Full story for Bryan Singer's planned SUPERMAN RETURNS sequel revealed

[JacksonArcher]

Zack Snyder is only months away from going into production on the Christopher Nolan-produced, David Goyer-written Superman reboot that will fly into theaters Winter 2012.

However, for some time after Superman Returns, Bryan Singer had a proposed outline for what would have been the sequel to his tepidly received 2006 film. We have heard hints about Singer's plans before, from Singer himself to co-writer Michael Dougherty who briefly talked about the proposed plans, but we've never been told the actual, full story.

Well, IESB finally has the full plot synopsis for Singer's planned sequel, and let me tell you, it's amazing. It jives with Dougherty's recent comments, and after reading the full story, I am even more disappointed we'll never get Singer's sequel. I know a lot of you hated Superman Returns, and I'm sure most of you will be hating on Singer's sequel plans (it does remind a little bit of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace but hopefully done more tastefully) but personally I think it's a damn shame we won't ever see Singer's planned sequel. We all know based on Singer's own X2 that he has it in him to do a superior sequel. I just wish WB and others had given him a chance. Oh, well.

Here's the full synopsis:

Superman: The Man of Steel

TMS started just a few years after the incidents that we saw in Superman Returns. Kal-El is doing what Superman does best, Lois Lane is raising her kid Jason, who of course is Superman's child and the world is getting use to having Superman back.

Now there are storyline threads that go back to Superman Returns, one is the on going plot of Superman's original reason of going back to Krypton. He has always wondered if he truly is the last Son of Krypton.

Remember new Krypton that Lex created with crystals he stole from the Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonite that Supes launched into to space that nearly killed him?

So new Krypton continues to grow in space and has become an almost perfect sphere. It is now the size of a small moon.

Besides giving Humans something to admire at night, Earth new satellite has also brought some unexpected attention from a galaxy far, far away.

A massive spaceship arrives Earth's orbit, Superman flys up to meet the spacecraft and we are introduced to our out of this world visitor.

Superman quickly finds out that our visitor is also a Kryptonian survivor who has been traveling the known galaxies and was able to detect Kryptonian technology thanks to our new green/black satellite that has started to orbit the Earth.

Superman finally has found a Kryptonian buddy and starts showing him around the planet, a planet full of problems, disease, famine, crime and nations at war with each other.

Our new Kryptonian friend asks Superman why, with all his power, is he not changing the world for the better. Why is he not getting rid of famine, disease and war? Of course fans know that Superman has always been told, or better said instructed, not to interfere with Earth's development.


Superman explains that he is not allowed to interfere but his Krypto buddy tells him that with their powers they are required to "interfere," Superman disagrees.

Krypto buddy decides to take charge and starts "interfering" from day one. One of the first things that he does is get involved in a political mess that is heating up between two third world nations.

War breaks out between these two nations but before any real battle breaks our Krypto buddy interferes and lays waste to these two Armies.

He declares to the world that he will not allow anymore wars and/or the destruction of our planet. He is declaring a "War Free" planet and for those who disagree he will have to deal with them.

The major nations of the planet applaud his actions and all agree to an immediate worldwide peace. In return he promises to share technology, fight hunger, famine and disease.

The population of the world rejoices and any small pockets of resistance is quickly squashed by Krypto buddy or even the world governments.

Superman has now become a pariah, the way the world sees it, he has been here for years and had kept technology that could have saved many of the worlds problems.

Superman starts getting a bit suspicious of Krypto buddy and decides to go talk to him. He goes to his spaceship and has a revelation. This massive ship is full of hundreds if not thousands of identical bodies aboard, yep, clones of Krypto buddy, in stasis.

So Superman digs a bit more inside the "computer" system, which is familiar to him since it's Kryptonian technology just like the Fortress of Solitude.

Superman finds out that Krypto buddy is actually an artificial intelligence from Krypton that has evolved since the destruction of their world.

He escaped Krypton just like Kal-El did and his real name is Brainiac. He has been going from planet to planet, taking their technology, helping these worlds reach a relative perfection and then he destroys them and moves on.

Superman also finds out that he was actually responsible for the destruction of Krypton and tries to warn the leaders of the world but is confronted by Braniac. A massive battle ensues and Superman is about to defeat his foe but right just before Brainiac downloads his conscience into one oh his other clones.

Superman realizes that he must destroy this massive ship along with all the clones aboard. After another massive battle he is able to disable the ship, destroy the clones and the new Braniac but right before the ship is destroyed the Braniac main frame does a local search for another body that he could download in to, it has to be Kryptonian, and he finds another one on Earth, Superman's kid
Jason White.

So Brainiac uses Kryptonian technology and beams/download itself into Jason's body and this causes causes him to age and grow into a full adult but with Brainiac in complete control.

