Maybe you guys already figured this out but i've had this idea in my head for a while now. Everyone has been complaining about how brash and aggressive Nee 52 Superman has been but with this reboot I believe they are just trying to literally restart. Way Back in Action Comics 1 from 1938 Superman was brash, aggressive, a vigilante in every respect......and even threatened to shoot a guy. Ibeliev that DC is simply taking Superman through a "slow" development akin to what Superman went through in the first place. Right now Ibelieve we're in the "golden age" of new 52, 20 years from now the "new readers" will complain and wish the aggressive Superman would come back, and later on we'll transition to the "silver" age of the new 52 and then later the "modern" age. There are hints of this throughout Superman new 62 comics.....in one comic Superman himself even says "A golden age has begun". So what are your thoughts on this. Because if I'm right then currently we have a more tamed version of this:

and we're on our way to a tamed version of this:

@lvenger@sandman_@z3ro180@squalleon@sanohibiki@ultimatesmfan What do you all think

I hope they have him leave bad guys to die then.

@allstarsuperman said:

I hope they have him leave bad guys to die then.

lol awesome

I thought that in the very beginning of New-52 Action Comics Morrison practically announced that he going to return Superman to his roots and gave him some passion and toughness from the Golden Age (although I don’t think that DC planning 20 years ahead).

There so many Golden Age’s easter eggs.

@sanohibiki:

this makes me realize that Rags' art suffered greatly from being colored and that I was right lol

@sog7dc:

this makes me realize that Rags' art suffered greatly from being colored

Now that you mentioned it…

this makes me realize that I was right

So according to Morales, flying superman is not relevant, because he's stronger.

@sog7dc: That actually makes a whole lot of sense. But when they hit the ''silver age'' I really really really hope we don't get new powers.

I could see new developments but not new powers. Kinda like how he was taught that sonic thing from Wraith. Like if he discovers he can do stuff that he hasnt done before as long as they make sense in accordance with his established powerset. but I agree I dont want him doing energy blasts or anything

@sog7dc: new ways on how to use his powers are a lot better than gaining new ones IMO.

I don't really see how this theory of yours works. It's true that Morrison's arc had clear golden age influences and that arguably, Lobdell's writing reeks of the Silver Age but there's no evidence that DC are planning this far ahead nor that they're combining 3 different versions of Superman all in one. It makes no sense to reach for this speculative claim without any solid or tangible proof of your assertions. I just don't see your theory as plausible.

agreed.

I'd like to clarify that when i said, "20 years from now", I was exaggerating. I think you guys have taken that too literally. I also didnt assert, and if I did i didnt mean to assert, that theyre combining all three. I think that they are developing him like he was developed before. early on he'll be golden, later he'll be silver, then finally he'l mature and return to the superman everyone knows as "Pre-52". Currently Superman has been brash and aggressive I anticipate eventually his stores will take a more light-hearted silverage tone and then finally we'll have "pre-52" superman back.

Indeed Grant's run was a trip through out the history of Superman. It started with a Golden Age vibe and ended in a completely silver age note before it gives the torch to this new Superman.

Anyway, I don't think this is what DC is trying to do with the character, It was what Grant Morrison did though.

I think that this “new powers”-part already happening.

Reversed X-ray vision (“I cooking equipment with my vision”) in AC and Unchained.

If Kara don’t altered genetically/don’t have sunstone crystals in her body, then Clark also can potentially have this sun-bursting/going mini-supernova ability which his cousin demonstrated several times in her title.

Sonar hearing (kinda like Daredevil).

In Superman title Lex made a guess that with years Superman probably can develop telekinesis.

What issue was that?

Pardon muah, looks like I mistook scan from 90’s with New-52. Other points still standing. In New-52 there just some remarks that Superman himself doesn’t know what he really capable off; that with years he will became stronger; etc.

Superman: Doomed" #1, on sale May 7: "Beginning the super-event you have been waiting for in The New 52: Superman vs. Doomsday in a way you've never seen before! And with Doomsday's deadly new abilities, in this battle there can be no winners. The Man of Steel must unleash insane levels of power in order to do the job, only to terrify the world he's saving. Beating Doomsday is only the beginning of this never-ending battle!"

By 1944 GA Superman was at SA levels.

@sog7dc:

I agree that DC is trying to do this with Superman. I even had the same theory myself

@sanohibiki: I'm not certain Superman can jump to H'El or Wraith levels of power that quickly in his upcoming fight with Doomsday. Though you are right to bring those scans up as they are an indication of what Superman could become whilst fighting Doomsday. I just don't think he'll ascend that quickly.

@lvenger:

I agree with you, at least partially.

Superman: Doomed is going to be cross-over between Superman, AC and SM/WW, written by joined forces of Pak, Lobdell and Soule. In SM/WW Clark already got his first taste of “sun-dipping” via Apollo. We can assume that when he will realize that he can’t overcome Doomsday on his usual level, Clark going to get to the sun and – the rest is history. This way he can probably match Wraith – not permanently and lacking the fine level of control which Wraith demonstrated (H’El is different case; he is some kind of cross-breed of dozen Kryptonian species; I fairly sure that DC would never give to Superman all those astral projection, time manipulation and other abilities – and they would be right).

