This Is The Best Alan Moore Adaptation, And It’s Not Even Close
Legendary comic creator Alan Moore is famous for hating the comic industry, not just for constantly robbing him of royalties and merchandising rights, but also for how often people have forced out film adaptations of his work when they were never designed to work like that. To Moore’s credit, though, movies like From Hell, Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, and especially The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were all lackluster adaptations that failed to capture what made Moore’s style work, so it’s easy to see why he would hate the idea, especially with how little control he has over it.
Alan Moore has almost always hated adaptations of his work on principle, and it’s to the point that whenever a new one is made, he refuses to even have his name so much as credited. The keyword there, of course, is “almost”; among the various adaptations of Moore’s work, there’s only one that managed to earn his approval, and very fittingly, the adaptation is an indisputable masterpiece.
How Justice League Unlimited Gave Us The Best Alan Moore Adaptation
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In season 1 of the DCAU’s Justice League Unlimited, Alan Moore’s iconic Superman story, “For the Man Who Has Everything”, was adapted into an episode of the same name. Just like the original comic, the story revolved around Batman and Wonder Woman fighting Mongul to free Superman from the Black Mercy, an alien parasite trapping him in a fantasy where he got to grow up on Krypton, and according to head writer Dwayne McDuffie, Alan Moore actually approved of the story and allowed his name to be credited.
The fact that it’s a rare Alan Moore adaptation that kept the basic story the same is one thing, but what makes Justice League Unlimited’s take on “For the Man Who Has Everything” so notable is how much it changed. While the comic had Clark’s fantasy slowly turn into a nightmare to tell him that he needed to leave, the cartoon makes it a paradise from start to finish, making it all the more painful for Clark to go back to reality and all the more cathartic to see Mongul be beaten.
Alan Moore quit comics, but he didn’t stop writing; and he hasn’t lost his acid tongue, either, as he takes down another famous comic book author.
That wasn’t the extent of the added emotional depth, of course; making Clark a farmer married to an amalgam of Lois Lane and Lana Lang helped sell the point of Earth being just as important to Clark as Krypton even better than the comic, and it also gives Batman an utterly tragic sequence of the Black Mercy giving him a fantasy of his father stopping Joe Chill, only for it to break and make him watch his parents die all over again.
Alan Moore typically hates it when adaptations of his work don’t stick to the source material, so the fact that he was okay with Justice League Unlimited making so many changes to “For the Man Who Has Everything” highlights just how well those changes worked to highlight the story’s emotional core as opposed to taking away from it. It’s a truly standout episode, and it’s easily one of the best Alan Moore adaptations of all time.
The DCAU Is Still One Of The Best Versions Of The DC Universe
Above all else, the incredible quality of “For the Man Who Has Everything” does a perfect job of highlighting why the DC Animated Universe is so great. In addition to telling thrilling original stories still held in high regard decades later, the DCAU also did a great job of condensing comic stories into shorter, more digestible forms and often changed those stories and characters to highlight only the best elements. It’s a nigh-flawless abridging of the DC Universe, and nowhere does that better shine than in the adaptation of “For the Man Who Has Everything”.
Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?
✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.
02
Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?
✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.
03
Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?
✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.
04
In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?
✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.
05
Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.
06
After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?
✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.
07
As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?
✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.
08
This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?
✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.
Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record
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Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth?
Even with the DCAU being over for 20 years outside of a few one-off movies, it’s still largely considered one of the best adaptations of the DC Universe, if not the best, and with how well it delivered constant hit after hit, it’s no wonder that it would have the only adaptation of an Alan Moore work the legendary creator would actually like.
