Superman: Doomsday is a 2007 American animated superhero film adapted from the DC Comics storyline The Death of Superman , which focuses on the death and return of the superhero Superman. Released by Warner Bros. Animation, it is the first film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Despite the similar style of animation and Bruce Timm s involvement, the film is not set within the DC Animated Universe created by Timm and Paul Dini. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and more violent tone than previous adaptations but called it a disappointment, but grossed $10 million on a budget of $3.5 million, making it a commercial success.

Plot

Superman and Lois Lane are romantically involved, but Lois is not happy with him not revealing his secret identity to her. While digging, workers from LexCorp unearth the spaceship of Doomsday, a genetically-engineered super-soldier that is highly hostile toward any life form it comes across. It massacres the digging crew and begins a rampage towards Metropolis, killing animals and humans on sight. When Doomsday reaches Metropolis, it decimates the military until Superman arrives. Superman and Doomsday engage in a fierce battle across Metropolis, with Superman eventually winning. But the victory is short-lived as the fight leaves him bloodied, beaten, and drained of stamina and he passes away in Lois arms.

Lex Luthor feels cheated from getting to enact his own plans to kill Superman due to his passing and kills Mercy Graves, his personal assistant, to ensure no one else knows of LexCorp s involvement with Doomsday s release. The world mourns Superman and Metropolis honors him with a memorial. Superman s friends cope with his death in various ways. Jimmy Olsen takes a job at a tabloid newspaper The National Voyeur, Perry White becomes an alcoholic, and Lois, having realized that Clark was Superman, visits Martha Kent for counsel and comfort.

In Superman s absence, Metropolis is overwhelmed by criminals. Toyman uses a giant mechanical spider to hold children hostage. Lois decides to save them herself, but Toyman tries to kill her and a little girl. Superman digs out of his grave and saves Lois and the girl, apprehending Toyman. He doesn t seem quite the same, but Lois dismisses it as shock. She becomes suspicious, however, when she doesn t see him at the Daily Planet and when Martha tells her that Clark has not called home.

The resurrected Superman is revealed to be a clone created by Luthor who is keeping the real Superman s body preserved in a tube, unaware that Superman is, barely, still alive. He periodically tortures the clone Superman in a special lead-lined room. A robot from the Fortress of Solitude detects that the real Superman is still alive, recovers his body, and begins restoring him back to health.

Meanwhile, the clone s attitude darkens when he hears that Toyman killed a six year-old child. In retaliation, the clone abducts the villain and kills him in front of the police station by dropping him from the air high above. The city is stunned and the clone threatens the populace into abiding by the law. This convinces Lois and Martha that this is not the real Superman.

Lex berates the clone, orders him to find Superman s corpse, and threatens to kill him if he misbehaves again. The clone goes into a hair salon and using his X-Ray vision in a mirror, he deduces that a lead-shielded kryptonite pellet is in his brain, and removes it. Lois makes her way into Lex Corp, tranquilizes Luthor, and searches his files with Jimmy, discovering that Luthor is cloning an army of Supermen. Lex awakens armed with a gun, but the original clone saves Lois and Jimmy. He destroys the cloning facility and the yet-to-be-awakened clones, not wanting to be replaced. Luthor hopes to ambush the clone in a panic room, but the clone simply locks him inside and tosses the entire room into the street. This latest presumed murder triggers military action which fails.

The real Superman is revived and resolves to confront the clone, although his powers are not fully restored. To improve his odds he dons a solar suit , to help him absorb more solar energy, and brings a Kryptonite gun with the element sealed in a canister made of lead. The two battle and Lois manages to hit the clone with a kryptonite blast. The clone destroys the gun, but the Kryptonite canister sticks to the clone s chest and Superman vaporizes it with his heat vision. This causes it to unleash a torrent of Kryptonite gas effective enough to fatally incapacitate the clone, Before dying, the clone tells Superman to protect the people and Superman replies that that s why he s here. Lois is sure of the real Superman once he kisses her, and the crowd is similarly happy now that they know that the real Superman is alive. At Lois apartment, Superman reveals himself to be Clark Kent when he mentions a time in his school years growing up in Smallville, and Lois embraces him with elation.

At LexCorp, Lex is revealed to be critically injured and in a wheelchair, but still alive. He smiles, musing that there may still be a way for him to destroy Superman.

Voice cast

• Adam Baldwin as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
• Anne Heche as Lois Lane
• James Marsters as Lex Luthor
• John DiMaggio as Toyman
• Tom Kenny as The Robot
• Swoosie Kurtz as Martha Kent
• Cree Summer as Mercy Graves
• Ray Wise as Perry White
• Adam Wylie as Jimmy Olsen
• Kevin Smith as Grumpy Man
• Kimberly Brooks as Murphy
• Townsend Coleman as Drill Operator
• Chris Cox as Damon Swank
• Hettie Lynn Hurtes as Newscaster
• James Arnold Taylor as Officer Tucker

Production

Despite similar animation styles, the film used new animation models, and is only loosely based on the DC Animated Universe that lasted from 1992 to 2006, with a few allusions to the older series, as well as the Fleischer Superman series, found in the Fortress of Solitude.

