Superman can do almost anything. And that's one reason his movies have struggled

Superman returns to the big screen this summer, as DC Studios tries to reinvigorate the film fortunes of its iconic do-gooder.

But that's not an easy task, despite studio investment of at least $225 million US in Superman, which hits theatres on July 11 starring David Corenswet.

Because, for all his powers, Superman has struggled as a film franchise. Movie-goers have many superheroes to choose from, and those commercial pressures are separate from the perpetual issue of coming up with compelling stories for a morally rigid hero with few vulnerabilities.  

Aficionados say Superman's long history in pop culture provides a big potential audience, but his fans have expectations that can be hard to meet. 

"Superman can be a tough nut to crack," said artist Jason Fabok, co-founder of media company Ghost Machine, who previously worked for DC Comics — drawing the Man of Steel for the Justice League and Superman/Batman titles. He also helped shape Superman's look on a collectible coin.

"He's got all these fans… They want a good Superman movie. They want something that's going to really evoke those feelings that they had of the character for all these years."

To succeed, this Superman will have to prove the old-fashioned hero remains compelling for today's audiences — a challenge where prior movies have struggled.

"Can this new iteration be the one that is the spark to say: Superman's still cool?" asked Todd McFarlane, the Calgary-born comics pro who created the Spawn character and co-founded Image Comics. He also founded McFarlane Toys, a company that's making tie-in action figures for the film.

If not, McFarlane says Superman could go the way of Mickey Mouse — a former pop-culture juggernaut who has fallen by the wayside.

McFarlane says it can be difficult to find problems for Superman to face, given his super-powers.

"He's almost god-like, right? So... what's the jeopardy of our hero?" he asked. 

"Superman seems to be able to spin moons on his finger like a basketball. So, what's his Achilles heel?" McFarlane notes this is why early writers came up with kryptonite. 

That's the challenge facing this movie's writer-director James Gunn, who's undoubtedly under pressure to deliver a winner, despite also being the studio's co-CEO. DC Studios did not respond to inquiries from CBC News about the new Superman.

"I wouldn't want to be in his shoes," said McFarlane, despite Gunn's success bringing Marvel's once-obscure Guardians of the Galaxy to the screen.