Start off point:
Firstly, I would still have had Pa Kent die of a heart attack, especially after the heated argument with Clark. Have him die in Clarks arms as Clark is powerless to save him. What this would show SM is that he is not all powerful, he cannot save everyone. The anguish & pain would have been a better reason for his world travel, as it as much a running away from the pain as it is a trek to find himself. Also I would have kept the old cow being “laid to pasture” scene, but showing how Clark sees on a molecular level how the cow’s life leaves it (Very All-Star Superman). Again, like the school or bus scene, it would be traumatic if not very life/character changing for Clark. The frailty & fleeting nature of our mortality would be why he would be so adamant about saving us because he knows how short our lives are, all of us mere mortals…good or evil all life is sacred to Kal el.
MOS ending revisited:
My ending would change not much, I would still have him kill Zod…why, it sets a very dark cloud over SM & its impact is very much as horrendous as Caville showed us. My final battle takes a different step; yes Zod is completely devastated as his people are sent to the phantom zones again. What kept him alive was his purpose, his mission to keep his people alive & make them thrive again, which is what he had in the phantom zone, also his purpose as a clone.
Clark has destroyed his only purpose for living…so Zod changes from a cruel & calculating general, as he has been, to a raging/uncontrolable lunatic. He is lashing out; doing now the only thing he knows how to do…fight, as the purpose he exists for has been removed, Krypton & his loyalists. But he is not fighting SM; he is basically tearing everything around him to shreds, mentally he could be considered malfunctioning. He’s throwing vehicles at people, smashing buildings. SM is trying to save the innocent bystanders from the onslaught. Catching or taking the hits, but trying to reach out to Zod who cannot hear him, will not hear him, he is just lashing out in anger & this is why there is so much collateral damage. No speech about destroying everything SM holds dear, just a very disturbing & sad sight of a broken man lashing out in total despair & feeling powerless. This adds a certain gravitas to the whole scene & makes Zod much more sympathetic, which is what I would have liked them to go…think Dark Knights quote about living long enough to see yourself become the villain so to speak.
As SM grabs him & throws him down, this is less of a fight but because of whom this is the damage is huge. Now Zod starts shooting heat from his eyes, but this is more instinct than control as he cannot stop fighting. It’s going everywhere, & SM sees him hit a few people, mostly maiming them. He is begging Zod to stop, but it’s in this moment he realises Zod cannot stop. The look on SM face would be a cold realization, which he would not be able to delay. Now you can add the family trapped in a corner, as to have SM have no other choice. This would result in him snapping Zod's neck, looking around at all the destruction, the dead & the injured…now the scream in anguish is more powerful.
What has been set up here is an inexperienced hero, caught in a battle he was not prepared for, yes, but also the outcome that would shape him as much as the previous 2 events. SM will always try & save everyone, good, evil because life is so precious to him…all life.
Also now he is truly alone, the last of his kind in the known universe.
Sequel Ideas:
This would start with, the world still is unsure of SM, a JG Gordon type TV personality almost smear him on a regular basis. Lois is trying to get public support with her articles, while doing her best to keep Clarks identity secret & helping him fit in yet not stand out. I like that in Smallville she tries to convince him to act the bumbling, clumsy Clark we all know, but perhaps they should not focus too much on that. MOS Lois tries the same thing, but Clark must be a good reporter too, an idealistic & optimistic view, which in many ways contrasts her realist perspective on things.
We all want Luthor, but what interpretation do we want… hands down the cold calculating genius business man. Hawkins meets JR Ewing , superior to all those around him, but who very much believes SM is the end of humanity & human evolution. Now whatever you think of Max Landis, he has great ideas, so what I would like to see is very much found in his Death & Return of SM concept. Due to the destruction of Metropolis SM is not very well liked by the public at large, the Alien who can kill his own kind that would be frightening. Luthor uses that fear & his rebuilding & renovation of Metropolis to gain public support & proclaim himself their white knight.
Luthor also desires,
1. to find out SM’s true motivations,
2. Working in tandem with the government in regards to defence against extra-terrestrial threats,
3. The government has taken some Kryptonian tech. /he has come into possession of them, just anything SM did not remove from ground zero or missed.