Kevin Smith cameo

Writer/director Kevin Smith made a brief cameo in the film, during the scene in which Superman apprehends Toyman. As Superman carries Toyman off, a man (modeled after and voiced by Smith) remarks, Like we really needed him to bust up a mechanical spider, right? Lame! This is a reference to the Warner Bros. Superman project that he and film producer Jon Peters collaborated on, which never came to fruition. According to Smith, Peters wanted Superman to fight a giant spider in the film s third act. Smith revealed in his interview film An Evening with Kevin Smith that he incorporated this and Peters other ideas into his script. Tim Burton was eventually brought onto the project, and discarded Smith s screenplay, wishing to employ a different screenwriter. A giant mechanical spider eventually was used in the climax of the 1999 Warner Bros. film Wild Wild West, which Peters co-produced.

Release

The film was released on September 18, 2007. Before the DVD release, the movie was first screened at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2007. It made its U.S. broadcast premiere on Cartoon Network on July 12, 2008 in a heavily edited format.

Superman: Doomsday was exclusively available on DVD with a collectible packaging depicting Superman bursting through the movie s logo. It was the only film in the series originally released without a special edition.

Following a year later was a two-disc special edition DVD release. The special features included a retrospective look at how the Death of Superman comic came to be, a look at voice actors, as well as a Defeat Doomsday game with a 10-minute preview to the next animated film; Justice League: The New Frontier.

Release of a Blu-ray version was announced with a release date of February 26, 2008, but was delayed.

Warner Home Video released a new Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD, featuring new bonus materials on November 25, 2008.

Rating

The film s generous amount of violence and profane language garnered a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. This is the first time an animated Superman project has ever received such a strong rating. Most of the more visceral deaths take place off-camera; however, the fight sequences are very intense. During the Doomsday vs. Superman fight scene, Superman coughs a puddle of blood onto the ground, perhaps the most visual use of blood in the entire film. This marked the start of DC animated films featuring more adult content compared to previous projects and a majority of subsequent DC Universe Original Animated Movies would receive a PG-13 or R rating.

Soundtrack

Superman: Doomsday (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie)
Film score by Robert J. Kral
Released	October 26, 2007
Length	57:34
Label	La-La Land Records

The soundtrack to Superman: Doomsday was released on October 26, 2007. The music was composed by Robert J. Kral. The soundtrack listing:

Superman: Doomsday (Soundtrack from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie)

No.	Title	Length
1.	Superman Doomsday Main Title	2:05
2.	Fortress of Solitude	1:33
3.	Alien	2:25
4.	Killing the Hick	0:52
5.	Doomsday Rising	2:11
6.	Superman vs Doomsday	1:49
7.	Doomsday Battle	2:11
8.	Superman s Sacrifice	2:38
9.	The Death of Superman	2:07
10.	Lois & Martha	0:48
11.	Toy Man Attacks	2:28
12.	Return of the Hero	2:22
13.	Superman Clone	3:16
14.	Heartbeat	0:43
15.	Relocated	1:13
16.	Lois Was Right	0:37
17.	Cat Rescue	1:42
18.	A Safe Superman	1:47
19.	Lois Plan	2:21
20.	Clone Discovery	1:30
21.	Luthor s Fate	0:32
22.	Superman s Return	2:27
23.	Superman vs. Superclone	4:56
24.	Superman s Victory	4:23
25.	Smallville Elementary	1:03
26.	Superman: Doomsday End Titles	2:58
Total length:		57:34

Reception

Critical response

The film received favorable reviews from critics. Following the screening at Comic-Con, and its release on DVD, the movie garnered mostly positive reviews, with some reviewers commenting it was a marked improvement compared to other recent DC animated adaptations; some commented it raised the bar for the follow-up to the live-action Superman Returns which had been released the previous summer. Many also agreed it was also better in comparison to the recent animated films Marvel Studios had released based on their characters (such as Ultimate Avengers), in part due to the more adult and action-packed story in keeping with its PG-13 rating. Many reviews spoke highly of James Marsters and Adam Baldwin s voice acting as Lex Luthor and Superman, while reviews of Anne Heche s portrayal of Lois Lane were mixed.

Not all reviews of the film were positive. DVDTalk.com, while praising the film s look and its technical presentation, called the film a massive disappointment and also negatively commented on the film s short running time and its lack of adherence to the storyline of The Death of Superman comics. James Deaux of Earth-2.net gave the movie a score of 5.5 out of 10, claiming the movie was far too overhyped and the result was not a bad, but a mediocre product with many instances of…lazy writing, confusing animation, a couple of glaring plot holes and some mediocre voice acting. He also criticized the title of the movie given that Doomsday has such a minimal role in the film.

Sales

The Top 100 DVD sales chart for September 18–23, 2007 revealed that the film was placed at #4, and was two spots ahead of the season six release of Smallville, a Superman related television show. Variety made a report three months after the DVD s release, on DTV movies becoming very popular, and revealed that the DVD sold 600,000 copies, 30% more than what the studio predicted. At the present time, Superman Doomsday is the highest selling film from the DC direct-to-video series selling more than 680,000 units.

