Superman Reborn is a 2021 movie directed by Brad Bird and written by Bruce Timm and James Gunn. It stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and is a part of the DCU.
Cast[]
- David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman
- Ana de Armas as Lois Lane
- Billy Zane as Lex Luthor
- Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
- Sam Worthington as Metallo
- Keith David as Perry White
- Dennis Quaid as Jonathan Kent
- Elizabeth Shue as Martha Kent
- Anson Mount as Jor-El's voice
- Giancarlo Esposito as John Jones (Cameo)
Plot[]
- On Planet Earth - We see a couple in their early 40s driving a truck in Kansas. These are Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent. They discuss about Politics and are critical of the mogul Lionel Luthor, BUT THEN a meteor seems to fall and they nearly crash. As they get out of the truck they see a ship. Jonathan tries to understand what it is. As the ship opens, they see a cute baby - around 3 years old. The couple instantly falls in love with the Young boy. Martha convinces Jonathan to adopt the child and he agrees
- 21 Years later, the 24-year-old Clark walks on Metropolis...He suddenly sees a woman threatened by a thug. He activates his super speed, he moves like a Blur, and the thug is shocked. The next morning, there is a report on the Daily Planet about the mysterious Blur.
- Clark tells his parents about what he just did at his home in Smallville. He understands that while he is different, he can't hide forever and understands that he can use his powers. Jonathan is a bit critical of it but Martha is much more supportive.
- Martha just shows him the suit she has created for him. She is laughing at the nickname "The Blur", and states that the name "Superboy" is better. Jonathan then tells her that Clark is not a boy. Martha then tells Clark that the S on his suit is in the form of the projectors they found from his ship, which gave them hope. Clark responds that this is what he wishes to show the world. Clark holds the red cape then, and as the screen cuts we see the red cape flying from afar...
- At the Daily Planet, The reporter Lois Lane demands information about the mysterious Blur, who fought criminals in Metropolis streets. She is eager to get the story before the Daily Planet's rivals, "The Inquistor", will get it. We are introduced John Corben, who is also a reporter at the Daily Planet. He and Lois are on good terms and are just starting to date each other (They are still not a couple).
- Clark assumes a job at the Daily Planet after a successful report about The Blur's operations. He is shocked as he enters the Planet; he is used to the small town of Smallville. Through Clark's eyes, we are put in the shoes of a small town boy who just left to the big city which makes Clark relatable.We see the reporter Perry White who greets him quickly. White asks John Corben about his report on Cadmus Lab nd has no patience for the newcomer Clark. He quickly assigns him to Lois Lane. Clark is instantly fascinated by Lois' beauty, but she has no patience for him and is working on an article. Lois is mad at Perry for it, having just won a Pulitzer and being too prideful. Clark struggles to fit in within the Daily Planet and is shocked by the Big City. Lois is also arrogant towards him and is not interested to work with Kent.
- The young Jimmy Olsen is the only one who has time for Clark, The two quickly develop a friendship and Jimmy shows him some of his works. Clark is impressed. John Corben then approaches Clark and gives him a handshake. Unlike Lois, he welcomes him with open arms and is pretty nice, also. Perry assigns Lois and Clark to be partners, much to Lois' disappointment and anger.
- Clark and Lois head out of the Daily Planet building. Clark attempts to develop a conversation, but Lois only brags about her Pulitzer prize. Then, everyone is screaming. Clark notices a gang with advanced weapons committing a massive robbery. Lois is hiding and then notices that Kent is gone.
- We see the red cape from afar. As the screen zooms in, we see Clark in the famous suit we are all familiar with. He stops the robbery and disarms the criminal with ease. Everyone is hailing Clark. He creates eye contact with Lois Lane and flies away
- The next morning, Perry White demands to find the man who saved the plane, Jimmy Olsen offers to continue the use of the name "The Blur" as it became trending, and Lois nicknames him "Superman"; both Perry and Clark dig the name. Clark then picks a book which is Lex Luthor's autobiography, called "Art of Winning". Both Lois and Perry dislike Luthor, who they as a populist who attempts to buy the country and take it over, putting a facade of a charismatic and charming leader. In the background, we see a speech by Lex Luthor. He is a fantastic orator. Very charismatic. Authoritative with a low, Baritone voice You'd easily give in to his speeches. He almost looks like the perfect American Leader. A lot of Americans kiss the ground he walks on.
- The article gives us a summary of Luthor's history: He was born to the wealthy Businessman Lionel Luthor, and once he got a loan from his father he started to invest in business ventures. Lex is a genius and quickly became very rich and gained a crowd of fans who adore his business achievements and ideals. After his father died in a plane crash, Lex took over LuthorCorp and renamed the company "LexCorp", becoming one of the strongest people in America with presidential aspirations and high sway in the American politics.
