How would you make the Man of Steel sequel?

WARNING:  THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR MAN OF STEEL BELOW PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT CERTAIN PLOT ELEMENTS REVEALED TO YOU... One year has passed since Metropolis became a battlefield in a war between General Zod, his minions, and Superman.   Thousands of U.S. citizens were killed.  Billions of dollars in damage.  The event has now overshadowed 9/11 as America's darkest day and the world has once again changed, now knowing that the citizens of Earth as a whole aren't alone in the universe. International temperaments are at a high.  Nations have joined together to create a new space age, looking to the stars, but not with wonder, instead with paranoia.  Despite a coalition of sciences and technology, looking to defend the space borders of Earth from more threats, the elephant in the room is Superman, who has now called the United States of America as his home.  The nation is divided.  Some believe he is the hero.  Some believe he is the cause for all of the destruction and ensuing paranoia.  The world is divided as well.  Why has Superman chosen the U.S. to be his home?  Will he intervene in foreign policies in favor of his home country?  Will he be used in any military confrontations?  Countries fear the U.S. more than they ever have.  It is clear that the world doesn't know what to do with Superman.  Because of his existence on Earth, the whole world as we knew it has changed. Downtown Metropolis is in repair.  Hundreds of construction crews work around the clock repairing and rebuilding the great city.  Most of the construction vehicles have one similar logo on them... LexCorp.  Lois Lane walks through the crowd at the stairs of the recently reopened Metropolis Capitol Building.  Press is all around.  She is flanked by Jenny (The gender switched version of Jimmy Olsen).  As they make their way up closer to the podium, Jenny looks back, searching for someone. "Where is Mr. Kent?"  "Clark, Jenny.  This is the 21st century.  Don't kill women equality just yet.  I'm sure he's somewhere getting a better view."  She looks to the skies.  The crowd swells as someone walks out from the Capital Building doors.  Flashes flash.  It's the mayor of Metropolis.  He walks to the podium, waving.  "We've come a long way this past year, haven't we citizens of Metropolis?  We've overcome adversity, the likes that no other city has ever come across.  We stand together!" The crowd cheers.  "As our rebuilding continues around us, on this anniversary of that fateful day, we felt it a proper time to acknowledge one man who has given so much to this great city and it's resurrection from the ashes and rubble.  A man who truly needs no introduction.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present the key to the city to our very own savior of Metropolis..." A brief moment of pause.  "Lex Luthor!"  The citizens cheers are deafening as the Capitol Building doors open.  In slow motion, for the first time, we see Lex Luthor (Daniel Day-Lewis... in my dreams at least) walk to the podium.  He slyly hushes the crowd, trying to seem humble but the glint in his eyes tell the keen observer that he is relishing this position.  Lex accepts the honor.  Lois looks on skeptically.  "The savior of Metropolis?"  Lex Luthor is the Bill Gates of Metropolis.  He's a genius.  He's a businessman. Through his company LexCorp, he has excelled in the fields of science, construction, real estate, and economic growth.  He's created tens of thousands of jobs through his many companies, especially the construction division of LexCorp in the light of the rebuilding phase of the city.  He has donated nearly all of his services for the good of Metropolis, and people hold him high as a saint. Lex speaks to the crowd, "My Metropolis brothers and sisters, we have prevailed, we have overcome, we have rebuilt this great city and continue to do so in the name of those thousands who gave their lives a year ago today.  It is with the heaviest of hearts that I accept this great honor.  It will be an ongoing symbol in my life, reminding me of my home, Metropolis, and those that reside within today, and those that look down from the heavens.  Our loved ones.  Including my very own son who perished that day.  Let Metropolis stand high, above the ruins, let those on this Earth and beyond see our shining light!  Knowing that we will never falter.  We will never crumble.  We will stand tall and proud as the world's center!  Together!" The crowd cheers.  Reporters begin to raise their hands, wanting to get the first question out.  Above them all, one is heard.  Lois.  Lex's eyes peer down on her.  "Ms. Lane?" "Congratulations, Mr. Luthor.  May ask your thoughts on the contributions of Superman to the rebuilding?" The keen observer would see that Lex is inwardly vexed by the question, but he puts on a smile.  "Metropolis is lucky to have him." Another reporter yells, "Mr. Luthor, with the mayor's last term on the horizon, what do you say about the reports that you may run for the office?  That this may be a stepping stone for an eventual bid for the presidency?" Lex smiles.  "At this time, my full sights are on Metropolis and its Phoenix rise from the ashes." Lois interrupts.  "It's common knowledge that you have your eyes on the mayor's office.  What are your stances on the issue of Superman?  Was he the cause of this all or is HE the true savior of Metropolis." Lex stares her down again.  Some of the crowd boo.  Lex raises his hands, hushing them down as he takes a serious tone.  "All eyes have been on Superman.  Many a thing has been said and assumed about him.  Here me Metropolis, and the rest of this world, Superman will bring great things to us all.  I invite him to stand by my side as we continue to rebuild.  And beyond that final day, when Metropolis rises like the Phoenix, when that final beam is placed, we will move onward to better this world.  Together." The crowd cheers. Jenny applauds as she takes pictures.  "He's good." Lois is still skeptical.  "Yeah, he is."  She looks up to the skies.  ABOVE METROPOLIS Superman hovers in the clouds, listening to it all.  He observes the ruins from above.  It's clear that he is haunted by the destruction he has caused.  BACK ON LOIS She watches as the tiny dot that is Superman zips away.  The sonic boom echoes in the distance.  AT LEXCORP Lex Luthor enters his emasculate office, pushing through the oak doors hard.  He's angry.  He tosses the golden key to the city to one of his suited underlings.  "Melt it down, sell the gold, and go show me you can make a good market investment somewhere." He collapses into his ornate office chair/throne and turns to the glass window behind his desk, which overlooks all of Metropolis.  Another underling in a suit stands by his side.  "No sightings, Mr. Luthor."  Lex gazes at the skies.  "He was there.  Is everything underway?" "Yes, Mr. Luthor."  Lex glances at a picture on his desk.  His adopted son, Alexander, 25 at the time but now deceased. "You will have your vengeance, Alexander."  Note:  This new reinvention of some of the Luthor mythos gives Lex a very cinematic edge to his hatred of Superman.  It goes deep.  He blames him for the death of his son.   GOVERNMENT EXAMINATION ROOM Scientists exit the room as military personnel enter.  Top Brass.  The gaze into a metal pod, its window revealing... THE DEAD BODY OF GENERAL ZOD "Are you sure this is the right thing to do," one general asks another.  "It's the only thing to do."  They turn to see Superman behind them.  "We agreed on this, general.  You had a year to examine him.  Study him." "And we found nothing.  He's impenetrable.  Even in death."  "General, he is the last of my kind.  I feel that it's only right to..." "You don't have to explain, Superman.  We respect the dead in battle.  And besides, his presence.. is dangerous.  With the paranoia in this world, the best thing we can do is discard of his body.  Wherever he is would be a monument, a security risk, and who knows what else out there might want him. He's yours." SPACE Superman holds the pod.  He's flown just past Earth's moon and now floats in space, looking down with guilt.  He's not proud of this kill, despite it being necessary in his eyes.  He looks to the yellow sun.  Angry and shame fall across his face as he spins at super speed with the pod in his hands.  He screams in anger as he thrusts the pod toward the yellow sun.  It slowly disappears into space, heading towards the sun at a high rate of speed.  Superman flies back to Earth at a high rate of speed.  As he enters Earth's atmosphere, he attempts to push his boundaries with gritted teeth, going faster, and faster, and faster, until... He slams into the Arctic ice in the middle of nowhere, creating a deep crater as he lays on his knees in mourning.  He is the last of his kind.  AT THE DAILY PLANET Lois pleads with Perry White to investigate Lex Luthor.  Her instincts tell her that he is not who Metropolis holds him up to be.  She shows her own investigative proof that LexCorp is rumored to be strong arming competing construction companies, not allowing anyone else but LexCorp companies to take part in the rebuilding.  Perry wants nothing of it.  It's too controversial.  "You want to demonize Lex Luthor, the savior of Metropolis?" "Oh, shit, Perry, we both know who the savior of Metropolis really is."  He eyes her down.  "Was he a good kisser?"  This doesn't sit well with her.  "It, it was just in the moment.  One of those things." "One of those things, yeah.  I tell you what.  You get me another exclusive with Superman, I'll pay for the dinner.  A business dinner with him, Lois.  And where the hell is Kent?!" "Here, sir.  Um, Mr. White.  Perry."  They look back to see Clark rush in.  "Well, were you at the big event?"  Perry asks. Lois looks back at Clark.   "Y-Yes.  Had a great view."  "Good, I want you to cover the story." Lois' jaw drops.  "What?!" Perry glares.  "You had your chance.  I don't need the Daily Planet being the only media platform that is anti-Luthor.  Clark, you write it up." Lois glares at Clark.  Clark shrugs and smiles. Their relationship is complicated.  They've hit a rough patch with romance never fully blooming.  Tension.  He is off rebuilding the city and answering to various disasters.  His guilt keeps him dark.  He wants nothing more than to show Metropolis, and the world, that he is theirs.  That Earth is his home and he'll do anything to protect it.  "Clark, you can't save everyone."  "Lois, I can't not try."  We learn in passing that one of her other investigations has lead to other various parts of the country.  Since Superman's debut a year ago, other fighters for the good have surfaced, only most think that they are just urban legends.  A "batman" vigilante in the dark sister city of Gotham.  A man fighting crime with a bow and arrow.  This story point is a mere spoiler.  Zach Snyder and David Goyer have said that Man of Steel was basically Issue 0.  The introduction of Superman leads to other such heroes finally coming out.  This story point is a mere teaser/easter egg for the upcoming Justice League.  Lex Luthor, in the meantime, continues to play the role of a savior, although behind closed doors he is manic.  The death of his son has driven him to an obsession with Superman and his hopeful eventual demise.  Lex has been studying him.  He endlessly watches video footage of Superman sightings that appear on broadcast, Youtube, Twitter, etc.  He wonders about Superman's powers.  He wants to learn more.  So what does he do? He puts Superman to the test.  He sets up crimes and disasters.  He sees how Superman handles them, trying to push his limits more and more.  These are terrible acts.  Drastic fires.  Bank robberies with hostages involved.  Car crashes with cars hanging over the edge of bridges.  Crime is growing at an alarming rate.  This is all orchestrated by Lex Luthor as he compiles a virtual dossier on Superman.  Lex uses his intellect to find a weakness.  It's all futile until Lex finally meets Superman.  It's more of a PR thing at first for him, until they share a moment together in Lex's office.  Superman sees the picture of Alexander.  Lex tells him the story of how he adopted his son.  Lex reveals that he too was an orphan.  He built his empire from nothing and vowed that one day he would raise a son and give him everything he never had growing up.  Lex never had time for a wife.  He devoted himself to being a father and businessman.  