We don’t yet know all that much about what’s going to go on in the new Superman film, but based on what we do know I’m going to plot the story the way I would do it…
Clark Kent always knew he was different. Raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in the small Kansas town of Smallville, Clark soon learned that he could run faster, lift more, and all together do more things than any of the other boys ever could. Whatever it was that made Clark this way he never knew; all he knew was that he was a superhuman amongst average people. Clark eventually leaves Smallville and after he graduates from college with a degree in journalism he moves to Metropolis to get a job at The Daily Planet. Perry White, the paper’s editor, is impressed with Clark’s graduate work and decides to immediately hire him as a freelance reporter.
When a fulltime reporter, Lois Lane, refuses to take a story in a warring Middle Eastern country, Clark jumps at the opportunity to advance his career. Accompanied by fellow freelancer Jimmy Olsen, a photographer, Clark is off to the Middle East. While there working on their assigned story, Clark and Jimmy are caught in a skirmish between the warring factions. Whilst running away, Clark passes a fuel truck just as it explodes. Clark, not knowing up to this point that his unique abilities also make him nearly indestructible, is surprised when he is not killed by the explosion. Saving his questions for later, Clark makes an impulse decision to stop the skirmish and save the people caught in the crossfire.
When this catastrophe is over, Clark and Jimmy return to the states, the former returning to Smallville with questions for his parents. Reluctantly, Jonathan takes the responsibility of showing Clark the nature of his origins: a space ship. The Kents had kept the ship hidden beneath the barn for years, hoping to never have to tell Clark about it. However, Jonathan must now take responsibility and Clark learns that he is not of this world. With knowledge gained from the ship’s memory banks, Clark learns that his true name is Kal-El and that he comes from the planet Krypton, which by this time is destroyed. Clark struggles with this information, but he decides that he must use the time he has on Earth to aid the people that so desperately need him.
A week later, Lex Luthor, a billionaire industrialist and a genius, is holding a party that he has so graciously arranged in Clark and Jimmy’s honor for their having made it home alive (Luthor owns half of The Daily Planet and thus has an interest in these affairs). Clark is rather sheepish about the whole event and he tails Jimmy and Lois, the only two familiar faces in the crowd. Luthor introduces himself to Clark and pats him on the back for his heroic deeds; Clark denies having done anything, claiming that he had been hiding in a bunker the entire time. The party itself is held on the top floor of an apartment building in Luthor’s penthouse. Whatever they may be, terrorists or a group of criminals, a team of men atop the roof of a neighboring building use the party to make an example of themselves. After the men fire a plethora of rockets into the side of the building, the upper portion of the structure begins to tilt and threatens to crash to the ground far below. A great panic ensues amongst the people inside the building as they are to fall to their death. Just as the top of the building begins to fall, a red and blue streak flies in from nowhere. Whatever it is, it catches the building and, after falling a great deal further, it slows it and sets it down gently. As people begin to run out of the building, the red and blue streak once again passes through the air, this time taking out the men on the building opposite. As Luthor steps out, he has a look of shock on his face as a man floats slowly down to the ground before him. With the rocket launchers in his hands, the man crushes them and leaves them at Luthor’s feet. Luthor thanks this man, but he is ignored as the man flies off again.
The media goes wild after this with talk of “The Man of Steel” and, more notably, “Superman.” This will introduce the world for the first time to Superman and after a few years he becomes an icon of Metropolis, though no one truly understands him. After these few years, Superman/Clark has built himself a Fortress of Solitude hidden amongst the northern pole. Here he stores his Krypton heritage as well as some other technologies which he has designed. The only way to get into the fortress is with a very small, but very heavy key that Superman has placed outside. As said, it has been a few years since Superman has first appeared in Metropolis. In that time, the hero has remained a mystery. Lois is assigned to figure out all she can about “The Man of Steel.” Superman, however, remains elusive. Also in the time that has passed, Superman/Clark has been able to reproduce a great deal of technology from Krypton.
One thing specifically that has been reproduced is a portal to the Phantom Zone, a prison for Krypton’s criminals. Superman created the portal with intentions of using the Phantom Zone if ever necessary. What he doesn’t realize is that in doing so he has made it possible for some of those Kryptonian criminals to enter our world. Having been banished to the Phantom Zone many years ago for his crimes of treason, General Zod has found Superman’s portal and uses it to escape. Finding that Earth’s yellow sun gives him great powers and that Earth itself is a fine planet, Zod decides to conquer our world. Attacking critical government facilities all over the world, Zod wishes to make his power known. However, descriptions of the general’s powers lead others to believe Superman responsible for these acts.
Therefore, Superman becomes a public enemy of the world and must fend off military forces. All the while, Superman himself is dumbfounded by this mysterious attacker. Going to Lois, who isn’t sure if she can fully trust him, Superman insures her that he is not behind the attacks and that he is going to do whatever he can to stop them. So it goes that Superman finds Zod and the two clash, two equally matched Kryptonians. The battle stretches over vast lengths of land, leaving each of the two badly wounded and exhausted come the end. Superman wins, of course, and uses his portal to send Zod back to the Phantom Zone. Realizing his mistake, he then destroys the portal. His victory against Zod unknown to the world, Superman is still considered a threat. Clark returns to Smallville to seek advice from his father. Jonathan insures Clark that as long as he never lets himself become what they think he is, then Superman will always be a hero. These words inspire some hope in the young man and he returns to Metropolis.
Once again visiting Lois, Superman decides to tell her his story. Lois’s story, which explains the whole situation with Zod, is printed in the paper, but, as it will be, many do not believe it. Luthor holds a press conference in wake of the opening of his new industrial park outside the city. Luthor is questioned about his thoughts on Superman and conveys that he hasn’t let the attacks sway his opinion. Despite the lack of support for his heroic efforts, Clark comes to the decision that it isn’t up to him whether or not he is Superman. Superman is needed and, as long as that is the case, only death could stop him from protecting the planet that has become his home.
