Darker? You have to be kidding!

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov indicated the studio intends to explore the darker side of superheroes in future films based on DC Comics properties, also owned by Time Warner. Prompted by the success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel “The Dark Knight,” which he credits to the profoundly grim tone of the film, Robinov told WSJ’s Lauren A.E. Schucker, “We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.”

Darker? Superman? You have to be kidding! As if the last film -- Superman Returns -- didn't spoil the character enough already. In that one film, we saw Lois Lane shacking up with her new boyfriend as they raise the offspring of the sexual encounter between Superman and Lois Lane way back in Superman 2. Lois doesn't tell her boyfriend or her son about the true parentage of the child. Now, if I understand the storyline correctly, Superman had sex with Lois back in Superman 2 and then used his powers to make her totally forget about the encounter. (Sounds like a twist on the traditional definition of date rape, I think.) Thanks to the developments of Superman Returns, can you imagine how poor Lois must have felt when she discovered that she was pregnant... and had no memory of how a child might have been conceived?! Yeah, let's see if we can make the Superman franchise any darker, shall we?

And don't get me started about the totally ugly costume changes they've already made to Superman with Brandon Routh taking over the character. The bright red cape, trunks, and boots were turned into a dingy brick-brown color, and they slung the belt line lower to make him... I dunno... more modern? (I'm trying not to use some of the adjectives that come to mind here.) Essentially, they took the great American icon -- the quintessential hero -- and scraped off some of the bright colors and wholesome nature of the character in hopes that audiences might better connect with him.

Personally, I think Warner Bros. has totally missed the boat on what makes Superman such a special hero. It's that whole "heroic" thing! He should be noble, honest, pure, wholesome, self-sacrificing, and... well, heroic, dagnabbit! But after the success of the very grim and disturbing Dark Knight, they now think their best hopes lie in tarnishing the character even further.

*sigh*

Thank goodness Marvel comics seems to be on a roll, what with this summer's Iron Man flick and all. Here's hoping our culture can keep the "hero" in "superhero" somehow.