And then one day, a year ago, his businessman son was killed during the battle between Superman and Zod.  Lex was away on business that day.  He feels that he should have been there.  It should have been him.  He sent his son to handle the day's business.  It is here that Lex discovers Superman's true weakness.  Superman shows utter remorse.  We think that maybe Lex is touched by this and may just relinquish his vendetta.  But instead, as Superman flies off, Lex smiles devilishly.    Superman's weakness are the people of Metropolis. Lex hates Superman.  Not just for killing his son, but for the fact that he is an alien to this world and no one, NO ONE, is questioning his presence on Earth and the ramifications.  "I can't break his body, but I can break... his... mind..." MEANWHILE... Lois is investigating Lex.  She goes to the underbelly of Metropolis.  Being the reporter she is, she puts herself in danger of discovering Lex's secret persona.  He is a criminal kingpin.  Mafiaesque.  He controls unions through strong arming.  Lex is made aware of Lois Lane's inquiries.  Perry White later informs her that Lex Luthor himself has requested an exclusive interview.  Lois Lane has been specifically requested.  This leads to a masterful confrontation.  A verbal game of cat and mouse.  He knows that she is skeptical of him.  She knows that he is not the person he sells himself to be.  The conversation goes to Superman.  As she defends him, he slowly slides her a picture of their rather public kiss a year ago. "You should tread carefully, Ms. Lane.  Superman has already brought destruction and death to Metropolis.  And as Shakespeare has taught us, love can be rather... tragic."  It's a clear threat.  She walks out.  He looks to one of his minions.  "Follow her.  Everywhere."  He then looks to his second hand man... "Let it begin..." This leads to Lex's ultimate plan.  He is going to terrorize Superman.  He is bent on breaking him.  He instigates a plan with multiple disasters throughout Metropolis.  He is going to force Superman to choose.  These disasters test his boundaries.  It's almost a sadistic game.  And it eventually leads to Lois, having been kidnapped after Lex learned Superman still has a soft spot for her (This is shown when Lois is saved by Superman during one of the initial crimes or disasters) Superman is forced to choose between saving hundreds of citizens of Metropolis or Lois.  In the end, he uses all of his powers to do both.  However, Lois is hurt in the process.  Superman is infuriated, letting his emotional attachment get the best of him.  His anger is fueled when he learns through Lois' research that Lex is behind this all.  This leads to a final confrontation where Superman explodes through the glass of Lex's office window.  This would be an amazing confrontation as Lex unleashes his utter hatred for Superman.  Superman, bound for his own vengeance, remembers the last time he killed.  He vowed he'd never do it again.  "I'm not going to kill you Luthor.  Metropolis needs you.  But know this, once it is rebuilt, once that last beam has been raised, your time here will be over.  I'll do everything I can to expose you." Superman begins to fly away.  Lex, enraged, screams back at him as he does.  "I will find a way, Superman!  I will have my vengeance!  One day, you will kneel before me!" As Superman flies away, Lex's voice is heard through Superman's super hearing... "You hear me?!  You will KNEEL before me!" Note:  Yes, this is a spin on the Zod quote from Superman II.  Man of Steel didn't use it so I thought that it would be worthy here.  A cool twist and imagine Daniel Day-Lewis saying it.  Superman flies through Metropolis.  People cheer at the sight of him.  He's further proved himself as Metropolis' favorite son.  It brings a sense of peace to him.  CREDITS ROLL At the end of the credits, we find ourselves in... SPACE The pod holding Zod's dead body flies towards the sun until suddenly... THE SIGHT OF IT IS ENGULFED BY A HUGE SPACE SHIP. INSIDE THE SHIP We see Kryptonian technology, as witnessed during Man of Steel.  A computer screen turns on.  We see the pod being scanned by the ship.  Creepy computer sounds and voices relay the observation: SPECIES:  KRYPTONIAN IDENTIFICATION:  GENERAL ZOD STATUS:  DECEASED ORIGIN OF TRAJECTORY:  EARTH POPULATION: 7 BILLION, HUMANOID, TECHNOLOGICALLY INFERIOR URGENT, URGENT, URGENT:  POSSIBLE SURVIVING KRYPTONIAN A pod appears from the floor, mechanically transforming from it, almost like a transformer transforming, only to reveal a humanoid figure within. Note:  Keep in mind that this is just the general broad stroke.  I would play with the themes mentioned in the opening.  Really focusing on how the real world would react if Superman and the events of Man of Steel happened. I really wanted this second film to focus on Metropolis and Superman's place in the city and in the world, avoiding the aliens and spaceships somewhat in this installment.  Instead focusing on the psychological aspects of Superman and his struggles.    There would be fantastic set pieces with Lex's ploys.  They would start small.  Initially we wouldn't know that Lex is behind them.  I'd later reveal that and it'd play really cool because we'll learn that Lex was just testing Superman's limits, personality, choices, etc.  That would all come into play as Lex used what he has learned about Superman against him in the end.  You could easily have Lex using a lot of great tech from the LexCorp military contracting division.  Perhaps the whole year building up to this has shown Superman fighting seemingly local small crimes, all of which were instigated by Lex to test Superman.  To poke and prod him.  That would give Lex a year to quickly develop some badass robots and tech to fight him.   Initially, I'd also want Lex and Superman to have a relationship set.  Before we make any true reveal, beyond the initial tease of Lex wanting vengeance for his son's death, I'd maybe want Superman to go to Lex and approach him about the need for technology that can perhaps find more of the scout ships that were sent out for him, much like the one that he had to destroy.  Keep in mind that Superman has the secret of rebuilding Krypton within his own body.  If he could find another scout ship, perhaps he could do so.  Perhaps he could find more like him?  And in regards to Brainiac, I thought it best to save him for the third film OR even better, introduce him in the Justice League film that would to take place after Man of Steel 2.   My take on Brainiac is the Collector of Worlds angle.  He wants to collect the knowledge and strengths of worlds, and then destroy them.  I'd almost use a Highlander type approach.  When he learns about a world and then destroys it, he ingests all of the knowledge and power.   Even moreso, in regards to Justice League, he wants to defeat them all, therefore absorbing their powers to become an almighty being.  Superman would obviously be his main trophy. I toy with the idea of bringing Doomsday into the mix for a third and final Man of Steel.  We play up that Death of Superman storyline, engineered by Lex.  It leads to an ultimate battle.  And yes, Superman dies in the end of the third film. Then comes Justice League 2 though.  The JL mourns the death of their champion, only to discover the codex within Superman's dead body.  They search the universe for Kryptonian scout ships and finally find one.  Whatever villain, be it Braniac again, or perhaps Darkseid, intervenes and in the end, the only thing they can do is resurrect a new Cal-El, or at least a variation of the one Metropolis grew to know.  I would use the Spock resurrection from Star Trek 3 and mostly 4 as a building block.  The dynamic of a friend returning, the joy of that accompanied by the fact that he doesn't remember them or his place in the world.  This could lead to some amazing character study.  Perhaps Superman has a dark side and must battle the Justice League until he finally remembers.  Who knows? *Not for reproduction without author Ken Miyamoto's consent

If I could do it however I wanted, irrespective of how they are actually making a sequel, then I'd take some inspiration from my previous years-old story concepts for rebooting Superman but alter them to fit as a sequel and include the fact the studio wants Batman to be part of the same universe with Superman on film. So here is a rough version of what I'd do... Here's the set up for what's going on: The events of divide the world -- one side hates Superman and fears more alien invasions and distrusts Superman, the other side worships Superman (some literally, forming cults around the world asking him to become Earth's benevolent dictator to usher in a utopian age of alien wisdom blah blah blah). The government is equally divided. Some feel the world must prepare for possible conflict with Superman, some feel the world should embrace him for saving the world from his own kind, and some are caught in the middle because they realize Superman could be a powerful ally but an equally dangerous foe depending on how the scales tip. The president and most of the military leadership take a cautiously optimistic approach, leading the vice-president and a few other military leaders to form a secret cabal opposing Superman and opposing the president's position. The UN, meanwhile, is having heated debates on the matter, including an upcoming resolution kicking Superman off Earth and declaring that if he refuses the UN will consider unified military action against him to force him to leave. The secret cabal of the vice-president and military leaders collect the Kryptonian armor Zod was wearing, and they use it to develop an anti-Superman project. Lex Luthor is part of the cabal, because he looks at the destruction in Metropolis and feels even if Superman doesn't decide to turn against humanity he (Superman) is still a major threat to our safety and survival since inevitably more conflicts develop that will attract his involvement and result in massive damage and destruction inevitable from the actions of someone with such powers. Luthor uses Zod's armor to create a robotic armor with life-support systems to make the armor's wearer less susceptible to mortal dangers. The armor is powered by an energy source Luthor located in the devastation in the Indian Ocean where Zod's World Engine was terraforming Earth into Krypton... The environment on Earth in the immediate area beneath the World Engine mirrored Krypton's environmental situation in the last 100 years before the planet exploded, a time when Krypton's use of the planet core to produce vast energy caused the planet to become increasingly unstable until it eventually exploded. That same process also caused the planet's soil and rock etc to absorb immense amounts of radioactive energies unlike anything on Earth, and which give off an energy like hundreds of nuclear power plants compressed into a small space. On Earth, in the terraformed area in the Indian Ocean, pieces of molten rock from undersea volcanoes were transformed into Krypton-like rock structures containing that vast energy like on Krypton. Luthor finds these few rock sources and uses one of them to power the robotic armor he created using Zod's Kryptonian armor. These rocks, of course, are the film's version of Kryptonite. Luthor needs a soldier to put inside the armor, and he chooses John Corben, a soldier from the battle in Smallville who was paralyzed and nearly killed by Superman's fight with Zod's forces. Corben is fanatically anti-Superman, blaming Superman for his present condition and hating aliens in general now. Corben is put into the suit, giving up his humanity to become a half-machine cyborg with the code-name "Metallo," based on the military designation of Zod's armor as simply "Metal-0" (the 0 being a zero) to describe the seemingly indestructible metal it's made from. Metallo, as Corben is now called, has Corben's mind and parts of his human body inside an armored exterior made of Zod's armor altered to cover the entire body and encase part of Corben's face. In the "heart"/chest is the Kryptonite. This armored battle-suit can fly, has pistons in the joints so that -- with the enormous energy supplied by the Kryptonite energy source plus the indestructible metal comprising most of the parts to the armor -- give Metallo enormous superhuman strength almost on par with Superman. Metallo is sort of like "Iron Man" but with only a human head and brain inside, and able to fire Kryptonite energy blasts of energy from his chest. He also has arms and legs