The Death and Return of Superman Gets a Two-Part Animated Movie

[Atomic Man]

I can't believe this has happened. The Death & Return of Superman remains my favorite comic book story of all time and is the reason I became a hardcore Superman and DC fan. I was pissed by Superman/Doomsday (it doesn't hold up at all today) and have long dreamed of WB doing this right.

It's easy to adapt the story into two films:

Part 1 begins with a credits montage showing Superman's departure from Krypton, adoption by the Kents, debut as Superman, and revealing his ID to Lois. The movie then opens with Superman's interview with Cat Grant. The JL (mix the League at the time (Blue Beetle, Gardner as a GL, Booster) and include Flash and Batman. The rest of the JL is elsewhere and this team tries to stop the creature. Superman arrives, catches Booster, and the fight begins.

Meanwhile, Lex is watching in Metropolis (have to go with classic Lex instead of Luthor II) while Lois and Jimmy are scrambling to a helicopter to cover the action. Part of the battle has to take place over Cadmus to introduce their cloning operation for Superboy's later debut. Ma and Pa Kent are watching from Smallville, transfixed.

The battle reaches Metropolis, Superman saves Lois and Jimmy's helicopter, Clark and Lois kiss goodbye. The final fight begins as Metropolis watches on. Superman and Doomsday collide a final time and fall to the ground. Lois cradles Clark in her arms as he dies. Despite attempts by Cadmus and EMTs, Superman can't be revived. Word goes out that Superman is dead, Luthor is furious but plans to build the memorial. Ma and Pa are shown collapsing at hearing of Clark's death.

Cadmus arrives and takes Doomsday and Superman's bodies. Lois goes to Batman (he has to be in this more than the original story, unfortunately) to steal Clark's body from Cadmus. They succeed and return his body to the tomb in time for the funeral. The funeral scene has to be recreated almost entirely from the original story. The Kents, meanwhile, go to bury Clark's things and Jonathan has a heart attack. As Clark's casket is interred beneath the memorial statue, Jonathan flatlines. The funeral over, Lois gets a call from Martha about Jonathan. Jonathan finds himself in the afterlife and sees Clark at the center of the Kryptonian funeral procession. He pulls Clark out of the procession and away from the light and back toward life. Jonathan awakens in the hospital, calling out Clark's name and telling Martha "I brought Clark back to us, Ma." Lois returns to Metropolis and is called to Superman's tomb by Inspector Henderson: Superman's body is missing. End of the first movie.

Part 2 begins with Lois investigating "Superman sightings." We meet the Steel, Last Son, and Cyborg as she does, seeing each of them in action and Lois' reactions to them. Last Son and Cyborg disturb her most. Superman (not Superboy!) is waiting for her at the DP and hilarity ensues. We cut to Cyborg Superman flying Doomsday into space, chained to an asteroid. In the Fortress of Solitude, we see the source of Last Son's power: the solar matrix. A figure stirs within as we cut to an alien ship arrive over Coast City. The pods are deployed, destroying Coast City. In Metropolis, Cyborg Superman leads a press conference, announcing to the world that he, the Last Son, and the young Superman will tackle the threat in Coast City and help any survivors. The JL mobilizes to confront the ship as it returns to orbit. Once at the former site of Coast City, Cyborg Superman annihilates the Last Son and incapacitates Superboy.

The Last Son's energy form returns to the Fortress, where the robots reveal that he's the Eradicator and how he took Superman's body back to the Fortress. In the wasteland that was Coast City, Cyborg Superman and Mongul oversee the construction of Engine City while Superboy looks on. In the Fortress, a figure emerges from the solar matrix, appearing to be the Last Son in a black suit. He asks why his eyes hurt and to be shown what's happening. The robots show him Superman's battle with Doomsday, death, and the four Supermen. Determined, he tells the robots he has to get to Metropolis. Cyborg Superman launches a missile with Superboy attached toward Metropolis; Superboy uses his tactile telekinesis to escape and bring the missile down in the Atlantic. He's rescued from the ocean by Steel, who brings him to emergency personnel at Metropolis Harbor. Lois arrives to cover the story. As Superboy explains what went down in Coast City and the true intentions of the Cyborg Superman, a Kryptonian warsuit seen earlier in the Fortress. The black-clad figure emerges from the suit, claiming to be Superman. The scene where he and Lois kiss and she realizes it's him has to be there. Superman leads the Man of Steel and Superboy to Coast City, where they find a restored Eradicator. The Eradicator confirms that Superman did indeed die and joins the battle against Cyborg Superman's forces. Superman faces Cyborg Superman, who reveals himself to be Hank Henshaw and that he blames Superman for his wife's death during a botched space mission. Henshaw moves to blast Superman with the kryptonite canon, Eradicator jumps in front of Superman, and the energies are converted to yellow solar radiation, restoring Superman's powers. He defeats Henshaw with a punch to the chest/super-speed vibration.
Superman thanks Steel and Superboy for their help, with Steel asking Superboy if he's still going to call himself Superman. Superboy replies with "I'm not Superman. That guy's Superman, the one and only!"

