The Superman Look: Shaping Superman

[FanboyX_Returns]

Heres a somewhat definative answer;

Superman is 32/33 in SR age-wise. He crashed on Earth as a baby in 1978 (at the age about 4).

According to the Requiem of Krypton DVD, his first appearance as Superman was in 1996.........which means the 12 year Fortress training never happened


The Return to Krypton scenes also showed Superman in some kind of Cyro-stasis pod during his journey, so physically he may not have aged much since he left....as his body was in stasis....so he would likely appear late-20s in appearance (which is basically how Brandon Routh looked).

He still should look like he is in his 30's not early 20's, and why is it that nobody aged while he was gone in fact everyone got younger!
Bad writing no matter how you cut it.
also Bryan said that Superman's age in the movie was mid to late 20's again throwing out any theory that he was in his 30's.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

IN the original the 1000 year thing is explained at the start of the movie.... Clark goes from one galaxy to the next in less then 3 years meaning he was going faster then the speed of light.

So while he only aged 3 or 4 years outside the ship a good 1000 years had passed by.

Knowing this since he was a scientist himself Jor-EL's said what he said to young Kal-EL.

This all connects to Einstein's theory of relativity, and time travel theory.
Einstein theorized that if you were in a ship going at light speed (Because to him nothing could break or be faster then lightspeed) you would age alot slower then the world around you.

Mario Puzzo who wrote the original screenplay for "Superman: The Movie" was trying to be as accurate about the science as he could.

It just took Bryan Singer & his two idiot writers who lack the intelligence to know how to keep up with even the simplest science facts!
They either never noticed this or were to ignorant on how it all works to write it in their awful script... This is why they had Clark go, and come back in 5 years while NOTHING, and NOBODY aged on earth.

Bad writing guys...

Earth should have aged a lot in the 5 years it took him to go back to Krypton & come back.

It's stuff like this that makes me mad about what they did in the last movie... Total hack job! From top to bottom.
It's like they weren't even trying!

Everyone was to busy worrying about the size of Brandon's package to worry about the more important things.

Like the fine details which make a story good or great.

But that's what you get when you get three idiots run the biggest franchise name at the WB.

A total hack job...

I'm not as up to speed on the Superman mythos as I ought to be, but it was my impression that he was gone 5 years Earth time, which would've been less 5 years (not sure how much) from his own view, basically enough time for a trip to Krypton, a good amount of soul-searching, and the return.

Of course with the assumption that the events from Superman 1 and 2 are considered to have occurred five years ago in the story line, not the 30 or so years that have passed in real life since the movies were released.

 

[lazur]

He still should look like he is in his 30's not early 20's, and why is it that nobody aged while he was gone in fact everyone got younger!
Bad writing no matter how you cut it.
also Bryan said that Superman's age in the movie was mid to late 20's again throwing out any theory that he was in his 30's.

Hmm, so why would a Kryptonian, an alien humanoid, age exactly like a human being from Earth? Maybe they age differently and live longer so that a Kryptonian in his 30's looks as young as a human in his 20's?? Not to mention also that I know plenty of 30 somethings who look 20 something, and they ARE in fact human .

Also, Supes ages more slowly in terms of "aging" (molecular breakdown, frailty, etc.). I believe the science of Superman book explained that Supes ages in appearance 1 year for every 10 years on Earth.

As to the whole 1000 year thing and theory of relativity, perhaps it can simply be explained that Superman was able to build a better and faster ship (given his great strength, intellect, ability to gather resources his father couldn't, etc.) that indeed could make it to and back from Krypton in only 5 Earth years. Granted, that would be an incredible amount of speed, but it can be explained through the "suspension of disbelief".

 

[Superwoman Prime]

This question HAS been raised before and is simply one of the many problems of Bryan Singer's lazy film making.

Yes.

 

[Eros]

well Lois is suppose to be old enough to be a top reporter and have a 5 years old kid, yet she looks like shes 21. Superman in returns i assume is in his early 30s. but with singars vague stuff, who the hell even knows anymore.

