Character development and personalities

LOIS LANE
Something that I'd like to see represented more in this film than we've seen in previous films - if you have an ensemble cast situated primarily in a newsroom, why not take advantage of this and tell a story that puts some focus on the power of the press, and the way the media can be a force for good?

In the Donner film, Lois Lane was something of a 40s throwback, the "by golly I'm gonna get a story!" whizzkid darting off on adventures. This time round, perhaps the influences should be more recent. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward from All the President's Men, or more recently Cal Mcaffrey from State of Play, could be the kind of figures Lois Lane takes inspiration from. Someone who will doggedly pursue the truth, someone fighting to uncover the conspiracy when every door is closing in their face, even when their life is in danger. Someone who believes in the truth, and the importance of publishing it rather than pushing a partisan agenda or covering the latest celebrity gossip. I for one want to see a major plot strand in the film involve a major story The Daily Planet need to get to the bottom of and share with the world. Lois Lane getting this published should be a major plot point rather than a cute "spinning front page" epilogue to all the stuff Superman did single-handedly. Lois should serve a bigger role in the story than being Superman's love interest.

Not that the love factor isn't important. I don't think that Lois should disregard Clark and fawn over Superman like a fan girl. She may be dismissive of Clark at first, but if so she should also be suspicious of Superman at first. And she should warm to both, grow to love both equally, and so be torn between two men, unaware they're the same person.
 
LEX LUTHOR
I'm open to him being either a Machiavellian business tycoon, or a mad scientist supervillain, as I don't think either portrayal has really been done full justice on the screen before. Perhaps - tying into my previous post - he starts out as beloved CEO of Lexcorp, but it's the dogged, determined journalism of the Daily Planet and Lois Lane in particular that ultimately brings him down and has him recast as a feared and hated villain in future films.

But whatever incarnation he's in, there are certain qualities I want to see. Lex Luthor thinks he's the hero. None of this Gene Hackman "I'm so evil, the greatest criminal mind in the world, BWAHAHAHA!" stuff. He sees himself as Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods and bringing it down to man. He thinks that if only he can get rid of Superman then he can cure cancer and end world hunger and be the adored leader of a utopia of scientific future-people. But that's not true. He's incredibly intelligent, a genius even, but he's not as smart as he thinks he is. His own deficiencies, his own deeply personal shortcomings and inadequacies, mean that no amount of praise, no amount of validation, no amount of recognition can ever be enough for him. He needs something to blame his inability to be as great as he wants to be on, and so everything is Superman's fault. If it wasn't Superman, it would be someone or something else. There has to be an enemy, other than himself.

In a lot of ways, Lex is a classic racist. He says we can't trust Superman because he's not one of us, he's something inhuman. He's an outsider, and only he is brave and clear-sighted enough to stand against him as a self-appointed champion of humanity. And the tragedy of it is that Superman is a better human than Luthor can ever be.

But it's important we see the parallels between Luthor and Kent. Both had humble beginnings, raised in Smallville. But while Clark had the unconditional love of the Kents, Luthor had the cruelty and the constant criticism of his father. While Clark wears his identity proudly - be it his Smallville upbringing as Clark, or his Kryptonian heritage as Superman - Luthor is ashamed of where he came from, and has spent his adult life trying to erase that part of himself, twisting and coiling himself into this grand vision of transcendant genius that he feels he should be.

Superman can fly through space and into the stars, but comes down to Earth to walk among us. Lex Luthor is an ordinary man, but builds the highest skyscraper in Metropolis and locks himself in it like an ivory tower to keep himself separated from the unwashed masses. He is someone that, like Superman, has great power, but unlike Superman, doesn't want to share it. He wants it all for himself. He wants the adoration and love that Superman gets, but without realising that he needs to give just as much back for it to work.

Look at how Luthor has evolved throughout history, and you can see in his various incarnations what he stands for. In the era of the atom bomb, he was the irresponsible scientist abusing advances in technology. In the era of "greed is good" and yuppie culture, he was the amoral representative of big business. In the era of an unpopular war and an even more unpopular Government, he was President of the United States. And now, he embodies all our own prejudices and shortcomings. Just as Superman represents the best in humanity, Lex Luthor represents the worst - everything in us that is selfish and petty and small.
 