I’ve tried to make something work here with the little details we have heard of the reboot film. I may not have done the best job of describing some of my ideas and some may just be bad, but I’d enjoy seeing something like what I’ve laid out here. I think this first film should definitely set the tone for the rest of the series. I think I was a bit sloppy in my arrangement, but I stand by it.
Cast:
Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman- Henry Cavill
Lois Lane- Amy Adams
General Zod- Michael Shannon
Lex Luthor- Timothy Olyphant; Jon Hamm; Eric Bana
Jonathan Kent- Kevin Costner
Martha Kent- Diane Lane
Perry White- Ian McShane; Dan Lauria; Dan Aykroyd
Jimmy Olsen- Anton Yelchin; Rupert Grint; Jesse Eisenberg
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Following the events of the previous film, Superman is still considered to some as a threat to the safety of the world. Despite this fact, the world is still under the watchful protection of the “Man of Steel.” The film will open with a nuclear arms catastrophe. Somehow, the computers that control the U.S.’s supply of nuclear weapons in Metropolis are hacked by a team of terrorists. The terrorists, in an intelligent move, aim the missiles at South Korea in hopes of a massive counter attack. The missiles are launched and begin their trip towards South Korea. Obviously, this is where Superman comes in to save the day. Five missiles are launched and Superman is able to quickly disarm four of them before they reach foreign soil. However, the fifth missile gets by him and begins to quickly plummet towards the target.
The distance between Superman and the missile is so great that he can catch it, but he will not be able to disarm it before it hits ground. Therefore he uses his laser vision to hit the tail and redirects it towards an isolated lake. Rushing towards the missile now at an alarming speed, Superman actually passes it on its path. Getting to the lake first, he uses his chilling breath to freeze the lake. By doing this, Superman manages to freeze the missile into the water just as it hits. Unfortunately, as he does this the rash judgment of one South Korean officer does cause a counter launch, which Superman is unable to stop. The missile hits, more unfortunately still, very close to Smallville. The radiation effects don’t reach the town (where Martha has gone to pick up groceries), but they do, however, reach the Kent farm where Jonathan is working. Jonathan is not killed instantly, but he is hospitalized along with many other farmers in the area.
Government action is taken to insure that something like this can never happen again. Clark, though somewhat distraught from having failed to stop the South Korean missile, is sent by Perry to report on the Metropolis military base’s response plans. Clark is one of many reporters present for the press conference that will detail the military’s response to the hacking. General Same Lane, Lois’s father, is given charge of the program and is at the head of the press conference. Lane announces that, in cooperation with Wayne Enterprises (yes, THAT Wayne Enterprises), that the military is creating a computer security program that will be impossible to hack. To further describe Wayne Enterprises involvement is Luscious Fox, who states that, while his employer does not condone the funding of military weapons, the security of our nation is of the utmost importance. Clark meets with Fox personally after the press conference is over, wanting to know the greater details of the program, knowing the consequences should it fail. Fox assures Clark that they are designing the best program possible.
Returning to Smallville to visit his father, Clark learns from the doctors that Jonathan might not have much longer to live. Talking with his father, Jonathan tells Clark not to worry about him: “If anything, this should show you that life is too short to waste. Go out and live, Clark.” Clark isn’t exactly sure what his father means by this until Jonathan points to a picture of Lois in The Daily Planet. The film shifts for a moment to space. Across a field of stars what appears to be a very stylized satellite passes. A brief glimpse inside however shows that this is no satellite. A shadowed figure sits in a chair inside the vessel with many wires attached to it. The only words spoken are by a computer which states that the vessel will arrive at Earth in two months’ time.
Things then go back to Earth where Clark and Lois are getting coffee in the break room. Making small talk, Clark mentions having seen her father at the press conference a few days ago. Lois laughs this off, though somewhat halfheartedly. She confides in Clark that the relationship between her and her father isn’t the greatest. Making a joke, she says that her father probably won’t even remember her birthday, which is on the coming Sunday. Clark mentions not having known that her birthday was so soon and asks if she would like to go out to dinner for the occasion. Lois thinks it over for a moment and decides to take him up on his offer. When Clark and Lois go on the date for her birthday he finds that all she seems to want to talk about is Superman. Lois is seemingly fascinated by him, given the various perceptions and the mystery surrounding him. “I think I’m the only one he’s ever been able to trust. Out of everyone in the world, when he wanted to redeem himself he came to me.” Clark recognizes that perhaps he should end the date. Lois comments that she is rather tired.
However, as Clark departs Superman arrives and suddenly Lois is no longer tired. Superman wishes Lois a happy birthday and asks if she will trust him to take her somewhere. She agrees to go with him and Superman takes Lois to the Fortress of Solitude. Giving her a tour, we as the audience get to see for the first time a new feature of the fortress: Superman’s robot servants. Lois is amazed by the technology and the atmosphere of the fortress, saying that she could not have asked for a greater present. Lois stays the night at the fortress, though in a room separate from her host (no hanky panky yet folks). Superman takes Lois home in the morning and departs to survey the city.
Later on, Clark is having lunch with Jimmy Olsen after they have just visited military base to get an update on the computer security story. Clark puts the question to Jimmy: “If you could be you or be Superman, which would you choose?” Jimmy looks at Clark as if he is stupid for asking a question with such an obvious answer. Clark drops the subject and the story goes on. Again, focus turns to the mysterious vessel in space. The computer informs the shadowed figure that Earth has been reached, to which the figure responds with an order to “infect them.”
Down on Earth, Luscious Fox is busy overseeing the final installment of the computer security program. Just as he is about to depart, one of the men present informs him that the system has been hacked. Fox thinks the man is joking, but he soon takes it seriously when another man states that the system has been infected by a virus. Before the entire system shuts down, Fox works to get a read on whomever or whatever hacked the system. Before he can accomplish this, however, all of the monitors in the room flash up a strange symbol. As it turns out, all computer systems and networks around the world have been infected by the same virus. Fox somehow manages to trace the virus to its origin using his cell phone and he is disturbed by what he finds out: the virus is coming from space.
