Oct. 01, 2019|USA|166 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Action;Adventure;Animation;Fantasy;SuperHero
Description: Max Landis reflects on Superman’s cultural impact and how his popularity waned in the 1990s. To revive the character, DC Comics decided Superman had to die. Landis discusses the creation of Doomsday and the events leading to their climactic battle, which ended in the demise of both. The issue *Superman vol. 2 #75* sold three million copies globally, nearly all on the first day.
Following Superman’s death, DC introduced the “Reign of the Supermen!” arc, featuring four characters claiming to be the Man of Steel. One, the Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw), dominated the others, destroyed Coast City, and drove Hal Jordan to madness. The real Superman eventually reappeared, revealing he had been in a “healing coma” rather than truly dead. Fans felt betrayed, leading to declining comic sales from which Superman never fully recovered.
Landis reflects on a lesson from his father, John Landis, about killing vampires. The elder Landis explained that writers can kill vampires however they choose because they aren’t real. Similarly, the *Death of Superman* arc didn’t truly kill the character but made death in comics seem trivial, as countless characters have since died and returned multiple times.
Cast director: Sam Liu
Cast actor: Jerry O’Connell, Rebecca Romijn, Rainn Wilson, Rosario Dawson, Jason O’Mara, Nathan Fillion, Christopher Gorham, Matt Lanter, Shemar Moore, Nyambi Nyambi
Original name: The Death and Return of Superman