Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis Superman. Which crisis? What about Zero Hour? Byrne's Superman or Siegel's? Which Siegel's, the Golden or Silver Age? Superman comics continuity is much more confusing than that of other superheroes, but not to worry...his film timeline is much easier to deal with, as I will now show you!

THE 'SUPERMAN IN OTHER MEDIA' TIMELINE

1. Short Films

Both the 1941 Max Fleischer cartoons and the 1948 Kirk Alyn serials can be assumed to mostly fit into the continuity of the Superman Radio Show that began in 1940. Easy enough.

2. Superman and the Mole Men

This movie, starring George Reeves, fits into the continuity of the Adventures of Superman television show. Prequels to the Adventures of Superman, and this movie, include the 1942 Adventures of Superman novel by George Lowther, and the 1961 TV Pilot, The Adventures of Superboy.

3. Superman: The Movie Franchise Timeline #1

a. This franchise begins with Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie During the movie, Superman discovers the Fortress of Solitude and there is a gap of several years before he appears as Superman During this time, The Adventures of Superboy, the Salkinds' 1988-1992 television series, takes place as a sort of prequel. Then the rest of the movie takes place.

b. Superman II (1980) by Richard Lester[/b]

c. Superman III (1983) by Richard Lester

d. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), written by Christopher Reeve


4. Superman: The Movie Franchise Timeline #2

a. This franchise begins with Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie During the movie, Superman discovers the Fortress of Solitude and there is a gap of several years before he appears as Superman During this time, The Adventures of Superboy, the Salkinds' 1988-1992 television series, takes place as a sort of prequel. Then the rest of the movie takes place.

b. Superman II (2006) by Richard Donner (or, the Richard Donner cut)

c. Superman Returns (2006) by Bryan Singer
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So basically, if there were a multiverse for Superman movies, we would have three Superman earths, one having a split timeline. A much better track record than the comics ;)

Superman Returns is a sequel to the 1st film only.

There are clues in the film that part 2 (Donner cut or not) never happen in the Returns time line.

The biggest clue being that Zod and pals never appeared on Earth.

Zod and pals never appeared on earth in the Donner Cut, either. Watch the final sequence again, when Superman goes back through time, and you'll see the Phantom Zone mirror put back together again.

So, as a matter of semantics, Superman Returns IS a sequel to Superman: The Movie, since the second one never happened. But Superman (and Luthor) seem to remember things that happened in the Donner Cut.

Whether the arrival of the villains was undone by the time-warp thingee or not, if Superman remembers the events of Superman II, then he knows that there are other Kryptonians out there somewhere alive...after a fashion.

Another detail that separates your third and fourth timelines is that Martha Kent is dead in the former and alive in the latter.

All the more reason for him to go search for them.

I have realized something, though, and that is that the Kirk Alyn serials couldn't really fit into radio continuity. But I'm not sure what to do with them.

Yes, but doesn't Martha say something about not knowing whether there's anyone out there like him or not?

Which means even if he does remember the villains, he didn't tell Ma about it.  Then again, I don't suppose he would've had to, would he?

And yes, the Alyn serials can't fit with radio continuity because in the former, he arrives on Earth as an infant and grows up on the Kent farm, while in the latter, he arrives as an adult (!!!) and adopts the name Clark Kent because, I guess, he just likes the sound of it?

I think some people he saved suggested it to him, and promised not to tell anyone about it? It's been awhile.

Plus, there is the conflict with Superman vs. the Atom Man. There are two different versions of it...the radio version is better, IMO.

Yeah, I think it was a guy and his son he met as soon as he came out of the rocket.  They said something like, "Hey, newspaper reporting's kind of interesting job.  Why don't you do that?"  Though I can't remember if they actually named him, too.

Nice how Superman can just decide to be a reporter and everyone at the Planet goes along with it.  Imagine if he'd decided to declare himself a brain surgeon or an engineer.  Simpler times.

He could've become a rocket scientist! ;)