More: Superman and Why the Battle for Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow Is Never-Ending<\/a><\/p>\n The film involves Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) releasing information Superman (David Cornenswet) himself never knew about his Kryptonian parents (who intended him to \u201crule without mercy\u201d on Earth) in order to turn the public against Superman and move forward with his own nefarious plans. So where does the movie leave off as far as setting up what\u2019s to come? And why is its more broad approach to universe-building probably a wise call compared to some of the more blatant sequel-bait we\u2019ve grown accustomed to in comic book movies? Let\u2019s break it all down.<\/p>\n Superman Posters and Photos Luthor, who has successfully presented himself as someone standing up against Superman\u2019s ominous plans, is able to press forward with his partnership with the president of the country of Boravia to invade Boravia\u2019s neighbor, Jarhanpur \u2013 something Superman had put a stop to the first time Boravia tried it.<\/p>\n The third act of Superman involves two crises unfolding in two separate parts of the world. First, Boravia\u2019s next attack is beginning, with the intention of absolutely decimating the people of Jarhanpur. Boravia and Luthor (who has been supplying Boravia with their weapons) intend to split the land between them after they conquer and kill anyone who gets in their way. <\/p>\n But Superman\u2019s attempt help Jarhanpur is curtailed when he\u2019s told by Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) that the world itself is now in danger because of a pocket universe Luthor had created to use as his own private prison (in which he imprisoned Superman himself for a time during the film) that is now causing a physical rift in Metropolis, literally ripping the city apart. And while Metropolis has been evacuated, the rift will continue to grow far beyond the city, endangering countless lives. Obsessed with killing Superman, Luthor ignores the warnings of his own men about what is occurring, sending his agents Ultraman and the Engineer (Mar\u00eda Gabriela de Far\u00eda) to fight Superman and Mister Terrific. <\/p>\n In the ensuing fight, Superman is nearly killed by the Engineer, but when he manages to turn the tables on his foes, the mysterious, silent Ultaman is finally unmasked and revealed to be a clone of Superman created by Lex. <\/p>\n While Ultraman\u2019s comics counterpart is an alternate reality\u2019s dark and distorted version of Superman, the idea of an actual clone of Superman is one with plenty of connections to the comics, though this one doesn\u2019t use any of the associated names like Bizarro, Cyborg Superman or Superboy.<\/p>\n Superman and Ultraman have a vicious fight, while both attempt to avoid the black hole the rift has opened up, but ultimately Ultraman is pulled into it, ending his threat. Superman then confronts Luthor in his office, stopping him from escaping, while Mister Terrific is able to use Luthor\u2019s equipment to shut down the rift, sending the split portions of Metropolis back together – albeit inelegantly, since it\u2019s still obvious where things once had been torn in half. With the truth about Lex\u2019s entire plot revealed publicly by the Daily Planet \u2013 thanks to Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio) sending info to Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) \u2013 Lex is arrested and sent to Belle Reve Prison, while Superman\u2019s reputation is restored. Superman and his beloved Lois Lane (Rachel Bronahan), meanwhile, are reunited and share a mid-air kiss. <\/p>\n As for Jarhanpur, just when all hope seems lost for its people, they are saved by the arrival of Mister Terrific\u2019s Justice Gang teammates, Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), along with Superman\u2019s new ally, Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) – all of whom answered Superman\u2019s offscreen request for help. As his army is defeated, the corrupt, genocidal president of Boravia then finds out the hard way that Hawkgirl does not follow Superman\u2019s vow to never kill when she takes him high up in the air and drops him to his death. <\/p>\n Ranking the Superman Actors In the film\u2019s final scene, Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude, where his Superman Robot assistants, trashed during the earlier break-in by the Engineer and Ultraman, have been rebuilt. They are interrupted by a large crashing sound that turns out to be none other than Superman\u2019s cousin – Supergirl (Milly Alcock)! <\/p>\n It\u2019s not the intro some might expect from a high profile superhero, as Supergirl comes stumbling into the Fortress, asking in a slurred voice \u201cWhy did you move the door?\u201d before asking \u201cWhere is my dog?\u201d – as we learn the superpowered dog, Krypto, who\u2019s been accompanying Superman for much of the film, is actually Supergirl\u2019s pet. This lines up with dialogue from earlier, when Superman said Krypto wasn\u2019t actually his pet and their dynamic was more of a foster situation.<\/p>\n After allowing Krypto to play with her in an amusingly roughhouse manner — which is to say, he stomps on her with his super strength, smashing the ground beneath her as she laughs hysterically \u2013 Supergirl and Krypto depart, with her exclaiming to her cousin, \u201cThanks for watching him, bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n They are interrupted by a large crashing sound that turns out to be none other than Superman\u2019s cousin – Supergirl (Milly Alcock)!