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Superman fills the gap left by the Hulk and another MCU character by having a prominent relationship with a military leader spanning two TV episodes.

In some cases, the US government is one of Superman’s numerous opponents. General Sam Lane, the military father of Lois Lane, has been one of his more enduring adversaries over the past 20 years. General Lane has been utilized frequently in recent adaptations to correct a flaw in how a competing business handled its in-house green monster.

In some cases, the US government is one of Superman’s numerous opponents. General Sam Lane, the military father of Lois Lane, has been one of his more enduring adversaries over the past 20 years. General Lane has been utilized frequently in recent adaptations to correct a flaw in how a competing business handled its in-house green monster.

The MCU Hulk has been pursued by the military, specifically General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, ever since his comic book debut in the Silver Age. However, this competition hasn’t been able to benefit the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way. This has made it possible for several Superman stories to fill the thematic gap left by the MCU.

The TV Adaptations of Superman Make Him Unfriendly to the Military

The live-action TV show Superman & Lois and the animated series My Adventures with Superman are the two most recent Superman adaptations outside of comic books. Later, when General Sam Lane was revealed, Lois hyped him up by referencing their tense relationship. General Lane and his daughter, on the other hand, are in a similar kind of frayed relationship in the CW television series Superman & Lois. Although he treats Superman (who he is aware is his son-in-law Clark Kent) with some sarcasm, their interactions are significantly less hostile than they are in the comics.

Sam Lane had a previous incarnation in the Arrowverse, which was different from the one later shown in Superman & Lois. He was a more conventional version who hated aliens, putting him at odds with Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, the cousin of Superman. The Sam Lane depicted on Smallville was also just as cynical as he was in the comics. Moreover, he backed the Vigilante Registration Act, which put him at odds with Tom Welling’s teenage Superman in the future. All of these programs have established Sam Lane as a pivotal figure in Superman’s universe, one that paradoxically opposes his struggle for honesty, justice, and the American way.

Superman was initially at odds with the military even though Sam Lane, the father of Amy Adams’ Lois Lane, was never made known in the DC Extended Universe. He was viewed by General Swanwick and his troops as potentially being just as dangerous as the invading General Zod, therefore they didn’t trust him. Only Superman’s bravery could have transformed their hearts, but their relationship was still not very cordial. The extraterrestrial instantly destroyed the military’s satellite tracking attempt in front of Swanwick. Ironically, Superman’s less than hopeful relationship with the military was made more stranger when it was discovered that the general was the human guise of the far more extraterrestrial Martian Manhunter.

The Hulk/Thunderbolt Ross rivalry was never exploited by the MCU

The bond between Superman and General Sam Lane has frequently been contrasted by many DC Comics fans with the one between the Incredible Hulk and General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Marvel Comics. Ross and the Hulk (or his alter persona Bruce Banner) hardly ever appear together on screen, which is regrettably a failure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Incredible Hulk, the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was the lone exception. However, some have questioned the canonicity of that movie due to the recasting of Banner and the fact that the events of the film were never again acknowledged until the release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

That Ross’ ascent in government and work with the Avengers were never contrasted with his earlier pursuit of the Hulk is the largest loss from this. On the other hand, he hasn’t fully discussed how Banner’s transformation into the smart “Professor Hulk” affected Hulk.

All of this means that Ross’ impending return and potential transformation into Red Hulk come a little too late because there hasn’t been enough narrative build-up to these events. Ross dealt with Tony Stark and other heroes significantly more frequently recently than he did with the Hulk, depriving the Marvel Cinematic Universe of the opportunity to adapt a famous rivalry from the Marvel Comics.

The reason for this is that not all of the rights to Hulk belong to Marvel Studios. Rather, the studios share them with Universal, who bought the aforementioned rights when Marvel was attempting to sell them off during its bankruptcy in the 1990s.

The Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok are two examples of Marvel movies that feature the Hulk in a supporting role, while standalone films that focus on expanding the Hulk mythos can only be made in collaboration with Universal. The fact that the military and Thunderbolt are after him therefore hasn’t truly been established in contemporary popular culture. But this military rivalry is now a part of the mythos that Superman has adopted, and this reversal is pretty intriguing.

The most recent adaptations of Superman essentially replace him with the Hulk.

As previously mentioned, Superman isn’t portrayed in a positive light by the US military in the several recent films and TV shows that star him. Instead, he resists or runs afoul of the military, namely generals like Sam Lane. The irony is that the figure is frequently portrayed as a goody-two-shoes “boy scout” who would undoubtedly support the military.

However, this portrayal has come under fire from fans, who believe that it was inaccurately used in the dystopian film The Dark Knight Returns, in which Superman served as a government stooge. Now, he faces these authorities, who frequently obstruct his valiant mission, in a position that borders on rebellion.

As previously mentioned, Superman isn’t portrayed in a positive light by the US military in the several recent films and TV shows that star him. Instead, he resists or runs afoul of the military, namely generals like Sam Lane. The irony is that the figure is frequently portrayed as a goody-two-shoes “boy scout” who would undoubtedly support the military.

Fans, however, have begun to challenge this depiction. Its application in the dystopian The Dark Knight Returns, in which Superman served as a government stooge, was criticized by many as being inaccurate. Now, he faces these authorities, who frequently obstruct his valiant mission, in a position that borders on rebellion.

This places Superman in the same position that the Hulk originally had as a barrier to the military, whereas the Hulk has become more and more submissive due to modifications. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, the Hulk is no longer a menace and quietly takes family pictures at a diner. It’s obvious that these two have had their positions switched in some way when compared to the darker, more pessimistic interpretation of Superman found in the DC Extended Universe.

Nevertheless, the next DC Universe reboot offers a more conventional view of the Man of Steel, albeit if he appears in that universe, he’ll probably still be at conflict with General Lane. In the MCU, the Hulk’s old terrible nature seemed to have vanished for good, hence Ross’ pursuit of him was underrepresented in the common reality.

You may now watch Superman & Lois and My Superman Adventures on Max.

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