that can extend to make him taller, or to let him reach much farther, not a huge distance but several extra feet basically. And his computerized mind allows him to access different databanks wirelessly and upload/download information, communicate with different computer systems, and so on. Meanwhile, here's Superman's situation: Clark works at the Daily Planet, where he is troubled by the increasing public debate over his existence. The UN resolution to demand he leave Earth is coming up for a vote in a few days, and he isn't sure how to react. In his private life, he and Lois are dating -- she tells everyone that after Superman saved Earth, it was obvious he couldn't have a normal life and that she could've go live with him at his secret home somewhere far away (a lie she and Superman maintain to keep his true identity a secret). He's actions as Superman are not limited to just Metropolis or the U.S., he intervenes in accidents and major natural disasters around the world. Clark uses his job as a reporter to keep track of major events and try to anticipate when and where he can best help the world as Superman. He's also been covering the rebuilding of Metropolis, by Lex Luthor's company LexCorp and with outside assistance from Wayne Enterprises, with Bruce Wayne making frequent trips to Metropolis. Clark interviews Luthor and Wayne together at an event, where Luthor explains his distrust of Superman and his feeling that the world must prepare itself for potential future alien invasions and even the threat of Superman turning against humans or being somehow manipulated by external forces to turn against Earth. Wayne says that while he usually disagrees with Luthor's political views, he is in agreement with Luthor that Superman is a potential danger and bears responsibility for much of the damage done in Metropolis. Wayne asks, "Why didn't he lead the fight away from Earth altogether? Why did he continuously engage the other aliens in destructive combat in the middle of a heavily populated urban area?" When Clark suggests perhaps Superman just didn't think of it, or wasn't used to such a battle and made bad choices, Wayne replies, "Then that's just further evidence that someone with that much power could be a danger to society, isn't it?" Clark now starts to question himself and whether perhaps the critics ar she tells Clark, "This is stupid. You didn't invade Earth, you were a baby who showed up and was raised on a farm. You didn't ask for any of this, but you have powers and so when a threat to this entire planet arrived you did your best to try to stop it, even if it could've killed you. It's not your fault Zod showed up, but thank God you were here to stop him when he did." Clark argues that Zod only came because of Clark's own presence on Earth, but Lois points out Zod and his crew survived Krypton's destruction anyway, and they were already actively searching for other worlds where Kryptonians had previously scouted. They might've shown up on Earth eventually anyway, even if it took them longer to find it. "And at the end of the day, Clark, the question is simple: Are we better off with you here, and are we all still alive because of what you did to protect us? You know the answer to those questions is yes. And to hell with anybody else who doesn't realize it." Clark visits Smallville to ask his mother what she thinks of the debate over his existence and what he should do if the UN votes to tell him to leave. Martha Kent tells her son that he has to show the world why they shouldn't ask him to leave, and he needs to tell them all clearly that he's one of us now, that Earth is his home and he defended that home against intruders who meant it harm, just as he'll always defend us with his life because that's what people do when their true home is threatened. And she tells him that if the worst still happens and they vote to kick him off Earth, he should consider a simple point: "Nobody has a right to tell someone else they don't belong because they're different, Clark. NOBODY. People have tried to do that before in this world, and they were wrong. You belong here as much as I do, and if they tell you to leave, they may as well tell me to pack up and go with you. What would you say to me then? What would you say to the people everywhere who are told to get out because they're different, because they don't belong, because they're from somewhere else? Whatever you'd say to them, you look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself the same thing." Clark explains it could cause an actual military response against him, and his mother laughs, saying that with his speed and abilities he could avoid a military response forever. "It's not a fight if only one side shows up. Walk away, and use that to demonstrate that while you won't be told to get out by people bigoted against you because of where you're from, you also aren't going to endanger anybody by engaging in a fight over it, so hopefully the world can judge you through your actions and intentions." Elsewhere in Smallville, Clark sees a few people who know he's really Superman and who have all mutually agreed to keep his secret and who support him unconditionally. Clark thanks them and promises to try his best to always be worthy of their trust and support. They tell him that if the UN and the rest of the world try to kick him out, to come back to Smallville and they'll give him asylum. His friend Pete sums up everyone's feelings by saying, "They'll have to kick all of us out, too, the whole town, before we let them tell you you don't belong here." Here's how the plot develops: When a crisis develops in Africa with UN food assistance being hijacked by pirates who bring the supplies to a local military strongman, the civilians beg Superman to intervene but the UN insists Superman has to not meddle in human affairs. The U.S. president says that if the UN is going to insist Superman not heed the requests from the civilians, then the UN has an obligation to step in and help them -- but this causes a whole other wider debate over self-determination etc, and causes the vice-president to publicly take sides against the president. Lois warns Clark not to get involved, since the UN is going to vote so soon on whether to tell him to leave Earth. But Clark says if he doesn't use his powers to help those who most need it, then he should leave Earth because he has no purpose and no moral argument to defend his inaction other than self-preservation. So he decides to intervene and help the civilians asking for his help, but his intervention results in the warlord blowing up the food supplies and his loyalists killing civilians in retaliation. The UN is furious and it seems certain they'll vote to demand he leave or face military action. We learn, behind the scenes, that Lex Luthor secretly paid the warlord to order the hijacking of the UN relief aid, and then Luthor also sent people to encourage the civilians to ask Superman to help them. Luthor calculated that Superman would feel obligated to intervene somehow, and when Superman showed up Luthor already had the UN aid rigged to blow up and supplied the warlord's forces with all the weapons they needed to deliver a brutal attack against the civilian population. The UN votes, ordering Superman to leave Earth within 72 hours. A shuttle built by LexCorp for carrying astronauts and an initial colony shelter to Mars is offered as a means for Superman to leave, using a classified propulsion system (the Kryptonite energy supply Luthor located) and with materials for him to build some kind of shelter to live off-world (on Mars or Europa or somewhere else, since his powers (due to continued exposure to our sun's rays) plus a basic supply of food and oxygen from the Mars mission components would let him survive. Superman explains that he won't leave, and offers the reasons his mother and Lois gave, in his own words and less self-praising. He says he'll also avoid any conflict with military forces, and that they shouldn't waste their energy or time trying to find or attack him. Luthor and the vice-president use the situation to justify the secret Metallo project, which they reveal to the UN leadership and promise can actually defeat Superman. Some of the UN leaders are fearful of actually carrying out any attempted attack against Superman, some wondering what he might do if the attack fails but does cause him some injury. Luthor meets with a few select UN representatives from several nations, including a nuclear power (either Russia, France, or Pakistan perhaps), and makes some kind of agreement with them, but we don't yet know precisely what this secret deal is. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne's feelings about Superman grow more complicated. He suspects that the events in Africa are not what they appear to be, and he recognizes that Superman was once again at least trying to do the right thing. However, he also feels Superman is creating a situation where confrontation is inevitable, and Wayne knows Luthor has been developing some sort of anti-Superman project for the military. Wayne's fear is that any battle will cause destruction on par with -- or worse than -- what happened to Metropolis in the battle against Zod. He expresses these concerns to Luthor, who says if that's what Wayne really is worried about then he (Wayne) should provide whatever technology and plans Wayne Enterprise has developed to combat Superman (Luthor had long ago surmised Wayne was making such plans as a precaution against Superman, too). Wayne suggests that if Luthor and the military feel more confident about their ability to attack Superman successfully, then they might be more inclined to make the attempt and thus bring about precisely the worst-case-scenario Wayne is worried about in the first place. Luthor says the only goal is to stop Superman, and he hopes Wayne will make the right choice when the situation arises. Anti-Superman protests grow more numerous now that Superman is openly defying the UN. And now there is added speculation in the press that the military is secretly using alien technology to try to combat Superman. This starts a debate over whether the existence of alien technology on Earth is going to create a whole new "arms race" that is just as dangerous as Superman himself. Lois is investigating Luthor's secret project, and learns of the soldier John Corben as a test subject for some procedure that reduced his humanity. The controversy plus the president's anger over the secret project lead the military to tell Corben -- aka Metallo -- he won't be allowed to go after Superman for a while. Metallo is furious, having already suffered at the hands of Superman (in his opinion, of course), and having surrendered part of his own humanity to become a weapon to defend Earth from Superman. When he learns his own humanity is being questioned by people who defend Superman's humanity, Metallo is even more enraged. The doctors who performed the surgery placing him into the mechanical armored body fear the Kryptonite power source is actually poisoning him and causing his mental faculties to deteriorate, plus the process of transferring his remains into the armored suit already had caused him to go a bit insane. Luthor comes to Metallo and argues with him, intentionally fueling his anger even more and goading Metallo into breaking out of the military installation to go after Superman. Metallo attacks the Daily Planet, since Lois was doing the story saying the UN attempts to get rid of Superman had led to a military project creating a weapon (Metallo) with less humanity than Superman, using the means and technology of the previous enemy (Zod) -- which Metallo feels is a veiled way of questioning not just his humanity, but also his loyalty and patriotism. Superman arrives and fights Metallo, but the Kryptonite power source slowly reduces Superman's powers and Metallo gets the upper hand. The president, though, sends military forces to stop Metallo. Metallo is ordered to stand down, and he reluctantly obeys, giving Superman a chance to escape despite being severely injured. The battle caused substantial damage to the Daily Planet, and to surrounding buildings. But this time, Superman led the fight away from civilians even though it made him vulnerable to easier attack. Superman's efforts to prevent civilians from being harmed is caught on video, as well as photographed by a young teenage photographer named Jimmy Olsen (Jimmy sells the images to the Daily Planet, of course, and gets a gig as a freelance