They also have some samples of the Terra-formed soil & earth from the machine…cue interest.. they all have different colours due to prolonged exposure to earths yellow sun. Traces of radiation are omitting from them, the strongest coming from the green samples but they seem fairly harmless to humans. Lex wants to test them, as a power source/weapon…maybe even of a certain kryptonian.
At the same time, Wayne Enterprises is assisting with the redevelopment & restoration of Metropolis. Bruce Wayne & Lucious Fox are conducting the less fortunate areas of Metropolis, where Luthor focus on the more grandeur areas. Sort of a neighbouring city reaching out to the other. In this movie it can mention destruction in Gotham, where Metropolis also provided some assistance. You can construe either another event or TDKR events occurred.
Depending on how it could be focused, either the US government or the UN could all be converging on Metropolis to hold talks. SM represents a huge global threat; some could view him as a “messiah” or as the end of humanity. There is no trust, only the facts…he can crush a city, & can kill & has killed his own kind. SM will arrive at this conclave, stating the obvious, but would be challenged…more importantly questioned…”why” & “what does he want in return?”.
Meanwhile Lex has created a suit of armour that enhances the wearers strength & abilities…basically he has reversed engineered one of the Kryptonian soldiers armour, updated it to work on a normal human & then used green kryptonite as its power source. Now he needs someone to wear it. Cue John Corbin, a severely injured & crippled vet (Afghanistan survivor), with obvious post-traumatic stress. Luthor over looks this…in the name of science & the protection of earth. It can be hinted that his design & configurations are extremely advanced & it’s as if he had some prior knowledge of how the suits systems would work.
Now with the government sanctioning this, Batman can be looking into this as he would be following up on a drug heist in Gotham. Something that Luthor could be using to “assist” his soldier. I would have the drug/steroid “venom” play an integral part. Large volumes could have been taken from a drug dealer which he was investigating, with the trail leading to Metropolis. Here is where you can play with certain story lines:
1. Batman would know the addictive nature & destructive nature of venom, as a victim of Bane & as a user himself.
2. The drug could really multiply Corbin’s rage & stress, making him react (subtle comment on war here).
3. Corbin would try to perhaps reach out to his wife/girlfriend but leave a path of destruction, battle SM & the resulting horror on her face would contribute(with the paranoia created from venom).
4. Kryptonite will be introduced, but lets have the effects be a mystery to all involved.
How this all pans out, you have a villain willing to use unscrupulous methods to get what he wants. He considers himself beyond ordinary, morality as his goal is to “enlighten & evolve” humanity…Superman challenges that very goal with his mere presence. He is crippling humanity & his motives are unknown. Lex cannot fathom a godlike being not enslaving an inferior race. That arrogance, Sinicism & fear is what drives his motives to destroy SM.
In the end we should have a post credit scene of Luthor in his office, watching the news of SM’s victory over a mad man in a suit of armour (if you can connect that meaning congrats). A figure moves in the shadows, speaking to Luthor about success & failure…” our partner was correct about the minerals created by the kryptonian device”- figure…Luthor “yes but it was my genius that calculated the effects of our yellow sun, the effects on the kryptonian was sheer delightful accident.” …figure…”We will contact our partner again, the Intel has been most rewarding & I am sure there are other parties who would welcome the same regarding their irritations…soon the whole world will be illuminated.”
This Batman should be as if he has a split personality…Bruce Wayne is charming with just a hint of douche; yet still cool. Batman should be quiet & his presence should be unnerving, even to SM, behind his calm exterior, there is a rage. SM tries to disarm, due to being stronger than everyone, Batman maims & injures. Think Steven Seagal in his prime meets Snake eyes. This is also a Batman that has lost so much of himself in his war/mission. He has lost a Robin(Todd), been broken by Bane, been addicted to a drug & he is on the verge of becoming something totally different than his intention. This is also why he maybe fights with SM in the beginning, we could have maybe a hint of resentment there, perhaps fear, but he would never show it. Why would they fight, they sit on two different spheres, one fight for truth & justice, the other fights for his definition of justice. They only agree on 1 thing & even then for BM there’s a grey area as to how far he’ll push that envelope.
