The go-to for a lot of Superman reinventions is "but wuh if golden...
f i t .@FitMarshmellow
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Sep 20, 2026
~4 min read
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The go-to for a lot of Superman reinventions is "but wuh if golden age + fleischer + radio show + donner", especially pre 2016.
There is a problem with this.
Superman isn't a fleshed out character in these. He's a vibe, a pulpy mascot, a vehicle for action.
There is a problem with this.
Superman isn't a fleshed out character in these. He's a vibe, a pulpy mascot, a vehicle for action.
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This is why I think these "modern" reinventions never seem to make Superman a particularly compelling character.
The rooting in the very classic stuff I can only assume is because they are either under the assumption he had a strong pathos and conflict before...
The rooting in the very classic stuff I can only assume is because they are either under the assumption he had a strong pathos and conflict before...
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...the Silver Age "reinvented" him, which is demonstrably not true...
Or they're under the assumption that he doesn't need depth and interiority, which is frustrating at best and story-ruining at worst.
To address this, I have to make something clear.
Or they're under the assumption that he doesn't need depth and interiority, which is frustrating at best and story-ruining at worst.
To address this, I have to make something clear.
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The Silver Age Superman wasn't a "reboot" or "adaptation". It is the culmination of was a steady building of identity and depth for the character since the beginning.
The Silver Age was the source of much of the depth the character had, because that's when Superman...
The Silver Age was the source of much of the depth the character had, because that's when Superman...
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...stories decided to focus more on that over episodic action and comedy.
It solidified who and what Superman was besides just the epic Action guy.
But what about the Donner side of things? Donner is ahead of the Silver Age and is inspired by it. There is a problem, though.
It solidified who and what Superman was besides just the epic Action guy.
But what about the Donner side of things? Donner is ahead of the Silver Age and is inspired by it. There is a problem, though.
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When these reinventions take from the Donner movies, it's mostly just yanking the "streamlining" of the mythos it did and trying to capture its "wonder."
The issue with capturing the wonder of the Donner flicks is that it's all rooted in the fact it's a live action film...
The issue with capturing the wonder of the Donner flicks is that it's all rooted in the fact it's a live action film...
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...and one of the very first of its breed.
Its wonder is being in awe of its effects, its score, and its performances...
All of which you can't exactly take advantage of in the comic book medium. Worse, you can't really recapture it in the movies either because the novelty...
Its wonder is being in awe of its effects, its score, and its performances...
All of which you can't exactly take advantage of in the comic book medium. Worse, you can't really recapture it in the movies either because the novelty...
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...has run out.
There is always going to be a wonder to a well-cast and directed Superman flick, but you can't coast off it.
You see a similar attempt to capture the "wonder" with the other retro influences, but once again...
There is always going to be a wonder to a well-cast and directed Superman flick, but you can't coast off it.
You see a similar attempt to capture the "wonder" with the other retro influences, but once again...
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The novelty isn't there. You need to have more than awe. More than scale.
Side note, I have to mention that the Superman comics that came out of this pool of inspirations were not action setpieces with a comedic charm...
They were character meleodramas, where action is...
Side note, I have to mention that the Superman comics that came out of this pool of inspirations were not action setpieces with a comedic charm...
They were character meleodramas, where action is...
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...mostly unimpressive.
There's also a massive source of friction between these influences.
Can you spot it?
It's the Clark Kent and Superman secret identity dynamic.
There's also a massive source of friction between these influences.
Can you spot it?
It's the Clark Kent and Superman secret identity dynamic.
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The radio show had a tangibly different dynamic between Clark Kent and Superman versus the others, where Clark is just as hard-boiled as Superman is.
This wouldn't be an issue if the bulk of genuine character in the other influences wasn't rooted in the clash between...
This wouldn't be an issue if the bulk of genuine character in the other influences wasn't rooted in the clash between...
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...meek and spineless Clark Kent and The Mighty Superman, and the comedy and drama that comes with.
Take that away and that's at least both the Golden Age and Donner without their beating heart.
So by the nature of this combo...
Take that away and that's at least both the Golden Age and Donner without their beating heart.
So by the nature of this combo...
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You are making a version of Superman that has little in the way of appeal or elements that are unique to him, relying on a wonder you can't recapture while parading a hollowed out version of your main character and his mythos that's less than all those earlier incarnations...
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Let alone less than the depth you need for the character to persist in modern stories beyond just a respect for his importance in the sub-genre.
The solution to this?
Take from the Silver Age, beyond just aesthetic.
The solution to this?
Take from the Silver Age, beyond just aesthetic.
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Yes, those comics can be very, very strange, but you can't ignore them or think of that entire era as some kind of peculiar misstep for the Man of Tomorrow.
That was when the character was at his most complete and at his least insecure and least blatantly reactive to trends.
That was when the character was at his most complete and at his least insecure and least blatantly reactive to trends.
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Anyway, when you're reinventing a story...
You're meant to find what it is about these anachronistic elements that resonated or can resonate and be able to mold them and extrapolate them for a modern context.
You're meant to find what it is about these anachronistic elements that resonated or can resonate and be able to mold them and extrapolate them for a modern context.
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At least that's what I think.
Maybe I just like the panels of Superman crying.
Maybe I just like the panels of Superman crying.
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Oh and addendum: take from the Bronze Age as well, but keep in mind that era was the first of the "reactive modernizations" of Superman, with a lot of the landmarks such as depowering him, but it also continues many of the Silver Age's threads in a more digestible manner.