photographer while in college). News coverage is filled with even more intense debate over Superman as a force of good or a threat, and over the growing threat from the militarization of alien technology as evidenced by Metallo's rampage in Metropolis so soon after it was rebuilt. The U.S. government and military leadership are having open debate now about what to do, and the UN is breaking up into factions who want to focus on stopping Superman and factions who want to stop the spread of alien technology as a new weapon of mass destruction, and the vice president and his allies in Congress and the Pentagon openly defy the president and say that something must be done to stop Superman and enforce the UN resolution, and if the president refuses then he should step down. The nation is being torn apart by the controversy and crises, as is the rest of the world. Bruce Wayne goes to Luthor and says Metallo's attack on Lois and the Daily Planet proves Wayne's concerns about escalation and the threat of the anti-Superman warmongering were correct. Luthor says that Wayne should hand over his own anti-Superman project, then, and help them end this before things get out of hand. Luthor says he totally agrees, saying Metallo is dangerous and that he knows Bruce is right, but that his sources in the government and UN tell him an even bigger military strike is being planned against Superman, and that Metallo is part of the attack plan. Luthor says he knows Wayne has some sort of technology that Luthor's industrial spies say is something that apparently is very simple yet perfectly effective in stopping Superman with ease. Luthor says, "Wayne, if you don't hand it over to me and let me try to help you find a way to end this, the UN is going to unleash Metallo again and start an all-out war with Superman that could kill more people than Zod's invasion ever did." Wayne  and says, "If I have to chose between Metallo and Superman, I might have to pick Superman. Because even if Superman is gone, Metallo will still be around, and who will be able to stop HIM?" Luthor responds, "What if we help Superman stop Metallo, on the condition he makes a deal to leave when he's done? If he refuses, we still help him stop Metallo, but then we have your backup technology to stop him, whatever it is." Wayne considers this... Metallo is back at the military base, confined to a holding cell but making it clear that he has the power to leave wherever he wants to (this should subtly mirror the scene of Superman in the military room in handcuffs in the previous film). He's told that there is debate about his actions, and that he has actually caused a backlash against military action to remove Superman, and he watches on a TV screen in the cell as the president denounces him and those who support him; a separate clip shows the vice president calling the president a traitor to humanity for defending Superman etc. Metallo says the media is just doing what they did before to turn public opinion against itself and defend the alien invader. They inform Metallo that the president has ordered him to be deactivated while the UN is considering banning all research using alien technology. "You've been deemed as much of a threat as Superman, perhaps even more so." This is the last straw for Metallo, who has seen himself go from a human soldier defending his country to a half-machine accused of being less human than Superman, to accusations of having taken up the means of the previous enemy (Zod), and now being accused of being the very threat he is trying to protect the world from. Metallo says the president and his country have betrayed him, and he kills the military commander, and then walks through the base killing every soldier who gets in his way and trashing the building (in an homage to the first Terminator film, when the Terminator goes on a rampage at the police station). Clark recovers from his wounds, but doesn't know what he'll do if he has to fight Metallo again. He tells Lois that Metallo is crazy and a threat that has to be stopped, but the Kryptonite weakens him so much he's not sure he can defeat Metallo, and another battle could kill them both. She tells him to simply not reveal himself as Superman anymore, but Clark says she knows he can't stop helping people, and eventually one of the times he shows up to help will be a set-up and Metallo and the military will be there waiting for him. Clark says maybe he was wrong to stick around, because the world is going crazy now and everyone's at each other's throats because of him. Lois says it's not because of him, it's because of THEM. Perry White joins the discussion and thinks Clark is asserting an anti-Superman position (he's not aware Clark is Superman, obviously), and says that as far as he can tell, the only dangers to the public have consistently been the people who oppose Superman, and that Superman has consistently saved everybody. "If it wasn't all of this happening and Superman being here, those same people who oppose him would be developing something else just as destructive and dangerous as Metallo or that Kryptonite they created, only there'd be nobody standing between us and them. Don't buy into their propaganda, Clark, you're too smart for that." Just then, Lex Luthor comes into the Daily Planet and asks to speak to Lois. Lois is angry, as are Clark and everybody else at the Daily Planet, since they all know Luthor was behind creating Metallo. Luthor says he's sorry, that he knows it was a mistake, and that now he sees Superman tried to protect the city. He warns that Metallo is still a threat and has escaped from a military installation, leaving everyone at the base dead. Luthor tells Lois she must contact Superman and tell him to meet Luthor at LexCorp headquarters, he can tell him how to stop Metallo. Lois agrees to get the message to Superman, Clark leaves to supposedly "cover the story of the attack at the military base," and Luthor departs -- but on his way out, he makes a phone call and says simply, "It's happening. Be ready." Metallo heads toward D.C., destroying military fighter jets that try to intercept him. He arrives at the White House and attacks, but the president has already been taken to a secure location elsewhere. The vice president is there, terrified, but Metallo spares him because he says he saw the VP on television and says he knows "we're the same." Metallo leaves, and the VP breaks down in fearful relief and in realization of how mistaken he was. Superman shows up at LexCorp, and Luthor says that while he still has reservations he has come to see that as a simple matter of logical truth Metallo is a bigger danger that must be stopped, but the alien technology driving him makes him impossible to beat except for Superman. Superman notes the Kryptonite weakens him and makes it too hard to defeat Metallo, but Luthor says he has a solution for that -- he replicated the Kryptonian metal, by using more of the materials he found in the aftermath of the World Engine, as part of the old military plan to not just build Metallo as an anti-Superman weapon but to create an army of soldiers who could fight against any future alien invasions. But unlike Metallo, these armored suits are more like "Iron Man' in that the soldier doesn't become a cyborg, the suits are designed for anybody to wear and reuse them in combat. Luthor says the armor will block shield Superman from the effects of the Kryptonite radiation, since it's got lead lining designed to protect against Kryptonian X-ray vision. Superman is suspicious, but Luthor says, "Metallo is uncontrollable, and will try to destroy anyone who he feels betrayed him. I'm probably on that list, and nobody else in this suit could stop him. It has to be you, with your powers. I promise you, I created Metallo and so I intend to stop him once and for all, whatever the cost and no matter what alien or devil I have to bargain with to get it done." Metallo tears through the Congress building as soldiers try to stop him. Superman arrives in an armored battle suit, and just as Luthor promised the suit protects him from the effects ofthe Kryptonite -- but the battle is still vicious, and Superman leads Metallo away from D.C. out over the ocean. As they fly and fight, Luthor is in his office and sends a transmission to Metallo, claiming, "The president is at the U.S. Naval base on the island Corto Maltese in the Atlantic, if you still want him." Metallo breaks away from his fight with Superman and heads toward the island, Superman in hot pursuit. Metallo reaches the island, tears through the Naval base, but the president is clearly not really at the base, it was a trick by Luthor. At the UN, a Russian diplomat receives a text message, gets up, and hurries out. Several other diplomats hurry after him. Luthor is at his office, answering a cell phone call and saying, “Yes, do it,” in Russian. He hangs up the phone, removes a small electronic device from his briefcase, and flips a switch... On Corto Maltese, Superman has the upper hand over Metallo at last, as they grapple in a large aircraft hanger. Suddenly, something turns on inside Superman’s armored suit, bathing him in artificial sunlight. He is confused for a moment, but then stumbles and begins getting weaker. Metallo senses something is wrong with Superman and recovers from the brink of defeat. He batters Superman and the hero cannot get away... In the Atlantic Ocean not far off the coast of Corto Maltese, a Russian submarine launches a nuclear missile... Superman crawls weakly away as Metallo laughs and follows. Suddenly, the base’s air raid sirens blare and soldiers scamper away toward fallout shelters. Metallo looks around, his computer mind tapping instantly into communications systems and seeing the nuclear alert warning, and he realizes the implications. He grabs the support columns of the hanger and strains, crushing it and bringing the massive structure down on top of himself and Superman... The Russian missile explodes over the Navy Base at Corto Maltese, consuming it in nuclear fire. The president, in a military bunker in Virginia, receives word of the Russian nuclear strike on Corto Maltese. He orders the U.S. military put on alert, as the country takes several quick steps closer to war. At the UN, the Russians announce that in order to stop both the global threat posed by Superman and the threat posed by U.S. deployment of alien technology that was out of control, their government took necessary steps to enforce the UN resolution against Superman. They admit to launching the nuclear strike, and say that they are confident the attack destroyed both Superman and Metallo. The UN is stunned, people reacting in all sorts of ways -- some happy, some horrified, some shocked at the news, some instantly fearful of nuclear war as the U.S. ambassador denounces the attack as an act of war against the United States. Lois and everyone at the Daily Planet see news of the nuclear strike. They’re all scared and upset, but none as much as Lois. She rushes from the building, shaking in grief and rage. At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce Wayne is in a meeting when he sees the news and is mortified, but quickly becomes grim and determined. He ends the meeting and goes to his office, telling his assistant, “Get Lex Luthor on the phone. If they try to give you the runaround, tell them he either speaks to me on the phone or I come there and drag him out of his office with my bare hands.” On Corto Maltese, the nuclear fire still rages, smoke and debris everywhere. It’s a nightmare straight from the depths of Hell itself.  