Recorded March 13th and 20th. First contact, ship detection and landing, Zod’s ultimatum, The War of the Worlds, and The Wizard of Oz.

Answers, insights, and commentary on:

I. First Contact



As an intended approach

Guidelines for what counts

Prior in-story contacts

Detecting Kal’s vessel and landing

Military response and suppression

Ultimatum questions

“Are we alone in the universe?”

Winston Churchill

II. War of the Worlds – The Book



H.G. Wells and Jules Verne

Man versus the mechanized future

Superman terraforming Earth

Superman’s arc enabling The League

Man as animal

Panic and fragility

Human heroes overcoming instinct

III. War of the Worlds – The Broadcast



1938 Orson Welles broadcast

Halloween public panic

Press exaggerated story

Fake news, virality, and creative control

Real public panics

Humbling humanity

Myopia and normalizing the extraordinary

IV. First Impressions



Lois Lane and handshakes

Pete picking up the tab

Definitions, Apologetics, and “Yucatan”

Selling Superman

Judgment, taste, and capacity

Clark is more able than we see

Superman is more human than we know

V. Wizard of Oz



Similarities to Superman and BvS

Hero’s Journey and circular story

Flexible and open to interpretation

Explicit Oz references

As an allegory for populism

VI. Application

Academic scholarship

Fandom good for empathy

Superheroes inspire altruism

Science fiction, escapism, and reality

To learn more:

The War of the Worlds 1938 broadcast | Orson Welles

American Experience: War of the Worlds | PBS

War of the Worlds | RadioLab

Big Picture Science | SETI Institute

Churchill Ordered UFO Cover-Up | BBC

Churchill Essay on Aliens | NY Times

Should Humans Try To Contact Alien Civilizations? | Motherboard

Don’t Panic | WNYC

How the Panic Broadcast Really Went Down | Michigan Radio

American Icons: Wizard of Oz | Studio 360

The Wizard of Oz | TED Ed

Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy | Louis C.K.

God, The Universe and Everything Else (1988) | BBC

Does Smiling Make You Happier? | HowStuffWorks

Power Poses Work – Amy Cuddy | TED

Power Poses Are False (replication crisis) | Fortune

Are Fandoms Good or Unhealthy? | SciShow Psych

How Harry Potter Turns You Into A Wizard | SciShow Psych

Always take social science studies with a grain of salt.

End-notes (recorded on March 23rd):

Superman: War of the Worlds (2000, Elseworlds) | Lark

Planet of Oz | SuperFriends

Warner Bros. v. AVELA | 8th Circuit

H.G. Wells meets Orson Welles (1940) | KTSA

Superman Meets Orson Welles (1950) | Superman #62

Somewhere Over The Rainbow A Wonderful World | Kamakawiwoʻole

Go The Distance Defying Gravity | Kick Full

Justice League Universe Podcast:

Interview with Clay Enos – Appreciating intention and interpretation

Batman v. Superman Anniversary Special – Value fans get from BvS

Web: ManOfSteelAnswers.com

Twitter: @mosanswers

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Proud member of the Superman Podcast Network!

Unite.

