Superman: Last Son of Krypton (2006) - Manhattaman DCCU

Superman: Last Son of Krypton is a 2006 film directed by John Favreau and starring DJ Cotrona, Olivia Munn, James McAvoy, Cillian Murphy, Dennis Quaid, Emma Thompson, Sam Neil and Clive Owen.
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Cast
DJ Cotrona as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman: A young journalist with superhuman abilities that he has been forced to hide his entire life. He learns that he is from the planet Krypton and that he was sent to Earth to protect it. He is forced to reveal himself to the world when "Brainiac", the alien software system that destroyed Krypton, arrives on Earth to destroy it. Olivia Munn as Lois Lane: A beautiful reporter for the Daily Planet, who is the first on the scene when Superman battles Brainiac. She coins the name "Superman", and the two feel an immediate connection. James McAvoy as Lex Luthor: The billionaire CEO of LexCorp Industries, a military technology corporation. He feels threatened by the emergence of Superman, who may pose a threat to Luthor's illegal projects. Cillian Murphy as Brainiac: The Kryptonian Brain InterActive Console, a computer software created by the brilliant scientist Jor-El to help advance Kryptonian technology. Dennis Quaid as Jonathan Kent: A farmer in Smallville, Kansas who alongside his wife Martha finds the baby Kal-El in a cornfield, and raise him as their son, Clark. Emma Thompson as Martha Kent: Jonathan's wife, and Clark's adoptive and supportive mother. Clive Owen as Jor-El: Kal-El's birth father from the planet Krypton, and Krypton's most brilliant scientist. After he learns that Krypton is being destroyed, he secretly sends his son to Earth in order to save him. Jennifer Connelly as Lara: Jor-El wife and the biological mother of Kal-El. Sam Neil as General Sam Lane: A U.S. Army general, and the father of Lois Lane. He is placed in charge of the department that found the ship that brought Kal-El to Earth. Donald Logue as Perry White: The editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet newspaper and the boss of both Clark and Lois. Jay Baruchel as Jimmy Olsen: A rookie photographer at the Daily Planet, who is inspired by the arrival of Superman. Jared Harris as Dr. Emil Hamilton: The head scientist working in General Lane's department researching the spaceship.

Plot
The film opens with a monologue voiceover by Scientific Jor-El who explains that for many years, the once peaceful planet Krypton became the home of a civil war, started by a rebellion led by the evil power-hungry General Zod. After the rebellion was defeated, Zod and his army were captured and sentenced to spend eternity in the intergalactic prison realm known as the Phantom Zone, which was created by Jor-El. Sometime later, after Zod's imprisonment, Jor-El discovered via Brainiac, the Kryptonian security computer program, that Krypton is on the brink of destruction because of its unstable core which had been contaminated by toxic energy waves. The film then begins showing Jor-El pleading with the Kryptonian General Council of the soon to be planet destruction. The Council turns to Brainiac, who dismisses Jor-El's findings and explains that Krypton is only undergoing a temporary orbital shift. The Council decides to listen to Brainiac, and Jor-El leaves in disappointment. He then spends much of his time building a spaceship that he intends to use to send his infant son, Kal-El, to Earth in order to allow him to survive the destruction of Krypton. When Lara, Jor-El's wife, discovers his plan, she is heartbroken and begs Jor-El not to do it. However, Jor-El convinces her to come around when he says that Earth is the only planet where his physical appearance will resemble the rest of the inhabitants and that under its yellow sun, he will have abilities that will make him nearly invincible. After the ship's construction is complete, Jor-El and Lara board their son onto it and say goodbye. The ship leaves Krypton just as it falls to pieces, leaving Kal-El as its sole survivor. On Earth, in Kansas, Johnathan Kent and his wife Martha are driving home from the hospital, where they have been told that Martha cannot conceive children. While driving on the road, they see a huge energy beam hit a few miles away, causing a huge vibration that almost makes them crash. When the vibration stops, they rush over to see what it is. They find the remains of some sort of strange technology but are unable to decide what it is. After looking around, Martha finds the baby Kal-El in a crater. After they hear authorities nearby, they take the baby and quickly run away. Martha tries to convince Jonathan to agree to take the baby home with them, although hesitant at first Jonathan agrees and together they decide to adopt and raise him as their own, in the process they give him the name Clark. Then we see a montage of Clark growing up in the town of Smallville, as he grows up from a child to a teenager he starts to discover he has powers such as super strength, speed, heat vision, x-ray vision, supersonic hearing and finally learning to fly. Clark is confused because of his superhuman abilities and we see over