Clark is on a coffee break with Lois when Jimmy tells him that there is a call waiting for him at his desk. When Clark answers the phone, he is surprised to find that it is Fox. Clark is surprised when Fox tells him about the virus, the news not having traveled very fast given that most communications are also infected. Clark sets down the phone for a minute and turns on his computer monitor. As suspected, the strange symbol is all that shows. Clark runs to Perry’s office and gives him the news, and then he runs back to his desk to continue his conversation with Fox. Fox informs Clark that the virus originated somewhere in space and thinks that he may know something about or be able to do something about it. “I’m well familiar with you superhero types. You’re not as hard to read as you think.” Clark is stunned by this, but he decides that for the moment he will have to trust Fox to figure out what’s gone wrong. As soon as Clark hangs up with Luscious, things start to go bad.
Power throughout Metropolis goes out, planes start to malfunction, and anything else that can go wrong does go wrong (including more missile launches). Clark quickly changes to Superman and darts off to set things right. After dealing with what he can and can’t, Superman flies off to find Fox. When he meets with Fox, Superman finds that Lex Luthor is also present to aid in the crisis. With their three minds together, they trace the virus back to its source: the mysterious vessel. Superman flies out into space immediately to confront the vessel. Thinking it to be nothing more than a satellite, Superman tears away its thrusters, sending it hurling towards Earth. Superman beats it back down to the surface and catches it before it hits. The impact against Superman’s hands all but destroys the vessel. Setting it down gently Superman begins to observe the mysterious object.
In an instant, the vessel is torn open from the inside out and from it emerges a very large being. Superman questions the stranger and receives this answer: “I am Brainiac. I am an organic computer. I have come to your world to claim your cities. As you, the one called Superman, stand in my way, you must be terminated.” (Polish that up a little more and it might not sound too corny.) Thus, Superman fights Brainiac in a battle that lasts a great many minutes and spans the entire city of Metropolis. Superman is eventually able to defeat Brainiac, which in turn eliminates the virus from Earth. Even though the virus is gone, a great deal of rebuilding must be done due to the resulting damage. On the bright side, these events put Superman back on the good side of the public and it is decided that he should be given the key to the city of Metropolis.
Lex Luthor is given the honor of presenting the key to Superman. In Luthor’s speech for the ceremony he boasts about a future free of evil due to Superman and calls him “The Man of Tomorrow.” Just as Superman is accepting the key, his expression changes from happy to upset. Abruptly flying off, Superman leaves the crowd confused. Back in Smallville, Jonathan Kent has passed away, this prompting Superman/Clark to quickly fly to the town. Clark can’t help but smile and cry as his father is later buried as his tombstone is inscribed “Life is too short.” The film ends with the camera focusing on this line.
I feel a lot more comfortable with this story than I do with the one from the first film. Maybe it’s because I worked out most of this story on my own as opposed to trying to incorporate the ideas of others into it. One thing that definitely needs addressed is the inclusion of Luscious Fox in this story. I don’t see it ever being likely that there will be a Superman/Batman film. Thus, a simple connection through minor characters can be made between the two major characters. I didn’t address this in my plotting of the first film, but it is also probably important: Lex Luthor. The character of Lex Luthor up to this point is not a villain. In fact, he’s the complete opposite. It will be over time and with major events that he will be turned into a villain. Trust me, I have it all planned out and Luthor won’t be a do-gooder forever.
Cast:
Brainiac- Paul Bettany
General Sam Lane- Kurtwood Smith
Luscious Fox- Morgan Freeman
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The film will start at the present moment with Superman battered and broken charging towards an unseen enemy with great ferocity. Superman hits his enemy with full force, giving us a brief glimpse of what he is fighting. However, before any more of the opponent can be seen the film flashes back 10,000 years. In the untouched wilderness of North America a large object, appearing to be some sort of small spacecraft, hits the ground. The impact is immense and destroys much of the forest surrounding. The crashed spacecraft is shown in the center of the crater for a short moment. Next, 10,000 years are shown flying by in a matter of a minute, nature reclaiming the land, making the impact crater nearly invisible. Towards the end of the expansive time, a city begins to be built which when finished is Metropolis.
The film then resumes it’s time in the present (at least a short time before the exact present tense). Next, the focus comes to a teenage girl standing on a ledge high above the roar of the city. By the look on her face, it is obvious she is contemplating jumping. Just as she is about to put one foot out, a hand rest itself on her shoulder. Turning around, the girl finds Superman standing there. Superman gives the girl a long speech, ending with “You’re stronger than you think you are.” The girl burst into tears and hugs him. Superman then flies the girl down to the ground and flies off with a wave.
Back at The Daily Planet, Lois is having problems with her computer, which she blames on the virus from the previous film. Clark comes by and, rather nonchalantly, presses the power button on the monitor. Lois then follows Clark, trying to make it seem like she didn’t need his help. Clark then replies with “Often times others don’t need help, but I’m always going to be here to lend a helping hand.” Lois just growls at the comment and storms back to her desk. Clark is at the office to pick up Jimmy so the two can go cover a story about the opening of an indoor amusement park. While at the opening, Clark is tailing Jimmy eating cotton candy as the latter snaps pictures. Suddenly, something goes wrong with a roller coaster ride. The car flies off of the tracks and is sent hurtling towards a crowd of people. Clark disappears into the funhouse and reappears as Superman.
Without wasting a second, Superman catches the wayward car, setting it down gently. However, sparks from the roller coaster mishap have jumped onto a vendor’s tent and set it ablaze. The fire catches the oil used for frying food and increases the ferocity of the fire. Superman moves to put out the fire, but before he can, the blaze reaches a propane tank, resulting in an explosion. This explosion causes a chain reaction, causing more explosions. Superman rushes around the indoor facility, scooping up people as fast as he can and setting them down in the center plaza. One massive explosion makes flames large enough to engulf the entire building. Moving to the center plaza with everyone else, Superman freezes the flames around them just before they reach. He then smashes a tunnel through the ice with his fist and leads the people outside. Jimmy having already gone outside, Superman smashes back through the ice to find his civilian clothes in the funhouse. Clark then exits and finds Jimmy outside, his clothes charred and torn.
