The Four Color Media Monitor

As if it isn't bad enough right now that the comics are stuffed with so much darkness, now the movie site called We Got This Covered is sugarcoating the angle WB's using for Batman vs Superman, which is supposed to be "grounded in reality":

[...] For the most part though, fans seem pretty excited about what the studios have in store. Not only because we’re seeing iconic characters like Batman and Superman being brought to the big screen, but also because these films will all have one very different thing about them that’s going to clearly separate them from what Marvel’s doing. And that’s the fact that they’ll be a lot more gritty and grounded.

Take one look at the trailer for Suicide Squad or Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and it’s easy to see that Warner Bros. and DC are going for a darker superhero universe, one that’s more grounded in reality and not as comical. And for most people, that’s going to be a very, very refreshing change from what Marvel is doing, and has been doing for years now.

I don't think so. It's starting to get tiresome even as a movie direction because this is what keeps getting emphasized, and come to think of it, Batman's been over-emphasized as a product too, all at Superman's expense. One of the biggest problems is how their direction is very editorially mandated in its own way, which led to the omission of Superman's red tights. Another is how they think failure to go with a dark direction will only result in an overly comical product, leading to a direction with little or no sense of humor. And then they have the gall to put words into the audience's mouths, acting like everybody wants only a gritty adaptation of DC books. While I'm open to DC adaptations dealing with serious matters, I also think it helps to show there's a bright side to life as well, and that life doesn't have to be utter misery. If Marvel's comics had really gone that route years before, they'd be a disaster.

Speaking of which, I don't think the cast and staff on the upcoming movie have ever made clear what they mean by grounded in reality. But don't be surprised if their visions do include branding Supes as an illegal alien, nor if some of the plot oscillates around Superman being brainwashed into going on a super-rampage, forcing a mortal like Batman to face off against a superpowered being. I'm sorry, but that is just plain unappealing to me, and again, if that's the plot, then it's the kind of story written at Superman's expense, ditto the brighter vision that once served the Man of Steel well.

Labels: Batman, dc comics, msm propaganda, politics, Superman