Superman VI: Man of Steel

LAST TIME WE LEFT OUR HERO:

Lois Lane was married to Richard White

Superman had a son by Lois named Jason White

Luthor was arrested, again, and placed in jail

PART I:

We reveal that Richard White and Lois Lane have divorced. Lois now lives alone with her son, Jason. Lois and Jason go to visit “Daddy”. They travel to the Alaska where Superman is there waiting to greet them.

In the fortress they catch up and Jason shows Clark his growing powers. The two explore the cave together. Lois and Clark’s relationship is reignited since the last film.

That night, while sleeping an alarm goes off. Superman is alerted, rises, and learns that there is a kidnapping situation aboard an oil rig. He goes to investigate, but not before saying good bye to his son.

PART II:

Superman arrives at the rig and easily subdues the men holding it ransom. He is surprised by their arrogance, but one man reveals that they are being paid to be there. Superman notices a floating surveillance robot monitoring him. A loud crash then as a large robotic machine attacks Superman. It has a symbol like a triangle of its chest. Superman battles the robot and only barely manages to defeat it.

Superman takes the broken robot to a Professor Hamilton of S.T.A.R. Labs in Metropolis. Hamilton regards the machinery as “not of this world”. Both agree that the only human capable of such a design would be none other than Lex Luthor.

Superman goes to visit Luthor to find that he is still in a maximum security jail cell. Luthor denies any connection to the device and after seeing fragments of it marvels at it’s perfection. Luthor exclaims that someone who could build such a design would have to be a real genius, and such a genius would know what Superman’s true weakness was. It is at this point that Superman realizes that Lois and Jason are in trouble.

PART III:

Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude only to find it abandoned and ravished by force. He hunts and discovers a humanoid-looking Brainiac standing at the main consol. Superman tries to attack but it is only a hologram.

Brainiac explains that he has taken Lois and Jason captive in exchange for something. Brainic talks cryptically and is indeed highly intelligent. He introduces himself to Superman and then proceeds to kidnap him by dosing him with large amounts of Kryptonite radiation to the horror of Lois and Jason.

PART IV:

Back on Earth, the world is baffled by Superman’s apparent disappearance for 2 days. Perry White and Jimmy Olsen ponder as they find Lois and Jason sleeping in Lois’ office. The two have no memory of the past 2 days. Just then a news story breaks that a riot has broken out in the Middle East. Fighting has begun.

As the riot builds, Superman suddenly arrives and disperses the mob, but with force that is near deadly. After the riot ends, Superman learns that the riot was started by the ruler of the country. Flying away, Superman crashes through the ruler’s office and takes his prisoner, he then flies him to the US. There Superman addresses the public. He claims that he will no longer put up with the world’s injustice. He says that from here on out he will use all force necessary to stop evil in its entirety. Lex Luthor watches the newscast curiously.

PART V:

At the Lane household; Lois, Perry, and Jimmy ponder what Superman’s rationale for his new found vigor is. Then Superman appears and summons Lois to the roof. There Superman is distant and tells his side of the story. He tells her that humanity is wicked to the core and that at last he can see it. He says that he is the cure. That he has plans to rectify the world by creating his own prison on his own private island where all the most dangerous will be kept. He also says that he is taking Jason. That the world is too dangerous for him to be alone. Lois protests but Superman just flies away with Jason in his arms.

PART VI:

A newscaster reveals footage of Superman’s island prison. There is footage of its state-of-the-art lethal automated perimeter and of its general impenetrability. In addition there is footage of Superman housing countless inmates that he has collected from around the world over the past two days. World politicians have been putting pressure on Superman to stop, but none have taken action. Superman assures people that he is doing this for the good of the world.

In his “throne room”, Superman meets with his son. Superman explains to Jason about the world’s impurities. While Superman marvels at humans for their divine unique spirits, he doesn’t think they are fit to have them. Jason argues for humanity but is slightly swayed by Superman’s words.

One of the inmates then enters, Jason is mildly afraid by him. The inmate bows to Superman and informs him that Professor Hamilton is on the line, Superman acknowledges and the inmate exits. Superman points out that the only way to control the human spirit is to crush it.

