Superman: Red Son (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Superman's alignment with the Soviet Union stems from his upbringing in Russia after landing in a Ukrainian collective farm in 1938. His childhood memories of Lana Lazarenko and his personal experiences with Soviet citizens lead him to believe he can use his powers to create a utopian society. When he reunites with Lana and witnesses the political dynamics, he chooses to embrace a broader mission, using his abilities to serve what he sees as a better future for his homeland, ultimately aligning with Stalin's vision while believing he can reshape it into something positive.

Foreshadowing: His reunion with childhood love Lana Lazarenko rekindles memories of a different future and deepens his conviction to act.

• superman
• stalin
• soviet union
• communism
• utopia
• lana lazarenko

After Superman diverts Sputnik 2 away from Metropolis, Luthor secures trace genetic material from the alien during the encounter. Using Kryptonian DNA at S.T.A.R. Labs, Luthor engineers an imperfect clone, Superman Two, who possesses Superman's powers but is physically and mentally unstable. This clone becomes both a weapon and a liability, eventually sacrificing himself to save Metropolis, leaving Luthor to grapple with the ethical consequences of his creation.

Foreshadowing: Luthor's first act as the CIA's weapon is sabotaging Earth's defenses with Sputnik 2, which gives him access to Superman's genetic material.

• lex luthor
• superman two
• clone
• s.t.a.r. labs
• genetic material
• kryptonian

Luthor schemes to shrink Moscow using Brainiac's technology, but Brainiac betrays him and miniaturizes the city of Stalingrad instead. Superman intervenes to retrieve Brainiac's central processing unit and the miniaturized city, but he fails to restore Stalingrad to its original size. This catastrophic failure results in countless deaths and becomes a painful scar on Superman's conscience, a moment where his intervention caused more harm than good and exposed the limits of his power to save everyone.

Foreshadowing: Brainiac's betrayal redirects Luthor's ambitions, turning a scheme against Moscow into a tragedy in Stalingrad.

• stalingrad
• brainiac
• miniaturized city
• superman guilt
• betrayal
• moscow

Batman is revealed to be the orphaned boy Pyotr, once the child of dissident parents whom Pyotr Roslov (Stalin's son and NKVD chief) executed in 1953. Driven by childhood trauma and rage against the Soviet regime, this Batman joins LuthorCorp to strip Superman of his power. When his plan fails and he sees the destructive path he's taken, capturing Wonder Woman and nearly killing Superman, he becomes terrified of what he has become and ends his own life as a martyr to his cause, unable to reconcile his methods with his goals.

Foreshadowing: The 1953 scene where Pyotr Roslov shoots the dissident couple in front of their child plants the seed for Batman's tragic origin.

• batman
• pyotr
• luthorcorp
• suicide
• martyr
• orphan
• child trauma

Brainiac initially partners with Luthor to shrink Moscow, but when Luthor's plan threatens his own technological dominance, Brainiac redirects the scheme to miniaturize Stalingrad instead, keeping the smaller city as his trophy. Later, Brainiac pretends to serve Superman while secretly planning an alien invasion, manipulating both sides. He ultimately attempts to convert Luthor into a Superman robot to force Superman's destruction, revealing he never truly served anyone but himself.

Foreshadowing: Luthor's plan to shrink Moscow serves as the catalyst for Brainiac's first betrayal.

• brainiac
• lex luthor
• betrayal
• miniaturization
• invasion
• superman robot

Superman does not die. When Brainiac launches a desperate attack threatening to collapse his ship's power sources and destroy Earth, Superman pushes the ship into space where it detonates. He is presumed dead during the chaos, but the final scenes reveal he survived, walking among humanity wearing a simple suit and glasses, planning to live among the people rather than rule over them. His apparent death allows him to abandon his role as ruler and embrace a quieter existence.

Foreshadowing: Lois Luthor's pointed note asking Superman why he doesn't put the world in a bottle triggers his realization that his meddling has grown beyond control.

• superman
• brainiac
• final battle
• death
• survival
• space
• presumed dead

Centuries after the main events, Kal-L arrives from a time-traveling ship sent by Jor-L, landing in a Ukrainian collective farm in 1938, the same location where Superman originally landed. This creates a predestination paradox: Superman's entire journey was shaped by a future version of himself arriving to set the events in motion. The closing image hints that this cyclical timeline will continue to shape future generations, suggesting the conflict between Superman and Luthor's philosophies will echo through time.

Foreshadowing: The entire narrative is framed by this paradox, the story we watched was triggered by Kal-L's arrival in 1938.

• kal-l
• predestination paradox
• time travel
• jor-l
• ukrainian collective
• 1938
• cycle

By 1978, the Soviet regime under Superman's rule employs 'Superman robots' as a form of population control. These are human dissenters who undergo brutal brain surgery that removes their capacity for rebellion and converts them into compliant enforcers of the state. The procedure erases personal identity and free will, turning former citizens into obedient tools of Superman's utopian but oppressive order, representing the dark evolution of his well-intentioned governance into totalitarian control.

Foreshadowing: Superman's tightening grip on society and focus on 'winning the argument' with the United States foreshadows his descent into authoritarianism.

• superman robots
• brain surgery
• population control
• dissent
• compliance
• freedom
• 1978

Wonder Woman meets Superman at a diplomatic party in 1953 and is immediately drawn to him. Over the decades, she becomes his trusted companion, serving alongside him in ruling the Soviet Union. However, Superman regards her as a comrade rather than a romantic partner, and she accepts this dynamic. When Batman captures her and uses her in the scheme to drain Superman's powers, she breaks free and destroys the energy generators, an act that restores Superman's powers but leaves her emotionally scarred, yet she remains loyal to him throughout.

Foreshadowing: Their first meeting at the diplomatic party establishes Wonder Woman's attraction and sets the tone for her unwavering support.

• wonder woman
• superman
• loyalty
• comrade
• romance
• soviet union
• ruler

By 2001, after years of building LuthorCorp into a powerful conglomerate and pursuing his vendetta against Superman, Lex Luthor rises to the highest political office alongside James Olsen. Luthor consolidates unprecedented power and unveils monumental discoveries, the Phantom Zone and the Green Lantern Corps, using these to position himself as Earth's defender against the Superman regime. His presidency represents the culmination of his anti-Superman crusade, though his methods eventually lead to the very invasion he sought to prevent.

Foreshadowing: Luthor's break from S.T.A.R. Labs and formation of LuthorCorp in the late 20th century sets the stage for his political ascent.

• lex luthor
• president
• 2001
• luthorcorp
• phantom zone
• green lantern corps
• james olsen