NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
If anyone is having their stardom blow up, it’s Michael B. Jordan right now. After his success in multiple Ryan Coogler movies such as Creed, Black Panther, and Sinners, he’s really hitting his stride as an actor. With his current level of success, he may want to move away from the superhero genre. He’s had plenty of roles such as Cyborg in the animated Flashpoint Paradox movie for DC, was the lead villain, Erik Killmonger, in 2018’s Black Panther, and was Johnny Storm in Twentieth Century Fox’s second attempt at a Fantastic 4 movie.
However, right now, he’s exactly the type of name you want to bring in. Not only is he gaining his footing as a leading man, but he also has stated in the past how much comics have been an influence on him. When you can bring in someone with talent who also connects to a role it automatically is a step in the right direction. The hardest part is finding the right role.
There have already been rumors around for years that Michael B. Jordan wanted to star as his own version of Superman, as Val-Zodiac. While the Superman role may have slipped through his hands, a Superman role may not, with a little creativity of course. There’s an interesting character in DC’s vault that might be suited for him. That character should be John Henry Irons, better known as Steel.
- IWhen Superman saved Irons from a fatal fall off a Metropolis skyscraper, he challenged the construction worker to make his life count for something.
If there’s anyone who can bring lesser known characters to life, it’s James Gunn. When Guardians of the Galaxy was being made, so many people believed it would be “Marvel’s first flop” because nobody knew the characters. He then would go on the bring out the best in characters such as Ratcatcher and Polka-dot Man. A great actor such as Michael B. Jordan with the mind of James Gunn who can bring characters to life and get the fans behind them, it seems like a match made in heaven.
If Warner Bros. was going to let Michael B. Jordan work on a passion project that was based on Superman, then why not take a star and add him to help grow your shared universe. He’s earned the right as an actor to pick his roles with his recent success. Since he never got the chance to put together his version, working on it and putting his own spin on a character would still be on the table. I mean, if they let Shaquille O’Neil play a bad version of it, it couldn’t be much worse.