 

[Josh Bond]

Well in Superman: the movie special edition, there was a deleted scene which included Lois as a young girl watching a 17 year old Clark run faster then a train. This implies that Lois is a fair bit younger then clark.

 

[Brainiac 2009]

He still should look like he is in his 30's not early 20's, and why is it that nobody aged while he was gone in fact everyone got younger!.

Brandon looks the same age as Michael Rosenbaum and Mike is 34 turning 35....

Looks can be decieving.

Bad writing no matter how you cut it.
also Bryan said that Superman's age in the movie was mid to late 20's again throwing out any theory that he was in his 30's

Its no theory. It uses the facts established in the film, one shot actually showing a date (in the museum) of 1978 when the Kryptonite was first discovered (in reference to Superman I), Clark obviously came to Earth that year or some time before.

Theres no way to deny it as the date was shown in plain sight in bold text in that shot, it was intended to be seen.

 

[Brainiac 2009]

Well in Superman: the movie special edition, there was a deleted scene which included Lois as a young girl watching a 17 year old Clark run faster then a train. This implies that Lois is a fair bit younger then clark.

In the SR verse, I think theyre the same age (given the 12 year Fortress thing is gone)..

At this point, Lois is supposed to be physically older than Clark I believe, given Clark shouldnt have aged much during the 5 year absense while he was in Cryo-stasis on the ship.

 

[Josh Bond]

I think of it as, while Superman may look younger then Lois, he is in fact 10 years older. Not physicly though.
BTW, how do you guys know that Superman is 31 in Returns?

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

Hmm, so why would a Kryptonian, an alien humanoid, age exactly like a human being from Earth? Maybe they age differently and live longer so that a Kryptonian in his 30's looks as young as a human in his 20's?? Not to mention also that I know plenty of 30 somethings who look 20 something, and they ARE in fact human .

Also, Supes ages more slowly in terms of "aging" (molecular breakdown, frailty, etc.). I believe the science of Superman book explained that Supes ages in appearance 1 year for every 10 years on Earth.

As to the whole 1000 year thing and theory of relativity, perhaps it can simply be explained that Superman was able to build a better and faster ship (given his great strength, intellect, ability to gather resources his father couldn't, etc.) that indeed could make it to and back from Krypton in only 5 Earth years. Granted, that would be an incredible amount of speed, but it can be explained through the "suspension of disbelief".

He ages very similar to a human... Maybe a bit slower but not by much, and if your using the old movies as canon then he ages JUST like humans.
Remember when Lois is a child on the train, and she see's Clark running, and he's a teenager by then.

Then they meet up again, and 12 years have passed, and they meet up at the Daily Planet, and Lois & Clark look the proper age in the storylines at the time they meet.

Meaning his age moved at about the same pace as her's, and hence his does age like people atleast in the donner flicks.

No need to try to keep explaining it it's just a case of lazy writers.
The SR team sucked at getting those detail plot points which tie you're movie together.

And just remember kids Krypton was how many light years from earth?

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

Brandon looks the same age as Michael Rosenbaum and Mike is 34 turning 35....

Looks can be decieving.



Its no theory. It uses the facts established in the film, one shot actually showing a date (in the museum) of 1978 when the Kryptonite was first discovered (in reference to Superman I), Clark obviously came to Earth that year or some time before.

Theres no way to deny it as the date was shown in plain sight in bold text in that shot, it was intended to be seen.

Mike look's young but he doesn't look THAT young, and Brandon still looks like he belongs in a boyband, and not a Superman movie.

He looks younger then even Tom Welling!
Plus he was 25-26 when he did Superman Returns, and he like the artical said was found in 1978 but Bryan Singer himself said that the version of the Superman character in his movie is in his late 20's.

Hmmmmm sounds like 29 years old in the story when he should have been 35 or a bit older...

Since this is a RETURNS story using the older 2 movies as a backdrop...

