Challenge 2012: Grounding Superman with a realistic and modern approach.

We have heard countless interviews with “Man of Steel” director Zack Snyder saying how Superman must be grounded with a sense of realism in a modern take on the character. Sure, that can easily work for characters like Batman and Ironman who do not have any superhuman abilities but rather rely on technological advantages. But also in a sense, Spiderman and Green Lantern share this human connection as they started off as normal everyday human beings who have extraordinary powers bestowed upon them by a spider-bite and an all powerful ring, respectively. So the question is, how can Superman, an alien, be related to any type of realistic scenario?

I am not sure what Snyder (Direction)/Nolan (Story)/Goyer (Script) have in store for us, but I believe I can provide one possible answer to that question.

From wikipedia:
“Certain authors theorize that intelligent extraterrestrial beings called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens have visited Earth, and this contact is connected with the origins or development of human cultures, technologies, and religions. A common variant of the idea include proposals that deities from most, if not all, religions are actually extraterrestrials, and their technologies were taken as evidence of their divine status.”

The History Channel series “Ancient Aliens” explores Gods, advanced civilizations, un-explained remnants of a past that leaves a trail of eerie and unsettling questions in our present time. Is the answer, that Earth was actually visited by aliens? I am more of a skeptic with these types of things, however the fact that these are actual theories being passed around to “explain” the unexplainable from the history of our planet is an interesting way to ground the character of Superman into some form of realism.



With that said, how better to tie the character of Superman to our present than by relating our unexplained history on Earth to the history of Krypton? What if a group of ancient Kryptonians found a way to come to Earth and act as Gods among mortals (see egyptian God of Sun “Ra” for example or the various Gods based upon the Sun which would power these Kryptonian deities)? This scenario could easily be weaved into a story about how the prideful majority of Krypton frowned against this practice of ruling over a primitive Earth and eventually punished these Kryptonians who pretended to be Gods for sharing tidbits of technology and culture with the likes of earthlings. That could be an explanation to why all of a sudden these “Gods” disappeared from Earth leaving nothing of their presence other than colorful hieroglyphics and amazing temples (example Egyptian and Mayan ruins).

This could also tie into a “Birthright” story line where Clark is travelling the globe, almost like an Indiana Jones of sorts unlocking his Kryptonian past through remnants left behind around the world reporting as a travelling journalist on these wondrous sites. This could also explain why Kal-el’s parents knew to send him to Earth and why Zod eventually shows up, knowing that he could rule as a God following in the footsteps of those earlier Kryptonians before him (which he could be a descendant of perhaps?) What if Clark was content with not being a public figure until Zod shows himself first, claiming to be a returning deity who will rule the world picking up where the ancient Gods left off. At first they are unaware of eachother, but Zod could fill Kal-el in on his heritage as he tries to convince him to rule along side of him. Clark could then realize Zods true intentions to be Earth's dictator. This could be the motivation for Clark to rise up and take up the mantle of Superman.



Let me know of your thoughts on this idea and any others ways that you think Superman could possibly be handled with “realism.”