Man of Steel answers insight commentary episode 18 color context grades of gray Lex Luther welcome to Man of Steel answers insight commentary on your Man of Steel apologist Dr. awkward I cover a mosaic of topics for fans who love discussing the Man of Steel and the DC cinematic universe together will endeavor to answer the questions criticisms and controversies raised by Man of Steel and those eagerly anticipating the DCC you color why was Man of Steel color graded the way that it was why was the costume colored the way that it was and what can that teach us about black and white morality and the shades of gray in between we take a look at Lex Luther more than this mosaic of color and morality ends with the mailbag this podcast dives deep into Man of Steel to answer the critics and the confused the show is not meant to convert anybody but the celebrate a film that will lead us into the DC cinematic universe reasonable minds will differ but this is a show for fans who love Man of Steel and who love to chew their food the colors of the colors if you have ever painted a room participated in the planning of an extravagant wedding or picked stationary for something crucial or formal you probably encountered more shades varieties and variance of white than you ever knew was possible depending on your attitude it may all be just basically white or the differences might be stark and deadly serious how dare somebody confused powdered white with smart white or nano white is in full moon obviously different from sweet vanilla kind that ivory missed an almond cream that off light isn't often enough and is that eggshell organic or oyster sure you can tell that despite being incredibly detail oriented by inclination occupation and necessity I'm not the kind of guy that sweats these variations but that isn't to say that I'm dismissive those who do a got several artists and my family were forgotten more about color theory than I'll ever know but even without training talent or technical knowledge color is incredibly visceral and in that respect accessible and instinctual so everyone is going to have a reaction in an opinion about color today's episode was inspired by listener Mitch who wrote in wanting to know whether Man of Steel would've been better received without the blue filter making the colors brighter and less desaturated not a filmmaker but I like knowing how things tech so I like to know what techniques are being employed and why and niches question sent me on a quick quest of discovery to learn more about color grading choices and techniques that preempted our regular scene by scene commentary but hopefully this episode will address this comment comment about the film so color grading is basically altering the color of the film after it's been shot it's been around for a while and would be called color timing because the effect was achieved by calculated exposure of film to certain chemicals or light for specified amounts of time color correction can refer to altering the color with gels or filters or lighting during filming but in the digital age it can also refer to postproduction color alteration today color grading or correction is accomplished digitally a rather dramatic example comes in the 1998 film Pleasantville where an innocent wholesome and idyllic 1950s community is cast in black and white but it's simplicity belies a certain sinister conformity when color is slowly introduced into the black and white world in the form of sex art sophistication and intense emotion as the world grows richer and more complex and nuanced more and more color is introduced into the film director Gary Ross explains quote this movie is about the fact that personal repression gives rise to larger political oppression that when were afraid of certain things in ourselves or were afraid of change we project those fears onto other things and a lot of very ugly social situations can develop unquote in 2000 the Coen brothers film the Brother where Art thou is typically said to be the first feature film to be entirely digitally color graded and heavily used to dramatic effect the following excerpt is from painting with pixels postproduction the live-action movies is largely been the domain of the film laboratory all sorts of photochemical processes woman you you create the final picture when it came to old brother where art filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and director of photography Roger Deakins decided to the convention for the first time of an entire live-action feature was manipulated there are so many tools now so many ways that they can vary the color difference is everlasting in the movie has George Clooney is working with Holly Hunter I believe the color of the movie became the character I believe it washes over the audience as you view it as a character it lets you feel. Of time to let you feel the heat in the air it lets you feel the sweat on the body and that is something that the filmmaker could not capture in camera and can only use digital technology to let them capture the reason I raise the timing of these films is to note that Snyder graduated from film school in 1989 just as digital color grading was the cutting edge it was being used in music videos commercials and experimental films but still finding its way to feature film from his other films it's clear that Snyder is no stranger to digital grading his fellow film school classmate Michael Bay would reinforce that must have blockbuster look by using color grading in bad boys the rock Armageddon Pearl Harbor transformers and so on they is by no means alone but that blockbuster look can generally be described as pushing blue and yellow or teal and orange to create a dynamic range of color a complementary color scheme that appeals to our eyes and to allow elements to pop on the screen even before widespread color grading cinematographers which case the magic hour sometimes called the Golden hour right after sunrise or before sunset to capture a similar look and achieve that dynamic separation of colors here's color is the one the Lara analyzing the look and the theory behind that approach so what is the summer blockbuster look you much if you could sort out which fixes probably the most common example blockbuster stalled with tumors treatment it's pretty obvious the color palette is made up only two and orange skin turns pushing towards world in which orange brown individual's essays pushing towards cool tools and blues this results in Mexico contrast and separation between the skin and he reveals in the same similar to my to aspects the hell is together first losing two-sided anything scene is neutral, wasn't cool blue-green color range second anything that will encourage such a scheme is pretty neutral is wonderful dividing yellow and orange this is by no means onto the comparison but accuses Audiovox going on some noises looks like common watercolors play one cool separation so here's a color wheel and use your