 

[Buttman]

In the test screening for Lois in the Donner Superman SEs the line in the actual theatrical movie "Over 21" when Lois asks him how old he is on her apartment balcony, the answer he originally gave was "30." So, according to the Donner movie, Superman started being Superman at 30. (Depending on whether you consider deleted scenes/facts cannon.)If you consider this a sequel, you have the 5 year gap, which puts him at 35, then however long you want to imagine he was Superman for before leaving (I'd say, at least 5 years really.)

In short, he's OVER 35, or at least.. should be, in SR.

 

[Brainiac 2009]

Mike look's young but he doesn't look THAT young, and Brandon still looks like he belongs in a boyband, and not a Superman movie.

He doesnt look boyband young. When Routh and Welling are both 30, I dont see either of them looking much older than they do now.

Plus he was 25-26 when he did Superman Returns, and he like the artical said was found in 1978 but Bryan Singer himself said that the version of the Superman character in his movie is in his late 20's.

I dont like repeating stuff. I said before that the actor playing Superman here would need to look late 20s as Superman physically hasnt aged during the 5 years since he left. The Return to Krypton scene apparently showed him in a cryostasis pod where he remained on the journey there and back (seen in pictures, the Topps cards and even the video game).

Superman may be (in age 32/33) but physically hes late 20s (which Brandon looks). Hes now physically some years younger than Lois.

If you read the comics, its the same deal with Kara Zor-El appearing as 16 in the present even though she was born 14-15 yrs before Kal-El and should be in her 40s.


I read they even tossed an idea around once that would be like the movie Hook, where Superman would return the same age and everyone else has grown older.

 

[Brainiac 2009]

In the test screening for Lois in the Donner Superman SEs the line in the actual theatrical movie "Over 21" when Lois asks him how old he is on her apartment balcony, the answer he originally gave was "30." So, according to the Donner movie, Superman started being Superman at 30. (Depending on whether you consider deleted scenes/facts cannon.)If you consider this a sequel, you have the 5 year gap, which puts him at 35, then however long you want to imagine he was Superman for before leaving (I'd say, at least 5 years really.)

In short, he's OVER 35, or at least.. should be, in SR.

That doesnt line up with the newspaper dates.

Routh's Superman started around the age of 23. He didnt have a 12 year Fortress thing.


I can understand why they left these details vague in the film since it would be kinda lame to spell every single detail out for the hardcore fanboys, but if you do your research, its there. They mapped all this stuff out when planning the film, the DVD special cleared up alot of it thank goodness.

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

He doesnt look boyband young. When Routh and Welling are both 30, I dont see either of them looking much older than they do now.



I dont like repeating stuff. I said before that the actor playing Superman here would need to look late 20s as Superman physically hasnt aged during the 5 years since he left. The Return to Krypton scene apparently showed him in a cryostasis pod where he remained on the journey there and back (seen in pictures, the Topps cards and even the video game).

Superman may be (in age 32/33) but physically hes late 20s (which Brandon looks). Hes now physically some years younger than Lois.

If you read the comics, its the same deal with Kara Zor-El appearing as 16 in the present even though she was born 14-15 yrs before Kal-El and should be in her 40s.


I read they even tossed an idea around once that would be like the movie Hook, where Superman would return the same age and everyone else has grown older.

Once again then why did Lois NOT AGE?
She should be a much older woman if not dead all together when he gets back.

Remember Krypton is how many LIGHT YEARS away from earth?
Ok so even if he travels at light speed ALOT of earth years are passing by.
While yes he still might look the same the world around him would have aged.... Again bad writing.

If he was in cryostasis pod then fine but the guy still looks ALOT younger then he did in the previous movies which this was a sequel to.
So he should look early 30's not early 20's, and yes he does look like he belongs in a boyband, and doesn't look late 20's at all.

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

That doesnt line up with the newspaper dates.

Routh's Superman started around the age of 23. He didnt have a 12 year Fortress thing.


I can understand why they left these details vague in the film since it would be kinda lame to spell every single detail out for the hardcore fanboys, but if you do your research, its there. They mapped all this stuff out when planning the film, the DVD special cleared up alot of it thank goodness.

