The "Superman" franchise is currently in the midst of a lengthy legal battle between DC Comics/Warner Bros. and the heirs of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Recently, the Siegel and Shuster estates were awarded the rights to certain aspects of the "Superman" origin story — namely, anything and everything relating to Kal-El's Kryptonian origins.
DC Entertainment's loss of Clark's alien roots has led to some understandable fan skepticism about whether a new "Superman" movie could work without at least a passing reference to the lead character's home planet, particularly considering the long-rumored plan of a complete "Superman" reboot.
But the recent announcement of "Superman: Earth One" — the first in a series of original, out-of-continuity graphic novels written by J. Michael Straczynski — could offer a glance at exactly how the Man of Steel might fly on the screen without the Krypton component.
In an interview with Ain't It Cool News, Straczynski revealed that "Superman: Earth One" would deal with a 21-year-old Clark Kent coming to Metropolis from Smallville to decide how best to use his superpowers — should he become a star athlete, a brilliant scientist, or a world-saving superhero?
The writer described the story as Clark's "moment in the Garden of Gethsemane where you have to decide if you want to endure everything that's going to happen to you if you decide to expose yourself."
The Metropolis story would be told in conjunction with flashbacks to Clark's earlier life in Smallville, where readers will learn "how the Kents helped mold him and protect him and get him to a point in his life where he can finally make this most difficult of choices."
Straczynski never once mentioned the word Krypton in relation to "Superman: Earth One," leading one to wonder whether Clark's extraterrestrial origins will have a role to play in the story. Aside from the obvious reason of avoiding further legal difficulties, could DC Entertainment be testing the waters on how well a "Superman" origin can be told without the alien aspect?
It's been argued that Superman's origin doesn't need further retelling, and that notion would be put to the test if "Superman: Earth One" avoids this portion of Kal-El's origin. Should it prove successful, perhaps we'll see a similarly told version of Clark's back story in the next "Superman" film installment — assuming that DC Entertainment ever gets to make one, that is.
Do you think Krypton is a necessary component to future Superman stories or can the Man of Steel fly without mention of his alien home world? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!