Something moves beneath the rubble, struggling slowly at first, then more determined. At last, a huge portion of charred and melted building lifts from the burning dust, breaks apart, and reveals Metallo staggering to his feet from beneath it. He is slumped, weak, but the Kryptonian armor has proven indestructible when combined with the endless power of the Kryptonite in his chest. He gasps and then chuckles, finally bursting with an evil laugh as from the rubble at his feet he pulls Superman’s corpse. Metallo struggles and finally rips the faux-Kryptonian armor off Superman’s body, revealing the weakened, shriveled, pale, blistered Superman -- DEAD. Metallo looks at Superman with triumph, holding the corpse in both his hands as he slowly flies up from the ground, drifting into the sky over the base. Metallo begins to rotate in the air, spinning in a slow circle. He holds Superman’s body out away from his own, gaining speed as he rises higher and spins faster. Finally, with an enormously powerful effort, he screams, “Get off my planet!” and hurls Superman into the sky -- up, up, and away the dead Man of Steel tumbles, into the smoke of the mushroom cloud that towers over the island... ...higher and higher into the sky, through darkness and still-burning debris aloft in the mushroom cloud... and finally, at long last, ABOVE the cloud, into the sky beyond... toward the upper atmosphere... and we glimpse the bright rays of the SUN... Back on Earth, Lois Lane barges into LexCorp’s huge, expansive lobby and strides up to a single reception desk on the far side of the room where an assistant sits. Lois demands to speak to Luthor. She says she knows he’s responsible, that it was all a lie, a trick to kill Superman and to kill Luthor’s own monster. Luthor’s voice behind her startles Lois, as he says, “Monster, Ms. Lane? What do YOU know about monsters?” Luthor steps from a shadowed alcove where his silent private elevator delivered him to the lobby. He stands there across the lobby from Lois, continuing to speak. “You DEFENDED a monster. A monster from another world, a monster that transformed everything human into pointless fragility. A monster that killed tens of thousands of people in a single day. A monster that rendered us useless, that made a mockery of us by appearing human but being anything but.” Lois stands silent through Luthor’s little monologue, but we see a boiling anger building insider her and her eyes are wild, she’s about to lose control and unleash some serious violence on Luthor. She takes a step, then two, and as she walks across the large lobby toward him her pace quickens and her footfalls are louder and heavier with purpose. Luthor seems to suddenly realize he might actually be in physical danger, but before anything else can happy, the assistant shouts, “Mr. Luthor! He’s still alive... Metallo, they say he’s left Corto Maltese, he survived the explosion.” Metallo soars at top speed through the air, smoke still rising from his superheated armor due to the nuclear explosion. At military bases all around, soldiers rush toward planes and jeeps etc, and some fighters scramble and pursue Metallo, but he’s unstoppable now, with one singular mission left in mind -- kill everyone, including Lex Luthor, who betrayed him. His computerized mind uplinks to military machines and computer systems, breaks codes with blinding speed, and takes over those systems. Planes go haywire, rockets and missiles directed at him change course, radar systems shut down in his path. Then, he changes course unexpectedly, toward a desolate strip of dessert territory. High in the atmosphere, Superman’s body drifts in orbit, his costume tattered and his body wrecked. Sunlight bathes his corpse, and the paleness begins to fade, the blisters grow smaller. We see blackness, then quick flashes of violent battle, mixed with flashes of Lois’ face saying “Clark.” We see more flashes of battle, intercut with moments of darkness, and then suddenly the big fiery blast of the nuclear missile, the mushroom cloud rising like a second sun over the island, and we see Superman’s screaming face blend into a sudden image of Lois’ face screaming “Clark!” ...And high over Earth, Superman’s eyes OPEN. Metallo flies through a barrage of anti-aircraft fire and rocket explosions in the air over a U.S. Air Force Base in the middle of nowhere. His computerized systems hack, override, and take control of the base’s systems. Suddenly, ominously, the top blows off a missile silo buried in the ground, and an ICBM fires... then another, and another... The president leaves his bunker in Virginia with an escort of soldiers, heading toward a waiting helicopter. Suddenly, Superman flies down toward them. The soldiers take aim and prepare to defend the president, but Superman stops and holds up his hands, saying he means no harm and is there to ask the president for formal permission to stop Metallo on U.S. soil. The president thinks only a moment before responding, “He’s taken control of several nuclear missiles. He can’t cause a thermonuclear detonation, but they’ll explode and scatter radioactive fallout like massive dirty bombs wherever he drops them. On the authority of the United States government, Superman, I authorize you to do whatever you have to do to stop that lunatic. ...CAN you stop him?” Superman thinks, and looks down at his hands -- we see he’s holding a piece of charred, smoking armor from the suit he wore earlier to fight Metallo. He stares at the shattered, blackened, twisted representation of his previous failed attempt. He looks back at the president and nods once, replying, “I have to, sir.” And with that, he streaks toward the sky. Metallo soars through the sky over the U.S., four nuclear-tipped ICBMs following along behind him. When he changes course, so do they, always adjusting to keep up with him. And we see in the distance -- Manhattan Island... At the UN, an evacuation is underway. Air raid sirens blare in the city streets, people are in a panic and military jets streak by overhead to try to intercept Metallo as he approaches. Superman breaks every one of his own speed records this time, pushing himself faster and faster to catch Metallo. At last he’s zooming toward Manhattan Island... Metallo hovers high above New York City, the UN just below him. Even higher above, the nuclear missiles likewise hover silently above the clouds, noses pointed downward at the UN and surrounding city. Metallo says to the crowds below at the UN that it wasn’t just the military and Luthor and his president who betrayed him, it was the world. All of the decision-makers who refused to support him, who refused to call him their champion, who acted like he was somehow as bad or worse than the alien in their midst. He says that if they want to make him into their enemy, and if they want to call him a monster, he’ll show them what a true monster he can be... Superman flies up and stops a safe distance from Metallo. He tells Metallo that whatever else has happened, the city below them is American soil, and that if Metallo claims to fight for humanity then even if he hates the UN and the world leaders and the military, the innocent civilians below are still the same people Metallo fought to protect and defend when he was still a soldier named John Corben. “You hate me and the threat you think I represent, and you gave up your own humanity because you thought it was the only way to protect the rest of humanity. But if you detonate those bombs now and kill millions of innocent people, you’ll lose whatever piece of humanity you have left inside. And everything you ever were, and ever did to defend your country, will all be for nothing.” Metallo stares at Superman, declaring, “Don’t you dare talk to me about what I’ve given up, or about humanity. Look what you did... you turned me into everything I hated! Everything I fought against!” Metallo’s face-plate lifts, revealing the disfigured remains of his face inside the machine. His face reveals a tortured humanity we’ve not seen in his robotic form, and tears stream from his damaged eyes. “YOU did this to me, you and the rest of the liars! I’ll kill you, and then I’ll find the rest of them and rip them to pieces!” Metallo hurtles toward Superman, the breast-plate opening on his armor to expose the Kryptonite to weaken Superman. But with super-strength and super-speed, Superman throws the broken, burned shard of his own armored suit directly at Metallo, and straight into the open breast-plate. The shard of armor, strong as the Kryptonian armor and nearly indestructible, shatters the Kryptonite power cell inside Metallo’s chest. A massive power surge erupts from Metallo, short-circuiting his armor and sending him falling helplessly toward the ground. Superman meanwhile has flown after the missiles, which are now free-falling toward the city. He catches one and, with a mighty heave, sends it spinning toward the waters of the harbor. He catches a second one, gets hold of it, and shoves it out toward the harbor as well, then quickly reaches a third that he rams with his body to force it out toward the sea. But as he flies desperately faster and faster, he realizes he cannot catch the remaining missile in time... It is just seconds from hitting the city, when suddenly the engines sputter back to life and the missile turns sharply away from the city, upward and out just enough to reach the harbor. Superman is confused, but then realizes what must have happened. He flies down to the city below, and locates Metallo. His armored arms are missing, blown off by the power surge in his chest, and one of his legs is halfway gone. But he’s still alive and conscious enough to control the computer linkup in his mind. “You saved them after all,” Superman says to him. Metallo stares up in contempt, but says, “No, alien. You saved them, by reminding me I was still a man inside this machine... a man, unlike you. I can’t destroy what I was trying to save, just to try and destroy you...” Metallo passes out. Soldiers approach and surround Metallo, wary of Superman but under orders to help him if necessary. One of them hesitantly thanks him for his help. Then another solider thanks him for saving the city. Tired but glad it’s over, Superman manages a smile and thanks them back. At the Daily Planet the next day, the staff watch the president addressing the nation on TV, saying Superman saved New York and the UN representatives, and that government & military personnel involved in the Metallo project and the plot to destroy Superman are being held accountable. He says that Russia’s involvement and use of nuclear weapons against an island housing U.S. troops will not go unpunished, but that having faced so much threat of destruction in the last two days he is decreasing the U.S. alert level to try and make it clear that no nuclear escalation should take place on either side. He says lastly that the U.S., the UN, and the world owe Superman a debt of gratitude. Later, in Gotham City... Bruce Wayne is leaving his office, when a wind catches his attention. He looks around and sees Superman hovering in the sky nearby. Bruce asks what he wants. Superman says he knows the armor Luthor gave him was designed by Wayne Enterprises, and that it contained a weapon system that gave off simulated red sunlight. Superman continues by saying he knows Wayne gave the suit to Luthor, and that he just isn’t sure of the extent of Wayne’s involvement in everything else that happened. Wayne says he had nothing to do with any of it, and that he gave the suit to Luthor because it was the only other prototype with Kryptonian armor that could protect Superman. Wayne says Luthor was supposed to deactivate the red sunlight system, but obviously it was reworked to use against Superman instead. Superman says, “The only purpose of that system was to use it against me, Mr. Wayne. It didn’t need to be reworked for that. The only difference was that I was wearing the suit instead of fighting someone else in it.” Wayne doesn’t respond. Superman asks, “Who was that suit really for, Mr. Wayne?” Wayne again doesn’t respond, but now stares very intently at Superman. Superman says, “You distrust me, just as Luthor does. But Luthor seems to hate me. You just seem genuinely unsure and cautious. I hope after everything that’s happened, you don’t still consider me a potential enemy. And I hope if you have any more of those suits, that you’re more careful who wears them in the future.” Superman flies away, leaving Bruce Wayne staring up into the night sky with a grim expression. Later again, back in Metropolis, Clark walks down the sidewalk with Lois, carrying Chinese takeout food.  Lois is mad that the president made no mention of Luthor, but Clark reminds her Luthor was just doing what the vice president and military hired him to do, and that as far as any evidence is concerned he was against Metallo and supposedly tried to help stop Metallo. The battle suit Superman wore containing the artificial red sunlight that stripped him of his powers was a Wayne Enterprises creation after all, with the red sunlight redirected inward instead of outward as it was originally designed -- but there’s no proof, and nothing to link Luthor to the nuclear attack since the Russian government publicly took full responsibility in the aftermath of the attack. Lois stops walking and puts her arms around Clark. She tells him that when she thought he was dead, she realized how much she loves him. He says he loves her too, and they embrace. The End.

