Making its debut in 1992, The Death of Superman remains one of the most iconic and important story arcs in comic book history. Warner Bros. is currently planning to release a two-part animated movie based on the storyline. The Death of Superman is set to come out in 2018 with Reign of the Supermen following in 2019. Until then, a first look at the DC/WB movie has surfaced.
Of course this isn’t the first time The Death of Superman has been adapted. It’s also inspired storylines in various movies and shows over the years. Today, we’re going to rank all of them from worst to best! We’d say that there are spoilers ahead, but the story arc is literally called The Death of Superman. It’s pretty obvious what happens.
5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
In this DC Extended Universe film, director Zack Snyder finally gave fans something they’d been waiting to see for years: Superman going up against Doomsday on the big screen in live-action! The problem is that the entire Death of Superman storyline was squeezed into the final act of an already bloated film. Since this was only the second DCEU movie, we hadn’t been given much time to develop a real connection with the Man of Steel either. While the visuals are stunning, the emotional investment just isn’t there, especially since we all knew he’d be back in time for Justice League.
4. Smallville: Season 8
Doomsday takes center stage in Season 8 of this CW series. The Doomsday arc here plays out like a classic Jekyll and Hyde tale as the mild-mannered Davis Bloome transforms into a monster. Although this strays from the source material, Bloome is actually developed into a fairly complex character and when Doomsday finally emerges, he looks surprisingly intimidating. During their final battle, however, Clark Kent defeats arguably his most powerful enemy in no time without breaking so much as a sweat. Talk about the ultimate anti-climax! Doomsday doesn’t even put up much of a fight, although he does kill Jimmy Olsen… well, Jimmy’s Olsen’s brother.
3. Superman: Doomsday
Superman: Doomsday has the distinction of being the first DC Universe Animated Original Movie. The best moments are in the beginning, as Superman and Doomsday destroy each other in a bloody battle. That being said, the next two thirds of the movie are kind of a mixed bag, as they deal with the confusing aftermath of Superman’s death. So much like Smallville Season 8, we get a strong buildup and a weak payoff.
2. Justice League: Hereafter
Interestingly enough, one of the best adaptations of the Death of Superman is also one of the least faithful. In the two-parter, Hereafter, Superman is seemingly vanquished at the hands of several villains. While his apparent death isn’t especially gritty and Doomsday doesn’t even make an appearance, seeing the Man of Steel get vaporized into oblivion remains one of the most shocking moments in the series. Seeing the world and the Justice League mourn this monumental loss also hits just the right note. They way Superman is brought back in the second half is a lot of fun as well, borrowing from the Under the Red Sun storyline.
1. The Death and Return of Superman
It might be purely satirical, but this “somewhat-mostly-accurate educational parody” from Chronicle writer Max Landis and producer Bryan Basham hilariously sums up why DC killed Superman in the first place, not to mention why his return was so messy. They even managed to rope in Mandy Moore as Lois Lane, Elijah Wood as Hank Henshaw/Cyborg Superman, and Elden ‘Foggy Nelson’ Henson as Doomsday!
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