Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Reign of the Supermen earns its hook the hard way: it takes Superman’s absence seriously, then turns that grief into a propulsive mystery with four very different “replacements” who each feel plausible enough to make you wonder what the symbol should mean now. The movie has the punchy, confident rhythm DC’s best animated features deliver—cleanly staged action, sharp character beats, and a Metropolis that feels anxious and exposed—while keeping Lois Lane at the center as the smartest person in the room. It’s brisk, entertaining, and surprisingly tense in the way it balances hope with paranoia, building momentum without getting bogged down in continuity homework. If you prefer lighter, quippier superhero fare it may feel a bit stern and combat-heavy, but if you want a Superman story with stakes, atmosphere, and a genuinely compelling “who are these Supermen?” engine, it’s an easy recommendation.

Reign of the Supermen is clearly trying to be a big, comic-booky aftermath story: a grieving world, four contenders for the cape, and a looming cosmic threat that says “Superman mattered.” The problem is it often plays like a checklist of plot beats rather than a gut-punch continuation, with pacing that rushes past character moments and emotional fallout you might be expecting after The Death of Superman. Lex Luthor gets a lot of oxygen here, so if you’re not into his smug chess-master routine, you may find the focus lopsided and the story oddly clinical. Still, the action is steady, the “who deserves the symbol” idea is fun on paper, and if you mainly want DC animated spectacle and setup for bigger battles, it’ll do the job—just don’t go in expecting a heartfelt, polished standout.