JIMMY OLSEN
He doesn't need to be a dweeb or a putz. I get a bit of an Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad vibe - only without the meth-head element, of course. Someone who's young, who's hip, who's cool. Someone that Superman might actually like to call his pal.

PERRY WHITE
I think there could be some scope to explore his character more than has been done in past films. Here is someone who has worked in the Daily Planet all his life - from delivery boy in his youth to editor-in-chief as an old man. This place is in his blood, it is how he defines himself. But now the print market is dying, and journalism is shifting to television and now the internet. He's a man without a purpose, and possibly soon without a home, who is rounding up this team of journalists with the same crazy, outdated ideas of a newspaper that stands for something that he has. There's a bit of tragedy in his story, I think, as you get the sense that when the Daily Planet dies, so does he.

MA KENT
To me she could be the real hero of the whole saga. Think of how different things could have been for the world if Superman landed anywhere else, if anyone other than the Kents found him. Here is someone who found a baby in a field, in a spaceship, but who unquestioningly loved that baby as her own, raised him as her son. That suggests to me an incredible, strong woman, and someone who is a major influence on Clark and the man he has grown into. In moments of doubt, Ma Kent is who Superman turns to for help.
 
BRAINIAC
If Lex Luthor embodies all the bad things about humanity, then Brainiac is the other side of the coin, the antithesis to the other half of who Superman is. Brainiac is the alien who sees humanity and hates it, who hates us for our freedom and our individuality. He is someone who wants to collect our information, sample our culture like it was a growth in a test tube, then destroy us all as if we were nothing more than data that is not to be shared.
 
Right. Im going to hark back to the old argument of Clark Kent/Superman personality debate.

Im going to make clear why its important to see a more human element to him,instead of the self-righteousness,holier than thou personality that seems to take the drivers seat.

I will say that that Superman is the dominant figure in any way which way you look,because Clark Kent is just a facade,I'll admit that. But there IMO should be more to it.

But I want to stress why its important that we see him with the Kent's and why we need to more of Clark,just as much as Superman.

If we dont get Clark,then we dont get Superman. If we dont understand Clark,then we dont understand Superman. If we dont like Clark,then we dont like Superman...confused?

Well let me remind you of Superman Returns. Why did Brandon Routh fail? Because he displayed too much of the 'self-righteousness,holier than thou' personality than he did a human personality. He failed because we never really connected with him. There was no redeeming or likeable factors to him anywhere. Clark Kent was treated as a background prop,because thats how Superman see's him [Clark]...and was that good? Was that really the best performance of Routh,Superman the character,the writers could come up with? Is Superman really that stuck up about how he see's people,and looks at our culture? Like we're idiots,and he's copied that? Cause thats the impression I got there.

With Christopher Reeve,he got it right,he blended the human capacity into the hero from another world perfectly...cause he saw himself as one of us. Superman had the human personality down to a tee,because of Clark Kent...raised by people.

And also. Remember RoboCop? How he got his humanity back at the end of the first one,then completely lost it in the second? Because he chose to be the machine,rather than Murphy. I dont want to see Superman like that again.
 
i just hope we something like the scene in STM when he saves the kitty out of a tree. Not that exactly, but something to make the parents of kids smile and say awww
 
manofsteel4life said:
i just hope we something like the scene in STM when he saves the kitty out of a tree. Not that exactly, but something to make the parents of kids smile and say awww
Click to expand...
but in the movie, the parents got angry and slapped the kid for lying. hehe
 
sf2 said:
but in the movie, the parents got angry and slapped the kid for lying. hehe
Click to expand...

Lol....or a kid might catch superman changing and he'll go to his mom and say mom, I know who superman is! Then you hear a slap.....what did i tell you about them lies!!!
 
It'd be nice to see something along those lines, but it'd gotta be done just right. Absolutely no cheese whatsoever.

Something really simple like: It's nightime, raining. A little girl is crying out on a fire escape while her parents are argueing. The wind picks up and she drops her bear. It falls to the balcony below and she starts to climb down to try and get it. She slips on the wet railing, starts to fall. Superman swoops down and grabs her before she does. He floats them down to where she can reach out and grab the bear and then drops her back at her window. Then just have him say something sweet like 'better get your friend back inside now' and give her a reassuring smile, then have the kid sniffle and nod with a small smile back and a little 'thank you'.