skin roughly occupies bicycle theory states that complements colors when used together a particular dynamic due to maximum color contrast between them when placed next to each other complement goes pop vibe right which can be aesthetically pleasing so he's a complementary skin times during the cervical and it's no accident that this is the tools and blues reside so there are plenty of aesthetic reasons for the blockbuster look however like any tool or technique repeated usage can create an expectation with the audience for example bullet time which happens to be trademarked by Warner Bros. incidentally doesn't have to be used in action films and in fact was famously used in a gap commercial however seeing bullet time creates an audience expectation associated with action films and the effect wore out its welcome when he became less and less novel now considering how elemental complementary colors are I don't think that Argentina will ever completely wear out its welcome but there is definitely a certain audience expectation attached to the blockbuster look it triggers an understanding whenever we see it it's part of the audience's lexicon and genre savvy in the same way that seeing sepia tones lets us know that the intention is to convey age or nostalgia the blockbuster look is a way of signaling that were going to see something big-budget over the top exaggerated accentuated unrealistic and unnatural thing that look creates a pact with the audience that you are about to experience something stylized and unreal and I think that explains in large part when Man of Steel tends towards a different approach for most of the film Snyder's intentions were to take Superman out of being in stylized worlds and into hours I never felt like a movie should exist in the real world for that I liked Superman should we've designed movie has like movies we shoot on location allotted in real settings with real situations because I feel like the most realistic movie all make is among Superman and we getting is ironic but in some ways right because I like the idea that in order to support him Superman have existed in some ways from you do a style I Superman movie is the Superman movies that automate are similar legitimate existence some sort of weird stylize world where like everyone's like pie and Chevrolet and is five minus I like inside the site American dream in a weird way to the idea from ESI or the interesting is that being able to release the character from the world at stylize world he's been stuck in check out and bring them to our own see what he does Superman is inserted entirely different thing from answer but you like his credibility relies on his believability and I really like prequel to put them in a hard reality to me it seems like there was a conscious effort to move away from that standard lock buster grading to obscure ever so slightly the idea that you're watching an artificial summer blockbuster but instead watching something more grounded real and journalistic this extends beyond the grading from filming almost entirely with a single handheld camera seemingly guileless league and incredibly restrained but efficient editing and camera work there was a clear intention to step away from the stylized and to be more authentic that Superman is ever may have a Superman says something about the way I see movies in reality you whatever you like well-July like healthy like I can only like stylize world because of that I it has had you will have an AC does film is like helping always doing is I like I will is all that website as I have I like a fight random thing out and it was in contrast this against Michael Bay's direction which has intentional technique but lacks restraint this is a short analysis of Michael Bay's habits but Tony's out who has an incredible video essay series called every frame a painting makes me unique is how many layers how complex the movement this isn't a shot at her it isn't into more complicated than the competition that's what his brain seem to have a lot of stuff going on their smoke or explosions between the layers also went out lots of land that you see this is much easier to deconstructed imagery and to see if Lyness is a doesn't distinguish between when you shot and when hero uses the camera movement whether the character saying something important you have anyone here is on total gibberish I think you'll hear my every shot is designed for maximum regardless of whether if you like that incident leaves out does a brief comparison between Superman 78 and Man of Steel in his core says a video which is insightful and worth a look even if you don't necessarily agree with his conclusions in his essay series will cause your appreciation for film technique to skyrocket I highly recommend checking it out will talk more about Snyder's restraint in Man of Steel and what it means for the future of the DCC you some other time but let me just present the basic idea that using reality as your bedrock or your canvas gives you way more creative freedom when starting in and with fantasy an artist who can render reality can always elect to be more stylized but an artist who uses shortcuts to cartoon will quickly be frustrated by their own limitations perhaps the inability to draw feet or employ proper perspective or proportions and so the number of artists will come to mind for longtime comic fans but that's a topic better suited for when we talk about Sugihara's comments in another ship one last note about Snyder's restraint the lack of techniques isn't to say an absence of effort or intelligence quite the contrary as you may see from the analysis in the a thesis on Man of Steel video or my action comics number one tribute video it just means that Snyder had to be extremely clever and subtle in adding layers of meaning without relying on more overt techniques aside from breaking with the conventional expectations of the blockbuster look I speculate that it was important for them to make a clean break and separation from 2005 Superman returns in the same way that Man of Steel turned away from the Williams theme music or redesigned the look of krypton I believe there may have been the decision that avoided the same look of Superman returns returns was gold toned it was warm and nearly sepia to create that sense of nostalgia by contrast Man of Steel's cooler temperatures sit on the other side of the spectrum of color we interestingly of though returns uses warm colors to harken back to Donner's Superman to Superman 78 and Superman to were generally neutrally colored by today's standards I should pause to say that if you're scratching your head and recall those films differently in may be because Warner Bros. has the habit of further adjusting the color timing of their films before releasing them onto Blu-ray the colors on returns was flat and to me at the sparkle and the orange until contrast isn't as aggressive as it was in theaters meanwhile the color grading on Superman