In this video, Studio C imagines what the original pitch for Superman’s current stable of powers might sound like – and it would sound, quite frankly, ludicrous. While Superman as he was first conceived didn’t have such a dizzying array of special abilities, the years and years of DC Comics canon have added a number of skills to the Man of Steel’s repertoire: ice breath, time travel, super-hearing, martial arts prowess, and more.
Studio C imagines what it might sound like if they’d just pitched all these powers right off the bat. Whitney Call’s character comes into the bullpen and announces that they’ve found a publisher for their superhero series. However, she needs some help fleshing out the character: “I just don’t know what sort of powers we should give him.”
“Maybe he has super-strength,” proposes James Perry’s character. “Like, he’s incredibly strong. And he can fly!”
“That’s a good idea.”
“And unbreakable skin,” adds Aaron Fielding’s character, “like invulnerability.”
“Oh, well, that’s maybe a little too much. But …”
“And super speed.”
“That could be a separate character.”
“And super breath. Like, he can make tornadoes with the power of his lungs.”
“… That seems like a lot.”
The video goes on in this fashion, highlighting how endlessly over-powered Superman is, and how much he’s changed in the years of long continuity since his creation. It’s a wonderful reminder of how joyously and exasperatingly ridiculous comics canon can be.
“With all his powers, why does he even need martial arts?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Does he have a weakness?”
“Rocks.”
“How is he gonna blend in? … He has to have a secret identity!”
“Okay. He wears glasses, and … that’s it.”
The video ends with a wonderful segue into Batman, who may not be as theoretically OP as Superman, but whose origins and abilities also quickly descend into absurdity.
I know this video is poking fun at superhero canon, but it honestly made me feel so warm and fond about the genre. You keep doing you, oh most ridiculous of serialized stories.
(Via io9; featured image: screengrab)
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