As we first told you earlier this week, Superman sees the Man of Steel unmask the Lex Luthor-controlled Ultraman, only to find his mindless, long-haired clone staring back at him.
After the villain is defeated, the movie concludes with the world once again embracing Superman as a hero (despite Luthor's best attempts to paint him as a villain, courtesy of a surprisingly twisted message from Jor-El and computer-controlled "troll" monkeys).
In the movie's final scene, Supergirl comes to retrieve Kyrpto, and Kal-El is revealed to have replaced the recording of his Kryptonian parents with one of Ma and Pa Kent, as he embraces his humanity and chooses to protect rather than rule.
What happens to the rest of Superman's leads? We'll start with Lex. When his actions are exposed to the world by The Daily Planet team—thanks to an assist from Eve Teschmacher—he's arrested and seemingly taken to Belle Reve. While he orchestrated the war between Boravia and Jarhanpur, it was only ever an excuse to find a reason to kill Superman, a being he envies and fears in equal measure.
Superman also defeats the Engineer during the final battle. She's seemingly taken into custody, too, while Ultraman is left trapped in the black hole opened beneath Metropolis by Lex's out-of-control pocket universe.
Lois Lane reveals that she loves Clark Kent after he told her that earlier in the movie, and Jimmy Olsen seems happy enough to once again be dating Eve. Perry White, meanwhile, quickly deduces that Lois and Superman are seeing each other, though whether that means he's seen through Clark's hypno-glasses isn't clear.
Metamorpho joins the Justice Gang, but only because he agrees with Guy Gardner that it's a good name for the team. During the final act, he helps the Green Lantern Corps member and Hawgirl stop Boravia from invading Jarhanpur. Mister Terrific, meanwhile, plays a key role in stopping Metropolis from being destroyed.
Rick Flag Sr. only has a very small role in Superman. After the Metahuman team decided to get involved in international affairs with no consequences, it's made clear to him that superbeings now call the shots in the world, not the U.S. Government and not A.R.G.U.S.
The post-credits scenes are fun, but don't add much to the movie. The first has Superman and Krypto watching over the Earth while sitting on the moon, and the second finds the Man of Steel bantering with Terrific over his efforts to repair the crack in the city caused by Lex.
"Superman is an indescribable joy," we said in our review. "A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas. Fortunately, under James Gunn’s expert direction, all of those work, creating a rousing experience that flies higher than DC has in a very long time."
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.
Superman is now playing in theaters.