one through four was aggressively modernized to push contrast dark and the blacks and upping the orange in the Teal keep this in mind when people post online costume color comparison shots the Blu-ray is not perfectly representative of what was shown theatrically or available in other formats in the show notes you can find a link to a comparison video between the 1996 laser disk of Superman to lose more faithful transfer and the Blu-rays color graded release you can take a look and decide for yourself for some this may be an improvement for others of maddening change and for many something completely unnoticed nonetheless were every land on that Man of Steel took a decidedly different approach in part if you watch the film specifically with an eye for color you'll notice that the orange until skin is actually quite present during the kryptonian scenes how could it not with the world bathed in the warm colors of red sun against such a backdrop the blue quite close of thrusters and energy weapons were bound to pop the Genesis chamber's are cast in blue light the contain orange glowing spheres and when Zide and his crew are released from their imprisonment were treated to the tragic spectacle of the remains of their dead planet adrift around the blue glow of the failed star contrasted against the scattered light of the red sun and despite the goals of Man of Steel all of this is exactly right because krypton is intended to be alien and otherworldly not grounded as earth so krypton is stylized in color its inhabitants have stylized manners of speech their combat courts Citadel councils includes are all stylized rather than adhering to the more grounded realism over totally within the film color grading was used to segregate and separate the world of the kryptonian's from earth the dramatic use of this is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in's odds interrogation of Cal Al in his dream machine taking place during magic hour the color grading enhances the unnatural surreality of the scene making it quickly obvious to the audience that something's amiss and that were not in Kansas anymore the warm orange and gold and brown cast of that scene triggers that same nostalgic reminiscence showing that Clark thinks about and imagines Kansas through a bit of an idealistic lens the use of the black costume here is instructive since the goal for this scene is for Clark to be swallowed up by for the false reality to bury Clark in Zions dark intentions imposed upon Clark's idealism based on the color theories that we've discussed it makes sense that Clark would appear here in his normal blue costume because against this Amber setting the blues of his costume would boldly stand out pop and assert themselves as a live vibrant and strong exactly the opposite intentions of the scene so the filmmakers wisely deployed a black suit to achieve their goals on multiple levels literally seeing Clark cloaked in black with all the meaning that back carries but also selecting a color that won't fight the scene thus reinforcing Clark's powerlessness I think that serves as a pretty good segue into talking about the color choices for the costume in a broad sense Superman's costume is a nightmare because it's a clash of primary colors blue red and yellow try and it color harmony steam service what is probably one of the hottest to pull off it involves calls with the equally distant to each other on the wheel as a Sennheiser to pull off it's really best for cartoon is also real scenes because it can really come across as being quite playful it's also elemental and primal and totally fitting that the first superhero should be found in those colors and it explains why he leapt so powerfully off the page with impact during the depression there we were aware that depression is a need in front of however analyze me colored but that color scheme tends to defy a common notions of color harmony that in blue aren't complementary colors they're not adjacent or analogous hues they don't quite match the typical application of triadic harmony which either uses all three equally spaced Hughes on the color wheel in balanced proportion or uses one color to dominate with the other two as accents Superman scheme tends to balance the red and the blue but only use yellow as an accent lest we get too far ahead of ourselves here is just a quick description of color terminology and how colors can be described color is the umbrella under which you value in chrome arrest QB decision between different colors on a wheel from rented red orange fantasy value be light and dark comedy right now so if you look in reality or in nature all of those values tend towards neutral and are toned down considerably if you are designing something to look like it has a natural place in reality you will tend to step away from bright values and heavily saturated colors instead you probably pick one color to be the accent and bring down the brightness and the saturation of the other colors then your tricolored hero would fit into the triadic or a chromic color harmonies which is pleasing and natural to the yacht will have a common ground that I learned in the routing engine around the human family: colors and as we can I as a time where we need something that familiar is a new totally
this is hardly a novel idea all you have to do is look at other heroes traditionally costumed in primary colors for all five Spiderman movies the brightness and the saturation of Spidey's blues were turned nearly black for X-Men first class the blues are again to saturated and nearly black while the yellow is left is the accent moreover it's traditional forts Superman in his most visually realistic portrayal in the comics Superman as rendered by Alex Ross in kingdom come in peace on earth is routinely bathed in shadow is a contextual means of bringing down the brightness and the saturation of his costume even if it's bright in the few scenes it is primarily presented to the reader in a way that meets the colors both to appear more authentic and realistic but also to convey the mood in the tone of the books the Fleischer cartoons opened with Superman backlit in order to cast similar dark shadows over the front of his frame and achieve this effect likewise it set many of its scene that night in Superman the animated series Superman's briefs were always practically black with only red highlights in the creators reveled in being into place Superman in scenes at night you got to a point where any show that took place at night I was darker like that's what you want to do with Superman to remain like you like the night episodes like Superman looks better at night yet I had a show that takes I sent night but in a night club those of thing we started doing Superman we deliver limited change from the Batman episodes we deliver later to make it is daytime set shot but we did look at what was at the place I want while you know metropolis would predict night the color palette of