That’s the most obvious way for Clark to “unleash insane levels of power”, but it far from been worst. Recently I got that terrifying idea. What if this “Doomsday infestation” isn’t really Doomsday’s fault? What if writers going to do “to beat monster you should became monster”-route? Clark, seeing that he can’t win against DD, find somewhere some Doomsday serum and inject himself with it (serum, for example, is product of research performed on Doomsday by Kryptonian scientists after his attack in past). This gave him enough strength to win this fight, but as side-affect Clark slowly starts to transform into monster.

Rao, I prefer sun-dipping (through I hope writers would give us something more original).

Actually, I think that we would never see Superman with those developed and high-toned abilities. Usually some Crisis happens before storyline gets to that point and we will start reading all from very beginning – again. Only maybe if Clark would travel to future and see future and powered up version of himself, but not on regular basis. Frankly, I simply glad that DC at least acknowledges that Kryptonians have some untapped potential.

But there's a problem with this right here. Not with your post but with the nature of Superman Doomed. By technical continuity, Superman has already done a sort of sun dip in Superman 13 when he flew to the Sun to gather solar energy after he benched the Earth for 5 days

and then there's the solicit for Superman Unchained 9: It's a battle in the sun as Superman and Wraith accept their destinies and Lex Luthor pulls the trigger on his ultimate weapon!

It seems weird to make sun dipping this big thing for Superman to gain power to bear Doomsday when he'll have done it twice before facing Doomsday. Also agreed on the astral projection and extraneous powers point.

That's frighteningly plausible I'm afraid. Superman becoming a Doomsday esque monster via Fortress/Kryptonian technology is very dangerous territory for DC to tread if this is how they want the story to play out. Now I want the Sun Dipping option too.

Well after Superman came back from his death at the hands of Doomsday, writers made him more and more powerful over time with better feats and showings across the board. New 52 Superman has already been getting those in the two years he's been on the title so it makes sense for that to happen in the comics.

Ah I miss working class Superman, he was cool

@lvenger:

By technical continuity, Superman has already done a sort of sun dip in Superman 13 when he flew to the Sun to gather solar energy after he benched the Earth for 5 days

Sorry, there my personal opinions clouding my language. I remember Superman #13; I just call it “hovering near the Sun’s surface to replenish burned energy”. When I talk about sun-dipping, I usually imagine something on “Our Worlds at War”-level.

there's the solicit for Superman Unchained 9: It's a battle in the sun as Superman and Wraith accept their destinies and Lex Luthor pulls the trigger on his ultimate weapon!

I don’t know how Superman vs Wraith going to be portrayed (considering Jim Lee’s schedule, we probably would wait for quite some time for this). Even then – I’m lost in Superman’s timeline. It certainly looks like UC happens before Forever Evil, but are we sure about it?

Well after Superman came back from his death at the hands of Doomsday, writers made him more and more powerful over time with better feats and showings across the board.

It’s been awhile since I read DoS, but weren’t Superman and DD there practically still on Byrne power-levels (which were pretty low to begin with)? Overall increasing in power after not tied with DoS, it’s just happened with years. Current New-52 Superman bench-pressing Earth and moving Moon (well, that was Ultraman, but I think they are roughly equal in strength). I don’t think that DC going to increase that level (well, I personally wouldn’t mind too much, but still prefer to see new ways of using already existing abilities and to get some consistency in titles).

Edited.

P.S.

Superman Unchained 9: It's a battle in the sun as Superman and Wraith accept their destinies and Lex Luthor pulls the trigger on his ultimate weapon!

Don’t know why but that solicit gives me major feeling of impending cliffhanger.

P.P.S. What the … happening with notification system on Comicvine?!

@sanohibiki: I think Unchained does definitely take place before Forever Evil as do most of DC's current titles until April 2014. Even though Unchained won't be finished till June at least, that still places it in terms of continuity before Forever Evil IMO. People aren't too afraid of Superman yet, at least the general public aren't as a result of him 'murdering' Doctor Light. And Snyder does leave his endings as if there's more to come back to since that's his still.

Also what notification problems are you referring to?

@lvenger:

I remember some guy argued that UC takes place in New-52 future, approximately couple years after Forever Evil. His evidence was, basically, “two years are enough to win back trust of masses” and “Clark again works in Daily Planet”.

I personally prefer think that UC happened before Lobdell’s timeline, but there this nagging doubt. When Clark worked in Daily Planet, Lois was … IDK, editor or some telecommucation worker? Something like that. Then, sometime after Clark left the newspaper, Lois returned to been journalist. In UC they both journalists. So, perhaps UC happened somewhere in the same time as Superman #6-12. IDK, maybe I overthinking it all.

Also what notification problems are you referring to?

Sorry, that question wasn’t directed to you. When I log in, sometimes number of new notifications isn’t displayed, through on main notification page they all there (probably). When I try to use them, they not redirecting me to specific thread; instead I go to main page of some character.

@sanohibiki: That theory's incorrect because Superman Unchained 1 mentions Clark working independently of the Daily Planet. Jimmy talks to Clark about it in Superman Unchained 1 so it happens after Lobdell's timeline or at least after Clark has quit the Daily Planet. I'm afraid that based on what was presented in the issue, this happens whilst Clark is independent of the Daily Planet as a journalist.

@lvenger:

Thanks for clarifying this. With those constant delays and real life issues I am forgetting details like that one.