Superman
Adapted from a comic book character
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Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, first appearing in issue #1 of Action Comics, published in the United States on April 18, 1938. Superman has been regularly published in American comic books published by DC Comics since then, and has been adapted to other media including radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games. Superman is the archetypal superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a codename, and fights evil and averts disasters with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this definition, it was Superman who popularized the superhero genre and established its conventions.
Adaptations (29)
Superman has been adapted 29 times, across film and television series, from 1941 to 2020. The most recent is Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020).
The Mechanical Monsters1941 · film · 11 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Steve Muffati · IMDb ↗IMDb7.4As the headline on the Daily Planet tells the public: "Mechanical Monster loots bank!" In fact, a scientist has an army of these flying robots able to steal anything in sight. Police are set up everywhere to guard an exhibition of rare jewels, but it's no use. When a robot crashes into the building, it steals all the precious stones in sight, while the policemen's bullets harm it no more than flies. Clark and Lois are at the exhibit. While Clark phones in the story from a booth, Lois stows away in the robot's compartment. Clark sees that Lois has gone missing and decides to change into Superman there in the phone booth. Superman follows the monster, while his X-ray vision allows him to spot Lois inside. His attempt to get Lois out fails. The robot knocks him onto some power lines, losing the jewelry and (nearly) Lois in the process. The robot returns to the scientist's hideout with Lois, but no jewelry. She refuses to tell the scientist where it is. He retaliates by tying her up and setting her on a platform over a pot of boiling metal. The platform slowly descends, as Superman breaks in. But he'll have to fight the scientist's entire army of robots to save the day.
Destruction, Inc.1942 · film · 9 min · dir. Izzy Sparber, Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar · IMDb ↗IMDb6.4A murder at the Metropolis Munitions plant draws Lois Lane into the thick of a sabotage plot; she ends up inside a torpedo about to be tested. Meanwhile, where is Superman?
Electric Earthquake1942 · film · 9 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Steve Muffati · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8An American Indian fanatic tries to extort the return of Manhattan to his people with artificially induced earthquakes. Lois Lane, captive in his underwater hideout, seems doomed by Superman's interference...
Japoteurs1942 · film · 9 min · dir. Seymour Kneitel, Dave Fleischer, Myron Waldman · IMDb ↗IMDb6.3American industry builds a gigantic new bomber and Lois Lane stows away on the test flight; little does she suspect, Japanese spies are aboard to hijack the giant. Superman to the rescue?
Showdown1942 · film · 8 min · dir. Izzy Sparber, Dave Fleischer, Steve Muffati · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8"Friend turned foe" reads the newspaper headline. But Lois Lane suspects there's more to the story of Superman turning into a jewel thief and bank robber. And, of course, Clark Kent, knows it can't be true. But someone is out there committing crimes--and he's doing it dressed like Superman. Clark Kent finally meets the impostor at the opera. And that's where the impostor meets the real Superman. Catching the low-class crook is easy. But behind the cheap gangster is a powerful crime boss. And he proves more resourceful than his stooge.
Terror on the Midway1942 · film · 8 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Orestes Calpini · IMDb ↗IMDb6.5While Clark and Lois are reviewing a circus, "Gigantic" the gorilla escapes and endangers Lois. In the resulting chaos, other dangerous animals escape also. A job for Superman?
The Arctic Giant1942 · film · 9 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8An expedition unearths a frozen Tyrannosaurus in the Siberian tundra and brings it back to the USA. Naturally, it accidentally thaws and runs amok. Can Superman handle it?
The Bulleteers1942 · film · 8 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Orestes Calpini · IMDb ↗IMDb6.9Extortionists with a super-powerful bullet-shaped flying rocket car threaten destruction to Metropolis. At first they seem to defeat even Superman, but their capture of Lois Lane spurs him to new efforts...
The Magnetic Telescope1942 · film · 8 min · dir. Dave Fleischer, Thomas Moore · IMDb ↗IMDb7.0An experimental "magnetic telescope" draws down a fireball from space. Despite warnings, the callous "professor" tries it again, this time on a full-fledged comet. Even Superman is unable to halt its mighty momentum. Is Metropolis doomed?