Later that evening, Lois is sitting outside in a park when Superman drops by. She is surprised to see him and remarks that she isn’t looking her best. Superman compliments her by saying she will always be beautiful to him. Superman then asks Lois how she feels about him. She replies that she isn’t sure, but she thinks that she may have some very strong feelings for him. “That’s what I thought, Lois. Listen, my father once told me that ‘Life is too short to waste.’ I feel very strongly for you too, but we can’t go on wasting our lives on pipe dreams. I can’t commit to you and there are no guarantees for you that I’m going to be around forever.” Lois isn’t sure what he means by this, but Superman makes it clear by telling her that they cannot see each other anymore. Lois seems heart broken, but this quickly changes to anger and she drives him away. Superman then returns to the fortress where he sits alone in the dark with his hand over his eyes.
The next day at The Daily Planet, Lois seems to be undamaged by the whole situation, but Clark is moping around the office and trying to avoid her. While in the break room getting coffee, Lois corners Clark and asks him if he thinks that she is good enough to date Superman. Clark responds with a nervous “yes” and Lois barks at him, as she intended the question to be rhetorical. “Well, apparently he doesn’t think so.” Clark puts his hand on Lois’s shoulder and tries to make her feel better. “Maybe Superman realized that his life is just too dangerous to put you in harm’s way, and it will be better for the both of you if you stay apart.” Lois remarks curiously how insightful the comment was. Clark nervously goes back to pouring his coffee as Lois stares at him.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city, a team of geologists are observing a recent spike in the seismological activity in the city. The geologists have gathered that the cause of this is all occurring around a core location under the city. That, however, is only to tie in to events for later. Things go on and Clark returns once again to Smallville to visit his mother. Clark talks with his mother about Lois and the difficulty he is having in trying to balance his heroics and his love life. Martha tells Clark a story about how when the man she was dating before Jonathan would work too often and she left him for someone more dependable, Clark’s father. Clark takes this as a cue and upon returning to Metropolis asks Lois to go on a date with him. Lois remarks that their last date was rather lackluster, but Clark promises to show her a good time. Lois finds that she actually has a good time with Clark and that maybe he wouldn’t be such a bad man to end up with. At the exact moment as Clark walks Lois to her apartment building, there is a terrible earthquake.
Thus, Superman comes onto the scene to catch falling chunks of buildings and to pull trapped cars out of the ground. Just as he is able to relax after fixing everything he can, Superman is surprised to find that there is another earthquake. This time the quake is even fiercer and decimates a great deal of the area around its origin. Superman rushes to aid as many people as he can. When yet another quake hits, this one not nearly as severe as the previous two, Superman traces the tremors back to their origin. Flying over the ground, Superman finds the exact spot in the ground below where the earth is being pushed up. Superman suspects something and rushes down to the ground, tearing away at the earth to get down to the cause of the quakes.
After sometime of digging, a massive fist punches through the earth and hits Superman, sending him flying into a building across the way. The fist is followed by another and eventually a massive creature tears itself from the ground. As soon as it is free, the creature goes after the nearest visible person. Superman leaps in the way and knocks the creature back. The creature then sets its sights on Superman and a great battle begins. Lois and Jimmy appear at the scene of the battle to report on the story. Lois gets a call on her cell phone from Perry asking “Where the hell is Kent?” Lois replies that she has no idea where Clark is as she watches Superman and this creature fiercely fight each other for a great length of time (the fight between Superman and the creature, Doomsday, should last for about the whole second half or last third of the film). The creature gets the upper hand and knocks Superman down into the ground. As the creature charges off to find another victim, Lois approaches Superman. “You don’t have to do this. That thing will kill you.” This to which Superman replies “Often times others don’t need help, but I’m always going to be here to lend a helping hand.” Lois seems shocked by this statement, recalling Clark having said it, as Superman rushes off to fight the creature.
This is when the film comes back to actual present with Superman charging the creature. The fight goes on for a great deal of time, but in the end Superman manages to defeat the monster. Unfortunately, Superman collapses and does not get back up. Lois runs up to his fallen body and, getting no pulse, announces in a hoarse voice that he is dead. A funeral service is held a week later with Lex Luthor paying for a statue to be built in the central park in Superman’s honor. The film ends with Lois going to visit Martha Kent in Smallville.
For all intensive purposes, this film should make it seem like everything is over and that there will be no more to this story. This way, the audiences will be shocked when they learn that there is going to be a sequel to this film. I would actually want the audience to seem a little disappointed that Superman dies in the film and never gets revived. All of that will be saved for a sequel.
Cast:
Doomsday (Character Model and Motion Capture) - Robert Maillet; Brock Lesnar; Dave Batista
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(NOTE: I have since changed the title to Superman: Legacy)
The very beginning of the film will be a voice over of Lois Lane reading an article that she had written on the death of Superman. After this, the goal will be to show all of the major characters and how the loss of Superman has affected them: Lois spending days away from work, Martha crying alone on the farm, Luthor standing alone in the park staring at Superman’s memorial statue, etc. A specific occurrence will be to have Jimmy out somewhere in the city and witness a robbery take place, something, he notes, would never happen if Superman were around. I think this opening sequence would be better with mostly silence, music, and narration from each character. A note to make is that Lois and Martha, being the only two to know that Superman and Clark Kent were one in the same, uphold that Clark has moved out of the country; if Superman were to somehow return, then his identity would be safe. In Jimmy’s narration, he will make the statement “There will never be another one like him and, as awful as it sounds, I hope there never is.”
