There’s no denying that Jason Isaacs plays a great villain. From the Grand Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels to General Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Isaacs has become well-known for utilizing his commanding presence, along with his unique baritone, to bring some grade-A bad guys to life. But Isaacs, who stars in Season 3 of The White Lotus, had the chance to put his own spin on one of the world’s greatest heroes with Superman: Red Son.
Based on the DC Comics miniseries by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson, Superman: Red Son makes a major change to the Man of Steel’s origin. Instead of Smallville, Kansas, the rocket that carried Kal-El away from the destruction of Krypton lands in Ukraine, Russia. Thus, Superman becomes the Soviet Union’s greatest weapon, bringing him into conflict with brilliant scientist Lex Luthor (Diedrich Bader). But rather than just paint Superman as a stereotypical Russian villain, Isaacs’ performance gives this version of Superman emotional nuance and depth.
Jason Isaacs’ Performance Gives ‘Superman: Red Son’ Its Emotional Core

Image via Warner Bros. Animation 

Isaacs’ vocal performance during Superman: Red Son is wholly different from his past roles. Instead of a cold, booming British baritone, he adopts a Russian accent. Isaacs also embodies the genuine empathy that Superman has for the human race, which is on full display during a scene where he stops a rocket from hitting a group of American citizens. “I don’t blame those among you that fear me, for you’ve been taught to fear all your lives,” he says. At this point, there are major propaganda films highlighting the menace of the “Soviet Superman,” yet Superman will save lives no matter what. This even extends to his adopted homeland; when he learns that Joseph Stalin has been imprisoning political dissidents, he eventually demolishes the prisons. Then, in one of Superman: Red Son’s most shocking scenes, he burns Stalin to ash with his heat vision. The way Isaacs’ performance shifts from disbelief to cold, focused rage is unnerving, but he captures the emotional turmoil that Superman is going through.

The smaller moments are where Superman: Red Son thrives, because they let Isaacs show off his range. Whether it’s befriending Wonder Woman (Vanessa Marshall), or comforting a clone of himself as it dies, Isaacs never misses a beat to show how Superman, for all of his immense power, has emotions and flaws like the rest of humanity. His best scenes are undoubtedly opposite Lois Lane (Amy Acker); even though the two aren’t romantically involved like most versions of the Superman mythos, Lois is the one person that Superman can be honest with. She even stops him from carrying out a hostile takeover of America, forcing him to come to terms with the actions he’s taken to save the world. Superman: Red Son wouldn’t be as compelling of a watch if Isaacs wasn’t cast as Superman. He understands the emotional heft that’s needed to bring this version of Superman to life.
‘Superman: Red Son’ Radically Reinterprets the DC Universe

The other major draw of Superman: Red Son, other than Isaacs’ performance, is how it radically alters DC’s icons and the course of world history. Batman (Roger Craig Smith) is a revolutionary hell-bent on taking down Superman, no matter the cost. Instead of being romantically involved with Superman, Lois is married to Lex Luthor. Superman tears down the Berlin Wall as a display of his power, and, obviously, his killing Stalin ends up reshaping the Soviet Union. But the most inspired revamp goes to the Green Lantern Corps. Instead of an intergalactic police force, they’re reworked to be more like the Air Force with magic rings, and they take part in Superman: Red Son’s most dynamic sequence as they attempt to stop Superman from crossing into American airspace.

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Superman: Red Son isn’t just a great adaptation of a popular DC comic, but a compelling alternate history story courtesy of director Sam Liu (who also helmed the adaptation of another beloved DC comic, All-Star Superman) – and legendary comics writer J.M. DeMatteis. It also shows that there’s more to Jason Isaacs than villains; while he brought DC villains like Sinestro and Ra’s Al Ghul to life, his take on Superman is well worth checking out.

Superman: Red Son

Release Date

February 24, 2020

Runtime

84 minutes

Director

Sam Liu

Writers

J. M. DeMatteis

Producers

Bruce Timm, Sam Register

Amy Acker

Lois Lane (voice)

Vanessa Marshall

Diana / Wonder Woman (voice)