If you thought the way that an alternate-reality version of Batman dealt with Harley Quinn was surprising, then wait and see what Superman does to Brainiac.
Spoilers.
You know things are bad in a universe where Amanda Waller is the president of the United States. So bad, in fact, that the woman who’s bossed around the villains of the Suicide Squad in another reality orders a nuclear strike on American soil. The re-imagined Superman starring in Justice League: Gods and Monsters flies in to save the day but he has to do something horrible to do it.
Let’s be honest: once the Son of Zod pierces that force field, it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen. But it’s still hard to watch. We’ve seen the Man of Steel end lives before. Some of those stories played out that beat better than others. But, in almost all of those instances, Superman exercised the grimmest of options against threats that were pretty much full-grown adults. This time, it’s a scared, confused, crying kid. You can argue that it’s an artificial life that can destroy a good chunk of America but, nevertheless, this Brainiac feels, thinks and acts like a kid. At this rate, who knows what the Gods and Monsters version of Wonder Woman is going to do?
Comments
9 responses to “New Justice League Short Has Superman Doing Something He’s Never Done”
Jesus, that was horrible.
Couldn’t he just have knocked him out?
Here they go destroying our childhood heros
i didn’t mind this for a few reasons. Braniac seemed to understand the situation when he told Superman to do it, and Superman felt the weight of the choice he made. He didn’t regret it, didn’t cry about it, he accepted what he had done, and understands that he will have to live with the rest of his life with that weight.
I don’t think it was a hasty decision, I think he just ran through the options and came to the conclusion that it was the best choice. Not the easiest, not what was best for him, or Braniac, but best for the larger picture.
WIth how heavily Timm is referencing / mining-the-same-well as the Batman/Ace flashback in the JLU episode “Epilogue”, it would have worked a lot better rejigged as a counterpoint Batman introduction. Especially given how mediocre the actual Batman one was. Still keen to see the movie though.
I mean technically its not Superman, not Clark anyhow. But this Brainiac did know what had to happen, it pleaded for it to. Superman did it as an act of compassion.
I thought it was good, more realistic, heroes can’t be all overpowering and squeaky clean like superman has always been portrayed.
Just let Bruce Timm direct the animated films again (Marvel, seriously I need a good animated mavel cartoon, just once HIRE HIM!!!)
sigh, how can they have him kill Brainiac as a mercy, but not kill Lex Luther, who not only is a constant repeated threat, and deserves death?