the characteristics court night so we did try to start setting as many shows at nighttime is possible to take away from that dark stuff if you think back to Superman 78 Superman largely debuts to the world in nighttime scenes the darkness of night brings down the brightness of the costume to saturates the colors to appear more natural giving them greater verisimilitude and credibility only once the audience has completely bought into the reality of Superman is the film allow him to be presented in the daylight with the brightness in the saturation turned all the way up you noticed whenever Superman returns wanted to show Superman up close and intimately needing a sense of reality those scenes tended to be at night of course we all know that Superman is traditionally a denizen of the day light so rather than trying to stage a script around Superman acting as a night owl Man of Steel took the reasonable approach toning down those values so that he could be presented first and foremost in the day without looking out of place the same logic that we've applied to trying to harmonize Superman's colors with himself and his setting applied to harmonizing Superman with his future justice league members as tough as it is to try to reconcile Superman's color clash for the cameras imagine trying to balance seven superheroes each with their own aggressive color schemes a chromic harmony is always achievable so it is sensible to push towards to saturated colors so that no one looks out of place or stand out like a sore thumb when the teams assembled highly variable in yes even the avengers have been heavily treated to bring them into alignment with one another that somebody else's podcast however both the avengers and the Superman examples I cited can be instructive the deeper you draw your audience into the reality of your film the more they'll be willing to suspend their disbelief and the more the filmmakers can push bolder brighter and more saturated colors you start with the grounded but then moved towards the fantastic I think it's telling that our first promotional look at Superman in Batman be Superman released by US today in July 2014 is in a dark and stormy setting the setting meets the colors for now but if you miss the traditional clash of colors I suspect you'll be in for a welcome surprise when we see that costume in regular daylight the filmmakers wean the audience on the more natural and relatable color schemes before pushing into the extraordinary you don't have to agree with the choice or even like it but understand that it isn't an accident or driven purely by mood it's a competent and justifiable design choice the choices explained by the underlying principles and larger context and that's what's important that we can understand the choices even if we don't agree or like them context is extremely important especially with color because the human eye registers color primarily as a relative value rather than an absolute what makes the image so special well it's an example of the land of fact even though it appears to contain a bunch of different colors oranges and yellows and greens the entire image is actually made out of nothing but seriously I believe the image down the descriptions even grab investigating using your favorite image editor the yellows are actually quite red sort in the green is just old great read what's going on is called color constancy your visual system utilizing brain calculate the average illumination conditions of the scene and then subtract those conditions colors remain relatively constant this is why a little object looks blue whether you're viewing it under the midday sun or the dark red sunset or fluorescent light or incandescent light it. Brilliant system but it can fool special images like this one appear to be illuminated with a lot of red light your brain actually subtracts the red makes assumptions there are plenty of other examples of the land effect in other ways our visual system wise to us I'm sure we've all seen the optical illusion where were told that two squares one in a shaded region and the other not are exactly the same color even if our brain refuses to accept the fact in till the squares are placed side-by-side with the context is removed or obscured seeing color is one of the simplest things in the brain does even if this most fundamental level context is everything going to talk about his context is everything for why is going to therapy because it is question that tells is not totally why we see what we do but who we are as individuals and who we are society was illegal bring all this information you take some incredibly strong allusions this is what I made a few years ago you notice easier dark around how to talk and a bright orange tile aside is your perception reality physical reality is that those 2000 say they are the same okay don't believe me again now what does all this me what this suggests is that no one of them outside observer of nature okay were not defined Morrison's of properties but it is Microsoft Word defined by our environment and our interaction with the environment by ecology and that ecology is necessarily relative historical empirical right so why Zide likes you finish this is visibly here because whatever trying to do is really celebrations do because I think release of uncertainty is a potential for understanding a change in context or are interpretation of such context can take objective empirical stimuli and render its meaning ambiguous or different reasonable minds will differ after all you may have experienced this recently with a certain blue and black dress okay so we discussed the color grading of the film and the color of the costume but where does that leave us with Mitch is question he wanted to know if the film would be better received and my answer is going to be a frustratingly unsatisfying will never know my effort in explaining everything that we discussed is to show the larger context the incredible intentionality and the decisive choices that went into the creative decisions surrounding color many of those things can't be intuited or consciously appreciated unless or until there pointed out and so for every person that crosses their arms and parsimonious Lee reduces their entire evaluation simply to how bright the colors are there may be 100 people were more didn't realize that they were being drawn into the movie more because it didn't clash with the reality that the film was trying to build didn't conflict with the themes that he was trying to develop or summon to mind the past continuity that wasn't applicable to this story the film trying to forwards reality where as saturated primary colors are unreal the film carried a serious tone whereas primary colors are bright and cheery the film broke away from over the top blockbuster filters and the nostalgic sepia of returns because those would've set up the audience for unfulfilled expectations may be the audience would've enjoyed that