“Superman” (2025) flew onto theater screens this July, earning over a whopping $120 million domestically and nearly $100 million internationally on its opening weekend, setting the pace for the film’s future successes, on and off the screen.
Superman as a character first came to be when a comic book titled “Action Comics #1,” created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, was released to the public in 1938, the rights having been sold to what is now known as DC Comics.
The main premise of the story follows Clark Kent, an amiable reporter who navigates his personal life while also secretly serving as solar-powered Superman, the protector of the city of Metropolis and beyond.
“Superman” (2025) takes this premise and runs with it, all the while filling in some gaps for die-hard fans. After having been defeated for the first time by an unknown assailant, Superman begrudgingly retreats to his Fortress of Solitude, which is later broken into by Lex Luthor, the story’s main villain.
As a child, Superman was sent away from his home planet of Krypton in a last-ditch effort by his parents to save him from their dying planet. Superman believes he was sent to Earth as a protector; however, after breaking into the Fortress of Solitude, Lex Luthor and his followers uncover the real reason behind why Earth was chosen for Superman… to conquer it and reestablish the Kryptonian race.
This revelation rocks Kent’s entire worldview, and the people of Metropolis soon turn on him. Through the backdrop of Superman’s search for his identity, we see the growing relationship between him and a fellow reporter, Lois Lane. Lane has been a longtime staple of many of Superman’s iterations, and here, she is no different. After Superman declares his love for her and turns himself in to Luthor to find Krypto the Superdog, Lane, along with her fellow reporters, uncovers Luthor’s true motives using clues left by his girlfriend and sets out to save Superman, in which she succeeds.
Upon Superman’s escape, he returns to his hometown and to his adoptive parents, the Kents, and is ultimately able to find himself, finally separating who he is from the message his Kryptonian parents left for him.
During the final battle to save Metropolis from a rift created by one of Luthor’s faulty portals, Superman defeats the assailant from the beginning of the movie, learning that he is, in reality, a Superman clone created by Luthor. The battle ends with Superman confronting an envious Luthor and saying, “I’m as human as anyone.”
A major highlight of the movie for fans was the return to a more traditionally upbeat Superman. Gone are the days of dark and brooding; this Superman is full of life and optimism for the world around him. This is what fuels him and is, ultimately, what saves Superman in the end.
Notable figures in the film include the titular hero Superman, played by David Corenswet; the news-savvy journalist Lois Lane, portrayed by Rachel Brosnahan and the evil Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Holt.
The legacy of one of the world’s most iconic superheroes lives on in “Superman” (2025). From Lois Lane to Lex Luther, this film has surely made its mark.
