The world of comic book movie discussions is on fire with all the updates we get from James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. It’s maddening. Though it’s self-inflicted. If I just stopped visiting comic book movie news sites, I wouldn’t be so inundated. But those same news sites are what told me that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan had been cast as Superman and Lois Lane, respectively.

That’s neat. I don’t know anything about Corenswet and don’t know if I’ve seen him in anything, whereas I love Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and was hoping she’d get the part. She should be great! And I trust writer/director James Gunn in casting Corenswet. I’m sure he’ll be great. So what do I want from a new Superman movie? The Christopher Reeves movies were before my time and I have no real thoughts on them. I don’t care for Superman Returns. And I don’t care for Man of Steel. So what do I actually want?

Join me after the jump for six things I want to see in Superman: Legacy. And feel free to share your own hopes and dreams in the comments below.

6. All-Star Superman tone

I consider Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman to be the best Superman comic ever made. It’s so full of life and energy and classic Superman stuff. He stops an uprising by underground lizard men, then has a nice chat with the king about the lizard rebels. He gets into a contest of strength with Atlas and Hercules. He saves that suicide jumper. He shows off the Fortress of Solitude to Lois. He battles the evil sun. Lex Luthor is thrilling and inventive and evil. It’s colorful and full of so much creativity. That’s the sort of tone I want for a new Superman movie. No more dour nonsense. No more muted colors. No more unearthly destruction. I want a big, bright Superman who helps people and saves the day.

5. No Krypton/Jor-El stuff

Speaking of All-Star Superman, that comic handles Krypton quickly and easily in only a panel or two and then moves on completely. I think that’s a great idea. I really, really hated the Krypton scenes in Man of Steel. I thought they were dumb. And I’ve never cared about Superman’s dad, but all previous movies really love the guy. No thanks. Krypton and Jor-El serve their purpose when they send baby Kal-El away. By the time he’s Superman in Metropolis, I think Clark should have made his peace with his alien past and should be focused on life on Earth.

Honestly, skip the origin story entirely. Everybody knows Superman’s origin. Let’s move past that to Superman and Clark Kent both already active in Metropolis.

4. No Christ imagery

This stuff really, really bugs me. Superman is not a Christ figure. That’s way too preachy and religious. He’s a superhero. He’s the best superhero. He doesn’t need to die and be reborn for our sins. He doesn’t need any of that baggage. He should be fun, not crucified.

3. Don’t kill Pa Kent

Comics and adaptations love to kill Pa Kent. It’s a crucial moment in Superman’s life, to be sure. It’s a canon event, one might say. Pa Kent dies of a heart attack and Superman learns that he can’t save everybody. But how about do something different and keep him alive? At least for the first movie. Give Superman two loving parents who are still alive. It would be new and interesting. And we won’t need to watch Kevin Costner needlessly get himself killed.

2. Krypto

Let Superman have his dog! Krypto is already a known quantity in the world. He got an entire movie all his own just last year. I don’t want that animated Krypto to be the same Krypto in Superman: Legacy, but that would be a fun appearance nonetheless. Let Superman have his best pal! Dogs are cute and lovable, and one with Superman powers would be really neat.

1. Brainiac as the villain

We haven’t had Brainiac as the villain yet in any major Superman adaptation. Lex Luthor is great, and I think he should be a force in the movie, but not the main antagonist. I like businessman Lex, who’s running his company in Metropolis and is a constant thorn in Superman’s side. But we’ve had enough movies with Lex as the main villain. And we’ve had enough of General Zod. Let’s give somebody else a go. Doomsday is a bad choice for the first villain. And Toyman sucks. So let’s do Brainiac. A big alien invasion sort of villain that Superman has to stop. I think that would be neat and would definitely give us something new to watch.

Feel free to call me anytime, James Gunn.

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