MC Hammer.

Just picturing him going “It’s Hammer Time!” in those goofy pants why Don Blake just puts his head in his hands wondering where all the sanity has gone was too good not to share.

Also, I was thinking, since most of the action in the Marvel books centers around NYC usually, are there any major heroes from Philly? Seattle? Podunk, Arkansas? Toledo? (”Oh No! It’s SuperKlinger!”)

I like that idea. I think an interesting retcon of Luthor (if such things are needed) would be if he genuinely believed that the existance of Superman was a threat to the human race.

The last few Miracleman issues toyed with the idea of superheroes becoming religious icons. It makes sense. In the real world you can start a religion with just a few card tricks and a group of easily impressed people. Imagine if Thor was real. Hell yeah there would be a cult. I can see the billboards–”Join our religion and actually get to shake hands with God”. I mean, he’s big, has nice muscle tone, owns a magic hammer, fought the Hulk to arguably a draw, and can promise you eternal life in Valhalla. Sign me up!

Why?

I like your idea Sean. I have this image of a super villain who is like a crazy preacher who sees superheroes as a blasphemy, corrupting the youth and so forth.

If we combine it with Bill’s ideas we can have Luthor getting out of jail by pretending to discover religion and swaying a group of believers to protect humanity from Superman. It fits wn a way with the theme Bill mentioned.

I had a thought, though. People need a hero, something to aspire to, someone to follow. Read that again. Someone to follow. What if, instead, there started to be a Superman cult? Or more generically, a Superhero cult? Sort of a spiritual version of B. Banzai’s Blue Blaze Irregulars. You could go two ways(off the top of my head) with it, either the hero doesn’t want these followers or he/she/it really gets into the Messianic role, and lets it go to the head. Since powered heroes, or villains, for that matter, can do things beyond the ken of we mere mortals, couldn’t their abilities be seen by some as godlike? There could even be a whole jihad started up between the traditional religions and the hero-worshippers. So, if someone on the outside were to see where this was going, they could be painted as trying to bring down the Hero, while just trying to save the people from themselves. Hence, the villain.

Sean, your idea fits more with Superman I, while Bill’s fits with Superman Returns. I think back when they made Superman I Luthor was still an evil scientist and did not yet become an evil bussiness man. But the basic idea remains the same. Luthor would have resented Superman’s power and at the same time would have wanted to somehow control and exploit it (since he can’t imagine anything else). Trying to exploit Kryptonian technolgy would have been the next logical step for him. Another advantage to focusing on kryptonian technology is that anybody who has seen Superman II knows that it can take away Superman’s powers.

Bill, I noticed your conversation on PAD’s blog concerning the expansion of comics beyond superheroes. It can be an interesting discussion if the person you’re conversing with is not mentally infirm.

I thought “Superman Returns” should have expanded on something Luthor said early on in the film: “Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don’t share their power with mankind. No, I don’t want to be a *god*. I just want to bring fire to the people. And… I want my cut.” The movie could have made a more interesting story out of Luthor’s attempt to weaponize the Kryptonian crystal technology and sell it to the highest bidder, building on the characterization hinted at in the aforementioned quote.