dissonance I don't know but I completely appreciate the reasoning behind why Man of Steel made the choices that it did it wasn't an afterthought or an accident color is very much a part of the filmmakers toolbox and the choices and the selections are carefully planned and selected despite being incredibly subjective and that intentionality pays dividends even if they can trip less sophisticated litmus tests like broiling it all down to a thumbs-up or thumbs down because of brightness saturation or vibrancy we've only scratched the surface of color but I think that's more than enough to point out the complexity of color and the importance of context in context choosing color isn't usually a binary choice between bright and dark but rather a selection along many tents and shades that make up its tonal values likewise in life rarely can our preferences positions morals beliefs or values be reduced to mere black and white reality tends towards complexity nuance subjectivity and more the big picture tends to be a full color spectrum of things seen and unseen known unknown and unknowable well beyond just black and white black and white rules don't always provide answers that help us navigate the real world especially with complex or conflicting principles in Capt. America to the winter soldier the moral quandary was presented what you do when your side trades freedom for security in a democracy were people clamored for the tension between democratically desired security and the founding principle of liberty is a real world issue however the film quickly writes Capt. America out of having to make a decision by revealing that it was the enemy manipulating the public into trading freedom for security all along the film's central debate was rendered meaningless in the real world you don't get to be written out of controversies in Man of Steel the filmmakers showed that being active in the world means that controversy and confrontation are unavoidable more than anything Man of Steel's moral message is maybe rather than relying on black and white absolutes we see that Man of Steel is careful to resist absolute or blanket claims although the age of exploration was incredible it also led to krypton's demise although krypton gave us's odd it also gives us Superman although Clark is bullied by some another bully extends his hand in compassion although one journalist readily cells Lois out Lois honors Clark's confidence even after being held by the government although Col. Hardy gives Lois a hard time on Ellesmere and is the one to capture her he's also the first one to speak out on her behalf before Feodor although the military fires on Superman in small bill it later helps him save the world and accesses and asked her to Washington in the end of those Steve Lombard delights in Lois is suffering he risks his own life to save Jenny O'Byrne insults Clark he saves and although Ludlow bullies Clark other truck drivers help him although Zide betrayed the Council he's fiercely loyal to a narrow vision of krypton and although Jonathan loves Clark he possibly hurt him more than anyone else just before the tornado scene Jonathan says we've been making this up as we go wrong so maybe may be our best isn't good enough anymore Jonathan's uncertainty about how to raise Clark is reflective of the ambiguity of reality the main thing that the film presents is that inflexible dogma must be confronted with free will choice trust and compromise's odd is presented as inflexibly dogmatic and in many ways acts like those with polarized positions adhering to those positions despite the consequences Jor-El however makes several efforts at diplomacy and discussion reaching out to the Council to decide and that is not again as a ghost without trust Superman isn't able to receive Jor-El's blessing gain Lois as an ally without trust Superman doesn't get on to's odds ship and learn his plan so that he can defeat him without trust Superman can't defeat the kryptonian's without the military's help Jonathan encourages Clark not just a think about their own lives of the lives of those around them but consider the whole world to broaden his perspective to look beyond immediate self interest or concerns even if the outcome seems counterintuitive contrary to black and white Jonathan wanted Clark to think to consider and question the maybe this means that even after Jonathan's death Clark would question and wonder and that uncertainty leaves him open to be understanding compassionate and tolerant holding out hope for common ground rather than assuming that he has the answers this was the element of choice or chance for the filmmakers rather than making Superman follow a predetermined role what if Superman could be something greater than what tradition has allowed them to be what if Superman could tackle real-world complexities without being written out of controversies the certainty of an infallible moral compass has a certain appeal no doubt I don't begrudge people who enjoy that in certain windows and glimpses of the Superman mythos I enjoy it myself however that comes this is necessarily illusory because there are situations where there is no moral north to point to an rather than have Superman be confronted by the situations which we in the real world face every day the tendency is to write Superman out of having to face such situations or to show them as impotent in the however if you look elsewhere in Superman tradition we find a hero who is more proactive even if it's at the sacrifice of certainty Man of Steel was careful to do was show the underlying rationale and hope perhaps to its detriment that the audience would be as empathetic and as compassionate as needed to seek out and understand those rationales even if not to agree with the choices made even Clark questions whether he agrees with his father but he still loves and understands him and in the end that's all I hope for not agreement between people but understanding John Wesley ship the flash of the 90s CBS-TV series recently answer the question of what superpower he would want if you could have any power except superspeed his earnest answer is more concise and kind and all of my ramblings in our it would in the country will it out it being for us to rediscover how to talk to each other and else that we can disagree that nobody gets to send anybody to hell nobody has to leave the building or it out with all members of the human family and citizens of this great country and let's take a breath and remember them all on the same time I could have a superpower I think that would be the one I would want it would be so maybe it is this a hawk and and and remember a sense of compassion understanding and what we having an commonality with you the full interview it's available at flash TV talk you can check in the show notes I think him to take his advice and is part up here I had extensive notes about Superman's relationship to mainstream American values throughout history