Reign of the Supermenis a 2019 American animatedsuperhero filmproduced byWarner Bros. AnimationandDC Entertainment.The film is a direct sequel toThe Death of Superman(2018) and is based on the comic bookstory arcof the same name in "The Death of Superman"event. It is the twelfth film of theDC Animated Movie Universeand the 34th film of theDC Universe Animated Original Moviesline.
| Reign of the Supermen | |
|---|---|
 Blu-raycover | |
| Directed by | Sam Liu |
| Written by | Tim Sheridan Jim Krieg |
| Based on | Characters fromDC Comics |
| Produced by | James Tucker |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Christoper D. Lozinski |
| Music by | Frederik Wiedmann |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,223[2] |
The film was released in limitedFathom Eventstheaters on January 13, 2019, and to digital andBlu-raytwo days later.
Plot
editSix months followingSuperman's sacrifice and death at the hands ofDoomsday,[N 1]the crime rate inMetropolishas spread, while four new controversial Supermen have emerged.Lois Laneand Clark Kent'sadoptive parentsare still in mourning over his death. Lois has been investigating the new Supermen by gathering information from different sources.
Lex Luthorintroduces a new Superman to the world at a press conference, who Lois discovers is actually a clone –Superboycreated by Dr.Dabney Donovan.The conference is interrupted by theEradicator,SteelandCyborg Superman(who claims he is the true Superman) who fight each other until both the Eradicator and Cyborg Superman leave the battle. Unknown to anyone, Superman has just barely survived his battle with Doomsday and is recuperating at theFortress of Solitudeas the Eradicator rejuvenates his DNA. That night, Cyborg Superman visits Lois in an attempt to convince her that he is not a fake. Lex becomes frustrated with Superboy for his childish actions.
TheJustice League,accompanied by Superboy, are hired as bodyguards for the President, who is unveiling their new Watchtower. The presentation is suddenly attacked byParademons,summoned via a boom tube portal. The League are mysteriously transported to another planet and declared dead while Cyborg Superman rescues the president and is announced to the world as the true Superman. Angered, Lex reveals to Superboy he shares his DNA and kills Dr. Donovan after he explains to Lex that Superboy is the best clone they could create. With the help of Steel, Lois discovers Cyborg Superman is the deceased astronautHank Henshawwho blames Superman for not saving him and his wife and has decided to destroy his legacy by impersonating him. Henshaw reveals to the world his new "Cyber Corps" militia, which are created by Mother Boxes infused with humans.
Steel tracks the Eradicator to the Fortress, where he learns that Superman is currently going through a revitalization cycle, and the two engage in a fight. The fight is broadcast to Lois' phone. Lois realizes that the Eradicator is a hologram from Superman's ship's matrix, created to protect Superman. The fight stops when a depowered Superman is revived. Through Henshaw's technology, Lex and Lois discover that Henshaw is being controlled byDarkseidfromApokolips,[N 2]who created Doomsday and orchestrated its attack on Earth.
Superman, Superboy and Steel head towards Metropolis. Lex sends Lois to the Watchtower as he uses a Mother Box to rescue the League. Darkseid continues to torment Henshaw for his failure to keep Superman dead and attempts to open a portal for his arrival, using the Mother Box infused with Henshaw. Henshaw rips out the Mother Box inside him, deactivating Darkseid's control over the Cyber Corps. Before Henshaw can kill Lois, Superman arrives. Henshaw constantly blames Superman for his wife Terri's death. Superman eventually regains his powers from the sun and deactivates Henshaw by stabbing his forehead with a crystal taken from the Fortress of Solitude containing the Eradicator program. Henshaw's defeat also deactivates the Cyber Corps, but killing them in the process.
In the aftermath,Martian Manhunterdisguises himself as Superman to announce Clark Kent's safe return with the cover up of him being missing during the Doomsday attack. Superboy is sent to live with the Kents and is named "Conner". In apost-credit scene,the League gather at the Watchtower to confront Darkseid themselves,[N 3]with Lex inviting himself in.
Voice cast
editRelease
editReign of the Supermenwas released and distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainmentin limitedFathom Eventstheaters on January 13 and 14, 2019,[3]followed by Digital HD on January 15, then Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack on January 29,[4][5]but disc releases were moved up to January 15.[6]The film was re-released on home video, edited together with its predecessor, on October 1 asThe Death and Return of Superman.[7][8]The Limited Edition gift-set also includes a Steel figure,Superman: Doomsday,and bonus animated episodes (Blu-ray).[9]
Reception
editReign of the Supermenearned $3,413,951 from domestic home video sales.[10]
Notes
edit- ^As depicted inThe Death of Superman.
- ^Introduced inJustice League: War.
- ^Setting up the events ofJustice League Dark: Apokolips War.
References
edit- ^"Reign of the Supermen (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)".Walmart.Archivedfrom the original on January 25, 2019.RetrievedNovember 9,2018.
- ^"Reign of the Supermen (2019)".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2022.RetrievedNovember 12,2022.
- ^"'The Death of Superman' and 'Reign of the Supermen' Coming to Theaters ".DC.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2018.RetrievedNovember 8,2018.
- ^"Reign Of The Supermen - Official Trailer".Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2022.RetrievedNovember 1,2022.
- ^"Reign of the Supermen Blu-ray Release Date, Cover Art & Details Unveiled".MovieWeb.October 24, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2018.RetrievedOctober 25,2018.
- ^"January 2019: New Releases".familyvideo.January 1, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2019.RetrievedNovember 1,2022.
- ^"The Death and Return of Superman Complete Film Collection Gets a Release Date".comicbook.Archivedfrom the original on July 31, 2019.RetrievedAugust 25,2018.
- ^"The Death and Return of Superman (Review)".November 25, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2022.RetrievedNovember 5,2022.
- ^"The Death And Return Of Superman Review – He Dies. He Returns. But Is He Super?".Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2022.RetrievedNovember 5,2022.
- ^"Reign of the Supermen (2019) The Numbers Listing".The Numbers.Archivedfrom the original on August 18, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 22,2018.
External links
edit
- DC page:ROTS
- Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. page:TDAROS
- Reign of the SupermenatIMDb