''Superman Returns'' is the novelization of the 2006 film ''

Superman Returns ''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...

'', written by

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

Story

* The book is a movie tie-in and is, therefore, basically the same as the film with minor changes that come with artistic license. However, two major changes significantly deviate from the film: Superman not having a shard of

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

inside him as he throws the kryptonite island into space and Jason's non-linkage to Superman. * Superman retaining his powers even with a piece of

inside him is a hot topic that puts consistency into question, as evidenced by the talk pages. * Jason's real identity is a fertile ground for a sequel.

Minor Details

* Superman's trip to

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...

is detailed in the book (ch. 5, pp. 37–48). This is most probably the segment in the film that did not make the final cut. *

Jor-El Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superma ...

and

Lara Lara may refer to: Places * Lara (state), a state in Venezuela *Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia * Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey * Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia * Lara de los In ...

's courtship is presented (ch. 1, pp. 12–17). *

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

remembers the first time he used his heat vision, triggered by hormonal spurts, just like in the TV series '' Smallville'' (p. 64). * Ma Kent is dating Ben Hubbard, selling the Kent farm and moving to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

(p. 76). * In the film, it is implied that Jason recognizes Clark as Superman when the child sees the reporter beside the image of Superman on TV, in the

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

. In the book, Jason recognizes Superman as Clark and has nearly finished articulating his observation when Superman cuts him off, in the seaplane after Superman saved the trio – Lois, Richard and Jason – from the sinking ship (p. 285). * The bank robber shot Superman's head, not specifically stated as the left eye as shown in the film (p. 183). * The Fins played against the Ravens in the

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...

rescue scene (p. 136). * Clark has taken in eight bottles of beer (p. 112) at the Ace o' Clubs with a ninth in front of him that he pushed away (p. 117) before saving the space shuttle and the airplane. * In the film, it appears that Lois fell for Richard White because Richard is the human version of Superman: good-looking, confident and can fly (a plane). In the book, Clark thinks that Richard looks very much like him, i.e., Superman (p. 153). * It is implied in the book that Superman created the crystal ship, that he used to visit the remains of

, in the

Fortress of Solitude The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Ear ...

(p. 89). * It was

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...

with the help of Stanford who released the photos of the remains of

, leading to Superman leaving Earth (p. 297).

Major details

* Superman lifts the kryptonite island without a shard of kryptonite imbedded in his body. Only a stab wound with no bleeding is noted by hospital personnel (p. 316). * Jason is not linked to Superman. Brutus is killed by Lois by pulling a bookcase down his head, snapping his neck (p. 256). However, just like in the film, it is Jason who finds Superman near-drowning (p. 303). There is no scene in the book where Superman recites Jor-El's words to Jason.

Media translations

dated his ''Acknowledgments'' 12/15/05. The screenwriters may have made changes after said date (assuming Marv Wolfman finished the novelization on said date). Since the book is published 27 days earlier than the film opening, it is possible that the "major details" are deliberately changed to keep the surprises intact.

References

* ''Superman Returns''. Film. Directed by

Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer ...

. Led by

Brandon Routh Brandon James Routh (; born October 9, 1979) is an American actor. He portrayed Superman in the 2006 film '' Superman Returns'', which garnered him international fame. In 2011, he played the titular character of the film '' Dylan Dog: Dead of N ...

. Warner Bros., 2006. * Wolfman, Marv. ''Superman Returns''. New York: Warner Books, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Superman Returns, The Novelization 2006 American novels DC Comics novels Superman novels Novels based on films Superman (1978 film series)