Superman Returns Turns 20: The Cancelled Sequel Would Have Ended With the Most Heartbreaking Scene in DC History

With James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow dominating headlines thanks to leaked set photos, and the 20th anniversary of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns arriving on June 28, it feels like the right moment to revisit the question that’s haunted DC fans for two decades: what happened to the sequel Brandon Routh never got to make?

Back in 2006, superhero movies weren’t nearly as popular as they are today. Sure, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy was a smashing success, but it’s safe to say that other comic book characters weren’t as lucky. That’s where Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns comes in. This underestimated flick aimed to do something that very few superhero films do: it is a continuation of the original Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies’ chronology (only erasing Superman III and Superman IV from canon).

So, why is this film so forgotten nowadays when people talk about the Man of Steel and Superman films? Why didn’t we get a Superman Returns sequel? What were Bryan Singer’s plans for Superman Returns 2? Let’s take a look at what made Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns so unique and why it should be remembered as one of the best in the filmography of the Last Son of Krypton.

Superman Returns Was a Love Letter to Christopher Reeve — And It Worked

Unlike most of the superhero films of its time, Superman Returns didn’t shy away from its cheesy characters and plot. On the contrary: it embraced it. This gave the film a unique personality that’s absolutely refreshing to see, especially compared to the overly serious Zack Snyder films we’re now accustomed to.

Singer borrowed heavily from the Reeve films, calling Returns a “spiritual sequel” to the Richard Donner films. Avoiding another origin story, he included characters, plots and even the original Superman theme by John Williams in the film. Improving on the special effects and bringing the character into a modern setting, Singer’s Superman film was a blend of nostalgia and reinvention.

Before he was cancelled by Hollywood, Kevin Spacey played a great comic book villain in Superman Returns. Succeeding Gene Hackman in the role of evil genius Lex Luthor is no easy task, but Spacey (who previously worked with Singer on The Usual Suspects) did a spectacular job here, playing the iconic villain in a cartoony way as he raids the Fortress of Solitude for kryptonite crystals.

Brandon Routh, who won the role of Superman after a massive casting call, which included well-known and fresh young actors (like Tom Welling), is also an excellent Clark Kent. His role as the Man of Steel was so iconic that he was brought back as the same character for three different DCEU shows: Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane (a role which Amy Adams auditioned for) wasn’t a fan favourite, but she did a decent job considering the material. Other actors involved in the film were Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen, Frank Langella as Perry White, James Marsden as Richard White, Tristan Lake Leabu as Jason White and Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski. Most surprisingly, Marlon Brando returned as Jor-El (using unused clips from the Donner films).

Although the film has faced a lot of criticism from fans, Superman Returns had some epic scenes. Think about the space shuttle / air force sequence where Superman lands a plane in a baseball stadium — still one of the greatest Superman moments ever put to film. And what about the bank robbery scene where the burglar shoots Kal-El in the eye and the bullet just bounces off him? Those were epic!

Why Superman Returns Flopped at the Box Office

It seems like Superman Returns had everything going for it: solid performances and an interesting plot that brought the classic Superman stories to a modern age. However, not every critic had a favourable opinion of the flick. The long runtime and the movie’s glacial pace were common points of contention for many critics.

However, the true reason why we never got a proper sequel to Superman Returns has to do with the film’s disappointing box office performance. The 154 minutes long film fell behind the second Pirates of the Caribbean and The Devil Wears Prada, something that Warner Bros. wasn’t all that pleased with. Also, the introduction of Lois Lane’s son (Superman as the father) left a bad taste for some.

As time went on, however, people became more vocal about their love for the movie. Quentin Tarantino expressed his fascination with the movie and with Bryan Singer’s directorial work.

“I’m a big fan of Superman Returns. I’m working on what is now a 20-page review of that movie, and I’m not done yet.”

Few films, let alone superhero films, dare to go with the melancholy tone that Superman Returns employs throughout. This is one of The Man of Tomorrow’s most touching stories ever seen on the big screen, and it might also be a timeline worth revisiting sometime in the future.

Brandon Routh Explains Why Superman Returns Never Got a Sequel

Why didn’t we get a sequel? Superman Returns was supposed to launch a new film series for DC Comics’ Man of Steel. But by the end of the 2000s, prospects for a sequel were dead. Although the film received impressive reviews, it “didn’t do that well” at the worldwide box office, grossing $391.1 million from a budget of around $223 million (much less than Tom Hanks’ The Da Vinci Code in the same year). Surprisingly, it was the second-highest-grossing DC Comics film at the time, even beating Batman Begins. And most people forget to consider DVD releases. Superman Returns was the best-selling DVD and Blu-ray title in 2006.

