While DC’s live action movies have been remarkably hit and miss, their animated output has been far more consistently reliable. And now, the next outing, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, has had a new clip released this week showing part of a fight between Clark and Lobo.
Not much is currently known about the plot of the film, only that it features Clark Kent’s early superhero career before he adopted the mantle of Superman with the intent to act as an inspirational symbol for humanity. This is apparent from his appearance in the clip, clad in a makeshift disguise instead of his signature red and blue outfit, and his suiting up in such will probably form the movie’s closing moments.
Lobo’s motives are often ambiguous, never being outright villainous but merely self-serving, bringing him into conflict with the lawful good paragons whose actions are of a more heroic bent. Although he and Clark are seen fighting here, it’s entirely possible that this is taken from early on in the movie, perhaps after Lobo arrives on Earth searching for his latest bounty and wreaks havoc in the process, whereupon Clark decides to stop him.
Like many comic book characters, the extent of Lobo’s abilities has been inconsistent over the years, with his strength ranging from not much more than an upper-tier human to being powerful enough to take on Superman in a fistfight. As he’s only seen to use weapons in the clip, it’s not clear how strong this interpretation of him is, but with the opening moments showing the aftermath of him crashing through a building from a presumably great height, it’s likely at the upper end of the scale.
The DC Animated Movie Universe ended earlier this year with the sublime Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and Superman: Man of Tomorrow marks a new chapter in the company’s cartoon output. This clip might only be a minute long, but it certainly displays enough to warrant tentative optimism for the new direction.