Via video conference, Professor Hamilton reveals that he has analyzed the data from the crushed robot and confirmed that it is definitely alien. But more so, definitely from several different societies. Like a colleague of technology working together. Professor Hamilton worries that whoever built the robot surly would attack again. Superman has a brief, but blurred flashback. Superman nods and shuts off Hamilton before he could make any political remarks.

In Hamilton’s lab, it is revealed that there are US Generals with him. They seem displeased that Hamilton was unable to persuade Superman to stop his round-up of prisoners. They decide to use the alien technology to try and stop Superman, but only one man would be able to rebuild the robot…Luthor.

PART VII:

Lois is awoken from her bed by Military officers who then escort her to a secret S.T.A.R. Laboratory. There she finds Luthor working on the giant robotic machine. All are called into a meeting. They discover that the US and its allies have decided to stop Superman. He has over the past 72 hours captured some of the world’s most influential people for no reason and placed them on his island. He has claimed that each has committed a crime against humanity: “being too rich, too powerful, too influential”. The US has brought them all together to try to work as a team to try and create a profile of Superman that will allow them to destroy him. Lois has little to offer to the discussion. Lois points out in private to Luthor that her son Jason is also on the island. Luthor claims that everything will be alright.

The next day, a whole army of units make to attack Superman and his island of criminals. By Air and Sea they bombard the island. Superman, however, fights back with brutal force tearing apart the units with the aid of his island’s defenses. Luthor then arrives, having built himself into his robot, and levels Superman into ground allowing a brief opportunity for troops to attack the island. What they find, however, is that the inmates have become cyborgs. Each has been granted superhuman strength and seems to obey the commands of Superman alone.

Superman and Luthor battle it out but in the end Superman wins by hurling Luthor off of a cliff. Jason watches as Superman lets Luthor fall. It is at this moment that Luthor truly realizes that Superman is not who he says he is. Jason mortified attacks his father. Bothered, Superman orders the cyborg inmates to carry away his son and take him to the “ship”.

Distracted, troops rush in and blast Superman with rays of Red Sun energy. Professor Hamilton then comes in and regretfully shoots Superman with a Kryptonite Bullet that incapacitates him.

PART VIII:

Back at S.T.A.R., Superman is being operated on by Professor Hamilton and some other surgeons. Luthor, nursing his injuries, talks with Lois. Luthor reveals that he thinks Superman was taken control of and Lois agrees. Lois regrets that her son was not recovered at the island. Professor Hamilton then exits the operating room and reveals that the bullet as been removed. He can only hope that Superman will survive.

A lab technician then enters saying that there is news on the television. Brainiac is on the screen and reveals that it was in fact he who took control of Superman. He says that he did it so that he could properly harvest human beings into the perfect soldiers. He says that the human spirit is what makes human beings such idol hosts, but because of this spirit human beings can not be harvested against their will. So Brainiac proposes the people of Earth a choice. If they want unlimited power and eternal life then they should all come outside of their homes in 24 hours. Those who are outside will be harvested and taken to Brainiac’s ship to be converted to cyborgs. All others, will be killed by their stronger brethren in the aftermath. He leaves the decision up to them. The entire world recoils at the world’s population makes their decision.

PART IX:

As the world outside discusses the issue at hand, Lois sneaks away to be with the unconscious Superman. She laments that he placed himself in such a position for the sake of her own safety. He is saddened by the fact that he sacrificed his own will to protect her and Jason from harm. Lois is saddened about what the world will do without him.

The next morning, the world is still. It is restless as each person has to make up their mind as to whether or not to go outside of their homes in only a few hours. At the Daily Planet, Perry White locks people inside to make the answer easy.

Back in the recovery room, Lois is sleeping on the unconscious Superman. She suddenly is awoken, however, as Superman slowly rises from the bed. Superman asks for forgiveness but says he thought it was the only way to keep her safe. Superman then goes to meet with the S.T.A.R. Lab officials and US generals.

At first they are uneasy but Superman reveals to them what has happened. He says that Brainiac is in fact an A.I. from a distant world. That he is searching the universe searching for perfection and thinks that he has found in the human beings. They catch Superman up on Brainiac’s plans to enslave the Earth. They all agree that the world needs to know that Superman is on their side or else they will give into Brainiac and become supermen themselves. Superman agrees. They need to get the message out fast, but Brainiac has the airwaves blocked. Lois has an idea.