But playing DC’s most famous superhero does come with some perks and even though the movie didn’t do well financially, Brandon Routh, who played the film’s title role, became a household name thanks to the role. In a recent interview with Geek House Show, the actor explained exactly how plans for a Superman Returns sequel began to unravel:

“The intention was to do a sequel, always to do, with a big tentpole movie like that. They want to make more as long as they feel like they’ve recouped the money that they invested into the film. At the end of the day, the studio, Warner Brothers, decided it was too much of a gamble for them to do a sequel.”

“The creative entities, the writers and the directors were on to other things. Certain people at the studio who were excited about Superman had left to go on to other projects at other studios. So, it was both the passion and the interest in Superman dissipated and the movie, I guess for them, didn’t bring back enough monetary success for them to pull the trigger on it.”

However, Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh did get a chance to reprise his role as the Man of Steel (Kingdom Come Superman) in 2019’s Arrowverse crossover event on The CW, Crisis On Infinite Earths — even though he also played Ray Palmer in the same universe.

Jude Law Was Cast as Zod — Then Turned It Down

In hindsight, it was clear that we would never get a sequel to Superman Returns — but in 2006, the possibility hadn’t been entirely discarded yet. Both Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey were set to reprise their roles in the proposed sequel.

Jude Law was in the sights of Bryan Singer, who wanted him to play none other than General Zod (alongside other new Kryptonians). The reason, it seems, is that Law had a certain resemblance to his fellow British actor, Terence Stamp, who played Zod in the 1980 movie.

Surely Law wouldn’t have an issue with playing a villain in a single movie, right? It seems like he did, as he refused to play Zod. The reason is that Law saw being cast in a superhero movie as being typecast into a certain genre. It’s the same reason why he won’t play James Bond: he fears that movie fans could not separate the actor from the character once he plays such a high-profile role.

As we know, that all changed in 2019 when he played the villain in the MCU’s Captain Marvel. Perhaps all it took for Law to finally accept starring in a superhero film was for them to be beyond popular. That said, he might have dodged a bullet by not appearing in Bryan Singer’s film, but it’s a shame that Superman fans wouldn’t get a proper Man of Steel film until, well, Man of Steel.

The Superman Returns 2 Plot: Brainiac, Metallo, and a Heartbreaking Ending

After criticism from fans, Bryan Singer promised a lot more action sequences in the sequel and perhaps less homage to the original movies. The director even went as far as comparing it to how Wrath of Khan steered away from the thoughtful yet longwinded take in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The film’s premise was focused on the large mass of kryptonite (New Krypton) that Superman hurled into space at the end of Superman Returns. It would continue to grow in space and eventually attract Brainiac to Earth. The supervillain, an extraterrestrial android or cyborg, first became aware of Superman when Kal-El was exploring remnants of planet Krypton.

But that wouldn’t be the film’s only villain. The bank robber who shot Superman in the eye in the first film would return as Metallo.

The concept actually shares a lot of similarities to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Brainiac would present himself as a Kryptonian survivor and attempt to convince Superman to improve Earth with Kryptonian technology. The supervillain would cause wars and put Superman at the centre of chaos on Earth. More surprisingly, Brainiac would use Superman and Lois’ son Jason Lane (Jason White) as his genetic host — which causes him to age rapidly.

The final showdown in Superman Returns 2 would involve Superman defeating — and sacrificing — his own son in order to stop the threat to Earth. It sounds heartbreaking, and honestly, it would have been one of the most emotionally devastating climaxes in DC movie history.

Brandon Routh Cried Watching David Corenswet’s Superman

Routh has never stopped being Superman in spirit. At GalaxyCon Richmond in 2026, appearing alongside Smallville’s Tom Welling at a Superman Q&A, he was asked what his version of Clark Kent would be doing had his adventures continued after Crisis on Infinite Earths. His answer was revealing: he’d want his Superman to be part of a Justice League — specifically, to be the “Paragon of Justice.” Welling’s Clark, by contrast, apparently went home to unload the dishwasher and be a dad. Routh’s Man of Steel still had worlds to save.

And when James Gunn’s Superman arrived in 2025 with David Corenswet in the cape, Routh was one of its most vocal champions. He told Variety he cried no fewer than three times watching the film — moved especially by the scenes between Lois and Clark, and by the family moments throughout. “I really am excited for the potential for the DC Universe,” he said. “A successful launch with this is just good for everybody who wants more of what DC has to offer.”

Twenty years on from Superman Returns, it’s clear that Routh never had any bitterness about what might have been. If anything, his enthusiasm for the character — and for whoever carries the cape next — is the most Superman thing about him.