Superman’s most awesome movie moments
If you’ve caught Syfy’s new Superman prequel, Krypton, you might currently be filled with Man of Steel fever. The new series focuses on Superman’s grandpappy livin’ la vida loca on planet Krypton two whole generations before young Kal El was forced to abandon his home planet.
Whether you’re currently vibing off Krypton or not, it’s an opportune time to recap some of Superman’s most awesome movie moments ever (and yes, we’re conveniently side-stepping the Superman TV canon like Smallville & Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman because we want to).
Superman and Batman finally throw it down (Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice)
Zack Snyder’s three-hour bloated superhero epic about a rich man and an alien who just can’t get along (even after Supes name drops Bruce Wayne’s dead mom) is a bit of a failure on nearly every level possible. But the battle between Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill)? It’s pretty great. Even when that aforementioned M-bomb is dropped.
Clark Kent reaps revenge against that diner a**hole (Superman 2)
Nobody enjoys the scene at the start of Superman 2 where a weakened Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) gets beaten up in a diner by some gnarly schlub of a man. But the moment he returns to the diner with full Superman powers to throw the idiot into a pinball machine (tilt!) is worthy of a gratuitous air punch. Hell yeah, Clark!
Superman becomes a big, childish buffoon (Superman 3)
Acting like the superhero equivalent of Logan Paul, Superman gets licked by a synthetic form of Kryptonite and proceeds to go on a juvenile pranking rampage. He blows out the flame of the Olympic torch, flicks peanuts at people, and straightens the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s goofy af but it also makes us want to guzzle a six pack and go & terrorize people with him.
Baby Superman lifts a car (Superman: The Movie)
Not only is baby Kal El an adorable little tyke but he’s also strong as hell, honey. Putting all of our pathetic upper body strength brags to shame, little Supes raises that hunk of metal like it aint no thang while wearing a prophetic cloak of red around his waist.
Superman halts a crashing plane (Superman Returns)
Bryan Singer’s 2006 addition to the Superman canon saw Brandon Routh (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) stepping up as the Man of Steel and saving a crashing plane from very certain catastrophe by just holding the nose of the gargantuan thing. Something he was likely doing just to show off in front of Lois, who happened to be on board.
Superman learns how to fly (Man of Steel)
On the one hand, it’s great to see Superman being able to focus his powers and fly. On the other, it’s really satisfying to see an otherwise perfect being flailing about in the air for a few minutes as he realizes he hasn’t got the slightest shitting idea what he’s doing up there or how to improve his form.
Superman fights Zod (Superman 2)
Starting the fight with the iconic phrase, “General, would you care to step outside?” the Zod vs. Superman battle is basically a schoolyard tussle with superpowers. It even has a voracious crowd of bystanders providing cheers and commentary for the entire thing.
Clark Kent fights Superman (Superman 3)
Wonderfully surreal, this scrapyard-based battle saw our alien hero fighting for the good of his soul. It offered a bold reminder of Superman’s admirable humanity and how (prepare to catch some feelings, folks) his good-natured, human qualities are far stronger than his tremendous physical prowess.
Superman crushes a bullet with his eyeball (Superman Returns)
Oh you know, just casually crushing it with one of the most delicate parts of the human body. No biggie!
Superman spins the world back in time (Superman: The Movie)
Faced with the devastation of Lois Lane’s death, Superman does what any love-crazed fool with monumental super skills would and flies so fast around the world he reverses time to make her distinctly not dead. It defies all scientific logic but it’s also very, very nice, so we’ll let him off.
Superman comes back to life (Justice League)
Maybe awesome is the wrong word for this scene but you have to commend Superman for having the self-respect necessary to come back from the dead inexplicably wearing a pair of pants. Sadly, that means audiences were deprived a tasty glimpse of his “Fortress of Solitude”, and for that we’ll always be bitter.