- Lois discovers that Clark is already working on an article, which angers her. Lois is obsessed with this Superman. John Corben attempts to convince Lois that this Superman guy can be a threat to her but she ignores his warnings. Clark disagrees with Corben and softly says that this guy might be a good man.
- We see Clark at his Metropolis apartment. He is thinking of his childhood at Smallville when everything was..simpler. He looks at a picture of him from his childhood.
- Lois and Clark head toward a LexCorp conference they were sent to cover. Clark is shy and a bit clumsy, and while Lois still sees herself as superior to him she starts to develop a sympathy towards him. The two enter the Lex-Tower and Clark is shocked by the place. A guard approaches Lois and Clark and tells them Mr. Luthor would like to meet them, privately.
- The two enter Lex Luthor's office. He welcomes them. They then see a bald man, with an average figure - This is Lex Luthor, and we are introduced to him for the first time. When we saw the TV Article about him he had a receding hairline, now he is completely bald. Lex says he agreed to an exclusive interview with The Daily Planet.
- Lex handshakes Clark. Lex tells Clark he was impressed with his article about Superman, but that this Alien is dangerous to America. During their interview, Lex shares his Conservative worldview: He believes that Superman is an Alien who is dangerous to America and traditional American values, and he also argues that America lost the values that once made it great and that America must go back to its traditional roots. Clark is confused and seems a bit bothered by this statement. Luthor continues, he says America needs to be stronger, instead of disrespected by foreign nations.
- Clark notices the thug he fought before he became Superman. This is Heinrich Melch and he is accompanied by henchmen with dark clothing.
- Clark tries to convince Lois to leave, but just then - Heinrich and his men pull out guns and tell everyone to be calm if they want to go home safely. Clark tries to attack Heinrich but he hits him and Clark pretends to be unconscious. Lois screams and is then held by the thugs. Clark then makes sure nobody sees him..
- Heinrich talks with the mayor, who tells him he can get him everything he wants. He is satisfied, but then Superman arrives there. Heinrich gets mad, he tries to hit him but Superman defeats him easily. Superman assures everyone that everything is okay. He helps an older man to stand on his feet and flies away rejecting interviews from the press.
- At his apartment, Clark watches a debate on the TV about Superman. Some reporters are afraid of Superman and his power, they don't know who he is and where he came from, while others are saying that he can be a protector; "The Man of Tomorrow". Clark doesn't want to be a symbol of fear, and looks at his hands and fears that people will be scared of him. He understands that he doesn't desire it.
- Clark, as Superman, goes to Lois' apartment. She is shocked to see him but is excited, and he agrees to give her a private interview. Superman and Lois' chemistry is almost perfect, she is starting to fall in love with him and he already has feelings for her. Superman thanks Lois and leaves, she watches him with an excited look and praises herself that she is about to win another Pulitzer. Superman then stands at the Daily Planet rooftop with a hopeful look, while citizens are noticing him. The look of fear in their eyes turns into a hopeful look.
- We cut to the LexCorp's tower. Mercy Graves hands Lex Luthor a paper of the Daily Planet. Luthor is mad. He owns many papers that are adopting his narrative, but he is mad that the one Paper that he failed to take over is now taking a pro-Superman stance. Not only that, but the Daily Planet is one of the most effective papers in America, so effective that they can even end the career of someone like the President.
- Lex then notices Superman watching him from behind. He opens the window so he can talk to Superman. Lex explains that his father, Lionel Luthor, built the Luthor Empire and that he expanded it. Luthor also explains that he got the entire Congress on his payroll and that while Superman is physically powerful, real power is authority. Lex declares that tomorrow he can become President. Superman then declares that he knows Lex was behind Heinrich's attack. Lex denies at first, but then admits he wanted to test Superman's abilities. Superman then declares he is going to keep an eye on him and that he no longer owns the city. Luthor gets mad and throws a statue of Alexander the Great as Superman but Superman turns it into dust. Superman then flies leaving Lex angry and shocked.
- Sometime later, Lois' article about Superman spread pretty quickly across Metropolis. Perry praises her for the work. Clark then asks Lois how Superman gave her an interview, Lois is pretty arrogant but her attitude makes Clark amused, by the way Lois is talking about "The Man of Tomorrow", as she called him, he understands she is developing feelings for his other self. John then asks Lois if she is interested in Superman. Lois attempts to push him away but he demands answers and states that he feels that Lois is drifting away from him. She then tells him that he is becoming obsessed and leaves.
- When John Corben arrives at his apartment we are introduced to his lifestyle for the first time. He drinks a beer and watches a TV Report about Superman. He throws the bottle into the wall. We see one of Luthor's henchmen from earlier waiting for him there. Corben asks him what he wants and the henchmen respond that Lex Luthor demands him to remove his investigation on him. Corben refuses and responds that Luthor's corruption needs to be known to the public. The henchman responds that this is not a request but an order and that if John refuses he will regret the day he decided to get into a Battle with Lex Luthor.
