Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
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A young man balancing his life as a journalist with his burgeoning identity as a hero must face an alien bounty hunter and a laboratory accident.
The story
Following the destruction of Krypton, infant Kal-El is sent to Earth and raised by the Kents as Clark. As an adult, Clark works as an intern for the Daily Planet while secretly using his powers as 'the Flying Man.' When a rocket telescope from LexCorp threatens Metropolis, Clark intervenes, drawing the attention of a mysterious figure. After reporter Lois Lane exposes Lex Luthor's negligence, Clark encounters an alien bounty hunter named Lobo. Meanwhile, a laboratory accident involving a janitor and extraterrestrial experiments threatens to unleash a new danger upon the city.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being raised on Earth by the Kents, Clark Kent balances his life as a Daily Planet intern with his secret identity as 'the Flying Man.' When a LexCorp rocket threatens Metropolis, Clark stops it, attracting the attention of Lobo, an alien bounty hunter seeking the last Kryptonian. During their fight at S.T.A.R. Labs, a janitor named Rudy Jones is caught in the crossfire, while a mysterious Martian named J'onn J'onzz intervenes to help Clark. J'onn warns Clark about human xenophobia. Later, Rudy awakens with the ability to drain life, transforming into a parasite-like creature that begins rampaging across Metropolis. Superman and J'onn team up to stop him, but Rudy drains their powers, leading to J'onn's apparent death. A powerless Superman seeks help from the imprisoned Lex Luthor, who reveals he bought out S.T.A.R. Labs and enlisted Lobo. They devise a plan to lure the Parasite to a power plant using Lobo's Kryptonite ring. The plan fails, and Lobo suicide-bombs the Parasite while Luthor uses a pulse rifle to finish it. J'onn reveals he faked his death. Finally, Superman introduces himself to the world as Kal-El as the Parasite sacrifices itself to stop a power plant overload.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Palmer
- Writers
- Tim Sheridan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Darren Criss · Superman; Alexandra Daddario · Lois Lane; Zachary Quinto · Lex Luthor
- Genres
- animated; superhero; action
- Themes
- Identity; Xenophobia; Heroism
- Tone and mood
- Action; Emotional
- Premise and plot tags
- Origin Story; Superhero; Alien
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Franchise connections
- DC Animated Movie Universe
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success on home media, peaking at #1 of the Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week. It received positive reviews from critics, holding a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Reported review scores
- IGN · score: 7 · scale: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Best Superhero Film · Critics' Choice Super Awards · 2021 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019.; Writer Tim Sheridan drew inspiration from the comics Superman: American Alien and Superman: Birthright.; The film was made available online for free during DC FanDome on September 12, 2020.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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