Year	2007
ReleaseDate	2007-09-18
RuntimeMins	75
RuntimeStr	1h 15min
Plot	When LexCorps accidentally unleash a murderous creature, Doomsday, Superman meets his greatest challenge as a champion. Based on the “The Death of Superman” storyline that appeared in DC Comics’ publications in the 1990s.
Awards	Awards, 1 win
Directors	Lauren Montgomery, Bruce Timm, Brandon Vietti
Writers	Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Duane Capizzi
Stars	Adam Baldwin, Anne Heche, James Marsters
Produced by	Bobbie Page,Sander Schwartz,Bruce Timm
Music by	Robert J. Kral
Film Editing by	Joe Gall
Casting By	Andrea Romano
Art Direction by	Bruce Timm
Production Management	John Diaz,Hyoungmin Doh,Toshiyuki Hiruma,Ben Kalina,Kathleen Keegan,Miok Kwon,Chaewoo Lee,Andy Lewis,Scott Rowden,Howard Schwartz
Art Department	Eric Canete,Joaquim Dos Santos,Chuck Drost,Robert Fletcher,Arthur Lee,Sam Liu,Butch Lukic,Irineo Maramba,Lauren Montgomery,Jay Oliva,Norm Ryang,Keo Thongkham,Adam Van Wyk,Brandon Vietti,Chap Yaep,John Dillon
Sound Department	Ed Collins,Jeff O. Collins,Kelly Ann Foley,Michele Garcia,Mike Garcia,Robert Hargreaves,John Hegedes,Mark Keatts,Mark Keefer,Wilson Martinez,Fred Salinas
Visual Effects by	Oh Sang Bong,Yuri Choi,Hoyeon Joo,Kyunmin Lee,Seung-Hun Lee,Dowhan No,Daehoo Rim
Animation Department	Jinjung An,Jiyeon Aw,Jihyun Bae,Kookhwa Bang,Jan Browning,Jonghee Chae,Andy Chiang,Namgil Cho,Sungku Cho,Eunjeong Choi,Jinhyun Choi,Tristin Cole,Craig Cuqro,John Dillon,Geno DuBois,Chuck Gefre,Jeff Hall,Robert Haverland,Daegu Heh,Hyung-Seok Jang,Sanggyun Jeon,Incheol Jeong,Youngwon Jeong,Mihyung Ji,Dave Johnson,Heechul Kang,Ken Kessel,Baeksoo Kim,Chan-Hee Kim,Eunmi Kim,Giyun Kim,Hee-jung Kim,Hye-Jung Kim,Hyosik Kim,Jeongkeun Kim,Jinna Kim,Kyunggi Kim,Myung Ho Kim,Myungho Kim,Richard Kim,Sungheon Kim,Yeonhee Kim,Yongil Kim,Changsook Ko,Junsoo Kwon,Yunyoung Kyung,Arthur Lee,Byongseok Lee,Changyong Lee,Hyeoksoo Lee,Hyunshi Lee,Jae-Bum Lee,Michel Lyman,Tec Manalac,Chuck Martin,David McBride,Tom McLaughlin,Denise M. Mitchell,Yongae Moon,Herb Moore,Youngkyun No,Eunhee Noh,Eric Nordberg,Changsook Oh,Seil Oh,Hakgoo Park,Hyun Joo Park,Jin Mi Park,Soon-Ok Park,Young Hee Park,Youngmi Park,Craig Robertson,Kyoungchuk Sa,Justin Schultz,Hosoon Shin,Junho Song,Jeff Starling,Hyunjoo Tak,Yunhee Uhm,James T. Walker,Glenn Wai Lim Wong,Jinsoo Yu,Sangsoon Yu,Junghee Yun
Casting Department	Liz Carrol
Editorial Department	Tim Iverson,Bradford Keatts,Christopher D. Lozinski,Michael Miscio
Music Department	Suzi Civita,Christine H. Luethje
Additional Crew	Lori Blackstone,Megan Casey,Wonsuk Choi,Neil A. Cole,Marci Gray,Luisa Guzman,Jinhwa Hoo,Youngsoo Jeon,Bradford Keatts,Sunghwan Lee,Tammy Middleton,Gary Miereanu,Tamara Miles,Julie Moskowitz,Bonnie Negrete,Kim Olds,Andrea Parrish,Andrea Romano,Alyson Ruppel,Peter Steckelman,Renee Toporzysek,Amy E. Wagner,Athena Wingate,Dane M. Taylor,K.L. Connie Wang
Thanks	Jon Bogdanove,Brett Breeding,Mike Carlin,Tom Grummett,Jackson Guice,Doug Hazlewood,Dennis Janke,Dan Jurgens,Jenette Kahn,Jerry Ordway,Denis Rodier,Louise Simonson,Roger Stern,Glenn Whitmore
Genres	Animation, Action, Adventure
Companies	Warner Bros. Animation
Countries	USA
Languages	English, Spanish
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	6.9
ImDbRatingVotes	22326
Keywords	alien superhero,vomiting,killing an animal,child in jeopardy,clark kent character