After the merger between Discover and Warner Media, newly-appointed president David Zaslav stated that he wanted his own Kevin Feige to run DC Films. Eventually, James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as co-heads of the newly-renamed DC Studios. Soon after, Gunn, with confirmation by current Superman actor Henry Cavill, announced that DC Films would be looking for a new Superman, to star in a solo film written by Gunn himself.

The only other thing that Gunn shared was that the film would be exploring Superman early in his career. Knowing that, as well as Gunn’s reverence for varying and offbeat source material, means that Gunn could be taking from some of the best, and weirdest, early Superman stories. Here are a few that James Gunn should integrate into his script.

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Superman For All Seasons

     DC ComicsArt by Tim Sale

Best described as “Superman by way of Norman Rockwell”, Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale covers the first calendar year of Superman’s career, starting in the Spring just before Clark leaves Smallville for Metropolis, and ending in a Winter-set showdown between Superman and Lex Luthor. As well as the seasonal structure, each issue/season is narrated by a different person in Superman’s life, ranging from Ma Kent to Lex Luthor himself.

If Gunn was aiming for a warm, nostalgic Superman movie, For All Seasons is a great place to start. The Clark of Superman: For All Seasons is written as a sort of gentle giant, both friendly and seemingly weighed down by his responsibility. The Comic is also known for its gorgeous renderings by artist Tim Sale, which would be an interesting visual aesthetic to try to homage.

Superman and the Men of Steel (New 52)

     DC ComicsArt by Rags Morales

If James Gunn wants his Superman to be a bit more disruptive, Grant Morrison and Rags Morales’ Action Comics run is the place to start. Part of DC’s 2011 continuity reboot The New 52, Superman and The Men of Steel was the first arc to Morrison and Morales’ run, and repositions the hero as the champion of the oppressed that his original creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster intended him to be.

In the story’s opening moments, Superman dangles a corrupt official over a balcony in front of the police. This Superman can’t fly yet, and only wears a t-shirt and Jeans along with his cape, but is fairly self-assured and cocky, as any bulletproof 20-year-old would be. The bulk of the story has Superman avoiding authorities, led by their consultant, Lex Luthor. This all builds to a showdown with Brainiac, where Superman gains his iconic suit. Superman and The Men of Steel is firmly set in Metropolis, features a Young Superman, and introduces a villain unseen in a Superman movie, making it perfect for a Gunn adaptation.

Action Comics 1938

     DC ComicsArt by Jerry Joe Schuster

While Superman and The Men of Steel updates the original Siegel and Schuster stories for the modern age, Gunn can also just adapt those first stories wholesale. In the original Action Comics #1, Superman is not explicitly revealed as a hero until later in the story, with its iconic cover literally featuring a man running away in fear. Superman’s foes are not supervillains, but corrupt officials, abusers, and bankers.

Setting the first solo movie in 1938 would be tricky timing-wise, especially if this film was meant to connect to DC projects released afterwards, but going back to the very beginning of DC Comics would certainly lend the project some credibility. It has actually been rumored that the earlier-announced Superman film written by Ta Nahisi Coates and produced by JJ Abrams will be set in the ’40s, so audiences may see this approach sooner rather than later.

Superman: Secret Origin

     DC ComicsArt by Gary Frank

Written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank, Superman: Secret Origin sought to offer a streamlined take on Superman’s origins for the late 2000s, early 2010s. The miniseries followed Clark into childhood and through his first major battle as Superman in Metropolis. While the first few issues cover Clark’s past in Smallville, the midway point of the series opens with Clark stepping off the bus into Metropolis, which could even act as the start to Gunn’s script.

The story is heavily referential to the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve films, even so far as featuring a similar scene where Superman reveals himself by saving Lois Lane from a falling helicopter. This makes sense considering Geoff John’s past as Donner’s assistant and co-writer, but also implements Superman villains Parasite and Metallo. If Gunn was looking for a hopeful, throwback style Superman that replicates the friendliness of Reeve’s performance, Secret Origins is a fantastic template.

