SuperMan Divorce!

They've killed Superman once, they've broken Batman's back, they've created gay superheroes but truth is always stranger than fiction.

In 2013 Detective Comics (DC) license of ownership on the Superman character expires. What you say? Well, quietly unbeknownst to most mortals there is a legal battle being waged between the Seigel heirs (family members to the Superman creators) and DC and Warner Brothers.

Marc Toberoff legal counsel to the Siegal heirs (creators of Superman) states, "This trial was only an interim step in the multifaceted accounting case which remains, in that it only concerned the secondary issue of whether DC Comics, or DC Comics and Warner Bros., would have to account to the Siegels," he said. "To put this in further perspective, the entire accounting action pales in comparison to the fact that in 2013, the Siegels, along with the estate of Joe Shuster, will own the entire original copyright to Superman, and neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros. will be able to exploit any new Superman works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters."

What does all this mean? It means the Siegels feel ripped off by the studio and the publisher. If they don't get what they want, they will take Superman and walk in 2013.

Speculation runs rampant on discussion boards with the mere thought that Superman could go to ...Marvel? Imagine Superman side by side with Spider-Man or Ironman or any Marvel character. Batman will have no one to team up with anymore.

The early word is that federal courts sided with Warner Brothers and DC on a ruling regarding their deals on Smallville and Superman Returns. From the looks of things the studios must start the next Superman film by 2011. Meanwhile many are speculating that this is the beginning of the end of Superman under the DC publication. Time will tell.

Chris Nolan's Batman Meets Real Super heroes

So you are in tune to the super hero hype? Down with the latest? Then you know Chris Nolan, director of the rebooted Batman franchise doesn't want Batman to have any meeting, let alone awareness of Superman's existence. This is in spite of the fact in the DC world these two characters know each other quite well.

So what is Chris's problem? Well, as he sees it, if Batman knew Superman existed, he'd have no purpose or meaning as he will understand he is not really a super hero. Chris says, "-- we didn’t address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically -- that superheroes simply don’t exist. If they did, if Bruce knew of Superman or even of comic books, then that’s a completely different decision that he’s making when he puts on a costume in an attempt to become a symbol. It’s a paradox and a conundrum, but what we did is go back to the very original concept and idea of the character. In his first appearances, he invents himself as a totally original creation."

So don't expect any Marvel type endings with the next Batman installment where Wonder Woman or Green Lantern approach Bruce Wayne for a team up. In fact Christopher Nolan takes on that question directly with this quote: "I don’t think our Batman, our Gotham, lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization. "

To emphasize Chris's point, College Humor has created this great short based on Batman bumping into not just Superman, but Justice League super heroes. Real super heroes. Check it out.

Lexcorp Affected By The Financial Crisis

When we're in the midst of a near-Depression, what's a supervillian to do? Ask for a bailout, of course!

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm - watch more funny videos