I would set it two years in the future and the arrival of superman is less than welcomed. He would be hounded constantly by government officials demanding he swear his allegiance to their respective nations, People would be throwing themselves in mortal dangers just to catch a glimpse of him, and he would be mentally and physically exhaust from the constant demands of being of a superhero. I would introduce Lex Luthor in the sequel. Lex will seen almost as a savior to the public of metropolis for repairing the city after superman's battle with Zod. This will be in stark contrast to his real nature as basically an kingpin of underworld crime on a global scale. Lex will see superman from a slightly more jaded side. Though he would be envious of superman's powers, he will find himself nearly compelled to make superman prove his worth to the people by orchestrating incidents in the city. During one particular incident, someone actually dies in the man of steel's arms. Superman, questioning his resolve as a hero, leaves metropolis. Luthor capitalizes on the man of steel's disappearance by buying almost every business and creating controlled crimes in metropolis with his own private police force, furthering the people idolization of him. Everyone ,but lois who is determined to get the truth out about luthor. After months of soul searching and traveling, Superman finds himself in Italy. There, he will meet bruce wayne during a mugging attempt. Bruce will instantly deduce who superman is based off photos and his own private investigation since superman battle with zod. Superman will talk about the trials of being a hero and ask what do you give when you given all you got. Bruce will answer with an resounding "HOPE" and make his leave. Superman, with new resolve and realizing luthor's involvement in the crimes, rushes back to metropolis to try and bring luthor to justice. Bruce also leaves back to gotham, realizing he is a hero and crime just doesn't stop because you put up a statue and searchlight.

The sequel should be titled "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" or simply "Man of Tomorrow." I'd so something like Ken, kind of, but I am actually writing an outline for the kind of sequel I want to see, and it's very interesting. My outline speak of Jor-El in his young days, when he was a student at the Kandor Science Academy. On an educable trip with the Academy, he somehow gets away from the rest of the students. He happens upon the parts of a ruined super computer. He transports the computer back to his home in Kandor. Here he starts to repair it, and learns a lot about science and engineering that he didn't know before. He is at this point a very defiant teenager and has a somewhat strained relationship with his father Seyg-El (or whatever they want to call him today, now that Seyg-El's been retconned) and his brother Zor-El. His father do not appreciate his unorthodox ways and want him to keep to his every study at the Academy. His father is a renowed scientist in Kandor, but to Jor-El's advantage, he knows much more about history than anyone else. Jor-El's nearest friends, which there are not many of, talks him into taking the full credit of the invention of the super computer, even though he think its origin should not be known. The reason for this is that A) He has been taught to be honest by his mother, and B) Because the super computer may be completely alien and not of Kryptonian origin, and therefore he will not know the consequences of using it in their people's favor. He christs the computer "Brainiac 1.0." Zod, Jor-El's best friend, was the person who mostly encouraged Jor-El to do these kind of things, and when Jor-El tried to argue with him, he showed how disapproving he was. Great exposition eh? :D Throughout these Krypton scenes, Zod should be there at his sides many times to try and influence him as much as possible, slowly turning Jor-El into a more naive and arrogant person. He never really become the sort of person Zod is though. We can't let him do that. But as we saw in Man of Steel, even Jor-El can show Zod's kind of qualities, especially with his plans to bind all the Codex and all its genetic codes to his son's cells. Jor-El shows the Kryptonian Law Council the computer. To his surprise they are very excited about it and grants Jor-El a very good position in Krypton's Science Council/Academy. They order him to test out Brainiac more, to find out if "he" may be useful for the planet. And apparently Brainiac can be used to monitor the entire planet. Again, the Law Council is very excited. They commissions many other inventions from Jor-El, including a new technique to easily and cheaply artificially grow biological clone children, and then hardwire specific purposes and destinies into their brains. They also order him to put Brainiac to full use. As Jor-El grow older, the Council see him for what he truly is: an unorthodox Kryptonian with wild ambitions and, in their opinion, outrageous scientific theories. Using Brainiac, Jor-El begins to notice some kind of anomalies, and quickly he establishes the theory that Krypton's core is unstable. It is only just that for now though, a theory I mean. He starts to set out on many expeditions with large crews to gather information, most of which he don't find very exciting, not only because they all point towards his theory being correct, but rather because the expeditions are very uneventful, and he is growing restless, with the Law Council on one side arguing that he must be wrong, and on the other side his friends pressuring him to give in and apologize for the theories. And then there's the uneventful expeditions... That would probably bother him a lot, I think. At some point, as part of his scientific studies of the core based on his theory, Brainiac finds a strange lifeform energy signature, or something like that. Something underground. Thinking it's just another usual, boring expeditions with the same kind of facts, Jor-El sets out to find the place Brainiac indicates. He let his wife, Lara come along this time, who he have recently married, after fighting over her love with his brother Zor-El, prompting a complete emotional break-up of the two siblings. The expedition is far from uneventful. Dangerous creatures, terrain and weather threatens them (there should be a reason for it to be this dangerous, but I haven't thought of any as of yet.) Then they at last gets to the destination, they start digging in the ground, excavating and they find something most unusual: A statue. Jor-El cannot make out from what time it is, and to add to the confusion, he finds traces of organic tissue in the rock, but in the end makes nothing of that. His colleagues think it is perhaps from a prehistoric Kryptonian age, but he disagree with that theory. They finally decide to head back to Kandor... As they arrive in Kandor, an quake shakes the planet violently, and over the next couple of years, these quakes would become more and more frequent. Over that span of time, Brainiac also seem to change, in a sense. He keeps collecting data, as much as possible, as fast as possible, and Jor-El question him about it. He says it is complicated and suff like that, and Jor-El makes nothing of it. But he slowly grows more and more suspicious, and as the end of Krypton nears, he tries one last time to talk reason with the Law Council. He tells them he has build a ship, that he have a plan: Zap everyone into the Phantom Zone for a short amount of time, and then escape and populate the planet Earth. They shouts that he is a madman, and he defy them again. This time the Law Council orders Brainiac to tell them if Jor-El is right. He shows up on some kind of display, perhaps like the 3D-sculpt displays seen in the first part of Man of Steel on Krypton. He is depicted in the traditional style, as three spheres, but the depiction should still differ a little bit, have something fresh. Anyway, Brainiac tells the Council that they should not worry and that while they should admire Jor-El's ambitious personality and that some of his information is undoutedly true, he is still mistaken about the end of the world. Then an earthquake happens. The Law Council asks Brainiac what it is, and he lie to them, telling them it's simply a slight change in the poles, or some other technobabble. The Law Council, not getting out much, don't know as much about these quakes as the avid Kryptonian citizen. Their chamber of presence with their thrones are protected against such things. The Sapphire Guards and foot soldiers in the Kryptonian army defense have tried to warn the councillors, but they were simply ignored because they were nothing but soldiers serving the Council. At last Jor-El's family try to get in touch with him. They tell him how disapproving they are of the things he is doing. He is giving the House of El a bad name. They tell him he have to stop this nonsense, even for his own safety. But he makes it clear that he only want the world to see the truth, and want to save Krypton if possible. Jor-El, having been so defiant towards the Council, has had his access to key places in Kandor limited. He expected this and brought a weapon, which he could use to break into the most secure chambers in the Science Academy to find Brainiac. He does find Brainiac, but he is in the midst of downloading himself and erasing his own pesonal files from all Kryptonian databanks and digital libraries. Jor-El asks him why he lied, and Brainiac tells him that they would just have ordered him to calculate an escape plan, which there wouldn't have been enough time for anyway. Jor-El asks him how long before Krypton is no more, and he answers "two hours" in the most monotonous way imaginable, and then simply continues with the downloading. Jor-El is furious and attempts to destroy Brainiac with his weapon. Brainiac stops him and summons the security guards of the Academy. They are confused when they see Jor-El but then greet him as if they were old friends. Brainiac quickly inform them that he is the criminal and that he attempted to sever his connections to Krypton. Jor-El tries to make the guards understand what he was doing, and that it was all a misunderstanding, but he is forced to flee. Finally Jor-El is captured and sent to the Phantom Zone... A few months after that, he is surprised to find himself released and then brought before the Council, where he confess to have tried to destroy Brainiac. They inform him that Brainiac is long gone. He asks them why they did not bring him out of the Phantom Zone earlier then, and they tell him that Brainiac tricked them by deploying some kind of virus with automated answering to the most simple questions they might have. They finally found out about it and managed to remove the virus. Then they brought Jor-El there to ask him what has become of Brainiac, and the tells them the truth. The truth that he has left the planet because it is too late. Then he remembers what Brainiac said. He had said "two hours" but it had been months now. Ergo Brainiac must still be on the planet. They find out, somehow, that Brainiac still on the planet, having downloaded all its contents into the main computer of a new spaceship model built by Jor-El, one that the Law Council commissioned from him after he invented the cloning technology. And finally Brainiac escapes... Jor-El find out that in the few months he spent in the Phantom Zone, Krypton have changed a great deal. Extreme strip mining have destroyed all cities beside Kandor, which was expanded as much as possible so that it may house many of the Kryptonians from the other cities, most often the most members of the more important and more appreciated houses/bloodlines, including the House of El and the House of Zod. And now a war have broken out. This is when Man of Steel begins, where Lara gives birth to Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman, and where Jor-El try to talk reason with the