Six months have passed since Superman died in battle against Doomsday. The movie opens with a montage of the four men claiming to be the Man of Steel protecting Metropolis and the world. A young Superman saves a couple from being mugged. A visored Superman takes down Intergang in a very surgical, brutal way. The Man of Steel saves Jimmy Olsen from getting hit by a truck, as the cub reporter is distracted taking pictures. A nuclear warhead is stopped from hitting its target by Cyborg Superman.

Which is the real deal? Who is the resurrected superhero? It’s revealed that Superman’s body has disappeared from its final resting place in Centennial Park. Lois decides she’s going to find out which one of these new heroes is her beloved Clark Kent.

Each Superman has a secret they are keeping, and every revelation is more shocking than the next.

The Death of Superman and The Reign of Supermen comics event ran from September 1992 until October 1993. The two-part animated movie does a great job of condensing a year’s worth of stories into 248 minutes. The newspaper articles that tout the accomplishments of the Supermen in the movie are homages to the comic book covers from back in the 1990’s. There are a few plot tweaks that are made from the transition from page to screen and I must say they are well done. An example: Cyborg Superman was revealed to be working with the alien warlord Mongul in the comics. The change to who Cyborg Superman is working for in the movie is a great reveal and one I did not see coming.

As a lifelong Superman fan, I think the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen is a lot better than Superman: Doomsday. This two-part movie does a better job handling the death and resurrection of Superman than BVS and Justice League. I would have loved to see a live action Reign of the Supermen movie but the way the DCU movies have progressed, I have a better chance of tying a towel around my neck, leaping off my mom’s roof, and flying around my hometown.

The voice cast is good, but I miss the actors and actresses used in the Superman Adventures cartoon.  I love Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor; however, I think Rainn Wilson did a fantastic job as Lex Luthor. Dwight Schrute was the Lex Luthor of The Office after all. Real life couple Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romjin’s chemistry carries over as Superman and Lois and both should be applauded for their contribution and the overall success of these movies.

If the weather looks frightful this weekend, make some hot microwave popcorn and pop these movies into your DVD/Blu Ray Player. If you are looking for action and a bit of romance, you won’t be disappointed. The Reign of the Supermen is upon us!