Superman Legacy logo hints at major differences from DCU
A newly revealed Superman: Legacy logo hints that a Kingdom Come-inspired story is coming to kick off the new DCU.
Superman: Legacy is believed to be ramping up production. Reports of a table read were recently confirmed, and all signs point to the filming getting ready to start in Ohio.
The reports of the table read are where things get interesting, though. Star Isabela Merced revealed the logo in her Instagram story, sharing a tease of the cast gathered together at a table read.
However, this may actually have revealed some hints about the plot, as the picture she shared revealed a logo being used that has a very specific backstory in the comics.
New Superman: Legacy logo hints at a story influenced by Kingdom Come
The logo Merced shared is the S-shield Superman wore in Kingdom Come, a seminal ’90s story by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. In the story, the world is in a state of turmoil as a younger generation of superheroes run rampant. Superman is missing, having gone into a self-imposed exile after society viewed him as out-of-touch for disagreeing with Magog’s decision to kill The Joker.
When the Man of Steel is stirred back into action after Magog is responsible for the destruction of the Midwest, he returns with a revamped S-shield with a black background when he returns, a respectful change to emphasize his mourning over the lives lost.
While it’s unlikely Superman: Legacy will draw direct inspiration from Kingdom Come, the choice of logo is very telling. The casting for the film already hints at a story focusing on the Man of Steel’s interactions with a new generation of superheroes, as the characters fans all know have been cast so far – Metamorpho, Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl – could all be considered second generation or legacy heroes compared to Superman.
It’s likely the logo hints at a story drawing on Kingdom Come’s ensuing story beat, where Superman must contend with a world that views him as out-of-touch compared to a more aggressive generation of heroes.
For what it’s worth, Gunn has teased a Kingdom Come influence before. A 2022 Instagram post captioned “making plans” used key art from the book of Superman and that story’s version of the Justice League.
Why is Kingdom Come so important for DC Comics?
Kingdom Come is told from the perspective of a preacher, Norman McCay, who is told by The Spectre that he must bear witness to events that will lead to Armageddon. The story plays out with a tale based on the Book of Revelations, as Superman attempts to restore order and faith in the superhuman community while villains work to ensure he doesn’t upset their new world order.
In the grander scheme, Kingdom Come has gone on to become one of the most important comic book tales of its time. In an era where heroes were dying, and anti-heroes were on the rise, Kingdom Come invigorated the faith in the idea of a more hopeful, heroic take on the genre.
DC ComicsIt also arguably put Alex Ross on the map. Ross was already prolific at the time, having done the interior work on the stellar Marvels, but Kingdom Come made him a household name. Since then, he’s gone on to do work on some of the biggest comics of all time, including Justice, Astro City, and a handful of 60th-anniversary DC Comics one-shots. These days fans likely recognize him more from the current run of Fantastic Four covers or, if you’re not a comic book fan, the opening credit recap art from Spider-Man 2.
Fans who are interested in learning more about Kingdom Come can find all four issues on DC Universe Infinite. More recently, the story was revisited in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest and a take on the Kingdom Come Superman appeared briefly in the Arrowverse.
Superman: Legacy is expected to begin filming shortly and is targeting a July 11, 2025, release date.