The latest version of Superman on the silver screen sets up a much greater superhero universe.
Between the “Man of Steel” prequel comic introducing Supergirl, the “Man of Steel” movie providing us a new take on Superman’s beginnings, and the modern version of Green Arrow being portrayed on television’s “Arrow,” DC Comics has turned the corner and finally moved toward a new universe on screen instead of just in print.
Rather than leave a division between movies and TV, I’d love to see “Arrow” serve as part of the greater storyline that “Man of Steel” has introduced on the big screen. There are so many opportunities for cross-referenced elements between that TV series (which returns this fall for its second season) and the latest Superman movie. It would seem a waste not to integrate the two somehow as DC ultimately builds toward other superhero movies and a Justice League film.
The emergence of Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow on TV’s “Arrow” sets up numerous tie-in options for DC Comics.
Marvel is headed in that direction with the TV series “Agents of SHIELD,” a spinoff from the Avengers movies featuring Agent Colson moving from big screen to small. As DC has sat back and watched what Marvel has done to build its movie juggernaut, maybe it can learn from this latest move and utilize “Arrow” effectively as a piece of its vast puzzle of Justice League-related characters.
I’d welcome a series of “Easter eggs” hidden in various elements of the “Arrow” storyline much as they were in “Man of Steel.” Maybe we’ve already seen some, such as villains that could re-appear later on film; or the gradual development of Laurel Lance as the eventual Black Canary (another Justice Leaguer of old); or the mention of Central City (home to Barry Allen/The Flash) in one episode; or the presence of Walter Steele as Oliver Queen’s stepdad/Queen Industries CEO (and presumably the father or uncle of Victor Steele, aka former Teen Titan and new JLA member Cyborg).
Superman investigating pods left behind from Kryptonian settlement missions centuries before…and the open pod behind him appears to hint that the future Supergirl is out there somewhere.
There was also a Cyborg/Victor Steele tie in “Man of Steel” – Dr. Hamilton (played by Richard Schiff) is a former STAR Labs bigwig. STAR Labs was responsible for the salvation of Victor Steele through the creation of Cyborg.
I also thought about Aquaman when I saw one scene in “Man of Steel.” It may be a stretch, but the whales communicating (with who?) in calm ocean waters just after Kal El is knocked underwater and unconscious in the oil rig explosion scene sure seemed to portend something. I wasn’t alone in thinking that, and the oil company name (Merrevale Oil) comes from past Aquaman stories.
The “Man of Steel” prequel comic set up many of the references in the movie…and gave us the future Supergirl.
While he left out the Aquaman reference, Jeffrey Taylor compiled a long list of other “Easter eggs” in “Man of Steel” – many of which are hints at the larger DC/Justice League universe. Among them:
- Batman (the Wayne Enterprises satellite);
- Green Lantern (the presence of Capt. Ferris, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan’s future girlfriend – and the future Star Sapphire);
- Booster Gold (a billboard for Blaze Comics);
- Hawkman and Hawkgirl (the reference to Thanagarians in the Man of Steel prequel comic);
- The aforementioned Supergirl – the subject of the prequel comic; and,
- Dev-Em, the villain in the prequel who escapes into the mists of time.
Using the crossover potential between “Man of Steel” and “Arrow” as building blocks for what is to come just makes sense.
The first Green Lantern film wasn’t a smashing success, but we may not have seen the last of him on screen.
It’s too bad “Green Lantern” was not terribly well-received …that would have advanced the overall storyline potential even further…but Ferris Air was referenced in both the “Green Lantern” movie and subsequently on TV in “Arrow,” leading one to speculate that maybe DC isn’t quite done with Green Lantern after all.
As someone who grew up reading DC Comics much more so than Marvel, it’s exciting to see progress in bringing the DC universe to the big (and small) screen. After a seemingly endless array of Marvel movies featuring the X-Men, Spiderman, and the Avengers, and with a Fantastic Four re-boot already underway, it’s long past time for DC to catch up, and to do it with more intrigue than just making fans wait for the end of the interminable movie credits to catch a hint at what’s next.