Since before the millennium, there has been an appeal for stories that go “dark.” Simply review two of the most popular film franchises of the past 20 years for proof that audiences love to see their favorite characters turn “dark.” Harry Potter and the Star Wars prequels are both major franchises geared towards kids and simultaneously guilty of this trend. Yet, in context, these stories are dependent on their characters confronting their own respective “dark lord.”
Some characters are modeled to be “dark” from their very inception. Despite the campiness associated with other takes on the character, the dark undertones of Batman make sense. He is not only the “Dark Knight,” the character himself is a vigilante inspired by the murder of his parents and is modeled after a creature that thrives at night.
After the box-office success of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, it was practically expected that the Screenwriter/Director duo David Goyer and Zach Snyder would conceive of the newest incarnation of Superman in this light. However, Superman is not an inherently “dark” character. He is not haunted by a supernatural evil or inspired by a criminal evil responsible for killing his parents. He is not tempted to turn his power to the “dark side” and he is not a vigilante.
As I will present, Goyer and Snyder’s direction isn’t just a misinterpretation of the character, it is a forced and misguided attempt to bank on a trend. It sacrifices any semblance of character and story alike for the sake of superficial eye-candy and tone. I will discuss the history of Superman, how he compares to other popular character adaptations, break down the most problematic plot points with this newest incarnation, and parallel it with the current and future state of film-making.
About the presenterJason Edward Axtell
Jason E. Axtell is an educator and graphic illustrator from Virginia. He has contributed to a variety of publications. His most recent work can be found in the second volume of Colonial Comics. He attends numerous comic conventions and hosts a weekly life drawing session. He studied illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University, and earned a Master’s of Fine Arts in Sequential Art from Savannah College of Art and Design. He currently resides in northern Virginia.