We cut to Lois working in her apartment in Metropolis. She's writing two headlines: SUPERMAN LIVES and SUPERMAN DIES AGAIN. A tap at the window draws her attention, and she walks over and opens the window. Superman floats outside, wearing his classic uniform. Lois jumps into his arms and they kiss. They break the kiss, and Lois says, "Whew! Been awhile." They both laugh and return to kissing as we watch the happy couple and Metropolis shrink away as we leave Earth and it too shrinks away. Amidst the starlit void of space, a familiar asteroid floats by. Doomsday lifts his head up, looks into the camera, and smiles. Fade to black.

To me, these are the major beats that can and have to be hit to be faithful to the story.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Isn't Superman: Unbound an actual latest Superman solo animated movie? And it was a great one.

You're right. Superman: Unbound came out last...and underperformed well below what they had hoped. The one-two punch of Elite and Unbound is why we hadn't gotten anymore Superman solo animated movies till now.

[Slaughter]

Honestly they could easily make it a trilogy. Death, Reign and Return. I think it would be way better and less rushed. A lot of people conflate Reign with Return, but the whole point of Reign was to show the Superman-substitutes and the world with a dead Superman.

I hope the second part of the movie covers the best part of Reign: The big knuckle-duster between Steel and Eradicator. Man of Morality vs Unfettered Power.

[DochaDocha]

I think they can largely skip the actual death part and focus on Reign and Return. How many times do we need to see Superman vs. Doomsday, and a funeral? It's the other stuff that's new ground to chart.

[stephens2177]

Agree with you guys,Reign and Return should be where the most of the screen time goes too.its the parts we haven't seen and it will show what made this story a great read

[Slaughter]

Btw, they should bring in the compositors from the Death and Return of Superman SNES game, because that game OST is practically the Death and Return's soundtrack.

I also agree that Reign is the most interesting part to show.

Its why I think three movies would be better:

DEATH:
- Starts with some normal Superman action. Superman vs the Underworlders. Keith the Orphan and Lois Maybe up the threat a bit with cool Warworld weaponry. Lots of cool visuals here, like all the weird monsters and those huge Warworld machines.
- From time to time, we see *something* punching up a huge metal door in the dark. Make the punching sound like someone is trying to open a door with a nuclear ram made of titanium-hard flesh and bones. Of course, it should sound like *DOOM, DOOM, DOOM*. Also, that demented laugh characteristic of Doomsday, like in the videogame.
- Close the chapter on the Underworlders with the good ones arresting the bad ones, Superman flies back home, then goes to be on TV, and meanwhile Doomsday gets out and fights the League.
- Superman arrives.

- The League: I would leave most of the at-the-time team on. Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire and Ice, Maxima. Swap Bloodwynd for Martian Manhunter for obvious reasons. Guy is a Green because it would be too complicated to explain why Guy is around with a yellow ring. Maybe add Batman and Flash for some star power. I don't want to go full Morrison to leave it for the obvious Doomsday War future movie.
- Important part to keep: The fight in the Andersen House. I love that sequence, Superman tussles with Doomsday, gets cocky and hit, and we end up with a burning house, a battered league and a Superman facing the dilemma between saving these people and allowing Doomsday to go unchecked, and hoping the League can bail them out so he can put a stop to Doomsday. Particularly significant if you consider that Mitch Andersen (AKA Outburst, remember?) felt for years he was the reason Superman and all the people in the path of Doomsday died.
- Thing to add: Discreetly show Doomsday's adaptation capability through the fight.

