Daniel Alvarez of ScreenRant definitely builds up a little bit of tension for Superman: Red Son, but apart from telling us just how DC is going to be unveiling this movie in 2020 the article kind of glosses over the idea a bit. That’s easy to understand since the whole idea of the big ‘what if’ that involves Superman landing in the USSR instead of the USA does pose a lot of interesting questions. Just imagining this is kind of scary in a way since thinking about a powerhouse like Superman fighting for Russia would be insane considering how history, in the comics, could have been changed in a huge way. You can imagine that this is one story that wouldn’t have been too popular in a different time since had the idea been brought to bear in this same manner during those moments when the tension between Russia and the USA was building to a much-feared crescendo this would have almost made it seem that DC had serious Russian ties that would have easily caused the company a great deal of grief.
That being said this idea is interesting enough to contemplate since Superman has for the longest time been all about truth, justice, and the American way. One has to wonder what the slogan would be if he was fighting for Mother Russia and was proudly wearing the hammer and sickle instead of his customary S. Plus it’s enough to wonder if Lex Luthor will still be considered a villain, or if Superman will continue to be the hero even if Russia is seen as an aggressor. There are a lot of big points to make with this upcoming movie but of course the biggest one is that the idea of fighting Superman isn’t so above and beyond anyone in the DC universe that it can’t happen, but taking on a superhero whose upper limits are beyond many people in the DC universe is something that seems like a rather tall order. It could be that we’ll get a point of view from the Russian upbringing that will show us that he does stand for law and order still, but given the obvious American influence on the movie it seems more than likely that we’ll also see a Superman that is willing to push the agenda of a society that does not hold with the same set of values.
If you’ve ever read the story as it was laid down then you might already know how things go, but as it pertains to movies things do tend to be changed from time to time for one purpose or another. But let’s just see how this tracks with people. Superman is eventually raised in Russia and serves Stalin, though somehow he’s still the voice of good and seeks to help the people. Luthor is still the villain but at the same time he is the hope of America as he finds a way to create a Superman clone that is meant to do battle with the man of steel. While in Russia Superman eventually assumes control after Stalin dies, and while the country seems to prosper it also takes on a very authoritarian feel that seems rather ominous since it means that the government has more sway over the people than it really should. Wonder Woman is essentially smitten with Superman though he sees her more as an ally and nothing else. As the massive issues between the US and Russia begin and Luthor begins to implement one plan after another Superman manages to thwart a good number of them and with the aid of Brainiac even takes out the Green Lantern Corps. Wonder Woman, eventually realizing that Superman cares nothing for her, returns to her island where she becomes rather bitter and resentful until she and the Amazons are recruited to fight against Superman. He beats them quite handily but does manage to sacrifice himself for the good of all people when Brainiac turns out to be less than trustworthy and threatens the world as one might have thought would happen. In the end Superman is thought to be dead, and Luthor becomes the ultimate hero that unites the globe.
This is obviously a very truncated version of the story but it does bear mentioning that Batman is seen within the tale and does spark a revolution at some point since where there’s Superman the dark knight is bound to show up eventually. But the point of this is that despite his location Superman is still a being that is ruled by a conscience and tends to try and do the right thing no matter where he’s at. It does seem that he’s a little more harsh in his methods during this story but at the same time he does eventually realize that ruling the human race is less helpful than simply living among them.
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