“Superman: Man of Tomorrow” updates the world’s greatest superhero by returning to the core of what makes Clark Kent Superman. It’s the first animated film to come after the needlessly dark and depressing DC Animated Movie Universe. Thankfully, this film takes a more optimistic approach to the Superman mythos. The new animation style is bright and colorful, and the fights are fun and exciting. At first the plot seems predictable and simplistic: Superman (voiced by Darren Criss) fights bad guys and bad guys lose. But “Man of Tomorrow” is more than just a superhero movie. It explores themes of fear of the unknown. Superman not only faces physical threats, but also internal challenges about accepting who he is, what he can do and the consequences of his actions.
The animation in “Man of Tomorrow” is quite unique compared to other DC animated movies. The first thing you notice while watching the film is it seems brighter. The colors are more vibrant and they give the film a more cartoon-ish tint. At the same time, the characters have heavier line work around them. This helps the characters stand out from the background, but also makes the film look more like a comic book. The heavier linework does look a bit weird when there is no movement on screen, but the film makes up for this with its excellently animated fight sequences. Overall the animation is extremely fluid, the fight scenes are exciting and fun to watch and the bright colors give the film a more hopeful tone than other literally darker DC films.
What differentiates “Man of Tomorrow” from other darker interpretations of Superman is the fact that it is essentially not a Superman story. Rather, it is a coming of age story about how Clark Kent becomes a man that just happens to be super. Forgoing the typical origin story that audiences have seen hundreds of times already, this film chooses not to focus on how the last Kryptonian came to Earth, but what it means to be the last Kryptonian on Earth. The story focuses on a younger Clark Kent just starting out in Metropolis as the mysterious flying man. The excellent voice performance of Darren Criss as Clark Kent really captures the distinct voices of both Kent and Superman.
The crux of the film’s emotional narrative is Clark’s decision about whether or not to reveal himself to the world. Clark’s reluctance to make this choice stems from how the world may react to his alien origins. The underlying theme of fear permeates the film: Clark is afraid that the world may fear his godlike power and reject him for being an alien.
He is afraid that because he is different he will be seen as a threat and a menace. These fears manifest in the physical form of the various villains and heroes that he fights in the film. “Man of Tomorrow” manages to balance three iconic superman villains, Lobo (Ryan Hurst), Lex Luthor (Zachary Quinto) and the Parasite (Brett Dalton), all of whom represent Clark’s worst fears about humanity and also himself.
Lobo is an intergalactic bounty hunter. He is also very similar to Superman, not just in terms of strength, but in origin. Like Clark, Lobo is the last of his species. Unlike the Man of Steel, however, Lobo chooses to revel in his power and uses it for selfish and destructive reasons. Lobo represents Clark’s fear of power and how that power can be abused in the wrong hands. He also serves as comic relief and adds levity to what could have been an overserious movie.
Superman is also joined by another survivor of a lost alien civilization, J’onn J’onzz the Martian Manhunter. Voiced by Ike Amadi, J’onn is more heroic than Lobo, but still takes a different approach to using his powers than Superman: he hides them from the world. J’onn tries to convince Clark to hide his powers too because he believes that the world will view them as a threat. J’onn’s belief originates from his own planet where xenophobia killed his people.
Lobo’s battle with Superman and the Martian Manhunter results in the creation of the film’s second major villain, the Parasite. Unlike the three humanoid aliens, the Parasite starts out as a normal human, Rudy Jones, but is transformed into an inhuman monster. Rudy is a family man, a veteran and an all-around nice guy who is turned into the monstrous Parasite that survives by absorbing energy from his victims. His transformation into a monster isn’t karmic justice or intentional, it is truly an accident. Because of his monstrous visage, Rudy is feared by everyone, even his family, which causes him to go on a rampage. The Parasite represents another aspect of Clark’s fear, namely the nature of fear itself.
The Parasite absorbs all forms of energy, even Superman’s powers. In other words, the more Superman fights Parasite, the weaker Superman becomes and the stronger the Parasite gets. The Parasite, and fear itself, is not inherently evil. It is people that give fear its strength. Just as the Parasite feeds off of people in the film, so too is fear fueled by people. Superman defeats the Parasite, not by fighting it, but by confronting the people who fear it.
Superman recognizes that the Parasite absorbed more than his powers. It also absorbed his memories and, most importantly, his heart. By coming to terms with his own fears and revealing himself as an alien to the people of Earth, Superman reminds the now monstrous Rudy Jones about his family, giving some semblance of his humanity back.
“Superman: Man of Tomorrow” is a step in the right direction for DC. Rather than continue the trend of brooding and overly serious movies, this film returns to what is at the core of the Man of Steel. Although Superman will always stand for truth, justice and the American way, these ideals change with the people that make up the country he calls home.
He fights more than just monsters, he fights the darkest aspects of human nature, things that cannot always be solved with raw strength and heat vision. This film showcases his neverending battle for the soul of humanity. Superman doesn’t represent the best of what we are now. At his core, Superman embodies the potential of what we can be. He is the Man of Tomorrow.
