As sad as it was that the Snyderverse never lived up to its potential, I think the greatest tragedy in Zack Snyder’s cinematic universe is that the iconic “Batfleck” was criminally underutilized. Ben Affleck’s performance remains a franchise’s highlight, alongside Henry Cavill’s timeless portrayal of Superman. It’s a shame that the Batfleck never got a proper solo movie. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the closest thing we got, and at least that was an adventure fit for someone like Affleck’s Dark Knight. The film proved that given enough time, Batman can go head to head against anyone in the DC universe and come out victorious.
Still, going against the Last Son of Krypton isn’t as easy as fighting Colonel Blimp. He needed every gadget in his armory before he could pose a threat to the Kryptonian, and even with all that help, he wasn’t entirely sure if Superman had any real weaknesses. In a moment of desperation, he wonders something that every fan has asked at some point: Can Superman bleed?
Superman’s Resilience: A Nod to ’80s Action Heroes
“If it bleeds, we can kill it,” an ’80s Arnold Schwarzenegger wondered in Predator. Both the Man of Steel and the Predator are aliens, even if one of them does a much better job passing as a guy from Kansas. That said, Superman is incredibly resilient. He barely broke a sweat during his climactic confrontation with Zod in Man of Steel. By the end of the fight, neither Kryptonian was bleeding.
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A Bleeding Superman: A Clue to the New DCU
Snyder established Krytponians as close to deities as possible. That explains the nearly religious fascination with Superman in the Snyderverse. However, James Gunn seems to be going for a more traditional approach with his Superman movie. Sure, Superman remains every bit as invincible as before, but he looks decidedly more human than Cavill in the first teaser trailer.
Immediately, one of the first shots we see of David Corenswet’s Superman is him laying in the snow, defeated – and bleeding. It seems that the first thing Gunn did was answer the question in everyone’s minds: Yes, Superman can bleed. However, for that to happen, it would take someone as mighty as the Man of Steel. I mean, he shaves his stubble with heat vision. You’d need more than a few punches to make someone like that bleed.
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First Act Only: No Spoilers Here
While James Gunn has confirmed that Lex Luthor will be the movie’s main villain, there are some clues scattered all over the internet pointing at an even greater bad guy possibly making a cameo in Superman. Behind-the-scenes pictures appear to show Ultraman, which would explain who leaves Superman in that sorry state.
Another thing worth considering is that Gunn has mentioned that everything seen in the trailer belongs to the first acts of the upcoming Superman. The fact that the Man of Steel is seen battered and bruised isn’t a spoiler, according to Gunn.
Still, it’s great to see that the new DCU is offering a more “human” take on Superman after the Snyderverse turned him into a demigod. At the very least, it implies the upcoming cinematic universe will be closer to the golden age of comic books than what we’ve seen recently from both Marvel and DC – and maybe that’s precisely what the genre needs right now.
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What are your thoughts on Superman bleeding in James Gunn’s film?
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