Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment: Superman's 75th Anniversary Celebration Panel

Superman turns 75 this year, and any big Superman fan should have been at this panel. Earlier in the day director Zach Snyder made a little announcement there was going to be a Batman Vs. Superman Movie, and even with that it was kinda crazy to walk right into this panel room without any kind of wait. Perhaps it was because the current Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill wasn’t confirmed for it, and didn’t show up when Zach made his big announcement, but he was in San Diego, so there was a chance. 

It was advertised as a star studded panel of cast, filmmakers, artists and writers from Superman's illustrious history and it delivered in spades. The original Jimmy Olsen from Adventures of Superman, Jack Larson was in attendance, along with Tim Daly (Superman: The Animated Series) and Molly Quinn (Superman: Unbound), comics luminaries: Paul Levitz, Grant Morrison, Dan Jurgens and Jim Lee, and plus talent from the current blockbuster, Man of Steel: Writer David Goyer, Dylan Sprayberry who played one of the young Clark Kents, and the Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill.

In fact, everyone was so excited to see Henry Cavill he got a standing ovation. 

Once everyone got the excitement under control a comic con representative came out to award Jack Larson the Inkpot award. It’s a hug honor given to individuals for their contributions to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services.

“It’s been my observation that Warner Brothers, over the years, has been very fortunate to get amazing actors to portray Superman. I’m honored to have been a part of it since 1951,” Jack Larson, said.  He mentioned that he liked how Henry portrayed Superman, but he is also a fan of Dean Cain’s portrayal.

The entire panel shared their feelings on the character of Superman and his legacy. It was agreed that he is a paramount, a boy scout, doing the right thing even when it’s the hard thing.

 Recommendations for Superman comics were made, if fans had never read a comic. Each of the big comic creators had a very different recommendation. Paul Levitz recommended Superman: Unchained by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee. Grant Morrison recommended “Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali.” And Jim Lee recommend Grant’s All-Star Superman. He praised Morrison’s ability to capture the spirit of the past and bring all of Superman’s history into the story.

All the “Super” portrayers were asked about the responsibility of their roles. Cavill although fully aware, couldn’t let the pressure get to him he wouldn't have been able to do the roll justice so he had to push it to the very back of his mind. He says he knew the character means so much to so many people.

Tim Daly added to that sentiment, commenting how the character transcended class and nationality, and that he was such a hugely important character that he took that responsibility to heart when working on the show. Even Molly Quinn admitted to thinking about Supergirl all the time, and empathizing with her frustration and her situation.

One fan asked if Cavill drew from previous actor’s portrayals of Superman, but he says he avoided watching previous Superman films because he wanted to have his own interpretation of the character without being effected by past versions. “I felt that those were other people interpretations and I wanted to honor the source material and not the movies before. I felt that it would be too removed if I studied those roles instead of the source, the comics.”

On the question of super powers, flight seemed to be a top choice. Quinn chose X-Ray vision, and Sprayberry jokes about the power to have great hair all the time, but Morrison chimes in that he thinks he's already got that. Goyer,  the power of freeze breath, and Cavill would choose his unbreakable spirit that connects him so strongly with human kind. But the best answer had to be Morrison who brought up the Man of Steel’s long forgotten ability to shoot a smaller version of himself out of his finger. “This is real! He could project this tiny little Superman that he eventually got mad at because everyone started to love the tiny Superman.” How could one not love a mini superman? And where do I sign up for one?

The best parts of getting ready to film the movie? Cavill always the good sport says getting into really good shape was extremely exhausting but the feeling of being that healthy was one of the best parts. I’m sure walking around with that amazing physique didn’t hurt.

The evolution of Superman was also discussed. Morrison touched on the malleability of Superman, that he’s evolved throughout the years, a reflection of us as a society. Of course this also brings up that little announcement that was made in Hall H earlier in the day. David Goyer noted that Superman and Batman would be coming to the screen together in the recently announced 2015 film. “We aren’t sure if the title will be Batman Vs Superman or Superman Vs Batman, but they will face off.” Jim Lee added that Superman got a raw deal in The Dark Knight Returns comic series by Frank Miller so a rematch was in order, which just so happens to be the very series that was read from prior to that earlier announcement.

Also during the panel, The Superman Real Heroes project was mentioned. You can watch or share your own stories about everyday real heroes. Even Henry has recorded a message. You can check it out here: http://realheroesproject.org/

And if you would like to see more pictures from the panel check out our Flickr album.