\u00a0<\/p>\n Superman then explains to his robots that Supergirl \u201clikes to go and party on other planets. Planets with red suns. Because of our metabolism, we can\u2019t get drunk on a planet with a yellow sun.\u201d<\/p>\n For those who have read the 2021 miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, this will all sound very familiar. That comic first introduces a drunken and foul-mouthed Supergirl sitting at a bar on an alien planet, accompanied by Krypto, having traveled there specifically so she can actually get drunk on her 21st birthday. And this reference in Superman makes sense, because next year\u2019s Supergirl movie is specifically based on Woman of Tomorrow (and until recently was actually titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow<\/a>). Supergirl\u2019s onscreen outfit in this scene \u2013 her usual Supergirl uniform, red skirt included, but with a brown jacket over it rather than any visible cape \u2013 also mirrors how she looks when we first meet her in that comic. <\/p>\n So for those expecting or hoping the first movie in the DCU to explicitly set up other DCU movies, it very much does with this Supergirl tease\u2026 but is there anything beyond that, specifically for Superman himself?<\/p>\n Does Superman Have a Mid- or Post-Credit Scene?<\/p>\n It has one of both\u2026 though calling what happens at the mid-credits a \u201cscene\u201d is wildly overstating things. The initial closing credits play, using the same style and font as Richard Donner\u2019s iconic 1978 Superman film, and backed by the song \u201cPunkrocker\u201d by Teddybears, featuring Iggy Pop – a nod to a scene in the film where Lois and Clark banter about how \u201cpunk\u201d someone as seemingly square as Clark could have been growing up, with Clark arguing that maybe his kindhearted approach to life is itself what\u2019s punk these days. <\/p>\n When these main credits conclude, we then cut to a shot of Superman sitting with Krypto. Superman is only seen from behind, as he and his dog \u2013 sorry, foster dog \u2013 peacefully sit and look at the Earth from the vantage point of the moon, with the two lovingly embracing each other. <\/p>\n If this sounds familiar, it\u2019s because we\u2019ve seen a variation on this image from the film for quite awhile, since it first released as a photo last fall before then serving as the focal point of the IMAX poster for Superman. The moment, in turn, is a big comic book homage, since it\u2019s based upon a page from the 2005 comic All-Star Superman, one of Gunn\u2019s main inspirations for the movie.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sweet little touch to add to the mid-credits of the film, though it lasts mere seconds and isn\u2019t really a scene as much as a moving snapshot. <\/p>\n The post-credits, though, feature an additional bit of interaction between Superman and Mister Terrific. In the scene, we see the two heroes standing next to each other, looking at one of the many Metropolis buildings that was torn apart by Luthor\u2019s pocket dimension rift, and then brought back together by Terrific when he fixed things. <\/p>\n Superman, however, is clearly bothered by the imperfect nature of the building\u2019s reconfiguration, and when he tells Terrific \u201cIt\u2019s just a little off,\u201d Terrific is pissed, replying, \u201cWhat do you want me to do!? Do you want me to take it apart and put it back together!?\u201d When Superman stammers no, \u201cit\u2019s just\u2026\u201d Terrific replies, \u201cJust what!?\u201d and storms off in frustration. <\/p>\n Superman yells after him, \u201cHey man, I\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to bum you out! I shouldn\u2019t have brought it up!\u201d But when Mister Terrific continues to walk away, Superman says to himself, \u201cDarn it, I can be such a jerk sometimes\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s an amusing little moment between the two heroes, albeit not an hysterically funny one, but clearly there more as a bit of a slice of life for our clean-cut hero and one of his superpals than anything else. Though, yeah, it will likely lead to some \u201cThat\u2019s it!?\u201d reactions from some, who feel if they sat through the credits hoping for an extra scene, it also better be for SOME REALLY COOL THING.<\/p>\n But honestly, that\u2019s asking for something that not only has been done many times but has often proven to be a precarious path, as James Gunn is well aware. <\/p>\n Why It\u2019s OK Superman Functions as a Standalone Story <\/p>\n The lack of an \u201cimportant\u201d mid or post-credit scene underlines the feel of Superman as a film that is introducing a big new cinematic universe, yes, but also is telling its own self-contained story that\u2019s making a statement in and of itself. Gunn does a deft job of layering in plenty of elements that can be used later in other projects without ever lingering on them or gratuitously highlighting that you should pay attention to this guy or to some doohickey because it\u2019s going to be important in another show or film.