Just as Jimmy narrates this bit, nightfall brings a ship hurtling towards the city from the sky. The ship hits in a river that runs through Metropolis. The camera keeps a watchful eye on the water for any disturbance. At the bank of the river, a naked teenage girl steps out of the water. Looking around nervously, the girl runs off into the city. Stumbling across a vicious-looking gang, the girl must defend herself from assault. Surprised herself as much as the gang members, the girl finds that she has incredible strength. After dealing with the gang bangers, the girl steals the clothes of one of them and makes her way deeper into the city. The next day, the papers and all other manner of media are buzzing with the news of the mysterious crash in the river. Perry assigns Lois to get the story on the crash. Reluctantly, Lois goes along with Jimmy to the place in the river where the ship crashed. Finding that Luthor has sent his employees to investigate the site and that the ship has been taken, Lois decides to leave. Jimmy and she have an argument over the situation, the former trying to make the point to Lois that she has to move on with her life.
Back at Luthor’s company’s headquarters, he and his team of scientists are investigating the mysterious ship. Luthor specifically asks for any DNA evidence that can be found, though it is unclear for what he wants this. When Lois gets back to her apartment, she finds that someone has broken in. Finding the girl that appeared from the river, Lois threatens to call the police. The girl claims that it won’t be necessary, introducing herself as Kara Zor-El. Lois is shocked by the name and asks if the girl is Kryptonian. To this the girl responds in the positive and asks where she can find her cousin, Kal-El; Kara had used our computers to discover Lois’s connection with Superman and believes that she can tell her his location. Lois regrets to tell Kara that her cousin is no longer amongst the living. Kara takes this quite well, though the new clearly hurts her deeply. After taking in the fact that her only remaining family has been killed, Kara asks Lois if she can take her back to her ship. Lois informs Kara that “Lex Luthor has taken an interest in your having crashed in Metropolis; if you want your ship it’s likely with him.”
So, Kara seeks out Luthor, going to his company’s headquarters and asking for him specifically. She is ignored until she gives her name, to which Luthor replies with the utmost urgent interest. After entertaining Kara for a few minutes, Luthor takes her to her ship. Getting inside the nearly destroyed vessel, Kara is disappointed to find that the computer has been destroyed. Luthor, however, was able to withdraw information from the ship’s memory banks. Kara asks if the information contains the coordinates of Kal-El’s ship. She hopes that the memory banks of said vessel will provide her with some insight into her Kryptonian heritage, of which she has lost some memory. Luthor explains that the only coordinates are those of a location in the arctic north, but after investigating his team found nothing there. Kara asks that Luthor take her to the arctic location. Luthor agrees, hoping to find some answers of his own.
When the pair arrives at the desired location all that is found is a key lying on the ground. One of the accompanying men that had been on the previous trip to the location explains to Kara that the key cannot be lifted. Ignoring this statement, Kara picks the key up with ease and, finding the keyhole, unlocks the door to the Fortress of Solitude. Luthor orders his men to stay outside as he and Kara step into the fortress. As the door closes behind them, the two are welcomed by one of Superman’s robot servants. Luthor is amazed by all around him as the robot leads them through the fortress. The robot eventually leads Luthor and Kara to a large, upright glass pod in which, to the surprise of both of them, floats Superman. The robot explains that Superman had not actually been killed but fell into a vegetative state, from which he may never recover.
As Kara and Luthor take this all in, Luthor’s scientists back at his headquarters seem to have engineered some sort of biological cell which they refer to as a “successful egg.” In the meantime, Lois has gone to visit the Superman statue. Sitting there alone, she is pleasantly surprised when Jimmy sits down beside her. The two talk about the argument they had a few days ago and apologize to one another. Looking at the statue, Jimmy makes the statement “He’s not really dead, is he?” A tear runs down Lois’s cheek and she and Jimmy share a warm hug. A shot of the statue slowly fades to the real Superman as he floats in his glass pod.
Luthor remains with the body, staring through the glass intently. Kara has gone off with one of the other robots to observe her cousin’s ship. In doing so, Kara finds that there isn’t much in the ship’s memory banks that she doesn’t already know. The robot that accompanies her comforts her, telling Kara: “The mysteries most to which one must seek the answers are those that lie in the future, not in the past. In youth it is better to discover one’s destiny than one’s heritage.” Going back to Luthor, one of the robots present carries a beaker full of black liquid. Luthor questions the robot about the contents. The robot explains that in the fight with Doomsday Superman absorbed some radiation and that the beaker contains the contaminated blood. After the robot sets the beaker down, Luthor picks it back up and hides it in his coat pocket. Saying goodbye to Kara and the robot servants, Luthor states that he must be going. Returning to Metropolis, Luthor gives the beaker of blood to his scientists, telling them to extract from it Superman’s DNA. In doing this, the scientists create another cell which they then merge with the “successful egg” from earlier, which was apparently engineered using Kara’s DNA. Using a machine to accelerate the combined cells’ aging process, the scientists and Luthor manage to create a superhuman being.
Luthor grins widely, believing that he has engineered a successful replacement for Superman. Luthor having placed a replica of Superman’s costume in the age accelerator, the man dresses himself and steps out. However, the man that emerges from the age accelerator is terribly pale in complexion and is just as terribly deformed. Also, the man has put the costume on right side out, thus reversing the ‘S’ symbol. Luthor immediately realizes the error he has made and orders: “Put that bizarre creature down!” The deformed superhuman then looks to Luthor and says: “Bizarro? Bizarro love you.” (This is his mistaking of the word.) The deformed one then leaps at Luthor and grabs him by the throat, throwing him across the lab. After the self-proclaimed Bizarro escapes from the lab, Luthor converses with his science team. They inform him that the Kryptonian DNA has made the man powerful and has allowed for the development of intelligence with the accelerated growth, but the radiation in Superman’s blood has caused the deformation of the body and the retardation of the intellect.