- Corben leaves the place and gets into his car. He drives quickly nearly killing an old lady and a young boy, but then..a car hits him and he is involved in a deadly accident. We see him bleeding and nearly dead.
- Doctors arrive there, and they take Corben away..
- There is a private LuthorCorp party hosted by the "National Foundation project", an organization that is controlled by people that are close to Lex. Many other businessmen, reporters, and Politicians who are on Luthor's payroll are there. Lex then gives a speech about an Alien that invaded the country and threatens what makes America great, he declares that the Daily Planet is trying to replace him with Superman. Lex then declares what is needed now is further deregulation so that LuthorCorp will expand further
- Meanwhile, we see John at an underground lab. Doctors are holding the mysterious green rock stating that it was found in Kansas and seemingly can keep John alive and replace his heart.
- John asks where is he. The doctors are telling him that he is suffering from a deadly disease, they are working on helping him, and that this is his only way to remain alive...
- Jimmy watches TV, where a reporter who works for Lex Luthor publishes a fake report about Superman. Clark is confused and asks Jimmy if he believes it. Jimmy responds that he doesn't, but many people do.
- Clark asks Lois if she has heard of John's accident and asks if she visited him in the hospital. She responds that she still hasn't seen him. Clark is confused as he thought John was Lois' boyfriend, Lois responds that they had some dates but she eventually lost interest in him. Clark asks why and she responds that she has someone else in her mind. Clark knows who she is talking about.
- The screen now shifts to the lab where John is currently held. The lab is run by the National Foundation, he declares that he feels much more powerful, trainers are hitting him and he barely feels pain at all. He asks what is happening to him, but states that he never felt that good before. Corben then feels something..weird. He states that he barely can feel his heart. He is confused and asks what is it. The doctors urges him to not worry about it and that he should not waste time thinking about it. He demands answers but the doctors refuse to talk without permission from Luthor. John storms off the labs and puts a disguise on himself so he won't be recognized
- Clark and Lois walk around the streets of Metropolis and share some memories from their childhood. It is revealed that Lois' father is a militarist and a general in the army who is a big fan of Lex Luthor. Clark tells her more about his parents and his childhood in Smallville and Lois herself now starts to be less arrogant towards Clark.
- While Corben walks he starts to feel weird. He then sees a paper on the floor which reports about his accident. There is also Lois' article about Superman. He feels this weird feeling again and enters a pay phone. He attempts to call Lois but she doesn't answer. His eyes become green for a second and he screams.
- Corben breaks into Lex's office, which is placed at the tallest level of the Luthor Tower, watching the entire city. Luthor then tells his assistants to leave him and John privately. John demands to know what is happening to him and Luthor tells him that his little surgery gave him powers that can match Superman's. Corben gets angered and threatens to kill Luthor, but Lex tells him that only his doctors can fix his condition and that in special cases he will die, they won't help John. John asks what Lex desires, and Lex declares that if Superman is killed, John's condition will be fixed. Corben calms down and understands what he must do.
- Perry wants to know everything about Superman and declares that Lois' article wasn't enough. Lois gets mad at him but quickly regains control of herself. She walks quickly with Clark trying to catch up to her and trying to calm her. Lois refuses to hear and declares that her next work about the Man of Tomorrow is going to give her a Pulitzer. Clark looks at the Daily Planet archives where he notices an article by Corben about Lex Luthor. The article talks about LexCorp's illegal deals and crimes that Lex Luthor and his associates did, which includes blackmailing, fraud, and bribing congressmen alongside threatening multiple reporters who tried to discover details. Some documents even suspect of illegal weapon deals that Luthor did through Government contracts.
- Clark and Lois arrive at a LexCorp party. Lex announces his new project: New advanced weapons that will be sold to the US military, in order to further establish dominance across the world. Clark attempts to interview Luthor but he snubs him. Clark attempts to have a private chat with Lois. Lois then enters one of the Offices and attempts to find papers. She then notices John behind her. She is shocked and confused at the same time and asks him how he managed to get there. He is not answering. She is surprised that he is alive but he is angry at her for not answering his calls. Lois apologizes but John quickly asks about Superman. Lois understands that John is up to something and she attempts to escape but he blocks her and tells her he doesn't want to hurt her. Clark then hears Lois with his super-hearing and activates his X-ray vision. He quickly arrives there and is shocked to see the alive John. John jumps at Superman and manages to match the Man of Tomorrow's strength. The Battle shifts to the LexCorp party and everyone is screaming. When no one notices, Lex orders his henchmen to record the Battle. Lois attempts to call the cops meanwhile. Clark manages to strike at John's chest, which exposes the green rock that was installed instead of his heart. John hits Clark badly and he bleeds for the first time, Clark manages to deliver a blow which distracts Corben but as Corben notices the Police officers he kidnaps Lois and quickly leaves the place. Clark, barely alive, arrives at Jimmy Olsen's apartment.
