Mieko_Siede

@therealGoku To each his own. Personally I don't see them having much time investing in so many individual movies for expansion when they are trying to compete while the interest is still there. They need to do all they can to preserve interest until they can launch a Justice League movie to the scale and scope that would not only rival but set it apart from The Avengers. They can't use the same format as Marvel. They have to have their own formula. The mere mention of possible directions they can go is my own opinion on the matter. First Man of Steel has to bring the confidence to the audience that DC is finally ready to make big moves otherwise there would be no interest at all. But once its there, less people are going to be willing to wait so long to see something happen in ten years while the actors attached to various characters age. I see ideas like these, a Superman/Batman crossover or Man of Steel being a direct link to a Justice League movie, as formats to be used in setting each franchise between Marvel and DC apart. Hybridizing movies and blending characters may be the answer to what they are ultimately trying to accomplish. But my opinion holds no merit at Warner/DC. I'm like you, at the mercy of having to wait and see what comes next. You'll either accept what they do and embrace it or you won't.

@gandoff2169 It could also be a gateway to introduce other DC characters to build upon a Justice League franchise. It could be the launching pad to bringing them all together. Or at least a few until they invest in the big project. Like you said, it could be used as a litmus to test the field before they go full out.

This could serve as a reintroduction to Batman without having to start from the ground up with a reboot. Something like this would tell who Batman is and why he does what he does while trying to unravel the mystery of Superman and his apprehension to welcoming a super powered being with open arms. I do think it could be interesting with the right story and imagination behind it.

@superman81 agreed. Man of Steel should be to DC what The Avengers was to Marvel--but better. Given that he is the one who started it all for both respective companies in the pantheons of comic mythology this should be the platform that launches a DC Universe that exceeds all expectation. Unfortunately, to effectively do that with Superman leading the charge, Batman does have to be made to fit the realm of his universe. At this point with so much that has been seen, Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy does not fit the mold. It is truly designed as a stand alone series. All the characters and the actors alike need to be made to fit each other. MOS redesigns much of the respective scope. Even costuming has to feel authenticated to one another. Batman needs a more hyper feel to his realism to effectively stand next to Superman and we believe they are part of the same world. I'm not opposed to the adjustments needed that will forge a means to an end to where they ultimately want to be to set a rivalry with another Juggernaut of a company and fare well if not succeed.

I wouldn't mind seeing a fit Joe Manganiello fitted in a fabric mesh plated charcoal grey batman uniform with a black leather loosely fabricated cape and cowl using the rope gun and gadgets in the utility belt. At least it would fit the theme that a world with Superman portrays. And that's all with incorporating characters like The Flash, Blue Beetle, Cyborg, Martian Man Hunter, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and the likes of several others. All of these characters live in a blended world of possibility and phantasm. Most of them begin as ordinary eventually being exposed to the world beyond them. I understand the method to the madness. They have to up the stakes. Pending the success of Man of Steel I believe they can do it. From the trailers alone, never have I seen so much work and detail go into a comic book/superhero movie quite to the scale of what we're seeing in glimpses with this one.

@ejk1 Of course there are elements that are familiar given the themes of Superman we already know. Beyond that point of familiarity, the slate appears to have been wiped totally clean by comparison. But those two movies, at least certain themes, work well for a starting point. It establishes the hero and brings him to the light of where he belongs in the world.

@c-a-r-t-m-a-n Hellboy is not a part of the Marvel or DC universe, it's a Dark Horse Comic. Although he has crossed over with Batman once or twice. A lot of the titles Marvel have aren't as hype as they're made out to be. Several of the earlier titles were experimental and held no rank in the Phase One platform. Batman was experimental to the DC Universe as well if you truly look at the rebooted franchise in terms of establishing a tone. Green Lantern wasn't the success they banked on so fittingly, Man of Steel marks the beginning of their "Phase One" projects. And from the looks of it they have a strong start if they can keep it consistent. It really doesn't matter who started the wave first, it only matters where they ultimately end up. Remember, Phase One or not, some of the Marvel films left much to be desired as well.

@zeus I agree as far as the teaming of these three masterminds being able to pull off something of epic proportions that can possibly trump anything before it and force a re-evaluation as Batman Begins once did, with how these movies will be approached in the future. As far the great lengths this movie appears to have gone, a follow up has to be brilliantly crafted to maintain the pace rather than slow it and fall flat. There's a wealth of material they can exploit to keep the element of excitement and engaging story telling in tact. This can very well change the game up with the start of this franchise.

WOW!!! This looks like a glorious achievement bringing Superman along on the scale the platform deserves. By far the movie appears to have all the elements to make even a non-fan salivate for more. This looks huge. It's already apparent that it is going to be paced and set up in stages for a grand epic finale. The only question now is, pending its success where do the go from there? What's left for a sequel to follow in hopes to better its predecessor? Or is it that the next lane to travel for the franchise is to jump right into the Justice League movie to increase a promisingly grand franchise? I could see following this the remnants left behind from the Kryptonian onslaught bringing about Doomsday. Something like that, much like it unfolded in the comic book, could bring the League members from their separate tasks together as a ravenously hulking beast rampages across a nation. The coming of Superman allows for other beings to be revealed as the question was once asked in a trailer, "How would the world react if they knew there was someone like him among them?". It doesn't have to be Doomsday mind you. It just leaves the impression that something big is set on the horizon to follow this. It's really the only way to go.

@Bill-Louis Regardless to the action and pacing suggested in this movie...From the scope alone, the depth of it, Man of Steel still looks nothing like a Marvel movie. It looks like a grander version of a tone that DC had long set out to establish to stand apart from Marvel films that could draw the same commercial success if not eclipse it.

@superman81 I'm going mad with all this anticipation.

@bawnian-dexeus Most definitely. I believe we'd talked about it before. I love that retelling of the story.

@2movieguys That hardly looks anything remotely related to Gladiator. Though it may not seem to share any significance other than just another still to grab our attention, that small photo is just another insight to the depth of imagery that has gone into the scope of this film. From the Kryptonian architecture designed to great scale to the unique garb of the council and the planets inhabitants. We're constantly being drip fed these photos and tv spots so that it becomes ingrained to those of us looking forward to it that we can't expect anything from this movie to resemble anything a Superman movie has done before it. It appears the more we see in its progression that great care had been taken to construct the reboot of this franchise.

I've truly run out of things to say about this. This movie is going to shatter any expectations one could place on it.