I have a feeling that Singer's Superman starting at around the age of 23 is what's gonna end up being the tie in to Smallville.
Remember a while back they said that there would be some sort of tie in with the show?
Well since Smallville probably won't go more then another 2 or 3 seasons it would end with Clark at around that age, and maybe the last scene is him becoming Superman at the age that Singer's Superman character was born.

 

[Brainiac 2009]

Once again then why did Lois NOT AGE?
She should be a much older woman if not dead all together when he gets back.

She was meant to be 31/32ish (the character). Why would she be any older than that?

I'm guessing you dont understand the lightspeed concept obviously.

Remember Krypton is how many LIGHT YEARS away from earth?
Ok so even if he travels at light speed ALOT of earth years are passing by.
While yes he still might look the same the world around him would have aged.... Again bad writing..

No.

It took Kal-El 3 years to arrive from the destroyed Krypton at lightspeed as a baby remember and that was without the stasis (with it he wouldnt even age at all). Lex even mentioned an actual date when Krypton blew up in STM, it didnt actually happen a thousand yrs ago. Rewatch the film.

If he was in cryostasis pod then fine but the guy still looks ALOT younger then he did in the previous movies which this was a sequel to...

Vague sequel. If you want to look at it in comic book terms; Reeve [Earth 2], Routh [Earth 1].....similar origins, different futures.

and yes he does look like he belongs in a boyband, and doesn't look late 20's at all..

Your opinion, there are plenty of men in their late 20s that look the same age as Routh. Reeve looked about 10 yrs older than his age when he was Routh's age... but not everyone looks as old as he did.

Again when Brandon and Welling are both 30, they likely wont look much older facially than they do now, but theres no one on the entire planet more suited for the roles they play than these two. I would like to see you suggest an actor who looks more like Superman and Chris Reeve than Brandon Routh.

 

[Josh Bond]

I have a feeling that Singer's Superman starting at around the age of 23 is what's gonna end up being the tie in to Smallville.
Remember a while back they said that there would be some sort of tie in with the show?
Well since Smallville probably won't go more then another 2 or 3 seasons it would end with Clark at around that age, and maybe the last scene is him becoming Superman at the age that Singer's Superman character was born.

Wow, this would be really cool, and I hope this happens! Superman returns needs a proper back story, rather then just some vague similarities to the 1st two superman movies.

 

[Eros]

Wow, this would be really cool, and I hope this happens! Superman returns needs a proper back story, rather then just some vague similarities to the 1st two superman movies.

Dun listen to that goof, superman reuturns and smallville are not related.

 

[Josh Bond]

Dun listen to that goof, superman reuturns and smallville are not related.

They're more related then Superman returns and Superman II.

 

[Eros]

They're more related then Superman returns and Superman II.

no their less, unless returns lex has a billion dollar company, and was friends with superman

 

[resentment]

He ages very similar to a human... Maybe a bit slower but not by much, and if your using the old movies as canon then he ages JUST like humans.
Remember when Lois is a child on the train, and she see's Clark running, and he's a teenager by then.

Then they meet up again, and 12 years have passed, and they meet up at the Daily Planet, and Lois & Clark look the proper age in the storylines at the time they meet.

Meaning his age moved at about the same pace as her's, and hence his does age like people atleast in the donner flicks.

No need to try to keep explaining it it's just a case of lazy writers.
The SR team sucked at getting those detail plot points which tie you're movie together.

And just remember kids Krypton was how many light years from earth?

As an adolescent/young adult he ages the same as everyone else. When he hits his prime as a full grown adult (late 30's), he essentially stays that age for the rest of the time he's under a yellow sun. Seeing as how his body absorbs more solar energy over time, this would in turn cause his body to become more efficient at it's operations, therefore stronger, faster, slower if not any aging, etc. In the comics, he lived over 200 years under a Kryptonite lamp which obviously stripped him of his powers and energy during that time. This storyline is relatively recent, so you can't just disregard it as non-cannon. Also, if you haven't read it, it was an "alternate timeline" in which Doomsday is involved as a good guy.

