Warning: contains spoilers for Superman: Son of Kal-El #3!
DC Comics has just fixed a massive in the DCEU at the box office at the time of release). Several last-minute edits courtesy of Whedon-penned rewrites left audiences scratching their heads at multiple plot holes - but in Superman: Son of Kal-El #3, written by Tom Taylor with art by John Timms and colors by Gabe Eltaeb, the creative team fix an issue that plagued the climax of the film - specifically involving Superman.
The Superman: Son of Kal-El series chronicles the adventures of Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent's son and eventual inheritor of the Superman name. Jonathan makes a name for himself by fighting a raging forest fire, saving a boat full of immigrants, and utterly failing to keep his identity a secret (it's blown on his first day of college before classes even began). Nevertheless, Jonathan believes saving others is more important than having a normal life - because he knows that when his father eventually leaves Earth (as foretold in the future), he won't be coming back, and thus the world needs a Superman.
Kal-El and son arrive in Coast City - home to Green Lantern - at the scene of a disaster. The Infantino building (named after the late DC artist Carmine Infantino) is collapsing and hundreds of lives are in immediate jeopardy. Superman holds the already-tilting building and prevents it from falling to the ground - but, as Jonathan notes, "My dad is stopping it from toppling, but he can't stop it from collapsing in on itself." John notes that he has roughly four seconds to save 472 people (and their pets) before the building crumbles altogether. A massive tower like the Infantino was obviously never designed to be held from a single point - something Joss Whedon forgot while rewriting a key Justice League scene.
During the climax of Justice League, a recently-resurrected Superman flies to the aid of civilians near villain Steppenwolf's fortress. He's accompanied by the Flash, who saves a Russian family by pushing their truck out of harm's way...only to be shown up by Superman carrying an entire apartment building (presumably) full of survivors. Unfortunately, he's carrying it from underneath, which means the weight of the entire complex is concentrated on a single point. The structure should have collapsed around Superman; instead, he's able to carry it as if it was one solid object.
By calling out Superman's failure to keep the Infantino building intact, DC is itting to Whedon's Justice League mistake. While ittedly a humorous sight gag, the rest of the film's destruction obeys the laws of physics (superpowers aside, naturally). It also serves to highlight the importance of Clark and Jonathan working as a team: only by working together could they have saved the occupants of the Infantino. Superman may have been at the center of more than a few missteps in the Justice League film, but in the comics, he's as inspirational as ever.
