Superman

You'll believe a man can fly.

RELEASED 14 Dec 19782h 24m★ 7.2 TMDB★ Essential pick

Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.

Why it matters in DC

Clark's work at the Daily Planet and conflict with Lex Luthor establish the everyday and extraordinary sides of this Superman. It is the foundation for the classic Superman sequence, introducing the relationships that make later departures, returns and sacrifices matter personally.

Watch these first

1 title to watch before Superman — 0h 58m in total.

Superman and the Mole MenOptional background0h 58m★ 5.3

Opens the planner with just this title, so you can set your own pace.

How this title is selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

Explore the full viewing guide

Where it fits in the DC universe

Superman is title 1 of 6 in our Classic Superman viewing sequence. The 1978 Superman is the foundation of the classic film sequence, introducing Clark, Lois and Lex for this screen interpretation. Superman II follows directly. Later viewing branches matter: Superman Returns looks back to the early films, so the catalogue should not imply that every classic-labelled sequel forms one uninterrupted chain.

Explore this viewing sequence