Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed and co-produced by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris. Based on the DC Comics character Superman, it is the sixth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a homage sequel to Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980),[2][3] while not directly referencing the events of Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).[2] The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, and Parker Posey. The film tells the story of the title character returning to Earth after a five-year absence. He finds that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on with her life, and that his archenemy Lex Luthor is plotting a scheme to kill Superman and reshape North America.
Plot[]
For the previous five years, Superman has mysteriously abandoned his adopted home of Earth while on a journey into outer space to investigate what astronomers believed to be an intact Krypton. In his absence, journalist and past love Lois Lane wrote a scathing article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman", winning her the Pulitzer Prize. Lois is engaged to Richard White, the nephew of Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, and with whom she shares a young asthmatic son, Jason. Notorious criminal mastermind Lex Luthor secured an early release from prison due to Superman not appearing as a prosecution witness during Luthor's fifth appeal trial. By seducing an old heiress, Luthor is able to inherit her fortune, giving him resources for his next scheme.
Superman returns to Earth, crash landing at the Kent farm, just as he did as a child. He reveals to his adoptive mother Martha Kent that he left hoping to find his homeworld, and expresses his dismay at being the only one of his kind remaining. Upon returning to Metropolis in his human identity of Clark Kent, he is shocked to discover the consequences of his disappearance.
When a mysterious nationwide power outage causes catastrophic failures during a space shuttle launch, Clark realizes he must reemerge as Superman. Saving the shuttle and its ferry jet in highly public fashion causes a resurgence of media attention regarding Superman's return. Unbeknownst to anyone, the accident was triggered by Luthor using Kryptonian technology stolen from the Fortress of Solitude.
Luthor sends his moll, Kitty, to distract Superman, allowing him to steal a sample of kryptonite from a museum. Still investigating the earlier power outage, Lois tracks the hypocenter to the mansion Luthor recently inherited and, along with her son, explores the yacht docked there. Discovering Luthor, she is held captive as the yacht heads out into the Atlantic. Luthor plans to use the Kryptonian crystal technology Superman used to create his Fortress of Solitude to create a massive new continent which would swallow some of the current landmasses bordering the Atlantic. The world will then be forced to use his new land. Placing a crystal inside a shell of refined kryptonite, Luthor triggers the new land growth by launching it into the sea.
Lois manages to use a fax machine on board the yacht to send their location to the Daily Planet headquarters, where it catches the attention of Clark and Richard. Upon discovering her attempt at subversion, one of Luthor's henchmen attacks Lois, causing Jason's powers to emerge as he crushes the henchman with a piano – revealing that the (no longer asthmatic) Jason is Superman's son. Realizing this fact, Luthor and his thugs escape by helicopter as the earthquake effects from the growing landmass span back to Metropolis. While Superman works to contain the damage in the city, Richard reaches the yacht by way of a floatplane and releases Lois and Jason from their locked room. The three become trapped when the yacht is split in two by the growing rock formations, knocking Lois unconscious and sinking the yacht. Superman rescues them and gets them to the safety of Richard's plane.
Superman pursues Luthor, who has made his way to the growing land mass. The kryptonite shell surrounding the crystal has caused the new rock formations to be infused with kryptonite, making the land itself toxic to Superman. Luthor's thugs brutalize Superman into submission as he is unable to fight back. Luthor impales Superman with a kryptonite shard and allows him to fall into the ocean, presumably to die.
Regaining consciousness in the escaping floatplane, Lois learns that Superman has gone to confront Luthor. Knowing of the kryptonite danger, Lois convinces Richard to double back to help him. Jason spots the Man of Steel in the water and Lois and Richard get him into the plane, where Lois removes the shard. Recovering, Superman flies high into the atmosphere to regain his strength by exposure to sunlight. Using his heat vision, he then tunnels deep under the new land mass and, using the last of his strength, is able to fly it off into space before it absorbs more land.
Escaping with Luthor in the helicopter, a disillusioned Kitty discards the remaining crystals and the two eventually end up on a deserted island when they run out of fuel. Complications from kryptonite exposure cause Superman to fall into a coma, and while doctors are able to remove more fragments from his skin, they cannot revive him. Lois visits him in the hospital and whispers into his ear while glancing at Jason. Soon after, hospital staff discovers his room empty. No longer feeling alone in the universe, Superman visits his newly revealed son in the boy's room and repeats to Jason the words of his own father as he sleeps. Lois starts writing another article, titled "Why the World Needs Superman". Superman reassures her that he is now back to stay, and flies off into space, where he gazes down at the world.