Maybe I'm just a sap :p
 
Keyser Soze said:
LEX LUTHOR
I'm open to him being either a Machiavellian business tycoon, or a mad scientist supervillain, as I don't think either portrayal has really been done full justice on the screen before. Perhaps - tying into my previous post - he starts out as beloved CEO of Lexcorp, but it's the dogged, determined journalism of the Daily Planet and Lois Lane in particular that ultimately brings him down and has him recast as a feared and hated villain in future films.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind the CEO version, but still a genius. I was just thinking that he could be portrayed like an version of Bruce Wayne from Batman Begins in a sense. I don't mean personality wise, but as a rich businessman with easy access to a R&D department that he can delve into for his own personal toys.

Personality wise I'd like to see them develop why he hates Superman and maybe allude to his real enemy essentially being himself.
 
Bibs11 said:
Well looks like we're going to be getting a moodier Superman if this is correct...not sure how I feel about that.

http://www.tgdaily.com/entertainment/59601-cavill-man-of-steel-is-the-new-52-superman
Click to expand...

I saw that earlier.

But do you notice how absolutely nothing of what Cavill said indicates that.

They start the article with 'Henry Cavill has confirmed that...' but do not go on to quote him actually confiming that at all.

They have either accidentally or intentionally overinterpreted what he said so that it fits into their story.

This is what he ACTUALLY said... the rest is just made up **** IMO.

"When that was announced, everyone went, ‘Arrhhh! Everything’s changed,’" Cavill said at a press event for the just released mmortals, in which he also stars. "It’s part of the evolution of the character. There is a modernization to it, and certainly our style is making him easier to associate with because it’s pretty tough to associate with an invulnerable alien."


"There are a lot of people who have dedicated their life to loving this character. Their opinion does matter. I’ve done my research on the source material. I have my opinions on the various bits and bobs, but sometimes there will be a little gem out there about one of thehttp://www.tgdaily.com/entertainment/59601-cavill-man-of-steel-is-the-new-52-superman#, and I’ll say to myself, ‘Yeah. That’s a good point.’"
Click to expand...
 
Just wanna ask what r the thing superman doesn.t have which he wants badly.
 
That's an odd question.

I mean, Superman's not that kind of hero to me.

I think he's certainly an outsider and a bit lonely, so I guess you could say he badly wants to be able to let people in, but he can't.

And he badly wants to rid the world of greed, needless suffering and injustice.
 
Mmm... Thanks.
Maybe he wants a chance to meet his parents...
 
Yeah I'd say that's true :)

That's why moments like the end of Birthright work so well.
 
Keyser Soze said:
LOIS LANE
Something that I'd like to see represented more in this film than we've seen in previous films - if you have an ensemble cast situated primarily in a newsroom, why not take advantage of this and tell a story that puts some focus on the power of the press, and the way the media can be a force for good?

In the Donner film, Lois Lane was something of a 40s throwback, the "by golly I'm gonna get a story!" whizzkid darting off on adventures. This time round, perhaps the influences should be more recent. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward from All the President's Men, or more recently Cal Mcaffrey from State of Play, could be the kind of figures Lois Lane takes inspiration from. Someone who will doggedly pursue the truth, someone fighting to uncover the conspiracy when every door is closing in their face, even when their life is in danger. Someone who believes in the truth, and the importance of publishing it rather than pushing a partisan agenda or covering the latest celebrity gossip. I for one want to see a major plot strand in the film involve a major story The Daily Planet need to get to the bottom of and share with the world. Lois Lane getting this published should be a major plot point rather than a cute "spinning front page" epilogue to all the stuff Superman did single-handedly. Lois should serve a bigger role in the story than being Superman's love interest.

Not that the love factor isn't important. I don't think that Lois should disregard Clark and fawn over Superman like a fan girl. She may be dismissive of Clark at first, but if so she should also be suspicious of Superman at first. And she should warm to both, grow to love both equally, and so be torn
between two men, unaware they're the same person.




LEX LUTHOR
I'm open to him being either a Machiavellian business tycoon, or a mad scientist supervillain, as I don't think either portrayal has really been done full justice on the screen before. Perhaps - tying into my previous post - he starts out as beloved CEO of Lexcorp, but it's the dogged, determined journalism of the Daily Planet and Lois Lane in particular that ultimately brings him down and has him recast as a feared and hated villain in future films.