Corbin represents those lost souls who have given the best of themselves for their country, now maimed & scared again he is used “for his country”. He spirals out of control & this is both due to the callousness of a corporation exploiting him after its own goals & a government who seeks to manipulate a situation because of its own needs/fears. Corbin again is a sympathetic character, warped & changed by the actions of others, but still liable for his own actions.
The final battle would include the US army again, this time with a battered SM after his encounter with BM. I’d have it this way around instead of Corbin & then BM. The initial fight would also result in BM kicking his ass but SM would appeal to his better nature, that his war/mission is as much to do with his own salvation as it is about justice. In the end, what type of man is BM, what type of man does he wish/hopes to be. I see them battling constantly in this movie, obviously BM will use his wits to land a punch & make SM look foolish, maybe even lose his temper. I want him to use SM’s strength against him & his tactics should be very Ninja/stealth & then he disappears into the night.
I hope they have the dynamics of the two cartoons Batman TAS & The Batman, where they both learn of each other secret identities. Most of all they both show the detective skills of BM, most The Batman where he figures out SM’s address via his regular flight patterns at sonic speed. The understanding & the respect will be there…but the trust will be shaky at best. The movie should end with both agreeing to rather stay out each others way & cities…BM still would not trust SM.
The events for a Justice league movie would have to begin in a BM movie where he would win onviously but be aware of some bigger conspiracy/plot. Once realizing that the threat is very real & perhaps out of this word, would seek assistance as he would be very aware of his limitations . That’s how they should set it off, most of the cast do not need an origin movie, but it should be hinted that B is very much aware of them & has been monitoring them. The explanations for Thymiscera & Atlantis should be left to the experts, but I take it would be similar to Thor for both.
My Idea for A JLA movie:
While I would love to see this, I doubt it would happen…
In my version some of the major villains would have joined, be it a rather shaky truce…& their goal would be to take out what they would consider a major threat(s). I would still like to see the Starro idea used in Yong Justices for this, especially if the Del Toro JLD gets made, it could connect the universe without those characters having to make cameos. I would have them first take control of some government officials & then somehow get control of SM (perhaps this would work better In the sequel). Then he & BM can have that drag out fight & it would make more sense in this pre-DKR world. All the other heroes would band together to take out SM & again, they wouldn’t be a team but join forces out of necessity. In this way you open up doors to a tower of babel in the future as this will prompt BM to be better prepared in future for all outcomes.
Again, this was my 5 cents worth, please feel free to tear apart.
Ps my choices for key parts excluding Caville:
Batman/Bruce Wayne – Joshua Jackson:
From his role in The Skulls/Fringe he just has always seemed like a good choice. Perhaps what Clooney would have been with a great script & what Keaton was for me. If you saw season 4 of Fringe you know how his character became when he went all guerrilla warfare on the visitors & got very Batman when he implanted that chip in his head. He also auditioned for the part pre Bale so me thinks he was seriously in contention & could pull it off.
Lex Luthor - Alan Scott:
Again, once I thought about it, it just felt rite…his roles have been mostly comedic & his a great improve actor. Yet when he’s played douche bags his been almost at his funniest (see Step Brothers) & he often gives off that superior/ smartest guy in the room vibe. I would have either him or Gosling & I still advocate he doesn’t have to be balled…or even at first. He needs only have all the characteristics & the performance needs to be perfect & Scott can do that.
Metallo/Corbin...Lucas Black
Underated & under the radar, Lucas Black is a decent actor who can portray the very best of a soldier torn by the effect of war on the body & mind. Also if you remember American Gothic, the way he turned during he finale, even then his range was excellent.
Honorable mention -
Joe Anderson/ Joker: If you've seen him in anything then you know how good this young guy is
The rest of the cast is more or less what every other has been, with some exceptions, I just hope that this real world angle doesn’t make things too difficult when it comes to certain key characters like Flash,WW & Aquaman.