and media whether confronting the clan or conceding to the comics code but I think of going to file that away with the military consultants segment from the last episode and use it in and odds and ends episode when God willing I can take a vacation or something so even if you prefer it perfect paragon as your Superman we can at least understand that Man of Steel takes place in a universe where everyone gets tested and must compromise as long as your definition of hero isn't focused on flawless nest Superman can still be the DCC use ultimate hero without being perfect by the same token I don't necessarily need or want all of my villains to be pure evil and that takes us to Lex Luther Jonathan asks about the recently released photographs and it looks good that's definitely Jesse Eisenberg with a shaved head it's not an earth shattering revelation but let's not take it for granted not every continuity goes with that iconic bold look and even if the film had every intention of going that way not every guy can carry a bold look here we can let out a collective sigh of relief that he looks good I'm much more interested in the comments of the clues that Snyder gives in the entertainment weekly article let's break it down Snyder says he's not any of the Lex is that you seen that's for sure other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself and bold of course I Lex is disarming and he's not fake he says what he believes and he says what's on his mind you can unravel the string and decipher what he means it's all that I love comments like these because they are maddeningly uninformative while doubtlessly true my brain can't help but try to find some clue or insight but at the end of the day we just have to wait when Snyder says he's not any of the Lex is that you'd seen that's for sure if you interpreted narrowly that is literally true Eisenberg is a new lacks the question is how broadly can we tried to interpret this will come back to this in a bit Snyder shares that Luther is a captain of industry which is in a surprise considering how frequently his logo is in Man of Steel the let's not take that for granted in the past Luther has been mostly a mad scientist and on film a self-proclaimed criminal mastermind but on television we seen variations of the megalomaniacal billionaire businessman which has yet to come to the silver screen so are Luther will be legitimately and independently wealthy and a leader that people look to or a captain however are Luther will have his own private agendas being one person to the world and another to himself again easy to take for granted but the mad scientist or the greatest criminal mind our time has ever seen never held themselves out as anything but here Luther must be perceived as legitimate which is the strongest armor of all against Superman as much as I adored the DCA use Lex Luther or as portrayed by Clancy Brown imagine how helpless Superman would've been against him if Luther head simply never stepped outside the bounds of the law we've already talked about the boldness so the idea that Lex is disarming and Ernest is interesting most modern Lex's are suave and honest to a degree but not disarming at least not to Superman whether burn Lois and Clark or the animated series All-Star red sun birthright etc. Lex tends to be openly hostile toward Superman both to his face and to the public and that's at least one way that I think that we can have a fresh but logical take on Luther for the DCC you if Luther has an agenda against Superman why not keep that agenda private publicly why not be Superman's power I think that placed Eisenberg's strengths as an actor probably better than maintaining expectations that he's going to be a charismatic and authoritative David Santos type if you haven't watched gargoyles you're missing out more on this in a bit but let's talk first about the repair metropolis as an exercise in inhabiting this world I'd suggest that any theories based on Luther possessing or rebuilding metropolis to own it are perhaps misplaced let's have some perspective here the richest man in human history is said to be 14th-century West African Emperor Manso Moussa whose net worth was estimated to be around a staggering $400 billion in modern times the richest man on earth is generally Bill Gates with a fortune floating near $80 billion contrast this against the damage estimates for 9/11 the damage to the Pentagon cost about 1 billion the destruction to the World Trade Center and replacement cost about 1 billion so far so good seems like Gates might be up to make a dent in that right however not so fast when we start adding cleanup infrastructure like the subway phones sewage electricity the cost of computers furniture cars and and so on the bill starts to add up and eclipse the richest man on Earth's fortune which incidentally isn't a liquid account her he can just write New Yorker check in 2011 the New York Times estimated the total cost of 9/11 to be $3.3 trillion ago more than half of that are war related costs they arguably still should be included into a DCC you analysis because doubtless there would be funding to defend against future extraterrestrial incursion put that into perspective the total national debt is about $18 trillion in other words it's unlikely that Luther or Wayne Gates or even Emperor Moussa could claim ownership for the rebuilding of metropolis aside from money consider the time the freedom Tower which replaced the twin towers had its grand opening in November 2000 14/13 years after the collapse rebuilding skyscrapers is slow and costly as of the story of Batman be Superman shouldn't hinge on that effort of course there are some X factors in play which changeup the equation first the assumption that they want to rebuild skyscrapers on the site a park still takes time and money but is magnitudes upon magnitudes less time and money and so park could actually be up and running on a provisional basis by the time BBS takes place second there Superman a physics defying entity who can shift the equation some but in all honesty not that much unless his powers develop well beyond what we saw in Man of Steel third there's the possibility of human adapted kryptonian technology which can achieve who knows what the last to take us away from a more grounded reality so I preferred the first possibility but will see soap from that dose of reality with regards to rebuilding let's examine endorsing Superman a few weeks after watching Man of Steel in theaters I wrote an essay on why I imagine that the Luther inhabiting this world would publicly endorse and support Superman since then we've obviously learned more about the story and the casting but I'm going to adapt that essay for your consideration again this isn't an expectation or an ultimatum but an exercise in trying to empathize and put ourselves into the shoes of the characters of this world rather than imposing our external expectations upon the basic gist of the argument