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Even with a darker take on the great American superhero, our favorite costumed good guy is still the man! ‘I grew up in Kansas,’’ says the dimpled superhero of the unabashedly crowd-pleasing blockbuster “Man of Steel’’ as he faces attempted rendition as an enemy alien. “I’m as American as they come.’’ Deploying an impeccable American accent, Brit Henry Cavill may be as charming as the late great Christopher Reeve — or Reeve’s unfortunate doppelganger Brandon Routh, who donned a more traditional Superman costume in “Superman Returns,’’ an underrated attempt to reboot the franchise seven years ago.

This is the season of Superman in America — a time when the Last Son of Krypton is celebrating his milestone 75th birthday, Warner Bros. is releasing its “Man of Steel’’ movie that it hopes will be the biggest ever for a superhero, and everyone from comic book aficionados to Ivy League academics are asking what, if anything, our most enduring icon can tell us about not just himself but about us. Ah, you say, the Metropolis Marvel — I know him! But did you know that Superman stood up to Hitler and Stalin before America did? The comic-book superhero...

I never lie. I have always been a Batman guy. I can’t help but think, “If I had all that money and the proper motivation,” — meaning if my parents were shot to death in a filthy alley before my 8-year-old eyes — “I could be him.” Superman, on the other hand, I can’t be. I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, and I never will. I’ve long had a love/tolerate relationship with Superman, who’s celebrating his 75th anniversary this year with not only a rebooted movie franchise but with a new comic book from DC Comics’ top...

If you weren't excited from the explosions-filled Man of Steel movie trailer before, after seeing this final trailer that teases General Zod threatening Earth, you will be. It shows more of the conflict of the film and reveals even more insane action sequences. In the trailer, which is probably the final one before the movie releases next month on June 14, you hear Michael Shannon as General Zod demand that Kal-El surrender himself or Earth will suffer consequences. This is going to be a good one, huh. [WarnerBros]

When Hans Zimmer was invited by Zack Snyder to compose the score for this summer’s comic book movie blockbuster, Man of Steel, he admitted to being so daunted by the challenge of living up to John Williams’ legacy that he procrastinated for three months before finally throwing himself fully into the task.

Opening June 14th.

Warner Bros. is taking another stab at Superman with this summer’s Man of Steel, and on top of the pressure of delivering an entertaining and successful take on Supes in the wake of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the film also follows in the footsteps of Richard Donner’s iconic take on the character. Fans are crossing their fingers that director Zack Snyder has done Superman justice, but composer Hans Zimmer also has some big shoes to fill with regards to the pic’s score. John Williams’ classic theme from Superman is synonymous with the character, and so Zimmer tackles the challenge of...

Clark Kent, meet your Lois Lane. After weeks of guessing who would play the Man of Steel's leading lady in the upcoming "Superman" reboot, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, along with director Zack Snyder announced on Sunday (March 27) that Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams will take on the iconic role. Snyder, whose latest endeavor, "Sucker Punch," opened in second place at the box office this weekend, said in a statement, "Second only to Superman himself, the question of who will play Lois Lane is arguably what fans have been most curious about. So we are excited to announce the...

It's official - Henry Cavill will play Clark Kent/Superman in the upcoming Zack Snyder-directed and Christopher Nolan-produced "Superman" reboot. British thesp Cavill ("The Tudors," "Whatever Works," "Stardust") previously came close to scoring the role in "Superman Returns" when McG was to direct, but ultimately missed out when Bryan Singer took over and cast Brandon Routh. The very handsome 6'1, 27-year-old model and actor was also up for the role of James Bond in "Casino Royale" alongside Daniel Craig and Sam Worthington, Craig eventually winning the part. In recent years he's become known for his role as Charles Brandon, the close...

So Lois Lane is a single mother . . . and a slut. That's the most disturbing part of "Superman Returns," heavily marketed to kids and in theaters tonight. Or is that "Lois and Her Feelings," co-starring Supe? That's what this dull, 2-hour 33-minute long latest rendition in the Superman series seemed like. A better version would have been more relevant. It's great that new Superman Brandon Routh saluted America's troops as "the real Super Heroes," a tie-in with Warner Brothers Pictures' effort to send a million plus postcards of support to troops overseas. But put your money where your...

For America's multimillion-dollar Superman industry, it's a serious problem. This is a guy who's from outer space — he was born on the planet Krypton, let's not forget — but he's also from another time. He debuted in the 1930s, when Americans liked their heroes like they liked their steaks: tough, thick and all-American. Nowadays we prefer our heroes dark and flawed and tragic. Look at the Punisher (wife and kids dead), or Hellboy (born a demon), or Spider-Man (secretly a nerd). Look at Batman: his parents were killed in front of him, and he dresses like a Cure fan....

Though I read them occasionally as a boy, I have never been overly interested in comic books, especially the American sort, the ones featuring superheroes dressed in super-tight costumes fighting super villains, none of whom ever seemed to receive super-long jail sentences for attempting, yet again, to destroy Our Way Of Life. A junior realist, I tended to read, instead, the British-produced, four-times-a-month Commando comics, which were generally set during the Second World War. Commando — whose fabulous titles included Hun Bait, Iron-Cross Yankee, Ghost Stuka, and the unforgettable Deserters Deserve Death! — abjured those pathetic ads one saw in...