‘Superman’s Ending and Post-Credits Scenes, Explained

Warning: This Article Contains Spoilers For Superman

The first film in the DC Universe has finally arrived with the release of Superman, personally spearheaded by James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, who also served as the film’s writer and director. Gunn’s take on Superman is not only meant to kick his DC Universe into high gear, it’s also meant to make it clear that the old phase of the character is no more and that this version is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

If there is anyone who can sway fan opinion, it’s Gunn himself, who has stacked up a solid pedigree within the comic book movie genre. During his time with Marvel, he crafted some of the best standalone adventures with his Guardians of the Galaxy films, and once it became public that he was taking over DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, it gave some fans hope that he could fix what went wrong with the DCEU. With Superman, Gunn decided not to tell yet another origin story about the hero but rather have audiences re-introduced to the character three years into his tenure as Earth’s protector, as nefarious forces try and prove he’s an enemy to our planet for their own diabolical gains.

How Is ‘Superman’ Different from ‘Man of Steel’?

Gunn’s Superman is less self-serious than Snyder’s film, and the latter’s grimness is replaced with something a bit more fun and comic booky. This is made clear early on during the film’s opening text, which reveals that “metahumans” have existed for centuries and that Superman (David Corenswet) is the most powerful of them all. However, that’s not to say that the film doesn’t touch on more serious themes as the character reconciles his place on Earth with his Kryptonian heritage.

Interferring with Superman’s classic idealistic view of the world is Luthor, whose hatred of Superman is driven by this outside force coming into the world and easily becoming the center of its attention and salvation. Luthor wishes to destroy the world’s idea of Superman by plotting to use the war between two European nations to ruin the Man of Steel’s reputation while expanding his own empire. He has assembled a team that has studied Superman’s moves so well that they can literally plan for and counteract them in battle, adding another layer to Luthor’s obsession with dismantling Superman piece by piece.

This all culminates with Luthor and his team breaking into the Fortress of Solitude and decrypting a message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van (Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan), that was partially damaged. The first half gives our hero peace and motivates him to protect Earth, but Luthor manages to decrypt the second half, which gives the impression that his parents wanted him to head to Earth and rule over it as a warlord, rather than its protector.

Playing another role in Superman’s human growth is his relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who works alongside his nerdish alter ego, Clark Kent, at the Daily Planet as a journalist and already knows he’s secretly Earth’s protector. Lois is strong and, while she clearly has strong affection for Clark, she isn’t afraid to make him question his instincts and the true nature of his power and worth. She’s his equal here, and their bond shapes how he grows throughout the film’s story.

How Does ‘Superman’ End?

Once Luthor reveals the second half of the message sent by Superman’s parents, the world he has sworn to protect begins to turn on him as they believe he shares his parents’ views of ruling over them because humans are a simple race. Truth be told, Superman only ever heard the first half of the message and believes the second half was somehow fabricated by Luthor, but, as it turns out, it wasn’t. It’s something that he has to reconcile with, but as he does it, in true Superman fashion, he decides to turn himself in for his perceived transgressions.

This leads to him being led into a pocket universe by Luthor, where several people who have betrayed him or serve him no purpose are being held prisoner. Superman is locked away with Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), a character who can transmute his body’s elements, including into Superman’s greatest weakness.

Superman isn’t serving the world alone. The Justice Gang (a name that is still being workshopped throughout the film) also aids our hero, despite having a moment of hesitation once that game-changing message from his parents is made public. Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) are all superheroes with various abilities who step in to help the Man of Steel. Lois takes initiative by seeking their help and goes with Mr. Terrific to the pocket universe to help retrieve Superman. Metamorpho goes from trying to hurt Superman to helping him once it’s made clear he can save his son Joey, who is also being held prisoner in the pocket universe. With all of their help, and a heroic assist from Krypto, they escape the pocket universe.

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Luthor’s true plan is hilariously revealed via his girlfriend and assistant Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio). She has a secret relationship with The Daily Planet’s Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and has been leaking information about Luthor to Jimmy in hopes of developing a true relationship with him. She sends Jimmy a series of selfies that she says will destroy Luthor, although at first they just look like mere sexy images of her in various poses. However, upon further inspection, the background of the photos reveals plans of Luthor’s ties to the Bouravian government and his plans to expand his base into a utopia for his team and his technology.

Yes, Luthor wants to rid the world of Superman, but his true intention is more power, and he has no issues using a war between two European countries to do it. With Jimmy obtaining this info from Eve, The Daily Planet publishes a story that reveals Luthor’s true intentions, thus revealing him as a traitor and ruining his true plans. In the midst of this, Superman engages in battles with both The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and a clone of himself manufactured by Luthor, emerging victorious and preventing Luthor from splitting Metropolis in half because of his misuse of the pocket universe.

Are There Cameos and Post-Credit Scenes?

Superman features cameos from John Cena’s Peacemaker, appearing on a television show, giving a harsh opinion of Superman once Luthor turns the world against him. Also appearing at the end of the film is Milly Alcock, who is officially introduced as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. It’s revealed that Krypto is her dog, and Superman was simply fostering him as she explored other planets. In her brief appearance, it’s clear that she’s a bit immature and more of a party girl, something that is likely to evolve when her own film is released next year.

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As for the post-credits scenes, there are two, although they don’t offer a hint of the future of the DCU. The first is less of a scene and more of a cute moment that comes up after the mid-credits and mirrors the first poster we saw of Superman and Krypto sitting and looking out towards Earth. In this version, Krypto is placed on Superman’s shoulders and adorably looks towards the screen. The second scene, coming after the end credits, is just a funny moment between Mr. Terrific and Superman as the latter judges his skill in putting the Hall of Justice back together. The scene is to showcase Superman’s sense of humor and is an indication that this version will have more heart, joy, and personality as the new beacon of hope of the DC Universe.