Bizarro goes on a rampage, speaking in opposites and tearing Metropolis apart. Kara returns to Metropolis at the opportune moment to fight Bizarro before he can do any further damage. Kara fights with Bizarro, clad only in her civilian clothes, for some time, but she cannot last forever. Bizarro eventually gains the upper hand and puts his foot down on Kara’s chest announcing “Bizarro help blonde girl.” With Bizarro’s foot crushing her ribs, Kara screams loudly. The sound of her scream echoes through the city. The next shot is of Superman floating in his pod. Kara’s scream echoes through the Fortress of Solitude. In a close up of Superman, his eyes burst open. Back in Metropolis, Bizarro continues to stomp on Kara’s chest as blood starts to come from her mouth. Bizarro glares down at Kara and raises his foot, whispering “Blonde girl no die.” Just before he can stomp on Kara’s chest again, Bizarro is knocked away by a blur of red and blue. The crowd that surrounds the area is shocked as Superman comes to a standing rest on the ground. Bizarro gets back to his feet and, hearing the echoing whispers amongst the crowd of “it’s Superman,” he barks “I love you Superman.”
Bizarro then charges at Superman and Superman charges back at him. The two then engage in a battle that last for a great deal of time. In the end, Superman has Bizarro’s life in his hands, but he spares his enemy. Luthor, however, kills Bizarro with an ultra violet beam. Luthor explains that Bizarro’s mutated anatomy was weakened by Earth’s yellow sun and its ultra violet rays, unlike Superman who benefits from them. Luthor, with this presentation of his involvement in Bizarro’s creation, is arrested despite his good intentions. Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude to repair the damage done to his cousin. After a few weeks, Kara wakes up to find herself in a bedroom in the Kent farmhouse. Going downstairs, Kara finds Clark eating breakfast with his mother. Getting up, Clark introduces Martha to Kara. This, for the most part, ends the film. At the very end, Luthor will be seen in his prison cell ripping up a picture of Superman.
Here we have the first step in making Luthor into a villain. Superman, through no intention of his own, has caused the fall and humiliation of Luthor. Thus, hatred will form from this. Otherwise, this film works to introduce Kara into the ongoing story, who will one day become Supergirl. The biggest weakness this film would have would be the absence of Superman for the greater length of the story. However, I would enjoy seeing this interpretation. True, Superman is absent for most of the film, but I think that makes it even more powerful when he “comes back to life” at the end.
Cast:
Kara Zor-El- Dakota Fanning; Brittany Snow; Emily Browning; Lyndsy Fonseca
Bizarro- Henry Cavill + CGI
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The film starts with a meteor hitting the ground somewhere outside of Metropolis. Immediately after this, the focus turns to a riot taking place in the prison holding Lex Luthor. Having instigated the riot, Luthor makes his cunning escape as the guards deal with the violent prisoners around them. It is clear that Luthor has been planning the escape for some time. He is even caught by a guard in an underground sewage tunnel, but he had planned on this and tricks the guard into stepping under a weak spot in the tunnel, which falls on the guard and allows Luthor to climb out of the hole. Outside the prison walls, a group of Luthor’s employees are waiting for him with transportation and a change of clothes. Luthor changes into a suit and orders his people to take him to the “crash site.” Luthor is then taken to the spot at which the meteor had hit the ground and where his employees have already started to excavate the land.
The next day at The Daily Planet there is a stirring in the office as Clark Kent returns to work (this is some months after Superman has returned to avoid any suspicion). Lois is well expecting this return and gives Clark the cold shoulder when he tries to greet her. This being the first time she has seen him as Clark Kent or Superman since his revival, Lois is very upset with him. Everyone else in the office is surprised to see Clark back, especially Jimmy who informs Clark that Superman has also returned, as if he wouldn’t know. Perry White is glad to see Clark again, but he regrets to inform him that his position on the staff has been filled by another reporter, John Corben. Perry tells Clark that he can tail Corben until a job opens up for him. Finding Corben at his old desk, Clark introduces himself and is greeted warmly.
Back at the Kent farm, Kara is trying to adjust to life on Earth. Martha taken her in as a daughter and has registered her for school, but Kara finds it difficult to fit in with the other teens. Unlike Clark, who had been raised from his infancy to be a human, Kara is jumping into a world completely unfamiliar to her. Getting into a fight with one of the girls at her school, Kara injures the girl terribly, unable to control her strength. Kara tells Martha that she wants to go stay with Clark in Metropolis for awhile, which is allowed.
In the meantime, Corben and Clark have gone to see the testing of a new airline jet at the Metropolis Airport. Something goes wrong with the test and the jet is sent hurtling back down towards the ground. Superman swoops in to stop the jet from crashing, but the rear half breaks off in him catching it. Deciding that the half he has hold of, being the occupied part of the plane, is more worth saving, Superman sets it down as quickly as possible, allowing the other half to crash to the ground. Unknown to Superman, however, Corben was standing in the area where the other half had crashed and he was caught in the explosion. Corben is rushed to the hospital, but he is pronounced Dead on Arrival, most of his body being destroyed in the crash. A funeral is held with an empty casket and Clark can’t help but feel completely responsible.
Not expecting to find Kara waiting for him at his apartment, Clark is a little unprepared to help her with her problems. All he can tell her is this: “Kara, I know that this world is very different for you. I had the benefit of being raised here, whereas you didn’t. Despite how unhelpful it might sound, all I can tell you is that you’ll have to find your own way. No one can tell you how to live your life; you just have to live it and let your destiny find you.” Kara thanks Clark for this as the two lay down for the night, Kara stealing the bed and making her cousin sleep on his couch.
All the while, Luthor and his people continue to excavate the meteor crash site. One of the men in particular, Rudy Jones, has learned more about Luthor’s intentions than he should. Jones is highlighted for a brief moment or two, showing him looking fondly at a picture of his wife and children on his break. The excavating team are looking only for green rocks that Luthor has dubbed Kryptonite. Jones has learned that Luthor intends to weaponize the Kryptonite. Luthor decides that Jones may be a threat to his plans and thus decides to do away with him. Luthor tells his men to “make it look like an accident.” Jones is led into a tunnel that has been dug out of the meteor crater. The tunnel is full of Kryptonite rocks, which bury Jones as the men create an explosion inside.
