It's official; Henry Cavill is out as Superman. Despite baiting fans with an exciting post-credits teaser after Black Adam, James Gunn's new DC regime has decided to let Cavill go in favor of rebooting Superman. The news of a Superman reboot isn't surprising. Even though the Man of Tomorrow is a brilliant character that's as evergreen as his Gotham city-dwelling cohort, Superman is a tricky narrative nut to crack. For starters, you have his powers. To borrow a gag from Superman: The Animated Series writer Alan Burnett, "how do you write problems for a guy who can destroy the universe by listening really hard?"
Outside of his laundry list of abilities, Superman also presents another obstacle for novice screenwriters and comic scribes: He's supposed to be morally perfect. He starts the movie with a flawless worldview and ends the flick in the same place. Where's the conflict? Where's the character growth?
Well, if you're approaching a Superman story from a strictly positive change character arc, there is no story. If you use the flat character arc- wherein the protagonist rids others of their moral shortcomings throughout the story- it's not that difficult at all. However, if you want to reconcile both perspectives, there's a third option.
In the video linked above, you can check out a video from the YouTube channel Accented Cinema that explains how the Ip Man movies provide the perfect narrative structure for a Superman movie.