is that Superman's vulnerabilities are more or less unknown Superman would be doing good publicly bigotry lacks mainstream legitimacy and if Superman is the most exceptional and most interesting thing in the whole history of the world why wouldn't you try to hitch your wagon to that star and so the essay begins with the question how do you speak ill of invulnerable alien whose faster than a speeding bullet who can see your secrets through walls who can hear your every whisper who can incinerate you with a glance or disappear you into orbit without anyone ever knowing the answer. Carefully I don't think a smart Lex can exploit xenophobia and hate for Superman the way many assume that he At least not in a credible fashion the only way that they can speak against Superman is if they earnestly believe that he will hurt them thus undercutting their entire message if Superman was the uncountable unaccountable monster without restraint or remorse that they portray him to be and they sincerely believe tend to be that monster than they should and would fear and expect reprisal for publicly criticizing him so their entire message lacks credibility from the outset and I don't see Lex as quick to join the ranks I think you use Lex to play xenophobia more subtly rather than mere hatemongering Lex goes to the governments of the world with Superman at his side and says something like this we are not alone as we know from that fateful day the universe contains other souls some as noble as our friend here however as we of all experienced for everyone like our friend there are many more who might be our enemy thank goodness for him or we would have been crushed under the boot of an alien people with technology and capabilities far greater than our own but not beyond us while I am grateful for my friend while we all are humanity just barely escaped extinction the day may come when we have more visitors from the stars and if they come in peace we will welcome them like our friend but if they come to conquer would kill we cannot let the entire burden rest with our friend I call upon the people of this planet to step forward into tomorrow together nothing is beyond us I've noted without weird voice came from Eisenberg without sound anything like that in the writing would certainly be less cheesy but you get the idea with funding and multinational backing Lex can advance the trans-human project of making a superior Man of Steel or man of tomorrow to serve as a future footsoldier against alien's foreign or domestic this could give rise to Italo or cyborg you get the idea remember as we discussed back in episode to it could be sensible for Superman to realize that the fate of the entire planet should rest in the hands of a farm boy from Kansas that should be humanity's call and he may interpret Jor-El's comments as equipping them to do that Clark isn't a soldier or a general he didn't go to war College or study strategy or learn the interactions of politics diplomacy and operational combat he didn't study the philosophy of acceptable loss or collateral damage so it isn't unreasonable that outside of an emergency situation he defers to those who did to make those kinds of calls this will probably be a future Man of Steel myths a video at some point but you'll note that it's the military figures that make the affirmative calls on collateral damage in the film but back to Lex basically were setting up a framework for traditional superhero in with a twist the fact is in reality it would be years before the world would let Superman be Superman as we know him there would be lawsuits hearings licensing logistics jurisdictional and citizenship issues the insane throwing themselves off rooftops and the infatuated throwing themselves at him unceasing journalism celebrity like we've never seen before scientific curiosity demands for activism demands for exile and just so much real world stuff that saving a From a tree with a smile and a salute would seem wholly out of place unless Superman has an ally up how one with the power and the resources to make it all happen one with the charismatic command of the camera a captain of industry a media mogul wise to Washington and knowing the pulse of the people with the Legion of lawyers and a pro of public relations if Lex Luther is Superman's pal he serves as an intermediary to manage the noise and the collateral consequences of a real world superhero so that Superman can do perhaps ironically what looks like a job for Superman rather than all the paperwork that it comes with I hope that Lex endorses Superman because I envision a Lex that is brilliant and recognizes that public hatred of Superman is not sustainable if Lex privately hate Superman and even if the damage to metropolis is an opportunity to slander Superman's reputation what does that get him how does that accomplish anything you have this invulnerable alien that you can't do anything about so how is hurting Superman's feelings productive moreover had you get that to jive with all the good that Superman's been doing in the years since's odd yelling at Superman's do Gooding means that only the wounded and the fringe bigoted Xena phobic's will listen a legitimate businessman or political candidate can only go so far on hate and I think Lex would see that and be more mainstream if Lex endorses Superman and helps to improve Superman's image Superman is more inclined to be out there in the public and to disclose more about himself the more Superman trusts and is trusted the more likely he is to subject himself to say experimentation Lex can be that friend that offers Superman an opportunity to learn his limits better to learn it in a lab then finding out in the field while trying to save people by keeping Superman close Lex is gathering meaningful data getting inside Superman's circle of trust and getting inside his head learning how to hurt the Man of Steel both physically and mentally moreover Lex maintains his legitimacy with the public and the audience because he isn't just ranting against an obvious do-gooder and none of this has to be out of the goodness of his heart because there is plenty of profit motive in having access to or control of the Man of Steel and his technology this approach allows Lex to play a supporting role while reinforcing the themes of trust from the first felt the timing is also perfect because if and when Lex and Superman go their separate ways Bruce Wayne's billions are there to pick up where Lex Luther left off maintaining the support for Superman's traditional heroics Lex Luther or as something of a successful but sinister Jimmy Olsen seems to match Jesse Eisenberg at least in my mind but again this is just a thought experiment honestly I be excited if they did something like this but I don't expect it I kind of dream of Lex: Lois Superman's girlfriend and Lois calling Lex Superman's pal as a nod to those titles but enough about my speculation let me know if you've got an idea of how