At the same time, one of Luthor’s science team, Professor Vale, has approached him with a proposition. Vale proposes that, using the brain of a human as the operator, a robotic body could be built with the Kryptonite as the power source. Luthor laughs it off, believing that no one would ever volunteer to have their brain put into the robot. Vale goes behind Luthor’s back and steals one of the Kryptonite rocks. Breaking into the morgue where Corben’s remains are being held, Vale takes the deceased reporter’s brain and put it into his constructed robot body.
Moving back to Clark’s life, in Corben’s death he gets his job back as a lead reporter, though the moment is bitter sweet. Hitting the streets with Jimmy as he used to, Clark makes a trip to the prison to report on Luthor’s escape. A crew is present at the prison to repair the damage done by the riot. While working on the roof of the prison, one of the crew slips, freefalling from a great height as his cigarette ignites a puddle of gasoline. Superman appears to catch the crewman just as the ignited puddle also sets off a tank explosion. The explosion sets part of the prison ablaze, which Superman deals with accordingly.
Back at the meteor crater, Vale has reappeared to once again offer his plan to Luthor. Luthor once again declines. “Very well,” states Vale and, signaling for someone outside, the professor begins an unexpected demonstration. Outside, Vale’s robot begins to pick up large pieces of machinery and throw them about as if they were weightless. Luthor watches on, awestruck at the metal being’s power. To end the demonstration, the robot shoots a green beam of power from his chest, blowing an enormous hole in the ground. Luthor tells Vale that “The robot may do well after all.” Vale calls it Metallo. Metallo, finished with his demonstration, makes his way over to Luthor, who asks the former what he wants in return for his provided services. Metallo replies “I want only one thing: to kill Superman.” Luthor grins at this and shakes hands with Metallo. Metallo (in actuality being Corben) blames Superman for the destruction of his body and thus wants to avenge himself.
However, in Metallo’s demonstration Jones’s body had been unburied. Jones, somehow still alive, climbs out of the rubble and begins walking away from the site. Jones’s skin has taken on a somewhat purple shade and many of his veins show through his skin. Jones returns to his family, who are surprised to see him having been told that he was killed. Hugging his wife before the others, Jones soon finds that the long term exposure to the Kryptonite has changed him. Jones’s wife starts to turn frail in his arms, literally appearing to waste away. Noticing this, Jones looks terrified and lets her go, but he is too late and she has wasted away to nothing but some skin over a skeleton. Jones himself has changed even more with whatever it was he did to her, his skin having grown even more purple and his veins starting to bulge out from his skin. His children look terrified. Jones tries to reach for them to comfort the children, but they back away from him in fear. Looking down at his own hands, Jones cries and seethes in rage.
Turning back to the rest of the story, Luthor makes himself a target by calling Superman out. Superman falls into the trap as he comes to confront Luthor. Metallo attacks the unsuspecting hero and a fight ensues. Superman is greatly weakened by the Kryptonite in Metallo’s body, but he still holds his own against what is simply a metal man, alone something far weaker than anything he has yet faced. Superman is able to defeat Metallo, however drained by the Kryptonite he is. Before they can be arrested, Metallo and Luthor flee.
In wake of the defeat, Luthor kills Professor Vale. Assembling his other scientists, Luthor constructs a much stronger body for Metallo. However, Luthor faces another threat. Jones appears at Luthor’s headquarters, killing people and absorbing their energy to make himself stronger. Reaching Luthor, Jones threatens to kill the man that caused his mutation. Luthor, keeping his cool, realizes the potential of Jones’s power and makes him an offer: if Jones will aid Metallo in killing Superman, then Luthor will cure him of his mutation. Jones agrees to the terms, though somewhat desperately in hopes of one day holding his children again. Luthor calls out Superman once again.
Just before Clark leaves his apartment, Kara asks to go with him, noticing the strain he placed on himself in the last confrontation. Clark orders Kara to stay put. Thus, Superman faces Metallo again, this time the latter being stronger with a more durable body. Also, with Jones, or Parasite as Luthor calls, Superman is twice as vulnerable. Parasite is able to steal energy from Superman at the same time as the Kryptonite in Metallo’s body is weakening him. Combating this dangerous duo as best he can, Superman soon finds himself in a vulnerable spot. Just as Parasite is about to suck the last bit of energy out of Superman’s body, a red and blue blur knocks him away. Kara, having found her place amongst our world and embracing her destiny, appears dressed in a costume similar to Superman’s. Together, Superman and Supergirl fight Metallo and Parasite, in the end pulling out the win. Corben and Jones are arrested and imprisoned, but Luthor manages to somehow escape. In the end, Superman introduces the world to his cousin, officially dubbing her as the superheroine Supergirl.
There is a lot that has to go on in this film to bring all of the characters to the point at which they are come the climax. The film is a different stage in each character’s life. Superman is trying to reestablish himself as a hero as well as trying to rebuild relationships following his revival. Kara is trying to find her place in our world and to learn her destiny. As well, Luthor is turning on a former ally to redeem himself against humiliation. There is a lot working here that has to be done properly and I think I’ve done well with it.
Cast:
John Corben/Metallo- Will Smith
Rudy Jones/Parasite- Patrick Wilson
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The film begins millions, if not billions or trillions, of miles away from Earth. On the planet of Apokolips, the powerful Darkseid reigns supreme. Darkseid, ever lusting to increase his power, learns of something called the “Antilife Equation.” For years, Darkseid seeks the source of this powerful equation. After all of his years of searching, Darkseid pinpoints Earth as the likely source of the power. Leaving Apokolips, Darkseid sets out for Earth to seek the Antilife Equation. To prepare for his arrival on Earth, Darkseid sends his very soul forward before him which will possess a human and begin the quest for the Antilife Equation.