 

[Josh Bond]

no their less, unless returns lex has a billion dollar company, and was friends with superman

Obviously you havn't seen from season 5, where Lex begins to turn evil. I'll admitt that Lex isn't totaly evil like he is in SR, but this is way earlier, and Lex changes over time.

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

She was meant to be 31/32ish (the character). Why would she be any older than that?

I'm guessing you dont understand the lightspeed concept obviously.

Actually from the looks of it I understand it a whole lot better then you, and I suggest you read up on Einstein's theory before you debate anyone.

No.

It took Kal-El 3 years to arrive from the destroyed Krypton at lightspeed as a baby remember and that was without the stasis (with it he wouldnt even age at all). Lex even mentioned an actual date when Krypton blew up in STM, it didnt actually happen a thousand yrs ago. Rewatch the film.

Ok so how does this prove you know more about time travel then me? lol I mean yes Kal-El did travel at Lightspeed for what took him only 3 years to get to planet, and wasnt cryogenically frozen... Nobody is saying that didnt happen.

And Lex is talking about the planet blowing up on what Scientist saw in telescopes.. The light they saw coming from the now dead planet which probably traveled 3light years to earth, and took a good thousand years to get here.

But this doesn't mean that when he gets here only 3 years have passed... On Earth! That's just laughable if you claim you know how Light speed/Time Travel works, and believe that!

Einstein clearly details how Light Speed & Time Travel works, and sorry buddy im going to go with Einstein over anything anyone in a fan forum has to say.

So IF you know more about Time Travel then Einstein then your wasting your time here, and should go develop a Time Machine out of a delorean or something, so you could go laugh at Albert Einstein, and tell him he was wrong.

I suggest you go read his work, and school yourself with some useful knowledge before you talk about the subject again... Next person might not be as nice as me.

Like I said depending on how far from Earth Krypton is, and judging by the fact that it took him 3 years at lightspeed to get here before this means that while he didn't age like the rest of the universe which was moving at it's normal speed time did indeed go by at a different rate outside the ship.

Superman would have to have gone twice as fast as lightspeed, and last I checked nobody had invented ludacris speed like in Spaceballs just yet!

This also makes Superman look like a complete, and total dip-***** because again if you know science at all you know that the light we get here on earth from other planet is light which has traveled here from a distant pass in that planet.

We don't see light from a planet as it is now we see the light from many many years ago so if he left to see if Krypton was there because some stupid scientist claims he found the planet or found the location it would be in due to the light coming from it then well dude Superman should get a DAN AWARD because he should know better.

He should listen to Jor-EL who told him the planet was destroyed, and not jumped the gun like he did.
I guess Mr Singer never thought of how badly he made Superman look in his movie while he was making it because form looking at the movie he made him into a "moron, a deadbeat dad, a stalker, a manic depressive person, and a home wrecker!" Way to go Bryan!
Bottom line the writing sucked in the movie, and they messed up on just every detail they possibly could.

Clark should have got back to a world much much older then the one he returned to, and that's just the FACTS.

lol by the way you really think that it took him 3 years to get here 1way but it took him only 5 to get there, and come back? pffffffffffffff please!
Those numbers don't even add up right!

Like I said there is no way around it they messed up in the script case closed.

Vague sequel. If you want to look at it in comic book terms; Reeve [Earth 2], Routh [Earth 1].....similar origins, different futures.{/quote}

Wrong there is nothing vague about this sequel it was a sequel point blank the only reason Vague was thrown out there was because they didn't like the feedback the movie was getting on the net.

There is nothing Vague about the movie when every event that took place in the first two movies are used as the back story for this one.

Like Lois spending the night with Superman which she wrote the article on or the fact that she had a baby due to them having sex in part 2.
Oh, and how Lex spent years in jail after Superman took him in at the end of Part 2.

This is no vague sequel it's just a badly done Superman 3... Which by the way is a far better movie then SR.
Heck Superman 4 was a better movie! lol Atleast that had a couple of Brilliant actors in "Reeve/Hackman."