you see Lex inhabiting this world you can write to me at mosaic@ManofSteelofSteelanswers.com and maybe you'll get read in the mail back which were come to tackle got it together from the far reaches of beings that are assembled and that's what got dedicated to the bust greatest superhero is safe to Superman like featuring Superman: a the DC comics crisis Superman podcast is Superman this you will podcast is Superman forever and about the you you you you are you will podcast KL from Superman homepage.com is John Wilson really are leaving my present bat your retailer Michael they start to Sam result is the original Mario is given by an highlighted I gave Younis and how has Gotti they because that what I've got to get my family out the door soon so been arrested the mailbag this week lightning round style Michael asks is BBS forces Superman to adopt the glasses trope as working will there be something else I'd say check out episode nine of the podcast will we talk about the secret identity in-depth but additionally going forwards were going to have magic in the mix as well as Batman's billions and crazy sci-fi technology for all we know Superman's good a sprouting you power or discard the secret identity so I don't think they are forced to adopt the tropes I would mortal says the armor in small bill still could have superstrength because it's different than the armor on krypton it's true Zide had different armor on krypton and in small bill how I think it's implied that the armor that they have was scavenged why would prisoners need or have armor right that means all of their armor should be from that same engine age of exploration source which raises two issues one why would kryptonian armor regress from integrated superstrength to none and two why couldn't carved backs who was wearing such armor overpower Lois Lane at least for now I think my theories more consistent but you can write me back and let me know long time loyal listener Maggie asks whether the DCC you need a Kevin fight he to succeed thanks for the question deftly could discuss this more but the short answer is no I think it's great to have a mastermind but there are plenty of franchises run by collaborative groups the Harry Potter group the Star Wars story group committee has taken on a bad connotation and film but these big franchises always have a committee aspect even if there is a figurehead or a first amongst equals like Kevin fight he or Kathleen Kennedy just because that person gets more press doesn't necessarily mean that they were key to that committee consider Bob Kane and Bill finger and perhaps to a lesser extent Stanley and his many collaborators overall the WB seems to give it's creators a lot of autonomy which can mean hits like American sniper or the matrix or taking risks like letting fury Road be rated R but it can also mean this is like Jupiter sending do we want someone like Edgar Wright having to part ways or not will see I think I'm readily let's visit this some other time but the short answer is no there is more than one way to do business and to make art based on episode 14 Derek wants to know if Marvel will take a crack at Superman in 2033 when the copyright returns to the public domain this is a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing I think I said back then that there is an entire seminar's worth of material to fully explore this but the short answer is anything's possible but no Warner Bros. will still have the trademark Marvel has thousands of characters they can use and develop unencumbered and there's a dozen other reasons but this is a lightning round and I have to wrap it up soon for this recording is going to include the sound of running and yelling so a quick thank you to follow hope for the iTunes review and to loyal listener blaming panda okay I got a run thanks for listening if you have a question you want answered or insight you want to share commentary to make go to Man of Steel answers.com or email me at mosaic@ManofSteelofSteelanswers.com just think of less than 52 weeks ago I can't wait this is Dr. awkward your DC cinematic universe apologist signing off of answers the question I get most about grading is when he did do it color grading it has the last thing that I do I do not touch it until the added is completely locked of course thing that matters completely like this article because I never thought tweaking until that they is uploaded like nothing better to say I never start grading until I can successfully like to myself that the added is lot of answers to Superman story is against everything McLaren stands for its about his Asian-American kids who beats out the sun a plans never for like the key role of the baseball team is the target is is is is is is is is is is against really is you that Chinese or where we know you get plan most Americans realize the danger of allowing it's hard to under Germany and Italy other European countries one is murdering biggest like the fiery hot are the Superman radio show was one of the first attempts to take of popular media program and connected to a social mission as the series continues to bear the public reaction is clear Superman is the images for larger repositioning of America the series is a watershed moment in American history where for the first time being a clan member is not seen simply as a negative thing is seen as a teacher I say accolades in general press on all kinds of awards the producers were accommodated for their bravery the popular reaction was overwhelmingly in favor of this show reduced to be going to children's game the clan loses his legitimacy as a bastion of Americanism and is no longer see something to be taken seriously by the public embarrassed by their portrayal on the Superman radio show Klansman leave in droves to statistics although we know that clan membership begins to decline but there's also the question correlation and causation line with a series doesn't away as an undercuts the playing of Americanism which the clan had always been a wrapped itself up to the clan underestimated our mirror we just a lot of World War II and weeks the Nazis have done black soldiers had gone to war plot for their country risk their lives in their lives and then come home to America to be told you can live anywhere you want so society is starting to change what the Superman radio show was to seize that moment so it was good timing to raise this issue is right in a little. You Superman is all that the families in us there's also a superhero and now we stand out things that even Superman always ahead of his time Kennedy is on the right side of history and Kennedy was an American hero Stetson Kennedy told us about the reality of racism in their well before the civil rights movement gained any state Kennedy would live another 55 years fighting against racism and injustice but the legacy of Stetson Kennedy and Superman to disarm hate by exposing it would become a part of America itself is is that answers