On Earth, Luthor lies in hiding as he is a fugitive. Alone in a secret bunker far from Metropolis, Luthor desperately tries to form a new plan of attack against Superman. In the meantime, Clark has taken some time away from his heroics, allowing Supergirl to pick up the slack as he tries to strengthen his relationship with Lois. This isn’t too much of a problem as the worst Kara has to deal with are petty criminals, not supervillains. However, things don’t stay simple for long. Luthor, remembering back a few years, figures out that the virus that Brainiac used to infect Earth’s networks had left a digital fingerprint.
Given that the virus was apart of Brainiac himself, the leftover data could be used to revive the Brainiac program. To make a long story short, Luthor is able to do this and, after transferring the program into an acceptable machine body, Brainiac is reborn. With Brainiac, Luthor once again infects the Earth’s networks with the powerful virus. This time, however, the virus stands alone and killing Brainiac cannot stop it. Only Luthor knows the key to destroying the virus. Superman is called into action along with Supergirl to save the people of the world from the destruction caused by the infected systems. Brainiac is pleased with the work Luthor has done and makes his move on the two Kryptonians. This time around, Brainiac is much more powerful in the body Luthor has built for him, but even he could not foresee what occurs next.
Luthor, possessed by some unknown, dark force, alters the virus. All around the world, any technology that can blares a strange sound or shows a strange symbol. This symbol is not that of Brainiac as it was before, but appears to be the symbol of Omega. People around the world and in Metropolis begin to act strangely, their eyes glowing red and them falling into a zombie-like state. Shielding themselves from the strange sound and symbol, Superman, Supergirl, and Brainiac, in a manner of curiosity, fly to Luthor. Luthor, possessed still by the dark force and his eyes also glowing red, explains that he has been under the influence of Darkseid for many weeks and that he has activated the Antilife Equation. Superman tries to clear Luthor’s head, but it does no good. Brainiac, seeing that he can take control of Earth with the humans in their current state, kills Luthor.
Superman grabs Brainiac, but it is not him that he should be worried about. In Luthor’s death, Darkseid’s essence passes on to Supergirl. Kara punches Superman and sends him flying, this beginning an epic battle between the two cousins. Brainiac gets in on the fight as well, seeing that he cannot control Earth as long as Darkseid possesses another. Supergirl ends up destroying Brainiac and she also pins Superman to the ground, him having held back in not wanting to hurt her. All the while, zombified humans surround the fight and surround it still with Kara’s foot on Superman’s throat.
Superman looks around him at the terrible state in which the planet is in and decides that his personal feelings no longer matter. Superman lets loose and regrettably gives Supergirl his all. He soon has knocked her down to the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Not long after this, a body crashes to the ground from the sky. Walking out of the impact crater, Darkseid claps his hands as he congratulates Superman on having nearly killed his own flesh and blood. Without hesitation, Superman charges Darkseid. Darkseid swats the Man of Steel about like a fly, giving him a beating worse than what he received at the hands of Doomsday.
“Give up, Superman. This planet that you call your home already is mine. With the very snap of my fingers I can kill anyone of the many people for which you care so dearly, for they are all under my control. Your cousin, your mother, your lover: they are all mine.” This, of course, angers Superman and he unleashes his full fury. Beating Darkseid nearly to death, Superman wins the battle. Showing his enemy mercy, Superman orders him to leave Earth and never return. Darkseid agrees. Though, before he leaves he charges past Superman and, with one harsh blow, finishes off Supergirl. Superman pays no attention as Darkseid flies away from the planet, holding his now dead cousin in his arms.
Earth is shown going back to its former state, the Antilife Equation having lost its effect. However, Luthor and Brainiac’s virus must be dealt with, as well as battle damage. Headlines in the papers, the Daily Planet most notably, ask the question: “Where is Superman?” The answer is soon given as Darkseid is shown back on Apokolips where Superman appears. Superman makes the statement: “I showed you mercy. I gave you a chance to live. I stand by that, but you took the last of my family from me. What was left of my home is gone. Now, I’m going to take your home away from you.” With this, Superman aims his laser vision straight down at the surface of Apokolips.
Darkseid looks confused as Superman continues to blast the planet. Soon, the planet begins to rumble and crack apart. Darkseid tries to run away, but Superman freezes his feet to the ground with his ice breath. With one last blast of his laser vision, Superman flies away from Apokolips as it explodes. There are no guarantees that Darkseid is killed by this, so Superman’s word holds true. Ending the film, Clark makes a visit to his father’s grave, a place he has not been in a long time. Looking to the left of Jonathan’s grave, Kara is buried there next to him. Lois walks up behind Clark and pulls him to her. “She may not be gone forever. After all, you came back. You’ll see her again some day.” Clark smiles at this. The film ends when Lois and Clark return to Metropolis. A woman is heard screaming and Clark runs into a nearby phone booth, changing into his Superman costume. Superman flies off into the sunset and the credits roll. That’s the end, folks.
A fitting end to the Superman series? I’d say a better end to this one than the ending the Christopher Reeves Superman got. What had me crossed here was figuring out how to use Darkseid. I knew I wanted him to be the primary villain of the film, but I wasn’t sure how to bring him to Earth. I think I managed it fairly well, as well as I think I managed to have had Superman defeat him without necessarily removing Darkseid from the film universe entirely. I think the title holds a lot more meaning having killed Kara. After all, Kara did die in the comics eventually and this event truly makes Superman the Last Son of Krypton. Bringing back Brainiac was a good way to redeem myself on the fact that, up to this point, I’ve pretty much killed all of the villains (or locked them away in the Phantom Zone in Zod’s case). Killing Luthor doesn’t affect much, considering this is the last film. All and all, I like what I’ve done with this and all of the Superman films I have plotted.
Cast:
Darkseid- Djimon Hounsou; Idris Elba