transcript
show notes
Story by: Gail Nobles
Podcast cover by: Gail Nobles
Who is the Black Superman? You might think you know the answer. But before Calvin Ellis and Val-Zod, there was a real man who had already stepped into that kind of larger-than-life image. His name was Muhammad Ali.
In 1978, DC Comics brought Superman and Muhammad Ali together in Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. The story placed the world’s greatest superhero in the ring with the world’s most famous boxer. Under the conditions of a red sun, Ali defeated Superman.
That was fiction—but the connection between Ali and Superman went beyond the comic book.
Ali was already a larger-than-life figure whose confidence, athletic ability, personality, and public presence made him seem almost superhuman. He didn’t wear a cape, but he carried himself like a man who believed he could do the impossible.
Then, years later, DC introduced other Black men who would carry the Superman identity.
Calvin Ellis, introduced in 2009, became the Superman of Earth-23—and also its President.
Val-Zod, introduced in 2014, became the Superman of Earth-2, bringing a very different personality and philosophy to the role.
So when we look at the timeline, an interesting question comes up:
Who is that Black Superman?
Is it the man from another Earth?
Is it the man from a comic book?
Or could the idea of the Black Superman have already existed in the real world—in the form of Muhammad Ali?
That’s where I call him The Real Super Guy.
Ali didn’t need to be Superman. He was Muhammad Ali.
And maybe that’s the most interesting part of the story.
Do you ever wonder what could have happened if Ali’s Superman connection had gone beyond a comic book and into a movie?
I’m Gail Nobles, and you’re listening to Movies Unmade on Ebonliner.
News, Culture, and Entertainment
Podcast cover by: Gail Nobles
Who is the Black Superman? You might think you know the answer. But before Calvin Ellis and Val-Zod, there was a real man who had already stepped into that kind of larger-than-life image. His name was Muhammad Ali.
In 1978, DC Comics brought Superman and Muhammad Ali together in Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. The story placed the world’s greatest superhero in the ring with the world’s most famous boxer. Under the conditions of a red sun, Ali defeated Superman.
That was fiction—but the connection between Ali and Superman went beyond the comic book.
Ali was already a larger-than-life figure whose confidence, athletic ability, personality, and public presence made him seem almost superhuman. He didn’t wear a cape, but he carried himself like a man who believed he could do the impossible.
Then, years later, DC introduced other Black men who would carry the Superman identity.
Calvin Ellis, introduced in 2009, became the Superman of Earth-23—and also its President.
Val-Zod, introduced in 2014, became the Superman of Earth-2, bringing a very different personality and philosophy to the role.
So when we look at the timeline, an interesting question comes up:
Who is that Black Superman?
Is it the man from another Earth?
Is it the man from a comic book?
Or could the idea of the Black Superman have already existed in the real world—in the form of Muhammad Ali?
That’s where I call him The Real Super Guy.
Ali didn’t need to be Superman. He was Muhammad Ali.
And maybe that’s the most interesting part of the story.
Do you ever wonder what could have happened if Ali’s Superman connection had gone beyond a comic book and into a movie?
I’m Gail Nobles, and you’re listening to Movies Unmade on Ebonliner.
News, Culture, and Entertainment