Adventure Comics Starring Superboy

     DC Comics

Adventure Comics namely featured a young Clark Kent’s exploits as a local hero in Smallville, with the added bombastics of 1950s comics. Since it is technically a flashback series, conflicts usually revolve around more offbeat set-ups, like a weight-lifting contest, or a robot Superboy. This lower-stakes, goofy premise would be readily exploited by Gunn, who brings gravitas to zanier, seemingly inconsequential stories. Later into its run, Adventure Comics took on a new subtitle, as Superboy joined a futuristic team of super teens.

Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes

The fact is, Superman’s origin has been readily covered by previous movies and television shows like Man of Steel and Smallville. So with that familiarity, it’s possible to introduce a new concept central to Superman’s becoming: The Legion of Superheroes. The Legion is composed of a super-teen from each of the respective United Planets, a futuristic governing body. The Legion is an often massive line-up of characters that is often anchored by Superboy’s presence.

There are multiple stories featuring Superboy and The Legion, including a story where an Older Superboy (i.e. before Metropolis) goes back to the future one more time for the wedding of two Legionnaires. Given Gunn’s particular knack for entertaining superhero sci-fi movies based on lesser known properties, adapting The Legion of Superheroes would be an easier sell than usual.

Superman: Kryptonite

     DC Comics Art by Tim Sale

Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale delivered a timeless young Superman tale with Kryptonite, exploring the hero’s first encounter with his one true weakness. Famous for throwback-style stories like DC: The New Frontier and The Spirit, Cooke teamed up with the painterly Sale to elicit earlier Superman stories, but with a deeper sense of drama. The standout of Kryptonite is the personification of the deadly meteorite itself, as the story not only gives it a centuries-spanning history, but a voice, acting as the narrator of the story. Gunn pulled off the evil starfish Starro the Conqueror in The Suicide Squad, so the natural next challenge would be making a rock formidable.

Superman: Year One

     DC ComicsArt by John Romita Jr

Created by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr for DC’s Mature Black Label line, Year One paints Superman as godly in power, and innocent in intention. While the first part of the story is a straightforward tale from Krypton to Smallville, the second issue takes a dramatic turn as Clark joins the military, and discovers Atlantis. The final third involves Superman arriving in Metropolis, and meeting Batman and Wonder Woman.

Year One presents a more complicated Superman take that attempts to integrate his becoming with the wider DC Universe. If Gunn’s movie is intended as the start of a new cinematic universe, the comic could very well serve as a starting point for the script, as well.

Superman: Birthright

     DC ComicsArt by Leinil Francis Yu

Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu updated Superman’s origin story for the new millennium with the action-packed Birthright. The story picks up with Clark Kent just out of college, but not yet in Metropolis, instead traveling the world and currently visiting South Africa. It’s a different approach that acknowledges Superman’s connection to the wider world rather than the narrower “American Way”.

The outlying aspect of Superman: Birthright is its reinvention of Lex Luthor. While Superman’s nemesis is present in other Superman stories, Birthright goes deeper by revealing that Lex also lived in Smallville, and was friends with Clark Kent. This creates a fascinating, more tragic dynamic between the two, as young lex was ostracized for his intellect, just as Clark hid truly otherworldly powers. This type of personal history is at the forefront of Gunn’s Guardians and Peacemaker projects.

His Own Original Take

     DC Comics/Art by Alex Ross

While it’s possible that James Gunn could adapt a single Superman comic for his script, the best option may be a looser, more original take. While Gunn is often the first to mention his comic book influences, it’s arguable that some of the best aspects of his movies are wholly his own. Gunn famously abandoned Peter Quill’s backstory as an astronaut, instead having him be kidnapped and subsequently raised by Yondu. Given his track record, it can be trusted that James Gunn can bring a novel idea to the Superman mythos that can re-engage audiences with the last son of Krypton.

So whichever Young Superman stories James Gunn chooses to adapt, if any, it can be trusted that it will be done in an all-new sort of way, to match the newest leadership, and newest direction of DC Films