Superman: Man of Tomorrow

Superman: Man of Tomorrow
4K Ultra HD cover
Directed by	Chris Palmer
Written by	Tim Sheridan
Based on	Characters from DC Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Produced by	Jim Krieg Kimberly S. Moreau
Starring	Darren Criss Alexandra Daddario Zachary Quinto
Edited by	Bruce A. King
Music by	Kevin Riepl
Production companies	Warner Bros. Animation DC Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date	August 23, 2020 (2020-08-23) (Digital)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Superman: Man of Tomorrow is a 2020 American animated direct-to-video superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. It is the 39th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. It was released on Digital on August 23, 2020, and on Blu-ray, DVD, and on 4K Ultra HD on September 8, 2020.^[1] The film chronicles the life of Clark Kent, early in his career as Superman. It is also the start of a new animated universe that is continued in Justice Society: World War II and Batman: The Long Halloween.

Plot[]

Following his homeworld Krypton's destruction, Kal-El is sent by his parents to Earth, where he is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him "Clark", and raised in Smallville, Kansas. Growing up, Clark became isolated from humanity due to his superhuman abilities which he had developed over time due to Earth's yellow sun. In the present-day, Clark works as an intern for the Daily Planet in Metropolis in which he also serves coffee to the workers. One day, he meets S.T.A.R. Labs janitor Rudy Jones, who informs Clark about extraterrestrial experiments going on inside the lab, while attending the launch of a LexCorp orbital rocket telescope hosted by Lex Luthor. After reporter Lois Lane exposes Luthor of gross negligence leading to his arrest, the rocket misdirects to Metropolis. As the Flying Man, Clark throws it back into space. Unbeknownst to Clark, he is being watched by a mysterious figure dressed in a trench coat.

When S.T.A.R. Labs detect a UFO coming towards Earth, Clark heads to investigate, only to find himself confronting an alien bounty hunter named Lobo. Lobo reveals that Clark is the last of his kind and has a bounty on him, which Lobo is after, leading into a fight between the two across Metropolis. Clark takes the fight elsewhere to S.T.A.R. Labs causing an explosion with Rudy caught in the crossfire and gets covered in purple liquid. Lobo discovers Clark's weakness is Kryptonite that was forged in his ring and uses it to beat him up with it. The figure arrives, exposing himself as a Martian, and intervenes the battle. As the Martian distracts Lobo, Clark uses the sun to heal himself, returning to finally defeat Lobo. Afterwards, Clark faces a dilemma of whether he should reveal himself to the world or keep his identity a secret despite the consequences. That night, a hospitalized Rudy awakens and discovers he has the ability to drain energy from life and turn people into husks. The Martian visits Clark in his home in Smallville and properly introduces himself as J'onn J'onzz. J'onn reveals to Clark his true origins and that they must keep themselves a secret to humanity due their history of xenophobia.

Martha gifts Clark a caped suit made of fabric with an "S" imprinted on the back while the media officially coin the Flying Man as "Superman". A monster attacks S.T.A.R. Labs to find answers but frees Lobo in the process after draining the energy from his cell. However, due to draining energy, the monster is converted into a parasite-like being and begins attacking Metropolis, endangering its civilians. Superman and J'onn head to battle the Parasite. While battling them, the Parasite manages to extract information from them; although as a result, Superman's abilities are drained and J'onn is burnt to death. A powerless Superman turns to an imprisoned Luthor for help to gain him access to space so he can use the sun to restore his abilities. Luthor agrees to help Superman. Through S.T.A.R. Labs CCTV footage, Superman realises Rudy is the Parasite thanks to Lobo's grenade which was a organic EMP. The organic EMP consisted of a purple foam/liquid and was designed to absorb any and all energy it came into contact with, Rudy was pinned down by a broken block of concrete and couldn't escape the EMP blast. The purple foam/liquid then bonded with Rudy's DNA creating the parasite.

As their plan commences, the ring fails and the military intervene, only to make the Parasite stronger. Luthor equips the ring to a LexCorp magnifying pulse rifle and shoots the Parasite with it, taking it down. He then attempts to double cross Superman with it but is stopped by J'onn, who reveals to have faked his death by using his projection abilities. Luthor then flees with J'onn following. With the plan failed, Superman attempts to calm the Parasite down by using his morality against him. While doing so, Superman properly introduces himself to the world. Suddenly, the plant's reactor begins to overload. With Superman still weak, the Parasite sacrifices himself to stop it. Superman and J'onn depart ways after Lobo reveals there might be more Martians and Kryptonians out there.

Voice cast[]

Production[]

In July 2019, the film was announced at San Diego Comic-Con.^[3]

In May 2020, the voice cast were revealed for the film.^[2] In a July interview with DC Comics, writer Tim Sheridan said he drew inspiration from comics Superman: American Alien and Superman: Birthright, with a touch of several others.^[4]

Release[]

Superman: Man of Tomorrow was released on digital on August 23, 2020, and on Blu-ray, DVD, and on 4K Ultra HD on September 8, 2020. The film was made available online for free during DC FanDome on September 12.^[5]

Reception[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.^[6]

Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated the film a 7 out of 10: "Superman: Man of Tomorrow a safe and largely predictable take on the Man of Steel's iconic origin story. While that lack of narrative ambition is disappointing at times, there's a reason this particular story has endured so well over the years. Man of Tomorrow gets to the heart of Clark Kent and the emotional journey he has to experience before he can truly become Superman. With a revamped visual style and a strong voice cast, Man of Tomorrow serves as a solid start for this new animated universe."^[7]

The film peaked at #1 of the Top Ten Blu-ray Sellers for Week and the Top Five Home Media Sellers for Week, achieving an HD market share of 100%.^[8] It earned $3,234,932 from domestic home video sales.^[9]

Music[]

A soundtrack album by Kevin Riepl was released by WaterTower Music on September 10, 2020.^[10]

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Superman: Man of Tomorrow

• Superman: Man of Tomorrow at IMDb
• Superman: Man of Tomorrow on HBO Max