Christopher Reeve starred as Superman in four classic DC movies, and his iteration of Clark Kent inhabits multiple branching timelines. Richard Donner’s 1978 film Superman was not the first superhero movie but it was the first major blockbuster in the genre. The film’s overwhelming success is owed to numerous factors, with one being Donner’s insistence on respecting the source material and treating the film as an earnest epic rather than a self-parody. Naturally, 1978’s Superman led to numerous sequels, spin-off properties, and the emergence of the superhero movie genre, thanks to similar films like 1989’s Batman and 2002’s Spider-Man.
The superhero comic genre tends to be more concerned with continuity than most corners of pop culture. The big two publishers (DC and Marvel) have made continuity maintenance the center of entire storylines in many cases. Naturally, the concept of overlapping continuity is familiar to longtime followers of mainstream superhero comics. Unsurprisingly, the concept has found itself in superhero adaptations too, with the two Tim Burton Batman movies notably having various branching timelines. Richard Donner’s Superman similarly has branching timelines, with the different universes appearing in sequels and spinoff materials to the original 1978 movie.
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Superman’s Original Timeline Had Three Sequels
Superman Also Spawned A Spin-Off With Supergirl
The original Superman movie timeline is straightforward. After 1978’s Superman, the story continues in the theatrical version of Superman II, then Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic.
Superman and Superman II were notably filmed concurrently for a time, and Richard Donner was replaced by Richard Lester during production of the sequel. With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic. Between the releases of III and The Quest for Peace, the canonical spin-off film Supergirl introduced Helen Slater’s Kara Zor-El into the Donner universe.
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Superman II’s Richard Donner Cut Is An Alternate Sequel
THe Theatrical Cut Of Superman II Changed Directors During Production
Richard Donner never completed his iteration of Superman II, but in 2006, a restored and re-edited director’s cut of the film тιтled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released. The film utilizes as much of Donner’s original footage as possible, including a screen test for Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.
Yet there was simply too little footage from Donner to make the film coherent, so some of the theatrical cut was used to complete the film’s narrative. The Richard Donner Cut presents different versions of Superman II’s story, and therefore it inhabits a branching timeline set after 1978’s Superman.
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Superman Returns Ignored Two Superman Sequels
Only Superman And Superman II Are Canon To Superman Returns
In 2006, the Superman film series was revived by the film Superman Returns. Returns treats 1978’s Superman and the theatrical cut of Superman II as canon but ignores the events of Superman III and The Quest for Peace. Since Supergirl is not mentioned, 1984’s Supergirl is presumably not part of the same timeline as Superman Returns. The Returns version of Superman joined the Arrowverse in 2019, where it was revealed that his universe’s Joker murdered Lois Lane and the rest of the Daily Planet’s staff, resulting in a Superman heavily inspired by the Kingdom Come graphic novel.
The Superman Returns video game adaptation adds additional supervillains to the film’s universe, such as Mongul, Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, and Riot.
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Superman ’78 Continues Donner’s Superman’s Story In Comic Form
In 2021, DC Comics released the Superman ’78 comic series, creating yet another branching timeline in the original Superman film series. The comics are set after the events of Superman II (presumably the theatrical cut) and introduce new villains, such as Brainiac and Metallo to the franchise. Superman ’78 also retroactively establishes that Jor-El and Lara survived Krypton’s destruction, but are trapped in Brainiac’s miniaturized city of Kandor. DC has noted that the comics are set in the same universe as the Batman ’89 comics, which are themselves part of a branching timeline set after the events of Batman Returns.
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Superman & Supergirl’s DCEU Cameo Might Have Been Its Own Universe Too
Both Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Helen Slater’s Supergirl make a cameo appearance in the DC Extended Universe’s 2023 film The Flash. As Barry Allen’s timeline meddling causes universes to collide, other realities are shown, including a Donner universe.
It is unclear if the Donner Superman universe seen in The Flash is the original movie timeline, the Superman ’78 timeline, or an original Donner Superman universe inadvertently generated by The Flash’s tampering with his timeline. It may be the latter since the film melded the Burton Batman universe with the DCEU as a result of the timeline alteration.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
- Release Date
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October 1, 2027
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