- Superman is begging for help while Jimmy is amazed that Superman is at his home. Superman reveals to Jimmy that he is Clark Kent, Jimmy is shocked until Clark puts a glass on. Jimmy feels over the moon. Jimmy helps Clark recover from his injuries and Clark reveals to him that the green rock was the first thing that ever hurt him. Jimmy asks Clark if he can take a photo of Superman and Clark agrees.
- Warren Mills, one of Luthor's assistants, enters Lex's office in the Luthor Tower where Lex is waiting for him. He shows Lex photos of Superman's battle with Corben. Lex assumes that the green rock had a certain effect on Superman and demands that more rocks like this be found.
- Jimmy does some detective work and manages to locate the labs where Corben was turned into what he is. Superman doesn't understand what was the effect of the rock on him. They discover that the National Foundation runs the lab that turned Corben into what he is.
- Clark goes to the Fortress of Solitude and searches for answers. Jor-El tells him that Kryptonite is a radioactive mineral that emits radiation harmful to his Kryptonian biology. He identifies its unique signature and realizes that prolonged exposure weakens him significantly, making him vulnerable to attacks.
- Corben, who goes underground as "Metallo", goes after some congressmen that try to limit LexCorp through regulations. Superman tries to locate Metallo, but still doesn't know what to do about Metallo's use of Kryptonite.
- Metallo kidnaps Lois and holds her in the lab that created him. He broadcast messages across of Metropolis. Superman goes there and asks Jimmy to watch out for him. Meanwhile, Lois tries to convince Metallo that there is still a way back, but he refuses to listen, he accidentally tells her that he must do it to be fixed. Understanding what he just said, he refuses to tell her more. Metallo promises Lois freedom if she tells him who Superman is, and she responds that even if she knew, she wouldn't have told him. She spits on his face.
- Superman breaks into the labs and starts to battle Metallo. As expected, Metallo's use of Kryptonite dominates Clark. Clark however manages to release Lois just in time. Their Battle is climatic and long and is filmed by multiple reporters. Metallo eventually unleashes a beam that destroys the entire building, and Clark shields Lois. Metallo is worn out and Clark understands that he must exhaust him and drag out the time, so Metallo will collapse. Clark is nearly getting killed by Metallo's Kryptonite, until Lois targets his heart by electrocuting him with electrical wires. Metallo collapses and is killed. Superman thanks Lois, help the people who were hurt, and flies away.
- The morning later, at the Daily Planet, Clark, Jimmy and Lois are watching a report about Superman's fight with Metallo. Lex Luthor is interviewed and blames Superman for the damage that happened. Lois rolls her eyes and closes the TV.
- In Lex's office, one of his henchmen brings him what he asked: This is a rock of Kryptonite. He is pleased and keeps it in his office.
- There is a cut to Lois' house. Night in Metropolis. Superman arrives and thanks her for helping him. She asks him for a flight around town, Superman is surprisingly insecure and hesitant but agrees. After the flight, Superman takes Lois to her house. The two share a romantic kiss and Superman flies away, watching the city
Gallery[]
Behind the scenes[]
- Brad Bird and Gunn stated that the main inspirations for the movie were Smallville and the Animated series from the 90s.
- David Corenswet stated that he was inspired by Tom Welling's performance, which emphasized more of the Clark Kent side and the relatable, insecure and human Superman who is just emerging as the protector of Metropolis.
- Gunn didn't want a Superman origin story, but wanted to focus on his first year as Superman, so his origin and destruction of Krypton are skipped, and we jump to Clark Kent's operations as a Proto-Superman and his first appearance as Superman.
- A lot of the Lex Luthor storyline is a criticism on the Trumpism Conservative movement (Parodying Populist rhetoric and Nationalism, Fox News, etc), Gunn stated that he wanted to cover real-life issues so the movie will be relevant to our world, like the direction Superman's writers always took.
- Billy Zane stated that he based his portrayal of Lex Luthor loosely on Donald Trump and Gordon Gekko while channeling the Smallville and Animated series versions of Luthor. Billy Zane described his character as a "criticism of elements in our society" and "someone who looks and talks like he can lead the free world. Someone that an outsider will adore. He believes himself to be the protector of civilization and a historical figure, which leads him to believe that he can bend the law to his will". Brad Bird compared the character to Homelander from "The Boys" and Gordon Gekko from "Wall Street" In the sense of what the said characters represent and the elements they reflect