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6 Ways Superman: The Movie Deviated from the Comics (That You Never Knew About)

3. The Fortress of Solitude

Fortress-of-Solitude

In the comics, the Fortress of Solitude was carved into the side of a mountain in the Arctic and had a giant door that needed a giant yellow key to open it. In the movie, it was an ice fortress Clark built using a green crystal from Krypton. The fact that the crystal could have easily been mistaken for Kryptonite didn’t help matters much either. 

2. Lex Luthor

Lex-Luthor

 

In the comic books, Lex was a contemporary of Superboy (much like in the TV series Smallville) and the ruler of the planet Lexor. In the movie, he was a criminal mastermind who sought to destroy California in a real state scheme for profit. We won’t mention the hair/bald issue.

1. The Daily Planet

Clark-WGBS

Clark Kent has always been the Daily Planet’s crack reporter, working alongside Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White. Right? Actually, in the comic books, Clark Kent worked as an anchorman at WGBS, whereas in the movie he worked as a newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet. I guess it’s easier to believe no one recognises a newspaper reporter than one who’s face is on every TV in Metropolis each evening…

 

There are far more differences between Superman: The Movie and the comics I could list, but these are more than enough to prove that this film is not the faithful adaptation many believe it is. In fact, despite these deviations and liberties, people still consider Superman: The Movie to be the best adaptation of a comic book ever made, and several changes have since become canon for the character (Smallville especially drew almost equally from the comics and the film series). This is a positive contrast to the negative reaction to Man of Steel, which many vocal critics in the audience consider a failure due to its deviations from the same source material.

Ultimately, does it really matter how much like the comics the movies are, whether it is conceptually or aesthetically? I think all that really matters is that they retain the spirit of the character and the story.

What do you think about the way Hollywood changes things in superhero movies? Should they stick to the comics, or is it okay for them to make some changes? Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Twitter!

About the author

David Molofsky

David is the Founder & Editor-in-Cape of AP2HYC.