The Animated movie and the Comic share designs and a few plot points but are actually radically different executions of the concept. Actually I should really reread the comic because I was a huge lib when I did the first time, but I remember it being far FAR more sympathetic to the USSR and more cynical towards Luthor and America.
One key change for example is that in the movie, Superman goes to see a Gulag and then, horrified at what he’s seen, comes back and heat visions Stalin in cold blood to do a Coup. In the comic: Stalin and Superman actually have an extremely ammicable relationship with Stalin seeing him as something of a Son, prompting his son Pytor to poison him with cyanide out of jealousy. Superman actually declines to lead the party initially until he is strongly encouraged by his childhood friend Lana. Don’t even get me started on the ending.
It is definitely Liberal ultimately in that the moral of the story is about how Superman shouldn’t interfere with human affairs and how the ends never justify the means and blah blah blah…but its at least a much more nuanced and thought out story then “WHAT IF SUPERMAN, BUT BAD!!!”
Edit: Like one detail I really enjoyed is that even though the USA and President Luthor are kind of the “heroes” in a sense, the Comic is VERY explicit that even in THAT universe, Luthor is still a selfish egotistical narcissist whose primary concern is beating Superman just to prove that he’s better. Any “good” that he accomplishes is practically incidental.
If anyone is wondering:
The Animated movie and the Comic share designs and a few plot points but are actually radically different executions of the concept. Actually I should really reread the comic because I was a huge lib when I did the first time, but I remember it being far FAR more sympathetic to the USSR and more cynical towards Luthor and America.
One key change for example is that in the movie, Superman goes to see a Gulag and then, horrified at what he’s seen, comes back and heat visions Stalin in cold blood to do a Coup. In the comic: Stalin and Superman actually have an extremely ammicable relationship with Stalin seeing him as something of a Son, prompting his son Pytor to poison him with cyanide out of jealousy. Superman actually declines to lead the party initially until he is strongly encouraged by his childhood friend Lana. Don’t even get me started on the ending.
It is definitely Liberal ultimately in that the moral of the story is about how Superman shouldn’t interfere with human affairs and how the ends never justify the means and blah blah blah…but its at least a much more nuanced and thought out story then “WHAT IF SUPERMAN, BUT BAD!!!”
Edit: Like one detail I really enjoyed is that even though the USA and President Luthor are kind of the “heroes” in a sense, the Comic is VERY explicit that even in THAT universe, Luthor is still a selfish egotistical narcissist whose primary concern is beating Superman just to prove that he’s better. Any “good” that he accomplishes is practically incidental.