Anticipation for James Gunn’s DCU has been steadily growing since it was first announced that the Filmmaker would be taking over the universe. This was further assisted by his recent announcement that the tone of Superman: Legacy would be different from his previous films, stating that it would be “quite different” from Guardians of the Galaxy. After Gunn’s announcement was made, Raymond Croft, a Superman fan, posted a series of AI-generated photos of Superman and Lex Luthor along with the caption, “‘Superman Reimagined’, a series I’ve been working on for a little bit, my favorite work out of [Midjourney] so far. A dark vision of a young Clark Kent and Lex Luthor at odds. Hope you guys enjoy!”
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The Story Told By the Series of Images
The photos show a young Clark Kent living his life on the farm on a rainy night. First, he takes a stroll through the cornfields, possibly contemplating his future before eventually making his way to the barn, where he stays for a while, admiring the light making its way through the cracks.
He then sees that something isn’t quite right and steps outside to see something in the sky that shouldn’t be there.
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A meteor crashes to earth on the Kent farm (space seems to have something against their landscaping), and Clark goes to investigate.
He finds a tiny glowing white light, which appears to awaken his dormant powers, and he takes off into the sky.
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is prowling around, less as a sophisticated billionaire and more as a desperate man searching for power. Luthor realises that he’s too late. That which would have given him power is long gone, comfortably in the hands of another.
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He stares in disbelief for a moment, his anger slowly building before it eventually bursts forth as an anguished scream. His quest for vengeance against the alien thief begins.
The last shot shows Clark admiring the slowly clearing sky, the light from the moon shining over the clouds.
He’s admiring it as a thought settles in his mind, and his cape settles on his back: this is what he’s meant to do.
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The Difference in Tone Between Clark and Lex Luthor
Despite the darkness of the images, there is a definite difference between the images of a young Clark Kent and those showcasing an older, more desperate Lex Luthor.
Clarks images still have significantly more light in them. He is looking directly at where the light is coming from at several points. These shots show the man he will eventually become and the morals he will hold very dear to his heart as he becomes a Superhero to his adoptive planet and a good chunk of the universe.
Meanwhile, Luthor’s get darker. He briefly looks towards the light as he spots the thing that will make all the difference in his life if he can just get his hands on it. The light moves behind him as he realises he missed his opportunity; someone made it to the light before him. The world is darker, and shadows fall over Luthor as he screams.
Their dynamic is made apparent from the beginning.
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TL;DR
- A Superman fan reimagined the character’s origin story using Midjourney.
- A younger Clark Kent receives his powers from an unidentified alien source, while an older, desperate Lex Luthor misses the opportunity to gain ultimate power.
- There’s a stark difference between Clark’s light and Luthor’s anguish.
What are your thoughts on the fan-reimagined Superman and Lex Luthor?
Source: raymondcroft.art – Raymond Croft is an Art Director + Designer based in Los Angeles. His work spreads across the fields of art, culture, fashion and beauty.