Superman realizes what just happened and rushes to confront his very own son who is now possessed by Brainiac.

Is Jason still there or is it all Brainiac? It's all Braniac and Superman knows what he has to do, he must defeat Brainiac at all costs or the planet and it's inhabitants will be doomed.

It's a battle between two gods but Superman has already been run ragged and beat down pretty bad in his previous battles of the day. Brainiac has the upper hand and Superman is trying to not to do any permanent damage to Jason's body.

Every time Brainiac is defeated in the past he simply tries to download to another clone and leaves that body completely brain dead but with no other bodies left, will Jason survive? The answer in no.

There is a Christ like metaphor here. Superman has to sacrifice his own son to save humanity.

There are still plenty of holes left in this story, we were not privy to all the details but this is the bulk of the info we received.

What are everyone's thoughts? Do you like Singer's idea for the sequel or are you glad Zack Snyder is rebooting the franchise?

[Admiral_Young]

Interesting...Brainiac possessing Jason or using him as a host is something that I had played around with. As for the idea...I'm not sure I like it that much to be honest, I'm gonna have to digest this a bit.

[Whofan]

Reminds me of a Joe Kelly storyline in the Superman comics from around 2002...also the JLA storyline featuring a group of martians who pose as heroes and 'outdo' the JLA.

[Nardpuncher]

I like how the destruction of Krypton has a reason and that leads to the possible destruction of Earth, but the stuff with the son sounded off.

[Samuel Walters]

Egads. The whole Krypto-moon is just silly (wouldn't that have at least some influence on Superman's powers?). And the resolution with Braniac downloading to new bodies, possessing Superman's son and so forth. Yeesh. I'm glad I didn't have to endure that on-screen.

What I *do* like about the outline, and think had great potential, was the conflict of ideology: Superman's lassez-faire philosophy vs. Braniac's hands-on approach. I would have loved to see Braniac's intentions to be good -- rather than purely self-serving -- and watch the conflict between too much meddling and too little intervention play out. That makes for a really compelling character and thematic study. That part of the film I'd like to have seen.

[Saul]

I don't like the idea that at first it's just another Krypto guy. i'd rather it be Brainiac at first and then discover he is bad later. Nor do I like the idea that all the major nations are so willing to buy his crap.

I do like that Brainiac is in this, that he was responsible for Kryptons destruction and that Superman has to kill his son to save the world. Very WOK.

[Hound of UIster]

Whofan wrote:

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Reminds me of a Joe Kelly storyline in the Superman comics from around 2002...also the JLA storyline featuring a group of martians who pose as heroes and 'outdo' the JLA.

Grant Morrison not Joe Kelly.

Joe Kelly is the one who wrote all those shitty stories where everyone was a huge douchebag.

[Agent Richard07]

I like it. It's a pretty solid story.

Saul wrote:

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I don't like the idea that at first it's just another Krypto guy. i'd rather it be Brainiac at first and then discover he is bad later.

Making it Bainiac from the get-go would make it too predictable. We'd already know that he's is a bad guy who's up to no good.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

That's damned interesting and it's unlikely that Snyder's going to do anything comparably ambitious or clever. It does owe rather obviously to stuff like "Squadron Supreme" but then comic book franchise movies are inescapably derivative by nature.

That said, the kid dying at the end is more of a downer than the studio would probably have bought into for a blockbuster movie on this scale.

[Admiral_Young]

I'm curious as to how "raw" this plot was. I'm sure that it would be refined and reworked as needed. I dunno how one can say that Snyder is unlikely to do anything ambitious or clever when we don't know the plot of his movie yet really. I think I'd be interested in seeing this turned into a novel or graphic novel.

[JarodRussell]

Couldn't help but cringe at the "Supe shows him around the world" part.

[JacksonArcher]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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I'm curious as to how "raw" this plot was. I'm sure that it would be refined and reworked as needed. I dunno how one can say that Snyder is unlikely to do anything ambitious or clever when we don't know the plot of his movie yet really. I think I'd be interested in seeing this turned into a novel or graphic novel.

He said it was "unlikely", and judging by Snyder's repertoire, I'd have to agree.

[JarodRussell]

JacksonArcher wrote:

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He said it was "unlikely", and judging by Snyder's repertoire, I'd have to agree.

But David Goyer is writ... ah, nevermind.

[Agent Richard07]

I imagine that Jason wouldn't actually be killed, he'd be reduced to a vegetable, so there would be some hope for a recovery. I can even see a quick recovery being thrown in for good measure. Jason dying would be too heavy for a movie of this sort and would do irreparable damage to Superman's relationship with Lois.

[JacksonArcher]

It is possible Jason would have sacrificed himself rather than Superman outright killing him.