SR had an MTV reject, and a guy who can't buy a hit film since American beauty!

Oh, and how I would see it is Superman The movie is Earth 1 since it happened first... Man you are confused lol

Your opinion, there are plenty of men in their late 20s that look the same age as Routh. Reeve looked about 10 yrs older than his age when he was Routh's age... but not everyone looks as old as he did.

But but Routh doesn't look old enough for the role he was playing!
If he was playing YOUNG SUPERMAN or SMALLVILLE's Superman then fine he would be the right age.
But he's playing a Superman who became Superman at 30, and was gone for 5 years after being around as Superman for a few years.
He should be pushing 40, and not look young enough to still card when he goes out for drinks or to buy smokes.

Again when Brandon and Welling are both 30, they likely wont look much older facially than they do now, but theres no one on the entire planet more suited for the roles they play than these two. I would like to see you suggest an actor who looks more like Superman and Chris Reeve than Brandon Routh.

Tom Welling already looks older then Routh, and he already looks older then he did when the show first started 6 years ago.
Welling doesn't fit the part also if it's a sequel to Superman 2.
Why? Because he looks his age which is close to 30... Routh looks alot younger then his age, and I mean ALOT younger!

I could suggest a handfull of working actors who I would cast over Routh or Welling.
To be honest... Welling was my top choice because I thought he was already an established face to the character, and believe me part of the reason the movie failed at the box office was because Welling wasn't in the suit.

But there's a few actors, and if you really do an audition for the role im sure you could find a much better actor... Besides we all know the real reason why Brandon got the role.

He looks like a cheap Chris Reeve ripoff.... Bottom line.

 

[FanboyX_Returns]

Dun listen to that goof, superman reuturns and smallville are not related.

**** learn to spell Returns before you sit there, and call anyone names.
Dumb ass!

They're more related then Superman returns and Superman II.

Well depends on how you look at it, and I was just making an observation on the time line which Clark turns into Superman because as we know in SR he was around as Superman for years, and had a history but the character was in his early late 20's.

Meaning he did become Superman alot younger, and they might tie that part of the story, and ONLY that part of the story to Smallville.
That's a vague history... Not SR compared to the original movies.

no their less, unless returns lex has a billion dollar company, and was friends with superman

No guy he doesn't have to have LEXCORP in order for the movie, and SR have that connection.
Everything else can be different they just tied the time line when Clark puts on the suit.

Damn dude your calling people a goof, and you cant even use common sense to figure this one out?

Yea ok buddy... Keep playing with your l egos, and eating paste.

Obviously you havn't seen from season 5, where Lex begins to turn evil. I'll admitt that Lex isn't totaly evil like he is in SR, but this is way earlier, and Lex changes over time.

Don't listen to him dude he's a moron he's the reason why bad movies get made because idiots like him keep paying their money to see them.
Let him enjoy the bad writing all he wants... Lord knows he does his fair share of bad writing.

As an adolescent/young adult he ages the same as everyone else. When he hits his prime as a full grown adult (late 30's), he essentially stays that age for the rest of the time he's under a yellow sun. Seeing as how his body absorbs more solar energy over time, this would in turn cause his body to become more efficient at it's operations, therefore stronger, faster, slower if not any aging, etc. In the comics, he lived over 200 years under a Kryptonite lamp which obviously stripped him of his powers and energy during that time. This storyline is relatively recent, so you can't just disregard it as non-cannon. Also, if you haven't read it, it was an "alternate timeline" in which Doomsday is involved as a good guy.

Yea I know his ages slower down as he gets older but still doesnt address the fact that EVERYONE in the movie looked younger then the original cast, and given their timelines they should be much much older.
If not all dead by the time he gets back...

Oh, and sorry I haven't read that comic.. I don't have a whole lot of time for comics these days.. To busy working with my production company to really sit there, and read a comic heh.

Even now as I type this im working on something, Just took a minute to reply before I get back to it...

But I will pick it up, and put it on my agenda for future reading material.