Eleventh Hour1943 · film · 8 min · dir. Dan Gordon, Willard Bowsky, Dave Fleischer · IMDb ↗IMDb6.1Somehow, reporters Clark and Lois manage to visit wartime Japan. While there, Superman commits a little sabotage...at 11:00 each night. Of course, this endangers Lois...
Secret Agent1943 · film · 8 min · dir. Seymour Kneitel, Dave Fleischer, Steve Muffati · IMDb ↗IMDb6.4Clark Kent helps a pretty blonde Federal agent escape a gang of Nazi saboteurs, and lets himself be captured to learn their plans. The blonde, pursued again, falls into the gears of a drawbridge...
The Mummy Strikes1943 · film · 8 min · dir. Izzy Sparber, Dave Fleischer, Myron Waldman · IMDb ↗IMDb6.4After famed Egyptologist Dr. Jordan is found dead at the foot of King Tut's sarcophagus with a syringe by his side, his assistant Jane Hogan is charged with poisoning him and eventually convicted of murder. At the Daily Planet Clark Kent receives a call from Dr. Wilson of the Egyptian Museum who tells him of the mummy's curse. An examination of the sarcophagus quickly reveals how Dr. Jordan was killed but when King Tut reanimates his personal guards, it will take all of Superman's strength to take the day.
Jungle Drums1943 · film · 8 min · dir. Dan Gordon, Orestes Calpini, Dave Fleischer · IMDb ↗IMDb6.3A jungle temple with hooded priest is really a Nazi military base which downs a plane bearing Lois Lane and some secret plans. Can Superman save her from human sacrifice?
The Underground World1943 · film · 8 min · dir. Seymour Kneitel, Dave Fleischer, Nick Tafuri · IMDb ↗IMDb6.7The original discoverer's son takes Clark Kent and Lois exploring in unknown regions of Henderson Caverns. Henderson and Lois enter an underground world of hawk-men who have deadly plans for them.
Atom Man vs. Superman1950 · television series · 252 min · dir. Spencer Gordon Bennet · IMDb ↗IMDb6.7Columbia's 43rd serial finds Lex Luthor, secretly the Atom Man, blackmailing the city of Metropolis by threatening to destroy the entire community. Perry White, editor of "The Daily Planet", assigns Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson and Clark Kent/Superman to cover the story. Luthor invents a number of deadly devices to plague the city, including a disintegrating machine which can reduce people to their basic atoms and reassemble them in another place. But Superman manages to thwart each scheme. Since Kryptonite can rob Superman of his powers, Luthor decides to create a synthetic Kryptonite and putters about obtaining the necessary ingredients: plutonium, radium and the undefined 'etc.'(in order to keep viewers from trying this at home). Luthor places the Kryptonite at the launching of a ship, with Superman in attendance. He is exposed to the Kryptonite and passes out. Superman is taken off in an ambulance driven by Luthor's henchmen, and he is now under the control of Luthor. Superman is placed in a device, a lever is pulled, and the Man of Steel vanishes into "The Empty Doom." With eight chapters remaining, the odds are high he will return. Most of chapter 7 is a repeat of the origin story from chapter 1 of Columbia's first "Superman" serial, and this serial also finds a way to work in stock footage from Ken Maynard's 1936 "Avenging Waters," minus ol' Ken and his hoss Tarzan.
Superman and the Mole Men1951 · film · 58 min · dir. Lee Sholem · IMDb ↗IMDb5.5Reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane arrive in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world's deepest oil well. The drill, however, has penetrated the underground home of a race of small, furry people who then come to the surface at night to look around. The fact that they glow in the dark scares the townfolk, who form a mob, led by the vicious Luke Benson, intent on killing the strange people. Only Superman has a chance to prevent this tragedy.
Superman and the Jungle Devil1954 · film · 77 min · dir. George Blair, Thomas Carr · IMDb ↗IMDb6.5Compilation of 3 episodes of "The Adventures of Superman" tv series: episodes #39 ("Machine That Could Plot Crimes"), #40 ("Jungle Devil"), and #31 ("Shot in the Dark").
