With the New 52 far behind, I can look back on it with more nuanced eyes and give my opinion. Here it goes...
While the decision to significantly modify Superman's status quo in the New 52 is not one I agree with, it is one I can understand. Superman had become such an iconic character not only to DC, but to modern culture, that it was a major challenge to write him as an emotionally compelling protagonist in a dramatic story. By taking him out of his comfort zone, Superman could be portrayed as a more fallible and human character and adapt to a world that may no longer see his ideals as relevant. Easier said than done, apparently. In his own books, he came off as immature and reckless and in Justice League, he could be an outright bully. The writers were more interested in portraying their own versions of Superman instead of delivering a single, more cohesive narrative; which was a huge problem of the New 52 as a whole. Truth was the absolute nadir in quality regarding New 52 Superman.
His supporting cast suffered as well. Jonathan and Martha Kent were dead and the Daily Planet crew was a non-entity in most stories. It seemed that the only characters from the Superman franchise that influenced the DCU at large in a significant way were Superman himself and, to a lesser extent, Lex Luthor. Lois Lane got the rawest deal, however. Superman's relationship with Lois, which had been the heart and soul of the Superman stories and the most human element of both characters for a long time, had been ignored. Instead, DC pushed a Superman/Wonder Woman romance. Don't get me wrong, a Superman/Wonder Woman romance has always been a beautiful what-if for both characters and in canon it was quite enjoyable, but it simply didn't have the longevity or emotional pathos as Clark/Lois. To Clark/Diana's credit, their book was more enjoyable and fun than the mainstream Superman and Wonder Woman books at the time.
I'm not really fond of the suit either. While I wasn't really upset about the removal of the red trunks (it's just a minor detail on the suit, let's all calm down), I disliked the armored look, the excessive seamlines and the high collar, which made the suit look weird and needlessly complicated on-page. It says something about this design when DC moved away from it and used the classic suit as the baseline for future designs.
Ultimately, New 52 Superman feels like the product of trends and focus groups. DC was so adamant in making Superman appealing towards modern audiences, especially the young male crowd and anyone who didn't know Superman beyond the most basic concepts of the character. If that was the intent, then they were trying too hard. Personally, I think the New 52's ideas and concepts for Superman were better utilized in the DC Extended Universe. There, Superman felt more believable and his character development was more organic. This all might be inherent to the cinematic medium as a whole than something exclusive to the DCEU but I prefer the DCEU Superman over the New 52 Superman. Any day, no questions asked.
While there were good stories (Doomed, Unchained, Superman/Wonder Woman), the New 52 was ultimately a period that is best left behind, at least as far as Superman is concerned.
While the decision to significantly modify Superman's status quo in the New 52 is not one I agree with, it is one I can understand. Superman had become such an iconic character not only to DC, but to modern culture, that it was a major challenge to write him as an emotionally compelling protagonist in a dramatic story. By taking him out of his comfort zone, Superman could be portrayed as a more fallible and human character and adapt to a world that may no longer see his ideals as relevant. Easier said than done, apparently. In his own books, he came off as immature and reckless and in Justice League, he could be an outright bully. The writers were more interested in portraying their own versions of Superman instead of delivering a single, more cohesive narrative; which was a huge problem of the New 52 as a whole. Truth was the absolute nadir in quality regarding New 52 Superman.
His supporting cast suffered as well. Jonathan and Martha Kent were dead and the Daily Planet crew was a non-entity in most stories. It seemed that the only characters from the Superman franchise that influenced the DCU at large in a significant way were Superman himself and, to a lesser extent, Lex Luthor. Lois Lane got the rawest deal, however. Superman's relationship with Lois, which had been the heart and soul of the Superman stories and the most human element of both characters for a long time, had been ignored. Instead, DC pushed a Superman/Wonder Woman romance. Don't get me wrong, a Superman/Wonder Woman romance has always been a beautiful what-if for both characters and in canon it was quite enjoyable, but it simply didn't have the longevity or emotional pathos as Clark/Lois. To Clark/Diana's credit, their book was more enjoyable and fun than the mainstream Superman and Wonder Woman books at the time.
I'm not really fond of the suit either. While I wasn't really upset about the removal of the red trunks (it's just a minor detail on the suit, let's all calm down), I disliked the armored look, the excessive seamlines and the high collar, which made the suit look weird and needlessly complicated on-page. It says something about this design when DC moved away from it and used the classic suit as the baseline for future designs.
Ultimately, New 52 Superman feels like the product of trends and focus groups. DC was so adamant in making Superman appealing towards modern audiences, especially the young male crowd and anyone who didn't know Superman beyond the most basic concepts of the character. If that was the intent, then they were trying too hard. Personally, I think the New 52's ideas and concepts for Superman were better utilized in the DC Extended Universe. There, Superman felt more believable and his character development was more organic. This all might be inherent to the cinematic medium as a whole than something exclusive to the DCEU but I prefer the DCEU Superman over the New 52 Superman. Any day, no questions asked.
While there were good stories (Doomed, Unchained, Superman/Wonder Woman), the New 52 was ultimately a period that is best left behind, at least as far as Superman is concerned.
