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Michael B. Jordan should be Superman, but not Clark Kent

Art by Bosslogic

The status of Superman in the DCEU has been up in the air over the past week, with nobody really being sure whether Henry Cavill will reprise his role as the character after this THR article was published. Michael B. Jordan, who starred as the antagonist in Marvel's Black Panther, is rumoured to be a candidate for the new Man of Steel. The question is: should he be?

Superman is undisputedly the most iconic superhero ever created. Everybody knows what he looks like, and even the slightest amendments to his costume have been met with uproar by some. Therefore, if DC were to drop a film trailer starring an African-American Superman, we'd all notice that things aren't quite the same as what we're used to.

Val-Zod and Calvin Ellis

But that doesn't mean that Superman can't be black. In fact, it'd be a smart move from DC to take advantage of the world's pre-existing idea of the Big Blue and make his race part of the narrative. Indeed, there are comic books starring black Supermen from other universes, such as Val-Zod of Earth-2 and Calvin Ellis of Earth-23.

I'm personally a big fan of the latter, who was introduced in Final Crisis as a nod to Barack Obama. In his continuity, Ellis has to balance being Superman and POTUS, providing commentary on the most powerful man in the world being black. This idea might be dated now that there's a new president, but it's a lot more powerful than just changing the race of the main-universe Superman - besides, Jordan is far too suave to play the ungainly Clark Kent.

The multiple Supermen

Plus, a cinematic multiverse would be an excellent idea for DC. You might be wondering how they could manage multiple universes when the DCEU isn't exactly doing as well as they want, but it'd actually be easier. Got an idea that contradicts the other films? Boom, it's set on Earth-2. With a standalone Joker origin film set to be released next year, this could become a reality.

Maybe I just want a Multiversity film, and maybe I just want a possibility for Henry Cavill to return. At this stage, nobody knows what's going to happen - but if Michael B. Jordan is going to be Superman, I'd love for them to go full-on multiversal with it.

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