But whatever incarnation he's in, there are certain qualities I want to see. Lex Luthor thinks he's the hero. None of this Gene Hackman "I'm so evil, the greatest criminal mind in the world, BWAHAHAHA!" stuff. He sees himself as Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods and bringing it down to man. He thinks that if only he can get rid of Superman then he can cure cancer and end world hunger and be the adored leader of a utopia of scientific future-people. But that's not true. He's incredibly intelligent, a genius even, but he's not as smart as he thinks he is. His own deficiencies, his own deeply personal shortcomings and inadequacies, mean that no amount of praise, no amount of validation, no amount of recognition can ever be enough for him. He needs something to blame his inability to be as great as he wants to be on, and so everything is Superman's fault. If it wasn't Superman, it would be someone or something else. There has to be an enemy, other than himself.

In a lot of ways, Lex is a classic racist. He says we can't trust Superman because he's not one of us, he's something inhuman. He's an outsider, and only he is brave and clear-sighted enough to stand against him as a self-appointed champion of humanity. And the tragedy of it is that Superman is a better human than Luthor can ever be.

But it's important we see the parallels between Luthor and Kent. Both had humble beginnings, raised in Smallville. But while Clark had the unconditional love of the Kents, Luthor had the cruelty and the constant criticism of his father. While Clark wears his identity proudly - be it his Smallville upbringing as Clark, or his Kryptonian heritage as Superman - Luthor is ashamed of where he came from, and has spent his adult life trying to erase that part of himself, twisting and coiling himself into this grand vision of transcendant genius that he feels he should be.

Superman can fly through space and into the stars, but comes down to Earth to walk among us. Lex Luthor is an ordinary man, but builds the highest skyscraper in Metropolis and locks himself in it like an ivory tower to keep himself separated from the unwashed masses. He is someone that, like Superman, has great power, but unlike Superman, doesn't want to share it. He wants it all for himself. He wants the adoration and love that Superman gets, but without realising that he needs to give just as much back for it to work.

Look at how Luthor has evolved throughout history, and you can see in his various incarnations what he stands for. In the era of the atom bomb, he was the irresponsible scientist abusing advances in technology. In the era of "greed is good" and yuppie culture, he was the amoral representative of big business. In the era of an unpopular war and an even more unpopular Government, he was President of the United States. And now, he embodies all our own prejudices and shortcomings. Just as Superman represents the best in humanity, Lex Luthor represents the worst - everything in us that is selfish and petty and small.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

And Lois wasn't a very bright whizkid in those earlier films either. Hopefully Snyder and co will avoid that.
 
hopefulsuicide said:
That's an odd question.

I mean, Superman's not that kind of hero to me.

I think he's certainly an outsider and a bit lonely, so I guess you could say he badly wants to be able to let people in, but he can't.

And he badly wants to rid the world of greed, needless suffering and injustice.
Click to expand...


True; and here's a guy who I also see wanting to have a family of his own in a sense of starting one; but he would also wonder if any woman would want to settle with someone like "him" and whether he's even capable of having children with an Earthling.
 
O ya. I asked the question because people always pursue after the things they dont have. So just wanna know what likely would be superman pursuit.
 
family? a family man?
any more 'ambitious' pursuit in the eyes of ordinary people?
 
manofsteel4life said:
Family
Click to expand...

I think you nailed it. The Kent's are so important to who he is, not to mention the weight of the legacy of his birth parents. Without family, he's wouldn't be the man he became. It's the crux of his existence.
 
manofsteel4life said:
Family
Click to expand...

moviedoors said:
I think you nailed it. The Kent's are so important to who he is, not to mention the weight of the legacy of his birth parents. Without family, he's wouldn't be the man he became. It's the crux of his existence.
Click to expand...

This...

Perhaps ultimately in MoS, Superman will come to see the entire Earth as his 'extended' family and that is the drive/motivation he needs to protect it.
 
Deathlok said:
This...

Perhaps ultimately in MoS, Superman will come to see the entire Earth as his 'extended' family and that is the drive/motivation he needs to protect it.
Click to expand...

Exactly.....that's what I meant when I wanted to see emotion and pleading with Zod and co if he has a random citizen hostage
 
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