel for Superman Returns with a new director, cast, and a retelling of the origin for good measure.

WB had it planned all along....they're out there laughing at fanboys who think that Snyder is making important decisions.

 

[Kurosawa]

Sounds interesting. I'll see if I can locate the issues with her tomorrow.
Faora seems like an Ursa prototype, a possible inspiration for Richard Donner?

Yeah, Ursa was based on her, she was just softened up quite a bit. They even cut a scene from II where she killed a boy, and when someone said, "He was just a boy!", Ursa replied, "A boy that will never grow up to be a man!"...but they cut that because it was too brutal for the time. Faora also never had anything past a working relationship with Jax-Ur or Dru-Zod, so the whole Adam and Eve thing with Zod and Ursa wouldn't work with Zod and Faora...unless this new version again softens her character...not that Ursa was not an evil, ruthless ***** in Superman II, but Faora in the comics was a ton more evil and brutal (for the time, anyway).

 

[raybia]

The villain was supposed to be Brainiac, confirmed by Mike Dougherty in an interview, so I doubt this is the planned SR sequel with a new crew, especially since Nolan and Goyer approached WB with their own ideas which caused this movie to go into production to begin with.

I heard that Goyer and Singer have gone to the same gym since 2006.

 

[DorkyFresh]

I'll take that for MOS.

Yeah thats better I dont want to be sat in the cinema for much longer than that, they can always extend it for blu ray if necessary

i'm watching BB right now...if they're going with the BB template, we should see Superman in full costume around the 1 hour mark. that leaves almost an hour and a half left.

 

[Superman 1265]

Faora was a vastly superior villain to Ursa. She had a concentration camp of all men that she hated and seduced with her beauty, and when she tired of them she killed them. She killed 23 men. She is a serial killer, a kidnapper, and a concentration camp commandant. She's more viscous than most Superman foes, plus her expertise in the Kryptonian martial art of Horo-Kanu makes her a terribly difficult opponent for Supes. In fact, Superman had to retreat from his battle with her in her first appearance. And this wasn't a story written by some Marvel hack like Gerry Conway, Cary Bates created this character and his Superman was supremely impressive and a winner. And Superman beat her too, but she did give him a hell of a challenge.

It seems like every time you post something, I learn something new. Thank you for knowing so much about the Pre-Crisis Superman.

 

[Zionite]

Im still hoping its the RUSSIAN version of faora and Zod.That would be very un-donner like

 

[DorkyFresh]

i'd like Zod to look like none of the movie nor comic depictions. i hope they give him a cape and make him look somewhat like a Roman general.

 

[The Sage]

i'd like Zod to look like none of the movie nor comic depictions. i hope they give him a cape and make him look somewhat like a Roman general.

I can dig that. Zod and whatever accompanying Kryptonians having capes would work if Superman's costume is based on his home planet's fashion.

I don't know if I'd ditch the beard though. Maybe make it look different.

 

[elgaz]

I like the beard on Zod. I'd like to see him represented as an opposite of Superman in some ways - although they phsyically have the same powers, Zod's mentality is a polar opposite of Superman's in terms of his attitude towards humans, compassion, etc. And having them phsyically different (Zod with a beard, Superman with none) helps contribute to that effect. Also lends a certain regality to Zod, given that he was head of the Kryptonian military and held in high regard in Kryptonian society.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

What about Major Zod?!

 

[Motown Marvel]

i thinkt he best Zod from the comics is obviously the krypton general that was banished to the phantom zone by jor-el. if they used any other version of Zod it would be a disappointment.

while the character would be the same as Superman II, it hardly makes it a rehash.

 

[DorkyFresh]

no beard on Zod please. Michael Shannon simply doesn't look good with facial hair and giving Zod a totally different look distinguishes itself from the previous films.

 

[Doc Ock]

What about Major Zod?!

People would then just complain its like Smallville.

 

[Sabaoth]

I just read through Action #471-473 and couldn't help noticing how these three issues have some subtle yet striking semblance to the Superman I-II movie plot (including the Zone and characters resembling Ursa <Faora> and Non).
These comics came out at the time after Donner had been hired to direct Superman and Tom Mankiewicz had rewritten the script.
In fact, principal photography for both Supeman I and Superman II began prior to the release of these issues.
Superman I/II began filming in March 1977 and the first appearance of Faora was in the May 1977 (Action#471).
So the question is did these Action comic issues inspire Donnerverse Zod, Ursa, and Non.......or was Cary Bates, Julie Schartz, or Jeanette Kahn, privy to the Superman movie scripts (it was already being filmed at the time) and Ursa inspired him to create Faora?
Remember Superman I & II were written at the same time and were filmed concurrently (I'm not getting into the whole Richard Lester thing here!) ,
so who inspired who here?
I'm well aware that on wikipedia, in her entry, it states that Faora was the inspiration for Ursa, but when you click on the source for that tidbit of information, you will see it comes from a two year old Newsarama.com article, with the quote,
"Pre-Crisis speaking, the most famous trio were General Zod, Jax-Ur, and Faora Hu-Ul. The three frequently plotted against Superman from the Zone over the years, but rarely, if ever, made physical appearances on Earth. Still, this long-running plot served as the basis for the characters of Zod, Ursa and Non as depicted in Superman: The Movie and Superman II. "

That information is wrong, as Faora was introduced in the comics after Superman I & II had begun filming and they need scripts to in order to film!

Mankiewickz passed away last year but Cary Bates is out there...
Can some intrepid fanboy ask Cary Bates the question,
who came first, Ursa or Faora?
When was Sarah Douglas cast as Ursa?
I think the answer is clearly Ursa.....there is no way Faora could have inspired Ursa because Superman I & II were already filming, unless there were major script and cast changes during filming.
It is more likely and reasonable that Bates was inspired to create Faora and pen that storyline through the able guiding hands of Schwartz and Kahn, who had probably read the Superman movies scripts.

@ Kurosawa, what say you?

 

[The Sage]

no beard on Zod please. Michael Shannon simply doesn't look good with facial hair and giving Zod a totally different look distinguishes itself from the previous films.

Shannon doesn't?

Maybe they can try a brown hair color.

 

[Rust]

Jim Lee's armored Zod, please. Snyder's a fan.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

If they were to introduce a ceremonial Kryptonian armor I'd be okay with it.

 

[DorkyFresh]

Jim Lee's armored Zod, please. Snyder's a fan.

no, no, no!!! he's a fan of Jim's Superman...not necessarily his Zod. Zod needs to look like a military tactician, not a galactic samurai warrior.