- Other favorite parts: Fight through habitat (further Cadmus tie-in. This is important), Cadmus and Underworld. I want to see Doomsday go at with Clawster for a bit (Clawster barely lives, of course, because as Clawster kept reminding us, "Clawster is invulnerable!" Clawster, meet true invulnerability).
- I love that scene where Superman throws Doomsday at a mountain.
- When Doomsday gets into Metropolis, it should get out-right Disaster Movie-ey. Destruction left and right. Pull a Man of Steel, but this Superman is no neophyte, so he limits casualties as much as he can. Maybe even flirt a bit with the idea of Doomsday Kid Miraclemannin' Metropolis*, then Gotham, then... the world.
- I love how things get so bad at the end, everyone tries to pitch in and help - Emil Hamilton with the laser cannon, Matrix, Cadmus/Military, etc. Raises the stakes!
- Superman wins not by simply battering Doomsday until he fails, but by breaking his bone structure, as in the original comic. That was a very cool scene. Then they bash each other to death.

After the big fight, we get the lamentations, after-effects, character reactions, the fight over Superman's body between Luthor, Cadmus and the SCU, and lastly the burial. I'm not sure if the film should end with the burial, or in Jonathan Kent "bringing our boy back". That could be a cool beginning for the next movie, too.


*if more impersonal, because Doomsday lacks Kid M's sheer viciousness.

[DieHard200904]

You mean the one that based on New 52 versions of characters? God bless these two movies won't be a part of that animated universe.

That universe is pretty much Batman's Universe as it is. I would like it as a standalone that sticks to the original story. All-Star Superman was a good animated film and not part of any shared animated universe. Same with a few other animated Superman movies they made.

[Clark_Kent]

2 parts is plenty, I think, to hit the main beats. And you never know, they might stretch them out to 80 or 90 minutes each instead of the standard 72 or so. Especially since this is for the anniversary.

Did any of you ever listen to the BBC radio drama? I believe it was called "Superman: Doomsday & Beyond" in Europe and "Superman Lives" in the states. Anyway, that radio show covered everything from the Lexwing going down all the way up to Superman tapping on Lois' window when he returned. A lot of it was rushed, of course, but it got the point across. This is how I would do the 2-parter:

Part One:

• During opening credits, images & narration intercut with credits would tell us some setup; essentially, it would sound like a news report. We'd hear about how Lex Luthor, recently diagnosed with cancer rumored to have come froma Kryptonite ring, has apparently died during a test flight of the Lexwing, off the coast of the Falklands, or wherever. While the credits still role, we are treated tosnippets of a conversation between scientists discussing cloning his body & transplanting his brain. Basically, by the end of the credit sequence, we have established:
* Lex Luthor II exists
* Lex Luthor II is a CLONE
* Cloning exists, and is possible; this is important for setting up Superboy later.

• After the credits, we see Superman doing some day to day stuff. No Underworlders, they aren't needed for this story. Superman comments to himself how it's such a wonderful day to be alive. Taking one last spin on his patrol, he sees a man falling from
a high-rise construction site. This man is John Henry Irons. He introduces himself, and Superman gives him the "make it count for something" speech.

• Superman flies to the fortress. The robots are there, asking if he needs assistance. He tells them he came there to think. The robots ask if he's there to think about Krypton. One of the robots remind him of how the Eradicator, an ancient Kryptonian machine, had built the fortress to help remind Kal of his heritage. Superman remarks how he was barely able to defeat the Eradicator here once upon a time, but now seeing how cold and lifeless the fortress is it reminds him that he needs warmth & compassion. It is time to tell Lois about his double life (this sets up Eradicator later in 'Reign').

• At their apartment, engaged Lois & Clark are watching television. A PR commercial for Lexcorp comes on, they see Lex II introducing himself and the commercial announces how Supergirl has joined Team Luthor. After the commercial, Lois starts talking about how Lex II was a huge secret from the world, and how Lex was such a secret keeper. This inspires Clark to reveal right then that he is Superman. Cut to Lexcorp, and Supergirl reveals to Lex she is a shapeshifter from an alternate dimension. He loves her anyway, etc.

• At this point, we're about 15 mins in. We cut to pounding against steel in the darkness. After a while, we see a hand pound through. Doomsday is here.

