8 Times Superman Died On Screen (And How Long It Lasted)

Superman is one of the most popular characters in the entire DC Universe, and the popular comic book “The Death of Superman” has served as inspiration for several projects over the years. In animation, live-action and even video games, the story of Superman’s death has been a popular point of adaptation, With Doomsday or even bigger villains. While some series have loosely adapted details, including in the Justice League Cartoons where Superman didn’t actually die but was sent to the future, others were much more faithful to the source material.

Superman’s darkest story is made even heavier with the latest episodes of Superman and Lois. After a clash with Doomsday, the show focused on the trauma of how it affected others, and it follows a long line of adaptations that have done the same. Seeing this iconic storyline adapted for a new series was satisfying and shows how well the story can be told in different iterations over the years. While another adaptation of this story in the DCU is likely a ways off, there have been some excellent versions over the years.

8

Smallville Season 5, Episode 3 – “Hidden” (2005)

Clark is resurrected later the same episode

Smallville was an incredible show that played fast and loose with the hero’s established continuity. However, the show’s narrative that focused on seeing Superman die was a complete departure from the comic story itself, and couldn’t even draw inspiration from it.. While Doomsday would later become part of the series, it was actually due to Jor-El taking Clark’s powers away that the hero died in Smallville. Stripped of his abilities, Clark still tried to be a hero and got shot in the process. He died from the wound.

Fortunately, Clark is revived in the Fortress of Solitude by his father in the body of Lionel Luthor later in the same episode. This is a notable take on the “Death of Superman” story, especially when you realize that Doomsday would later appear in the series, Played by Sam Witwer, and would leave the hero. Instead, a different look at Superman’s death is provided in this excellent episode of the popular series.

7

Superman Returns (2006)

The hero is announced as dead, although he wakes up

During an emotional scene in Superman ReturnsThe hero appears to be dying. After lifting the Kryptonian landmass from the sea, the hero falls into a coma and is presumed dead by many. It’s unclear if the filmmakers intended for Superman to die in this scene, though his vitals do flatline. Regardless, everyone in Metropolis reacts emotionally to this as if he did, and Lois lets her feelings go to Superman’s body as it lies in bed.

These words are enough to pull Superman out of this state and seem to address the idea that Superman may not be able to die. After this emotional scene, Superman eventually wakes up from his death. The world is saved, and everyone can move on with their lives. While a sequel film was not made to Superman ReturnsThis is a satisfying conclusion for this version of ​​the hero, regardless of Brandon Routh’s later appearances in the Arrowverse crossovers.

6

Superman: Doomsday (2007)

Superman is recovered by the end of the film

The first animated film adaptation of “The Death of Superman” was done in a truncated version entitled Superman: DoomsdayA direct-to-video film. The 77-minute feature saw an exciting battle between the Man of Steel and Doomsday, which ended with Superman dying in Lois’ arms. The story continues the story with Lex Luthor, Superman clones, and the inevitable return of the titular hero by the end of the film.

The film begins with the death of Superman and ends with him being brought back to life. While his powers are not fully restored, Superman is able to defeat a clone of himself that is being used by Lex Luthor. Finally, the world celebrates Superman’s return, and everything returns to normal. It’s not the most interesting adaptation of the story, although it is one of the first to cover this territory with the DC characters on screen. And has some value as a result.

5

All-Star Superman (2011)

Superman does not return at the end of the film but becomes something more

All-Star SupermanBased on the popular comic book by Grant Morrison, took a completely different approach to the man of steel and gave him a death that had never been seen before. Weakened by the sun, this story tells about the end of Superman’s life in a compelling and emotional way. The story ends with Superman’s body being transformed into pure energy, so that even in death he can continue to live as a greater part of the universe.

The story is sad and emotional, but it’s also extremely compelling. All-Star Superman has been cited as one of James Gunn’s inspirations for the DCU’s take on the character, and this animated film does a decent job of adapting the popular comic book story. Superman’s death actually feels like it has weight and stakes in a way that hasn’t been seen yet. Although death is painful, it is also rooted in a holistic view of the universe that allows Superman to return to the matter from whence he came.

4

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The hero is brought back to life in Justice League

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and its sequel, Justice LeagueGive the best look at a world after losing Superman. While doubts were previously sown about Kal-El’s place on Earth, Mankind revived him after the fight with Doomsday in the film. This happened with an incredible action sequence where Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all came together for the first time in a live-action, big-budget movie. The film culminates with the shocking death of Superman, and a funeral procession.

It was a little early for the DC Extended Universe to do “The Death of Superman,” but that doesn’t ruin its effectiveness. While the theater cut from Justice League gave the hero an unfathomable return, The re-editing of Zack Snyder’s Justice League Allowing Superman’s return to be slower and more efficient. It is exciting to see the hero appear in his black suit after being resurrected, and the details used from “The Death of Superman” allowed for some of the best scenes in the entire DCEU.

3

The Death of Superman (2018)

Clark Kent resurrected one year later in Reign of Superman

Using the Justice League to tell the larger story of “The Death of Superman,” the animated film was well received, scoring 92% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The film uses most of the beats from the comic book, including the introduction of and fights against Doomsday, but The larger story is wrapped around the other heroes that Superman works with in the Justice League. Batman, Green Lantern, Flash and more all appear here to fill the space of the universe after Superman’s death.

The film series took its time and allowed Superman to remain dead until the sequel was released one year later. Reign of the Superman Influenced by the comic book of the same name and saw several different figures attempt to take Superman’s place. This included a clone of LexCorp and Steel, among others. The film saw Clarke finally return late in its runtime to deal with the threat of Darkseid in this satisfying story.

2

Batwoman Season 1, Episode 9 – “Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 2” (2019)

The multiversal supermen are not shown well

While the huge Arrowverse event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” saw a number of past Supermen return, including Tom Welling and Brandon Routh’s iterations, it also featured a sequence that saw many additional variants of the hero die. across the multiverse, Lex Luthor was able to steal the Book of Destiny from the Monitor, which allowed him to travel across different universes to kill the various supermen that inhabited them. This was revealed in an upsetting scene where Lois could be seen crying over Clark’s body.

The dark sequence was only a short part of the episode, but it was effective. Seeing even small amounts of footage of Superman being killed is unsettling and effective enough to anchor the emotionality of the rest of the episode. The team was eventually able to take down Lex and retrieve the book at the end of the story, but the violent and disturbing impacts of Lex’s actions across the multiverse remained.

1

Superman and Lois Season 4, Episode 1 – “The End and the Beginning” (2024)

Superman has yet to be brought back to life

The latest adaptation of “The Death of Superman” took place in the season premiere Superman and Lois. After the cliffhanger ending of season 3, the new season started with a fight between Superman and Doomsday, which was bizarre. This violent fight came to a crushing conclusion, and Superman was killed. Superman’s family, including his two sons, were left to mourn him in some dark scenes that followed.

Many have asked if death is always in Superman and LoisAnd that is unlikely to be the case. Although the series can survive without Tyler Hoechlin’s titular hero thanks to a strong Lex Luthor performance and Jonathan Kent’s turn as Superboy, It is likely, based on the source material, that Superman will return by the end of the season. In any case, whether the hero returns or not, the sequence and death are one of the strongest and most emotional versions of the story still on the screen. Superman and Lois May have the best Superman death yet.

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