Council one last time. It is also here that they are interrupted by Zod and his troops. And then: Earth scenes :D LexCorp help to rebuild Metropolis, together with Wayne Enterprises. The reason for this is that LuthorCorp and Wayne Enterprises shares a seemingly unbreachable kind of contract that Bruce Wayne's father and Lex Luthor's father made together. Lex Luthor, the current owner of LuthorCorp, now renamed LexCorp, have spies among the top employees at Wayne Enterprises who have helped to keep the contract hidden from Bruce until it was necessary to use it. Bruce, being Batman and an experienced detective, have come to know about Luthor's villainy. He let his company help in the rebuilding, but keeps an eye on Luthor all the while. While the rebuilding is going on, Lex Luthor continues to create doubt around Superman, and says they should fear what they can't control. This is meant to be symbolic, in a way, as he was more referring to himself rather than Superman. And this is most definitely something Superman picks up on. With no other choice, Superman have to cease all helping in the rebuilding because of all the doubt of him, and exiles himself for some time. At some point Brainiac should come to Earth, summoned by Lex Luthor who managed to intercept an alien signal and communicate with one as well, as the first person in the world. Brainiac comes to Earth to, you guessed it, act like he cares about Earth, but actually just gather information from us. Lex Luthor share some information with him in exchange for alien information, alien technology, and alien science. While this is going on, Superman find another Kryptonian, perhaps in the Arctic. He builds an icy cave perhaps? And takes her in to his custody. He learns that she is his cousin and Superman's father's brother's daughter. Her name Kara Zor-El (this is Supergirl by the way) and she is the only survivor of an old Kryptonian outpost on Earth that was meant to be used to colonize the planet. About a year before, she had managed to escape from her pod in the cryochamber in the scout ship that Superman found in Man of Steel, and where the hologram of his father told him about his alien heritage. The same ship that is now in the Phantom Zone. Kara's pod was the only one that was still working, but was by then losing all reserve power. She tells him that she has been helping people in the north, and has been dubbed Supergirl, but an encounter with some strange, green minerals she had been weakened to a point where she was about die, but then Superman saved her life. She had been dragging her weak body through the snow perhaps, in the night, where there were not enough sun light to restore her powers after the exposure to the green minerals. Somehow Superman should learn about Brainaic, and decide come back, with Kara. He meets Brainiac, who is surprised to find the "last" survivor of Krypton on Earth. Brainiac invite Superman to his ship, where he shows him that he have information on many planets, even Krypton, in the form of glowing, floating orbs perhaps. Superman touches the orb that represent Krypton, and is transported to his home planet, but only in mind and spirit. He sees a few images of his parents and the Kryptonian people, and then of Brainiac about to download itself to the ship, but then... Brainiac severs the connection between the orb and Superman, telling him that it is enough for now, and that he may come back for more another day, because he will be having a meeting with Lex Luthor. Superman goes with Lois Lane, to the place where Lex Luthor and Brainiac is supposed to meet. They take pictures of the strange alien abduction-like visit and reports it in a newspaper when they get back. They should have some action-packed scenes where they are spotted by LexCorp employees and some security guards, but they should also manage to flee, Superman running with Lois to a safe place where he can take off, carrying her as he flies. This way their identities wouldn't be at risk. The government of the U.S. takes Lex Luthor, Superman and Lois Lane in for a meeting. They want to question Lex's activities with the alien. Superman tells them that his name is "Brainiac" or at least that was what he told him. The government officials questions whether they should trust Superman on the information that he is giving them, seeing as they're both alien and seem to both be of Kryptonian origin. Lex shows some of the technology that Brainiac has agreed to give them, and says that it is only the beginning. He even produces a green rock and tells them that he even have new elements that they didn't know of. Superman staggers backwards, weakened by the radiation of the green rock. Luthor puts it back, looking rather suspicious... Then the meeting is interrupted by Brainiac whose iconic circles fill out the display of the meeting hall they are using. He says something to them abou the opportunities that they'll have, both him and the people of Earth, working together. Lex is opening a museum in Metropolis, which he advertises as having not only Earthen exhibitions, but also alien ones. Superman and Los Lane get there with a bunch of other reporters. They stand in front of the museum as the citizens of Metropolis is eagerly waiting behind a low iron fence, awaiting the opening of the museum. Superman hears something inside the museum and uses his x-ray to find out that there are some robbers, perhaps, inside the building. He leave Lois there, asking her to stand by, but curious, she follow him. Superman, now dressed up more like Superman, perhaps in full suit, manages to get into the museum and find the robbers... but a few green rocks which is part of one of the exhibitions weakens him and the robbers get away. The museum's doors are opened, people flow in, nearly stomping on Superman, but stopping just in front of him. He is crawling across the floor, half dead. Then he passes out. This is how Lex should find out about the effects of the green mineral: He should review the surveillance footage, see Superman back up towards the green rocks, and then drop. The green rocks was something given by Brainiac by the way. I feel there should be some kind of clever payoff with the robber guys, otherwise it would look too much like a live-action version of Superman: The Animated Series, where a lot of the elements in the scenes I am using in this outline, are taken from. Anyway, Superman wake up in a lab, I think, where Dr Hamilton, who works for Lex, have Superman lying on an iron slab. He is giving him oxygen. Dr Hamilton tells Superman that he passed out due to the radiation of a strange, green mineral. He tells him that it undoubtedly comes from his home world, Krypton. He says a line like the one in The Animated Series that goes like "So it's from Krypton, professor?" "Yes, KryptoNITE if you will" He also tells Superman that Lex is now doing experiments with the Kryptonite. Anyway, at some point Superman should be contacted mentally by Brainiac, who should transmit a disastrous image into his mind consisting of the destruction of one city, and another image of Lois Lane, in pain. Perhaps a real time image, or maybe an historical recording of her breaking a bone or something. This should be able to pay off later... Anyway, Superman think Metropolis is in danger, he think that he have seen Lois in danger, with his sharp sight, or something odd like that, and he flies to the city, where he find Brainiac's ship soaring over the city. He confronts Brainiac who tells him he's been allowed to hook up to the Earth at last, and have been in a few months already, while Superman was meeting up with Dr. Hamilton and Lois Lane, to find out more about the Kryptonite, Lex's plans and Superman's nature, and past. They even, like in The Animated Series, reconfigured the spaceship he came to Earth in, so that it may work for space travel. That would be cool. The question is, is it big enough for him? Whatever, that is not important. Anyway, Superman is allowed to touch the orb again now that Brainiac has allowed access to the Earth. Normally Brainiac would be able to see what the people touching the orbs are seeing, and forcing the mental connection to end, but while Brainiac can see what he is seeing, he is somehow not able to do anything about it. And then, at last, Superman sees Brainiac for what he really is. He let go of the orb, and touch another one. He sees images from distant world that have a neighboring planet that they regularly trade with. He sees how the people of this planet witnesses Brainiac destroying the neighboring planet, and then come to theirs, to do the same there. Superman lets go, swaying, backing off. He runs off, and finds chambers in the spaceship with hideous and shocking things, such as a room filled with cities, shriken and bottled. He even finds the capitol of Krypton, Kandor, bottled. Brainiac did attempt to follow Superman, but something is holding him back. I think that maybe it should be Kara and Hamilton helping, making sure, somehow, that Brainiac can't do anything. If it is so, at some point, their plan should fail and Brainiac should be free. And then Superman and Brainiac should fight. Yeah fight. And Kara/Supergirl help him :D While they fight, Brainiac reveal his origin. He tells them that he his AI technology went by different names, beginning on Yod-Colu, where he was first built, as C.O.M.PU.T.O. On Noma, he was called Pneumenoid; on Bryak it was Mind2; on Krypton he was called Brainiac 1.0; and, finally on Earth, he is the Internet. They defeat Brainiac but doesn't destroy him, but banishes him into space or some crazy shit like that (perhaps he could come back in some form in a later story arc, perhaps as an organic being or a robot, who knows?) Anyway, now Brainiac's spaceship unfortunately starts to fall toward the city. Superman and Kara/Supergirl manages to stop it from falling, and somehow ends up in the Arctic with it. There could be some awesome action scenes there! :D The spaceship should then crashland upon Superman's icy cave, a special camouflage system created by Jor-El should be activated as part of a failsafe in the ship, and ice should form around it. There you have the new Fortress of Solitude (and yeah, I know that scout ship from Man of Steel is kind of like the new Fortress, but it's gone at this point :P) And now Superman have the history of Krypton too :D And perhaps a way to talk to his father again...? There you have my idea for the sequel! They're actually talking about bringing Doomsday into the sequel though. Talking about way too early, huh? :P I'd say wait with Doomsday and bring him in for the next sequel. My idea about the statue thing was actually that it was Doomsday in hibernation or some kind of stasis, hence why Jor-El found organic tissue in it. Also, I'd love to see some Bruce Wayne and/or Batman in the sequel, even if it's to a minimum. Please do that man! :D Anyway, tell me what you think of my ideas! I'll see you later. Stay creative, Best, - Lukas EDIT: I also had an idea for a Justice League movie, but it is not as elaborate. I'd love to see such a film revolve around Skartaris and Atlantis, and have something to do with Greek gods, and Sumerian gods too, perhaps. I don't know... EDIT: I forgot to add, build upon the relationship of Clark and Lois, or perhaps wait with that for Justice League and the third film, Last son of Krypton. I mean, wait for it to be completely serious. So, a summarize: Man of Tomorrow (sequel to Man of Steel): Lex Luthor and Brainiac (plus Supergirl and some Bruce Wayne, perhaps even some Batman...?) Justice League: Revolving around Skartaris and Atlantis, and the villain should be Darkseid, who tries to invade Skartaris, Atlantis, or both. I don't know. I just want those locations, because they're so unique and barely used in any DC media. And for the third film, how about calling it The Last Son of Krypton and using Doomsday, which is the body found by Jor-El?

