The DCU Must Adapt This Beloved Superman Story, But It Can Only Be Done One Way

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As a huge DC fan, I’ve been so impressed with what James Gunn is building! First, we got the amazing Superman and a fantastic second season of Peacemaker. But 2024’s Creature Commandos really proved Gunn meant it when he said this new DC Universe wouldn’t be limited to just live-action movies. Adding animation opens up so many possibilities – they can finally adapt some of the truly wild and ambitious stories from the comics, like the classic Superman: Exile from 1989. It’s a really exciting time to be a DC Comics enthusiast!

After DC Comics revamped its storylines following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman’s past was largely erased. While some classic villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac were reimagined, fans generally accepted these changes, and elements of the original history were later brought back. The story Superman: Exile, a 13-part series published across three comic books, saw Superman leave Earth and wander the universe alone, punishing himself for killing General Zod and his followers. This storyline also reintroduced Mongul, a unique yellow alien first appearing in 1980, as a major and dangerous enemy. The DC Universe has plenty of background to support an adaptation of Superman: Exile, but its grand scale would be best realized through animation.

Superman: Exile Shifted the Post-Crisis Paradigm Back Into Outer Space

Some Superman stories were quite outlandish, and the post-Crisis reboot aimed to get rid of those. The intention was to make the Last Son of Krypton more relatable with down-to-earth stories for the readers of the 1980s. Previously, Superman frequently journeyed into space to battle villains and explore other planets. However, the Superman: Exile storyline not only sent him back into space, but also made future space travel much more difficult for him.

As a lifelong comic and cinema fan, I still remember the uproar when DC revamped things after Crisis on Infinite Earths. One of the biggest changes, and honestly, a bit of a letdown for me, was what they did with Superboy. Instead of seeing Clark Kent’s youthful heroics, they stuck him in this weird pocket dimension created by a villain called the Time Trapper. Then, a few years later, DC decided that Kal-El was the only Kryptonian survivor. That pocket dimension became a convenient way to get around that rule, letting them introduce a new Supergirl and, crucially, bring back the amazing General Zod. It felt like a workaround, but it did allow for some cool stories!

It really bothered me how they handled Superman after the fight with Zod and his crew. He did manage to stop them, but the damage was done – everyone on Earth was gone. He was so worried they’d somehow come after him, that he ended up killing Zod and his followers with green kryptonite. Honestly, it wrecked him. He started having these blackouts, and the guilt was just overwhelming. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing control, so he just…left. He went off to some distant planet to be alone. Looking back, it was a terrible idea. Especially because the special belt that let him breathe in space malfunctioned, leaving him in a really dangerous situation.

An Adaptation of the Exile Storyline Would Be Perfect for The DCU’s Superman

James Gunn has a knack for turning obscure characters into fan favorites, as he proved with Guardians of the Galaxy, Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos. Superman: Exile presented a compelling, emotional story alongside reintroduced elements like Kryptonian technology and the character Mongul. Despite its strength, this storyline has largely been forgotten, making it ideal for inclusion in the new DC Universe. The character’s journey and unique, otherworldly environments are simply too good to ignore.

The DC Universe might already be facing danger from outer space. With James Gunn potentially introducing Brainiac, DC Studios could expand its stories into the cosmos. Vril Dox, facing a huge threat and possibly working with Lex Luthor, doesn’t have great odds of success. If David Corenswet’s Superman accidentally causes someone’s death, it would make sense for him to leave Earth and venture into space as a form of self-punishment.

This story isn’t focused on Brainiac; instead, it’s about conflicts between government organizations and people with superpowers. Superman might be sent to a prison called Salvation, but if he gets there, he’d likely try to unite the villains and heroes to escape. Alternatively, if Superman chooses to leave Earth, metahumans will lose their strongest protector. This would allow Rick Flag Sr. and A.R.G.U.S. to easily send both heroes and villains to Salvation, facing little resistance.

Only Animation Could Do Justice to a Superman Story This Fantastic

Some people in the film industry, and even fans, wrongly think cartoons aren’t as good as other kinds of stories – it’s more about being pretentious than having good taste. Actually, many animated stories could be successfully made into live-action movies. James Gunn, who started the DC Universe with an animated show, obviously doesn’t share that view. However, turning Superman: Exile into a live-action film would be too expensive, particularly given the time constraints of a standard movie.

During a space journey, Superman comes across a damaged alien ship and saves its occupants, even flying them home. Later, he unexpectedly ends up inside a massive creature and has to battle its giant immune cells, which see him as a threat. But the most visually stunning story would be bringing his battles on Warworld – fighting as a gladiator while held captive by Mongul – to life as an animated film.

The story of Superman: Exile would really benefit from being animated rather than filmed with live actors. A very old alien priest, who once traveled to Krypton, is also stranded on an asteroid near Warwold. He shares his history with Superman through visions created by a powerful, intelligent Kryptonian relic. Even with today’s amazing special effects, animation could tell this grand story more effectively. This encounter provided Superman with his first real link to Krypton after the Crisis event, though things eventually went wrong when the Eradicator turned evil.

Supergirl’s Presence In the DCU Would Change Superman: Exile For the Better

When a comic book is turned into a movie or TV show, the story is never exactly the same. One key change in the DCU’s version of Superman: Exile is that Kal-El isn’t the only survivor from Krypton. The 2025 film established Superman as consistently optimistic and having strong moral principles. However, his cousin, Supergirl, has a more complex background due to her past experiences. It’s unknown if she shares Superman’s reluctance to kill, but she could still play a significant role in an adaptation of Superman: Exile.

The idea for this story comes from the fact that Superman has killed Zod in both comic books and the recent films, but the consequences of that act haven’t been fully explored. An animated adaptation, titled Superman: Exile, could address this, either as a series of movies or a TV season. Even if it wasn’t Zod specifically, this story could be incredibly powerful if the DCU’s Superman were to take a life, especially given David Corenswet’s portrayal of a fundamentally good character – the emotional impact would be immense.

In the comics, the Eradicator instantly brings Superman (Kal-El) back to Earth from across the universe. While a great story, the ending felt a bit too quick. Another interesting ability is how Poison Ivy can travel to planets with red suns. This suggests she can easily travel through space, meaning she could potentially help Superman fight Mongul and then return home. This would be a good opportunity for DC fans to see a more complex and meaningful connection between the two characters.

Everyone talked about how Man of Steel changed Superman, and while a lot of the follow-up stories were ‘what ifs’, I think Superman: Exile really digs into the consequences of that choice in a powerful way. It’s an emotional ride, but it’s also packed with really creative aliens, like Mongul and the whole Warworld concept. It’s exactly the kind of story James Gunn excels at – serious themes delivered with a lot of fun. Some people might see an animated adaptation of Exile as a step down, figuring animation is ‘easier’. But honestly, I think it could be more amazing than anything else. Animation would let them really go wild and make it unbelievably epic and beautiful.

You can find Superman on DVD, Blu-ray, and for digital purchase or streaming on HBO Max. Plus, a new movie, Man of Tomorrow, is scheduled to come out in theaters on July 9, 2027.

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2025-11-23 07:41