Everything you need to know about Superman before his latest movie

He may not be as scary as Batman, as relatable as Spider-Man or as snarky as Deadpool, but the Man of Steel has been fighting the good fight for more than 87 years now since his debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938.

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn’s new movie, opening in Aotearoa on 10 July, is just the latest reimagining of Superman. While it’s too soon to know if it’ll be a smash hit or a belly flop, it joins a very long line of Superman stories.

Superman might be the perfect hero for the conflict-filled world of 2025, says Sue Colson, co-owner of Auckland comic book shop Heroes For Sale.

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“People think of him as the goody two shoes superhero who is a little bit too super clean in his moral standings to be interesting. I think that’s where they are wrong.

“He was, and I believe still is, the role model for social crusading and justice. He gives us hope.”

If your knowledge of Superman stops with “up, up and away,” here’s a quick primer to his finest moments on screen and on the page:

The OG screen superhero: Superman: The Movie and Superman II (1978/1981) - Even with all the comic book movies since, Christopher Reeve’s stunning embodiment of the first and greatest superhero still stands out. Reeve transforms from mild-mannered Clark Kent to sturdy Superman with only a few tweaks of posture and voice, and it’s better than any special effect a computer can create now. (Streaming now on Neon)

If you want the story behind the hero: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024). The real-life Christopher Reeve was paralysed in a horse-riding accident in 1995. This candid and heartbreaking documentary follows his life from Superman stardom to becoming an incredible, determined voice for the disabled before his death at age 52 in 2004. Real heroes don’t always wear capes. (Steaming now on Neon)

If you want to go vintage: The first Superman on screen came only three years after his comic debut, with Max Fleischer’s series of gorgeous short cartoons from 1941-1943. Fleischer’s studio used some pioneering animation techniques to give his cartoons a appealingly colourful art-deco look that still looks amazing. (Available on YouTube or blu-ray)

If you want a Superman TV series: Superman has starred in many TV shows from the 1950s George Reeve tales to the long-running Smallville. However, the pick of the litter has to be Superman and Lois (2021-2024), which gives us a middle-aged Superman who is married to Lois Lane and has twin teenage sons. Tyler Hoechlin is a fantastic Superman, brimming over with compassionate charisma. The recent fourth and final series, packed with shocking twists, might be one of the best Superman adaptations ever. (Season 4 is streaming on TVNZ+)

If you want lots of Super-smashing: Man of Steel (2013) - Henry Cavill’s burly Superman never quite got the movie he deserved, with Zach Snyder’s super-serious approach to superheroes ignoring the character’s central optimism. Man of Steel makes some dubious storytelling choices but Cavill’s intense performance is a highlight, and it’s impressive to see modern-day special effects really show the carnage a super-battle would create. Skip the disappointing long-awaited Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, though. (Streaming now on Neon and Prime Video)

Where not to start: Superman Returns (2006) - Well-intentioned but dreary and too focused on the past, director Bryan Singer’s homage to the Reeve era never quite works. Brandon Routh is a decent Superman, but Lois Lane is badly miscast, Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor is too creepy and the plot makes no sense. Plus, it layers on the “Superman as Jesus Christ” metaphors way too thick. (Streaming now on Neon and Three Now)

Yes, Superman is still published in monthly comic books by DC Comics, at least four of them at latest count. But the amount of Superman comics over the past 80-plus years would fill most libraries, so where do you start? Here’s a few highlights:

Superman for All Seasons (1998): Stu Colson of Heroes for Sale recommends this gorgeous series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale that follows Superman over the course of four seasons, noting “it questions why he helps and goes through his fears about failing us.”

All-Star Superman (2005) - Writer Grant Morrison crafts a story about Superman discovering he only has a short time to live, and fashions a love letter to all eras of the hero, with wild science-fiction and surprisingly emotional beats about the nature of heroism.

Superman: The Man Of Steel Vol. 1 (1986-1987) - In the ‘80s, creator John Byrne stepped in to modernise Superman with a zippy, very yuppie take on the hero, which shook off some of the dust and reinvented characters like Luthor, Bizarro and Lois Lane with a dynamic eye.

Superman Smashes The Klan (2020) - This is “one of our great selling graphic novels in young adult superhero,” said Sue Colson. Set in the 1940s, it shows Superman helping an Asian family being persecuted by the racist Klan.

DC Finest: Superman: The First Superhero (1938-1940) - This recent thick reprint collects the very earliest 1930s comics in a format far cheaper than the millions of dollars the original issues would cost you now. They’re raw and primitive compared to modern comics but fascinating in showing Superman’s working-class roots, as he fights corrupt businessmen, domestic abusers and fascism.

With his latest adventure hitting screens, it’s clear there’s still plenty to say about Superman, Sue Colson says.

“He has emotional truth, empathy, and a strong sense of how he should use his strength, not for self-gain but for the greater good.

“And right now, that is so relevant, right now there are countries in the world that can do the most to help people and they are not helping. There has developed this idea that if we can help people, we have one over them. We are owed.

“Superman shows us helping is our duty, our connection to others and the way we can affect change together.”

Superman (2025) opens in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday 10 July.