The Death of Superman

• Directed by Sam Liu and Jake Castorena
• July 20, 2018 (San Diego Comic-Con) / July 24, 2018 (Digital)
• Based on the DC storyline The Death of Superman by Mike Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel

Voice Cast

• Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman-Jerry O’Connell          
• Lois Lane-Rebecca Romijn
• Lex Luthor-Rainn Wilson
• Princess Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman-Rosario Dawson
• Hal Jordan/Green Lantern-Nathan Fillion
• Barry Allen/Flash-Christopher Gorham
• Orin/Arthur Curry/Aquaman-Matt Lanter
• Victor Stone/Cyborg-Shemar Moore
• J’onn J’onzz/John Jones/Martian Manhunter-Nyambi Nyambi
• Bruce Wayne/Batman-Jason O’Mara
• Mayor Booker-Jonathan Adams
• Silas Stone, Perry White-Rocky Carroll
• Bruno Mannheim, Dabney Donovan-Trevor Devall
• Jonathan Kent, Astronaut Jim-Paul Eiding
• Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman-Patrick Fabian
• Martha Kent, Dr. Klyburn, Camper-Jennifer Hale
• Bibbo Bibbowski, Kryptonian AI/Eradicator-Charles Halford
• Mercy Graves-Erica Luttrell
• Jimmy Olsen, Steve Lombard-Max Mittelman
• Cat Grant-Toks Olagundoye
• Dan Turpin-Rick Pasqualone
• Maggie Sawyer, Terri Henshaw-Amanda Troop
• John Henry Irons, Officer-Cress Williams

Superman battles against an insurmountable foe named Doomsday.

I like that this keeps things relatable despite the presence of nearly all powerful beings. There is a strong focus in The Death of Superman on the budding relationship between Lois and Clark. Clark is wrestling with being completely open to Lois. He clearly hasn’t told her everything with his secret identity being chief among the secrets he has kept. There is even the hint of commitment issues on the behalf of Clark due to his generally secretive nature.

We see the super side and the human side of Clark Kent. As a character Clark is grounded in reality. He’s also very caring and protective of those that matter to him. As an individual he is more moral than intellectual. Not a bad thing and one of the things that makes him the big blue boy scout.

Despite battling a powerful villain and superpowered individuals, what happens in this story is motivated by understandable things. We’ve all had to meet the parents or been concerned about how a relationship is going because we genuinely care. There are understandable motivations driving the characters even if the events are fantastical.

As I recall this came out around the time when DC rebooted its entire line. This took some inspiration from that. One was the Superman/Wonder Woman romance which was pushed in the rebooted comics for a bit. I was convinced it was going to replace the traditional Superman/Lois romance. Like the early hints in this arc of the DC films, that always felt forced for the sole purposes of doing something different. What it missed was that Lois may not have powers but she as a character is downright equal to Superman because she is capable and strong in her own way as Superman is in his.

The massive ego and unbridled hate Lex Luthor has for Superman is at the forefront here. He has the intellect and resources to back up his ego but is blinded to the reality that if he just channeled things differently he would get the love and adulation he desires. That at its core is what drives Lex. Despite all his wealth and power Superman has one thing Lex wants but can never get and retain. Then again these older DC animated films got characterization so very right.

I do not think in this arc of the story any member of the Justice League was necessary. It somehow makes Superman’s death less tragic because the fight is not quite his last stand. It is THEIR big fight. We get just about every member that was active in the animated films showing up here. What can Batman do against something that can kill Superman?

This only touches on how the death of Superman affects people and that’s just during the closing moments of the film. Bibbo probably gets the most focus of any of the characters and in the original as I recall (though it’s been a few years since I read it) he was very deeply upset. The emotions generally work as they drive home the emotional impact. The Kents crying at the funeral for their son, but they can’t tell anyone. The animation displaying the shocking nature is perfect with the coup de grace being when they show his cape flowing in the wind. An iconic moment from the comics that shows more than any bit of dialogue or action could.

The film is exciting and dramatic. There’s plenty of epic superhero moments. The battle between Doomsday and Superman brings you to the edge of your seat. Most of the characters they use get a little moment to shine. Nothing that seriously overshadowed the main character. I just feel like they should not have been used. If you must use somebody that was not necessary avoid making them fluff and this manages that.

I’ve said for a long time the people that helmed the DC movies should have guided the live action iterations of the characters. The Death of Superman is accessible to all. It is not crushingly downbeat. It just doesn’t talk down to the audience. It doesn’t try to soft-pedal things or keep it simple. It doesn’t shy away from humor when appropriate. That’s the way a movie should be. Not one joke after another.

The Death of Superman is an excellent adaption of the story. Not a one-to-one adaption, but pretty good with excitement and drama and emotion.