PART X:

At the Daily Planet, Perry White prints thousands of copies of a brief pamphlet that has been written up. Superman then flies around the world delivering the pamphlets to people to try and help them understand that being human means that you have a choice. And that choice is to help one another. That only through a unified front can there every be a difference. No one Superman can save the world. It has to the effort of everyone and he is sorry for misusing their trust in him. Superman continues to fly across the world delivering the pamphlets using his super-speed.

Just as the printer jams up, Superman returns claiming he has done as much as possible. They are out of time. Superman and Lois embrace as they wait. Luthor stands by the door looking out the window, Superman approaches him.

Luthor attests to the solidarity of humanity. He claims that while he would love to immortal, it would only make his conquests seem less substantial. If a God kills a God it is a small feat, but if a mortal kills a God, then it is legendary. That, Luthor explains, is true power.

As Brainiac’s ship approaches, the world’s streets are empty. The people have unified.

Professor Hamilton confirms that has the location of Brainiac’s ship on radar. Superman flies to confront him.

PART XI:

Outside of Brainiac’s ship, Superman hovers boasting of Brainiac’s defeat. From inside the ship, Brainiac grumbles. If the world will not join him, then it truly is not worth saving, he decides. With that he fires several missiles at Superman. Superman then proceeds to attack the ship.

Tearing through the ship, Superman makes his way through a horde of machines and weaponry. At last, he finds himself face to face with Brainiac. Brainiac admits that Superman is indeed strong and is not surprised. He then forces Superman to defeat the cyborg humans, and Superman does so without hurting them. Brainiac appears unarmed and as Superman confronts him, Superman is then suddenly attacked by another cyborg. This one is his son, Jason.

Brainiac claims that Jason is in fact the perfect body. He has the resilience of a Kryptonian but the spirit of a human. For that he is the perfect cyborg, and after seeing his father supposedly kill Luthor, he was easy to gain control of.

Jason then deals a harsh pounding to Superman, that Superman is unable to stop because he can not bring himself to hit his own son. It is at this time that Brainiac reveals that he in fact was the A.I. responsible for destroying Krypton. That he had once tried to convert the Kryptonian people, but they too revolted, so he destroyed their planet using seismic changes in the planet’s structure. Superman was the only survivor.

Back on the planet’s surface, the world’s military prepares to fire on Brainiac’s ship, despite protests by Lois. They do so, and the ship takes a devastating hit.

On board, Superman takes advantage of the hit to use some loose wiring to electrocute his son. He then flies forward and tackles Brainiac. The two plummet into the bowels of the ship. There they fight it out as the ship continues to takes damage from military missiles. At last, Superman crushes Brainiac until he surrenders. Brainiac boasts that Superman is unable to defeat him because he does not kill, but Superman doesn’t flinch because after all… Brainiac is only a machine. He then tears Brainiac apart.

As the ship too falls apart, Superman flies up and picks up his unconscious son. The two escape just as the ship falls to the Earth’s surface and erupts into flames.

Atop the Daily Planet, Superman lands with son in arms. Lois rushes forward, horrified by her son’s disfigurement. Professor Hartman and Luthor look on.

PART XII:

Back at S.T.A.R., Hartman reveals that nothing can be done for the boy. He says that as long as he lives though, there is a threat that Brainiac will return because he has implanted a part of himself in the child. Lois is mortified by the suggestion to kill her son.

Superman decides to turn to Luthor for consul. The two talk about the fraility of life and how precious it is. They also talk about second chances. Luthor agrees that it is too dangerous to let the child live so he suggests that Superman rather send him away. Superman agrees that this is the best decision.

With the aid of Hartman, Superman rigs together his old space travel vehicle. He puts his son inside. Luthor then pushes the activation button and it jettisons off and into space. Lois and Superman watch in agony. US officials enter just as the ship departs angry that they were unable to take the boy and use them for their own research.

In closing, Superman and Lex have one final talk. Superman now must regain his trust with the world. Lex agrees, and sees that there are threats much bigger than him in the universe. He decides to make the world a stronger place, and with all the world’s leaders gone decides that maybe he will run for an office.

Superman and Lois hold one another tightly as they look up into the sky where their child is being whizzed away amongst the stars.