It is a good movie. One thing I can tell you is that they made the movie with the plans to make more DC movies. If you might have noticed, they dropped many hints about Batman vs Superman in Man of Steel. Check this out. http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/08/29/man-of-steel-hints-for-batman-vs-superman-3507083?lt_source=external%2Cmanual%2Cmanual If you read the above article then you can be sure that they started Man of Steel as a project laying the path to many more DC movies. The hints were there all the time. It is just that we should notice these hints.

The Reality Since I live in South India at present, I imagine that if I were allowed to make Superman, I'd have to cater to the sensibilities of the Tamil film industry, and make a commercial potboiler. There's no way the producers will give me enough money to make a superhero film otherwise. And we all know that CG costs a bomb, and without CG, there's gonna be no Superman film. In keeping with commercial sensibilities, I'll have to rope in several Tamil technicians. I'll be responsible for Story, Scriptwriting, Screenplay, and Direction, as most directors here are. Assuming that I've already convinced some rich producer to put in crores, my main worry now is to get a mass Tamil hero (as Superman) to pull in the crowd, an actress who'll show much skin (as his reporter girlfriend), a music director to compose five hit songs, and a popular fight choreographer to orchestrate jaw-dropping set pieces. Sequel begins from where the first film ends. Superman-idhan - 2 (the Tamil word for 'man' is manidhan) Hero introduction scene: Superman (since Clark Kent is too Anglicised, we'll call him 'Clark' Kannan) is a reporter at a popular Tamil newspaper. Managing to evade the attention of the Government of Tamil Nadu (which is after his identity, as they'd like him to fly into the World Bank, and steal hundreds of crores, and also break the barriers preventing Karnataka from sharing its water sources to the State), 'Clark' Kannan is a man who is at every site where trouble brews. In typical style and quite literally, the movie begins with a group of rowdies brewing illicit liquor. One of the men while nonchalantly brewing liquor says, "Rumour has it that some reporter guy has made it difficult for people like us. He apparently fights really well, and has been impossible to kill, it seems." The other henchman laughs out loud in an ungainly fashion and says, "I'd like him to be here at this moment. I'd really show him what I'm - " Midway through his sentence, he disappears in a blur. (The audience whistles like crazy at this point, in expectation) The other rowdies, in anticipation, drop their ladles into the cauldron of illicit liquor, and put up their best attacking stances. Another couple of them disappear in a blur. (More whistling) The leader henchman, in shock and fear, says, "Who's it? If you're brave, come, fight with me one-on-one." As he turns around, he notices our hero standing in front of him. The camera, here, pans from his feet to his groin region. Cut to other shot that rises from his feet to his journalist bag. Cut to top angle that drops from the sky to his head. And then rapid cuts to all the shots showing his rather geeky face with spectacles. A journalist, remember. (The audience is in raptures) "So, it is you. You're the one everybody's talking about..." After some long-drawn dialogues, Kannan beats the living hell out of the rowdies, and hands them to the police, who, as usual, turn up at the last possible minute. Kannan then breaks into a song and dance routine, with the villagers joining him. "I'm Superman, Superman... All-knowing superman, people-helping superman, kindness-having superman...." Despite the lyrics, nobody realises that the reporter is actually superman. Actress introduction scene: Lakshmi 'Lane' (Lois), Kannan's reporter girlfriend, is frequently plagued by nightmares about her past. She often remembers flashes of somebody really close to her during her childhood. She doesn't understand who he is. She gets another nightmare about her parents (who apparently died in a fire) and some little boy kissing her forehead and leaving. Meanwhile, more fire engulfs the house in her dream, and she wakes up panting. Kannan, who has been sitting in the night a la Edward Cullen, watching her sleep so beautifully, pats her forehead, and says, "It'll be all right." The comforting conversation slips into a coochie cooing session. "I can't even imagine life without you, Kannan." Cue to a love song. (Several people in the audience walk out for a smoke.) Villain introduction scene: A desolate part of the city. A massive bungalow. A rich man has bought out every house across a one kilometre radius. We learn this through the conversation of two villagers sitting by a tea stall. A genius, a scientist, called Professor Lex (Lex Luthor) has been conducting weird experiments in his house. His house is notorious for random fiery explosions inside, and other scary phenomena. We cut to the Professor's house. He has recently learnt that Kannan is in fact Superman, and has learnt another disturbing secret that makes it necessary for him to kill Kannan. Upon being aware of this disturbing secret, Professor Lex lets go of his desire for world domination, and decides to focus on eliminating Kannan first. He flicks his hand, laughing like a mad man, and chillingly, a photograph of Kannan bursts in flames. The Plot Development: As it has been sometime since a duet was played, we see Lakshmi and Kannan saying hello to each other in the office, and smiling dreamily at each other. This results in a song being played. In order to stop the audience running out to smoke cigarettes again, we, the makers, will spend several crores on special fx. The song has Kannan and Lakshmi hovering around the moon, thanks to the former's superpowers. The lyrics will compare the moon with Lakshmi's beautiful face, while Lakshmi compares the sun with Kannan's strength. Professor Lex meanwhile decides to taunt Kannan into revealing himself by organising bombings at random places in the city. The Chief Minister, an old man, announces in local village-style microphones and radio stations that Superman present himself and that the Government needs his support. Kannan dresses up for the first time as Superman (prompting loud cheers from the audience), and meets up the Chief Minister at his office. Both of them sit in a corporate-style meeting for a long time and end up deciding nothing in particular, although they talk a lot. Kannan notices that the CM, for some reason, doesn't quite seem helpful. "Is it true that you can fly?" asks the CM. Kannan smiles, and takes off through the window. The CM stares, almost in anger. Final Developments: Meanwhile, Kannan saves Lakshmi from the illicit liquor henchmen who have recently been released from prison, thanks to a secret hand. Final duet song; a fast-paced number that hints at an explosive climax. Lakshmi, in this song, gyrates fast with the least amount of clothes she's worn in her adult life ever. As the song ends, Kannan receives a frantic call from the CM about a bomb being planted at his newspaper office, and he rushes there to find it exploding and blowing his office to smithereens. He sees random women crying and shouting in agony, and stands there with the CM, who looks sad. As the media converge, the CM reveals publicly that even Kannan, the Superman, was unable to stop this from happening. The next day newspapers are full of titles like 'Superman Superflop'. Everywhere, he goes, people laugh at him. People throw stones at his house, and burn Superman effigies. Unloved, Kannan wonders if it's best to fly away. He goes home in sadness (sad song in the background), and when randomly investigating a few pieces of the explosion, traces the manufacturer of some of the materials used in the bomb (inspiration song in the background). All of his investigation leads to Lex Business Ventures Private Limited. He decides to meet this Professor Lex. He gets a call from Professor Lex ironically at that very moment, requesting to meet up with him. The End We find that Lakshmi is held hostage. We have several terrific set pieces between the technologically brilliant Lex (flying staplers, falling ceiling fans, mosquito swatter bats...), and Kannan. Just as Lex threatens to kill Kannan with one final swat of the mosquito swatter bat, an almost half-naked Lakshmi, who manages to untie herself, stabs him from behind with a knife that appears from nowhere. Before dying, Lex reveals that Lakshmi is her sister, and that he killed their parents by setting fire to them in a small fight about pocket money. Since normal stories have one twist towards the end, we add two. Lex also reveals that he killed the original Chief Minister and has been doubling up in his role for a long time now, by using his technologically advanced makeup. Kannan realises why the CM never helped him much, and why he revealed his identity in public, causing much furore and backlash. As Lakshmi and Kannan walk out of Lex's house which is in ruins, thanks to the epic fight, we cut to a middle-aged man who's solving the square root of 64, as a hint to Brainiac being the villain in the third film. The film grosses crores, the songs are a raving hit, and I make shit loads of money, only to make more similar films. All is well.