• Doomsday is tearing up an interstate. Local cops on the scene are overwhelmed. One of them hears on the radio that the Justice League has been called.

• Cut to the school where Mitchell Anderson is watching Superman on television doing an interview with Cat Grant. Eventually the show is interrupted to broadcast the JL fighting. Superman excuses himself.

• Superman meets up with the League, fight begins. Broadstrokes from the comics, but they do fight over Habitat. We get to Metropolis, and the fight goes much like the comic. Supergirl is KO'd. Superman & Doomsday kill each other.

• We're 1 hour in now, and over the next 30 minutes we see the fallout. The funeral happens, the body is stolen. Cadmus is cloning. Supergirl, while investigating, finds Guardian in a tunnel, he returns the body. Lex gives his speech in the tomb.

• Jon Kent suffers his heart attack, finds Clark on the other side. "I brought him back."

• Lois returns to Metropolis. Perry meets her there, tells her "we just hit the jackpot. There's FOUR Supermen now..."

• Lois enters the tomb. The coffin is empty.

"To Be Continued"

I believe you can easily fit all of this into an 80-90 minute runtime. Everything is setup, minus Henshaw and the accident - that is saved for the big flashback reveal in part 2.

This is just off the top of my head tho, I could be forgetting a few things.

[daBronzeBomma]

To be fair, I liked 2007's DOOMSDAY animated movie if for no other reason that they finally gave Lex Luthor a memorable set of "civilian" duds:


Nothing says "overconfident d-bag" like a high turtleneck and matching suitcoat. Totally Lex's style.

As for this new movie ... well, I guess I'm glad that 2018's DEATH OF SUPERMAN animated movie will count as part of the 80th Anniversary celebration, but like others have said,

Are there no good Superman stories left that DON'T revolve around his origin, death or becoming a bad guy??

[TheCape]

I think that my user image, pretty much give away what i think of this. But to sum it up. i loved it, i'm far more excited for Part 2 than 1, but i think that DOS is one of those stories that can work better in a animated format.

Are there no good Superman stories left that DON'T revolve around his origin, death or becoming a bad guy??

Well this also include his resurrection and the apperance of famous characthers, one of then making a his animated debut, so is even out.

[stephens2177]

[DochaDocha]

Some things I'm looking forward to in this two-parter is that I hope they limit death and funeral to about 20 minutes, or 15% of the total run time. While I have no desire to see another death scene, I do hope that they reach new cinematic animated action heights in the actual battle. I'm not one of those people who found MoS' destruction to be all that offensive (if not a bit on the disaster porn side), so I want to see these combatants unleashed.

If almost the entire first half is dedicated to death and funeral, though, I'm going to say this is just another excuse to tell the Death of Superman story and that the Reign and Return are just the toll charge to have the story told.

[stephens2177]

Some things I'm looking forward to in this two-parter is that I hope they limit death and funeral to about 20 minutes, or 15% of the total run time. While I have no desire to see another death scene, I do hope that they reach new cinematic animated action heights in the actual battle. I'm not one of those people who found MoS' destruction to be all that offensive (if not a bit on the disaster porn side), so I want to see these combatants unleashed.

If almost the entire first half is dedicated to death and funeral, though, I'm going to say this is just another excuse to tell the Death of Superman story and that the Reign and Return are just the toll charge to have the story told.

God plz give us the reign and return for the most of it,that's when it was epic

[Minerboh]

I was hoping for a Last Days Of Superman and Superman Reborn adaptation.

For Tomorrow is also a good choice, i can't understand why they always ignoring this story.
I would also like to see a Superman Transformed (Electric Smurf costume), Superman Forever (his classic costume returns), Godfall, the Exiled arc.

There are plenty of choices.

[Sacred Knight]

I think Reborn could be cool but it'd work best as stand-alone, without any of the Last Days, two Superman crap involved. Like, you begin the movie with a premise of Superman waking up with his memories scattered, being married to Lois which he cannot recall, having a son which cannot recall, and also finding out there's someone else calling himself Clark Kent. Then you go from there, with him operating as Superman despite this odditities, leading to the reveal of Mxy and then just say it was solely him who was messing with Superman's reality, as opposed to the larger Rebirth ideas from the comics being incorporated.