<\/p>\n Yes, this film includes characters like Rick Flag Sr., with Frank Grillo reprising the role he originated in Creature Commandos and will continue in Peacemaker Season 2. But for those who aren\u2019t aware of any of that, he\u2019s just a Washington DC power player. Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as Guy Gardner in the Lanterns TV show, but the movie doesn\u2019t go out of its way to name-drop Hal Jordan or John Stewart or belabor that Guy isn\u2019t the only Lantern, it just presents him as the superpowered, arrogant a-hole he is. <\/p>\n This is a Superman film focused on this particular story, and Clark rightfully remains at the center of the movie from start to finish, despite the other superpowered characters in his orbit. It doesn\u2019t repeat the mistakes of some messier superhero films, which often feel preoccupied with various plot threads and characters aiming towards something down the line. <\/p>\n Gunn\u2019s \u201clet this story stand on its own\u201d approach extends to the credits and connects to his overall philosophy on how to craft a superhero universe now that he\u2019s the guy calling the shots. As he recently explained to EW<\/a>, he doesn\u2019t love the idea of using a post-credit scene to tease a brand new character or storyline without a locked-in specific plan for them down the line. Gunn uses his own tease of Adam Warlock\u2019s arrival in the credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as an example, noting that by the time he was actually writing Guardians Vol. 3, Warlock wasn\u2019t an easy fit in the story he was telling, yet now he felt beholden to include him. <\/p>\n Gunn has also stressed repeatedly that no movie will be fully greenlit and produced by DC Studios without a complete script in place, and you can see some crossover with this mandate and why he didn’t want to, say, put a scene in the middle of the credits of Superman where we meet Brainiac or General Zod. He\u2019s acknowledged their plans to do more with this version of Superman, of course, but without a specific follow-up already 100% in place (script included), Gunn likely doesn\u2019t want to bind himself to anything that might not actually make the most sense later on. Which is why the movie\u2019s one actual blatant tease, for Supergirl, is the one that he would feel comfortable with – because that movie\u2019s actually been filmed and is a done deal! <\/p>\n The most important goal for Superman, more than declaring \u201chere is the new DCU,\u201d was making sure this was a great Superman movie.<\/p>\n The most important goal for Superman, more than declaring \u201chere is the new DCU,\u201d was making sure this was a great Superman movie, and Gunn has excelled in that regard, delivering what is easily the best film for the character since Richard Donner\u2019s beloved version in 1978. The Lois and Clark dynamic is excellent (fueled by the wonderful chemistry between Corenswet and Brosnahan), while the juxtaposition between Clark\u2019s Superman HQ at the Fortress of Solitude and the loving home Martha and Jonathan Kent have given him is expertly defined. Martha and Clark feel like just the sort of salt of the Earth, loving, caring people you can believe raised a man as good as Clark.<\/p>\n This version of Superman is exactly the sort of sweet, kind and perhaps sometimes endearingly naive hero he should be, without feeling like he\u2019s too old-fashioned or out of touch to invest in. The way this Superman goes out of his way to try and save every single life he can, whether it be innocent people targeted by villains, dogs and squirrels (!) in the line of fire, or even a giant kaiju he\u2019s fighting, makes him stand out as someone who truly feels like a person everyone should, yet few do, pattern themselves after. But at the same time, when he needs to go all out in a fight, rest assured, he does so, and it\u2019s awesome – just while making sure to also keep an eye out for anyone in danger as a result of the fight. <\/p>\n The movie is a joy to watch, exuding pure comic book-derived joy in a way we haven\u2019t really seen in live-action since Sam Raimi\u2019s Spider-Man, which is insane considering how many comic book movies have opened since then. When the credits began to roll on Gunn\u2019s film, I knew I\u2019d happily welcome more of this version of Superman, but most of all, I wanted to rewatch this movie as soon as possible (which is probably why I\u2019ve already seen it twice, with a third viewing already planned).<\/p>\n So yeah, Gunn could have moved the Superigirl cameo so that it was the post-credits scene, to leave off on a bigger \u201chere\u2019s what\u2019s next\u201d hype move, but that just wasn\u2019t necessary. Because even if Gunn had removed the Supergirl scene entirely, Superman would still be a joyous, exciting, feel-good movie that doesn\u2019t require any baton passing to feel satisfying. <\/p>\n As Clark himself might say, that\u2019s the darn truth. <\/p>\n For more on Superman, check out IGN’s ranking of all the live-action Superman movies<\/a> and our ranking of every Superman actor<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let’s make this simple: You want to know if there are any post- or mid-credits scenes in Superman.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,206],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Superman Ending Explained: Luthor Unhinged<\/p>\n
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