I will go on a bloody violent keyboard mashing internet warpath against folks who can’t appreciate the greatness of The Death of Superman. It was easily one of the best of the Warner Bros. Animation films. That said, clearly I had high expectations for its follow-up, Reign of the Supermen.
Looking back, it’s kinda crazy how WBHE attempted to cover the entire Death of Superman, World Without a Superman and Reign of the Supermen in one film, the incredibly lackluster Superman: Doomsday. There was so much wrong with that film, but the biggest offense was sidelining the four would-be Supermen who replaced Kal-El.
Reign of the Supermen doesn’t make that same mistake and devotes a good amount of time on Superboy, the Cyborg Superman, Steel and The Eradicator. It was kind of fun knowing Superboy and Steel were voiced by actors — Cameron Monaghan and Cress Williams — that play other characters in the love action DC Universe as Jeremiah/Joker on Gotham and Black Lightning respectively.
In a great nod to the comics, there’s a tremendous scene where the four Supermen battle it out. Dedicated Superman fans will also note some direct Easter Eggs from the comic source material.
The Death of Superman had the easier story to tell — rampaging monster terrorizes everything in its path before being stopped by Superman. Reign of the Supermen is a far more complicated beast.
Adapting it was a much more challenging task that screenwriters James Krieg and Tim Sheridan mostly got right. I wish there was a way to have a bigger reveal for the traitorous pretender to the cape. That was a huge moment in the comics that left the fate of a pair of characters unknown in a big cliffhanger. ROTS isn’t able to achieve the same level of high drama ultimately because that moment revolves around one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the DCU.
Krieg and Sheridan come up with a pretty decent alternative that even does a good job of linking earlier stories from this New 52 timeline. ROTS also looks like the unofficial bridge point to the Rebirth era for the WBA DC films, which is a great thing.
One improvement on the original was the film gives Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn) a more prominent role. She’s arguably the main character as she tries to crack the secret of the Supermen. Lex Luthor also has a featured role that sets up an exciting development later in the film. Make sure to watch through the end credits.
That’s not to say the other Supermen don’t get their time to shine. Each has a fitting amount of screen time for their role. Some should hopefully be featured in other DC animated films going forward.
It’s funny how the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen
arc was given two films and still didn’t feel long enough. That’s mostly due to
how quickly Superman (Jerry O’Connell) has to return
(spoiler) and get back into the fray. At 87 minutes, this is the longest of all
the animated DC movies and I still wanted more time.
The Justice League has a necessary and fun supporting role. I really like this version of the League and want to see more of the team. Good thing this year also features the JL in a movie against the Fatal Five.
The animation continues to be a highlight of these films. Director Sam Liu has a great sense of setting up complex fight scenes that showcase the power of the characters. It’s not just random property destruction, but more a clash of titans.
Like the other animated films, despite knowing how the story will end up, the film takes a different path. Initially, I was a little worried about some of the changes, but they worked out and did prove faithful to some key elements.
Reign of the Supermen might not be as good as The Death of Superman, but I’d definitely make the case it’s an easy fit in the Top 10 WB Animated films list.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: WB Animation