Cast[]
- Brandon Routh as Clark Kent / Superman
- Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane
- James Marsden as Richard White
- Frank Langella as Perry White
- Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent
- Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski
- Kal Penn as Stanford
- Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen
- Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor
- Marlon Brando as Jor-El
- Tristan Lake Leabu as Jason White
- Peta Wilson as Bobbie-Faye
- Jack Larson as a Bartender
- Noel Neill as Gertrude Vanderworth
- Richard Branson
- Ian Roberts as Riley
Arrowverse[]
Brandon Routh reprised his role as Clark Kent / Superman in addition to playing Ray Palmer / The Atom in the 2019 Arrowverse TV series crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Executive producer Marc Guggenheim was reluctant to call Routh's crossover appearance a sequel when addressing whether the character's appearance would constitute a sequel to Superman Returns "I don't know if it's for me to say. We're picking up so many years after the events of that movie, maybe a coda is a better word than sequel." Set on Earth-96 in the Arrowverse, this version of Superman has become an aged and beleaguered superhero similar to the iteration from the DC Comics' mini-series Kingdom Come; adopting a black belt and an s-shield with a black background as a sign of mourning after losing his friends and wife (having been married to Lois at some point after revealing his secrets to her) to a terrorist attack on the Daily Planet by a psychopath from Gotham City. He is also similar to another iteration, Kal-L (remained working as a newspaper's editor-in-chief instead of went into seclusion after what happened), making this Superman an amalgam of the two, as well as being a facsimile to Ray Palmer (also portrayed by Routh). He is later recruited by heroes from across the multiverse to avert a Crisis caused by the Anti-Monitor. During the event, Superman also references his son Jason (implying that he had discovered his true paternity), as well as the events from Superman III. After the Crisis was averted and the multiverse was rebooted, Superman of Earth-96 is seen wearing a yellow s-shield and belt.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey signed on without having read the script.
- The last line of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) is Superman saying to Luthor, "See you in twenty." That scene was filmed in 1986. Coincidentally, twenty years later, Superman Returns (2006) was released.
- The film is dedicated to Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve.
- Amy Adams auditioned for the role of Lois Lane. She later eventually performed as Lois in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017).
- Bryan Singer wanted Christopher Reeve to make a cameo appearance in the film but Reeve died before filming began. Singer then decided to dedicate the film to him.
- Bryan Singer is on record as saying Superman Returns is a loose follow-up to Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), but does not follow those movies' continuity strictly. It ignores Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). However, there is a reference to Supergirl (1984), which was released between the later two: a radio announcer reports Superman is off on a space mission to a far away galaxy.
- It took twelve years and three vastly different directors to finally get the project off the ground.
- While considered a box-office failure, not only did it out-gross Batman Begins (2005), but it was the second-highest-grossing DC Comics film ever made at the time, after Batman (1989).
- Brandon Routh (Superman) and Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor) don't share any screentime until 112 minutes into the film.
- Jude Law was Bryan Singer's only choice to play General Zod. After Law turned down the role several times, Singer eliminated the character from the script. Zod went on to subsequently appear as the main villain in Man of Steel (2013), with Michael Shannon as the character.
- A sequel was planned, with Bizarro and Brainiac as possible villains. However, due to frequent delays, as well as the first film's massive budget, and underwhelming box-office return, it was canceled. It was to be called Man of Steel, which became the title of the 2013 film, directed by Zack Snyder.
- Hugh Laurie was cast first in the role of Perry White. However, the popularity of his television show House M.D. (2004) caused schedule conflicts. Frank Langella was then cast.
- Brandon Routh (Superman) is two years younger than Tom Welling, who plays the teenage version of the same character on the television series Smallville (2001).
- Brandon Routh and Christopher Reeve were 26 years old when their first Superman films were released. Unlike Christopher, Brandon only performed as the title character in one film. However, in 2019 He reprised the role in The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event.
- It is the first Superman film to receive a PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. All of the previous Superman films were rated PG.
- At 2 hours and 34 minutes, this is the longest solo Superman movie.
- This was Jack Larson's first film since Johnny Trouble (1957) 49 years earlier.
- Brandon Routh would star as another DC Comics superhero, Ray Palmer a.k.a. the Atom, in Legends of Tomorrow (2016), as part of the DC television multiverse, also featuring Arrow (2012), The Flash (2014), and Supergirl (2015).
- Billy Zane was once considered to play the role of Lex Luthor when McG was attached to the project.
- Brandon Routh had previously auditioned for the role of Clark Kent (Superman) in Smallville (2001) which went to Tom Welling.
- Mischa Barton and Keira Knightley were considered for the role of Lois Lane when McG was attached to the project.
- Brandon Routh is a Superman fan, and has a striking resemblance to Christopher Reeve.
- According to Box Office Mojo, it had a budget of $270 million, making it the most expensive superhero film ever made at the time.
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| Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), Superman and the Mole Men (1951), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Superman Returns (2006), Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Man of Steel 2, Justice League: Part Two |