The Superman ending is pretty busy, so you might still have questions about what exactly went down.
The new movie has arrived as part of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, with James Gunn in the director's chair. The film juggles multiple hero characters and sees Superman go up against his infamous arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, meaning there's plenty to dig into about how it all ends.
Below, we've broken down the Superman ending explained in detail, so you can get up to speed on everything that goes down. Naturally, that means there are spoilers ahead, so turn back now if you haven't seen the DC movie yet! For everyone else, head on down to our ultimate guide for all your questions answered.
Superman ending explained *Spoilers*
The Superman ending picks up with Clark back at his childhood home in Kansas, where he went to recuperate after escaping from Lex Luthor's pocket universe prison. On the news, Supes sees that Jarhanpur is about to be invaded by Boravia again, but, before he can set off to save them, Mister Terrific sends a message warning that Metropolis – and the world – is in danger.
Superman heads back to Metropolis, where an interdimensional rift is tearing the city in two thanks to Lex's dangerous pocket universe technology. Lex can shut down the rift whenever he wants, but he keeps it open to lure Superman back and keep the hero distracted. The Engineer attempts to kill Clark by flooding his lungs, but he manages to shake her and her nano tech off.
It turns out that Lex orchestrated the Jarhanpur and Boravia conflict just so he could kill Superman, and he unleashes his ultimate weapon: a clone of Superman made from a strand of hair Lex acquired at the scene of one of Supes's many fights, who has been in disguise as Ultraman in the movie.
Superman and the clone fight, and it's not looking good for Clark, until he calls Krypto for help. Supes is ultimately able to knock Ultraman into a black hole opened as part of the rift, then he and Krypto take down the next wave of Lex's back-up.
Meanwhile, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen have figured out Lex's link to Jarhanpur (he's been selling Boravia arms for far cheaper than they're worth in exchange for half of Jarhanpur when Boravia invades) thanks to Jimmy's sort-of-girlfriend Eve Tesmacher sending incriminating selfies, and they begin working on getting the story out as they fly over Metropolis in Mister Terrific's vehicle.
Over in Jarhanpur, the Justice Gang and Metamorpho show up to save the day. Hawkgirl drops the Boravian leader from a great height, which kills him.
Superman then flies to Luthor's office, which has been flying over Metropolis as the destruction gets worse. Supes stops Lex from escaping and declares that he's human, which is something Lex has never understood. Mister Terrific arrives to close the rift, saving Metropolis. Then, Krypto shows up and throws Lex around as Supes tries to stop him.
Thoroughly defeated, Lex is taken to Belle Reve, while everyone he has imprisoned in the pocket dimension is freed. Superman offers Lois an exclusive interview, and when the duo are hidden, they share a kiss and Lois finally says she loves him back. In Jarhanpur, Metamorpho joins the Justice Gang.
Then, at the end of the movie, Superman is back in the Fortress of Solitude. None other than Supergirl then crash lands inside, and she's quickly greeted by an overexcited Krypto. Supergirl thanks Clark for watching her dog and disappears to have more adventures (or get drunk on a planet with a red sun). The Superman robots then play home video footage of Martha and Jonathan Kent to replace the video of Jor-El and Lara-El.
In the first post-credits scene, we see Superman and Krypto chilling overlooking Earth together. Then, in the second scene, Supes points out one of the broken buildings in Metropolis hasn't quite been put back together evenly, to Mister Terrific's annoyance.
What is Lex Luthor's plan?
Lex Luthor has teamed up with the leader of Boravia to claim half of the neighboring country, Jarhanpur, which he will rule as a king. This is in exchange for selling Boravia weapons at a seriously low price, as uncovered by Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. But, Lex also reveals later in the movie that all of this was just a pretext to have a reason to kill Superman, which he tries to do with both the Engineer and Ultraman (who is a clone of Supes).
What happens to Jarhanpur?
Thanks to intervention from the Justice Gang, Jarhanpur is saved. The heroes show up and defeat the Boravian military, with some help from Metamorpho too. Hawkgirl also kills the leader of Boravia, so we can assume that Jarhanpur is safe from a future invasion.
Who is Ultraman?
Ultraman is a mysterious masked figure who is said to be the strongest being on Earth. His identity is concealed until the end of the movie, when it turns out that he's a clone of Superman, created from a strand of Clark's hair left behind at the scene of a previous battle. Luckily, Supes is able to overcome Ultraman with help from Krypto – and a huge black hole that has opened as a consequence of Lex's pocket universe technology.
Is the message from Superman's parents real?
Clark takes great comfort from a message from his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara-El, which he believed tasked him with looking after humanity. It was corrupted in transit from Krypton, so Supes doesn't know how the message ends.
Halfway through the movie, it's revealed that the rest of the message actually tells Clark to subjugate humanity, as discovered by the Engineer and revealed to the press by Lex. Luthor apparently got this message verified by multiple experts, and Mister Terrific also believes it to be authentic. So, it looks like Jor-El and Lara-El really did send their son to conquer Earth.
How is Lex caught?
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen figure out with help from Eve Tesmacher that Lex Luthor has a deal with Boravia for half of Jarhanpur, which he'll rule over as a king. But, Lex reveals later in the movie that this was all just a pretext to have an excuse to kill Superman. Lex is bitterly jealous of Supes, who he views as an alien who has stolen the limelight from him.
What causes the rift in Metropolis?
The rift tearing Metropolis in two is caused by Lex Luthor's pocket universe technology. Lex is able to close it again with a code, but he wants to lure Superman back to Metropolis and leave Jarhanpur undefended. Luckily, after the Justice Gang save Jarhanpur and Superman and Mister Terrific arrive in Lex's flying office, Mister Terrific is able to close the rift and save the day. In the post-credits scene, we see Terrific and Supes putting a building back together, though it's slightly wonky.
Why is Supergirl there? How are Superman and Supergirl related?
Supergirl crash lands in the Fortress of Solitude at the very end of the movie. She's been off partying on a planet with a red sun, which means she's able to get drunk, since the yellow sun stops her from getting drunk thanks to her Kryptonian metabolism. Krypto also belongs to her, so she arrives to collect her dog and thank Clark for watching him.
Superman and Supergirl are cousins in the comics, and Supergirl's Kryptonian name is Kara Zor-El.
Will we see the Justice Gang again?
Nothing is confirmed yet about if we'll see the Justice Gang – Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl – together again, but it seems likely. A Lanterns TV show is in the works for HBO, though, and we will be seeing Guy again there. As for the rest of the heroes, watch this space.
The movie also makes reference to the Green Lantern Corps, which we can assume is a (very small) tease for the Lanterns HBO show.
Will there be a Superman 2? Does the movie set up a sequel or another DCU movie?
At the moment, a second Superman movie hasn't been confirmed. But, James Gunn has said we'll see the character again soon.
"What I'm working on is in some way…I mean, yes, yes, yes, yes," Gunn has also said of a sequel. "But is it a straight-up Superman sequel? I would not say necessarily."
The movie doesn't set up a traditional sequel, but it does tee up Supergirl for her solo movie. The character, played by Milly Alcock, makes an appearance at the end of the film to collect her dog Krypto.
Superman is in theaters now. For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows and how to watch the DC movies in order.