Superman1978 · film · 143 min · dir. Richard Donner · IMDb ↗Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, young Clark discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor, while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois Lane
Superman II1980 · film · 127 min · dir. Richard Lester, Richard Donner · IMDb ↗Picking up where "Superman: The Movie" left off, three criminals, General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa, (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O'Halloran) from the planet Krypton are released from the Phantom Zone by a nuclear explosion in space. They descend upon Earth where they could finally rule. Superman, meanwhile, is in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who finds out who he really is. Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes from prison and is determined to destroy Superman by joining forces with the three criminals.
Superman III1983 · film · 125 min · dir. Richard Lester · IMDb ↗In mortal enemies, the Man of Steel has no match. Even faced with a trio of sinister super-powered villains from his home planet, Superman saved the day. But can super-strength stand up to the diabolical circuitry of a criminally insane computer? Enter Gus Gorman, a genial half-wit who just happens to be a natural-born genius at computer programming. In his hands, a computer keyboard turns into a deadly weapon, and soon, Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his career. Clark Kent meets his old flame Lana Lang at a Smallville High School reunion and Superman turns into his own worst enemy after exposure to a chunk of red kryptonite.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace1987 · film · 90 min · dir. Sidney J. Furie · IMDb ↗Superman does a lot in his newest adventure. Archvillain Lex Luthor, determined to make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man. The two super-powered foes clash in an explosive screen extranvaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, repulse a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China and perform many more spetactular feats.
Superman Returns2006 · film · 154 min · dir. Bryan Singer · IMDb ↗Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut2006 · film · 115 min · dir. Richard Donner, Richard Lester · IMDb ↗IMDb7.690%Before Krypton exploded and Jor-El put his baby son, Kal-El, in a rocket ship to Earth, the benevolent ruler was forced to banish three irredeemable criminals to another dimension called The Phantom Zone. The trio's leader, General Zod, vowed revenge. Later, of course, Kal-El grew up to become Superman, Earth's mighty champion. A battle with the criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor, ends with Superman hurling a nuclear warhead into space where it explodes, but not harmlessly. Instead, it frees the Kryptonian threesome from their other-dimensional prison. They soon discover they have almost unlimited power (the same powers, in fact, as Superman), which they use to take over the Earth. Meanwhile, the intrepid reporter, Lois Lane, learns that her bumbling colleague, Clark Kent, is really Superman, a revelation that leads to him bringing her to his frozen Fortress of Solitude and renouncing his powers in order to make love to her. It is only when Superman and Lois return to civilization that they learn of the three Kryptonians and how Lex Luthor has joined forces with them. Now, Superman must reverse the irreversible and regain his powers in order to save mankind.
Smallville? · television series · 1 min · IMDb ↗IMDb7.5After a meteor shower bursts from the heavens, raining destruction on the unsuspecting citizens of Smallville, years pass, and the healing process leaves the town's inhabitants with scars and secrets. From the ashes of tragedy, a popular yet awkward teen attempts to decipher the meaning of his life and his clouded past. As he struggles with the transition from boyhood to adulthood, Clark finds that his strength and strange abilities set him uncomfortably apart from his peers.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman? · television series · 46 min · IMDb ↗IMDb6.7This show was based on Superman (Dean Cain) being a Generation X man. In his twenties, somewhere Clark Kent (Dean Cain) must experience life as a pre-thirties pupil. Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher), as always, is by his side at the Daily Planet, adding that oh-so-ever romantic side to his life. The relationship between Lois and Clark, is as always, a platonic but on the edge of mad love, type of experience.
Adventures of Superman? · television series · 30 min · IMDb ↗IMDb7.7"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" Mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet is really the greatest superhero of them all who "fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!"
Krypton? · television series · 45 min · dir. Colm McCarthy · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8Set two generations before the destruction of the legendary Man of Steel's home planet, KRYPTON follows Superman's grandfather - whose House of El was ostracized and shamed - as he fights to redeem his family's honor and save his beloved world from chaos.
Superman & Lois? · television series · 42 min · IMDb ↗IMDb7.8Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) and Elizabeth Tulloch (Grimm) as the world's most famous superhero and comic books' most famous journalist as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today's society.
