The Death and Return of Superman

Superman dies because Doomsday is an unstoppable force specifically created to kill him. The battle is mutual destruction, both combatants land fatal blows on each other. Doomsday's only purpose is destruction, and Superman cannot defeat him without sacrificing himself.

Earlier, the documentary explains DC decided Superman must die to stay relevant, setting up this inevitable confrontation.

After Superman's death, four individuals claim to be Superman: Hank Henshaw (the Cyborg Superman), Steel (John Henry Irons), Superboy (Kon-El/clone), and the Eradicator (a Kryptonian artifact). Each has different origins but all step forward to fill the void left by the hero.

The funeral scene establishes the need for someone to take up Superman's mantle.

Hank Henshaw was a former astronaut whose body was dying, so he transferred his consciousness into a cybernetic form. After Superman's death, he adopts the Superman identity to gain power and control, eventually becoming the Cyborg Superman. He defeats the other pretenders and rules aggressively, destroying Coast City in the process.

Henshaw's introduction in the Reign of the Supermen storyline positions him as increasingly aggressive.

Superman doesn't truly die, he enters a healing coma where his Kryptonian biology slowly repairs his fatal injuries. This state mimics death but is temporary. He eventually awakens, having recovered enough to defeat Henshaw and return as the true Superman.

The documentary notes early on that death in comics can be temporary, foreshadowing the revival.

Hank Henshaw destroys Coast City while posing as Superman, killing millions including Hal Jordan's friends and fellow Green Lanterns. This trauma drives Hal Jordan mad, causing him to become Parallax, an entity of fear that nearly destroys the Green Lantern Corps.

The timeline shows Henshaw destroying Coast City right before Hal Jordan's transformation.

Fans felt betrayed because the Death of Superman was marketed as permanent and definitive. When he returned after just a few months, it undermined the emotional weight of his death and made death feel like a marketing stunt. Sales across Superman titles dipped and never fully recovered to pre-crisis levels.

The massive first-day sales of Superman #75 built expectations that his death was real and final.

The documentary uses a vampire metaphor: since vampires aren't real, writers can kill them any way they want. Similarly, Superman's death proved that comic deaths aren't permanent, they're narrative tools. The film argues this event launched an era where countless heroes died and returned, making death feel less consequential in storytelling.

Max Landis reflects on how his father's vampire lesson frames the entire arc's meaning.

Doomsday is a monstrous alien creature designed specifically by DC as an unstoppable killing machine. The documentary explains he was created as the ultimate weapon, born and bred solely to destroy Superman, the only being in the universe powerful enough to potentially stop him.

The timeline notes the 'Birth of Doomsday' as a deliberate setup for the battle.

DC Comics shipped approximately three million copies of Superman #75 worldwide in 1992, and nearly all sold out on day one. The event was heavily publicized as Superman's permanent death, creating unprecedented demand and making it one of the best-selling comic issues in history.

The buildup to the death event was marketed as a historic, irreversible moment.

Max Landis serves as the documentary's narrator and commentator, reflecting on the Death of Superman era as both a fan and a writer. He provides behind-the-scenes context about DC's decisions, the cultural impact, and the meta-commentary about comic book mortality. His father John Landis also appears in a segment about storytelling metaphors.

The film opens with Landis setting up his personal connection to the era.