the next few years how he struggles with his identity and what to do with his abilities. One day, Jonathan eventually reveals to a 15 years old Clark of his alien heritage as an explanation of his abilities. Clark is scared and confused but Johnathan consoles and convinces him to keep his identity a secret for now. 10 years later, Clark is now twenty-five, he still has no idea of where he came from nor who his birth parents are. His father is sick in bed and dying of cardiac failure. Jonathan tells Clark that he does not want him to stay hidden in Smallville forever and that he must travel the world and try to figure out who he is. Clark says that he doesn't believe that he is ready to reveal himself to the world, and Jonathan says that is ok, but that one day he'll have to because the world will need him. Jonathan explains that Clark is extraordinarily gifted and that it would be a sin not to share his gifts with a world that could use someone like him, even if they don't know it right away. Shortly thereafter, Jonathan passes away. A few days later, Martha tells Clark that she knows what his father said to him before he died and that she agrees that Clark must leave Smallville and embark on the greater things that he is destined for. He tells her that he would feel horrible leaving her on the farm by herself, but she assures him that she'll manage just fine and that he moves fast enough to get there whenever she would desperately need him. Clark embraces his mother and decides to leave Smallville. Meanwhile, at a military base on the east coast of America, Dr. Emil Hamilton is shown working on the ship that brought Clark to Earth twenty five years ago (which is unbeknownst to Hamilton or anyone else for that matter). General Sam Lane, who is in charge of the division, asks if any progress has been made at all. Hamilton explains that while his team was doing a study on the vessel, they came across one part of it that "turned something on". Hamilton shows the general a symbol that appeared when the vessel activated, and it is shown to the audience to be the Brainiac symbol. Clark at first decides to take up a nomadic lifestyle and travels around the world hoping to find a meaning to his life. He also bounces from job to job, eventually winding up on an oil rig. One day, a fire breaks out and the other workers escape while Clark holds the rig together to prevent collapse and further damage, unfortunately, the rig explodes and Clark falls into the ocean, where he is left presumed dead by his workmates. Sometime later he arrives in Metropolis, where he seems to have trouble fitting into the big city lifestyle. He goes to the Daily Planet newspaper building and interviews for a job with the editor-in-chief, Perry White. Mr. White tells him that given the current state of the newspaper due to the use of the internet and TV, they do not have the funds to hire "just another reporter". As he leaves, he comes across the reporter Lois Lane, who he is clearly drawn to by her beauty, but she barely notices him at all, before he leaves with his super hearing he learns that Lois is tasked with going to LexCorp, a company that has been rumored to be funding illegal activities for the military and decides to follow her. In Lexcorp, the owner and billionaire Lex Luthor is shown unveiling a device that will enhance the military's ability to read the alien hieroglyphics in the spaceship. In attendance is the General Lane and the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Both the general and the secretary are amazed by the product and tell Luthor that they will give him an offer by the end of the month. As they leave, Lois Lane and fellow photographer Jimmy Olsen bombard Luthor asking him to explain the toxic waste that was left thanks to his company recent project. The general, embarrassed by his daughter, commands her and Olsen to leave immediately. Lois is enraged, and Clark is shown listening using his super hearing. He then looks suspiciously at Luthor. After hearing about the spaceship, he decides to sneak into the military base that is housing it to get a look at it. Inside, he finds the ship and looks at one of the symbols, which resembles an "S", and something activates and zaps him in the eye. He then sees a hologram that shows him the last moments of Krypton, when Jor-El and Lara said goodbye to him and sent him to Earth. Millions of Kryptonian symbols then go flashing before Clark's eyes, translated by a recorded monologue from Jor-El: "My son, you must have many questions about where you come from and who you are. Your name is Kal-El from the planet Krypton, and you are my son. Your mother, Lara, and I sent you to Earth to save you from Krypton's impending destruction. Due to Earth's yellow sun, you have been gifted with extraordinary abilities that make you far more powerful than anyone else on the planet. It is, therefore, your destiny to protect the human race from threats that may lead to its destruction just like with Krypton. The humans have the potential to become great people, just as they wish to be, all they need is your guidance to show them the way. This is your destiny, Kal-El, to show the human race the way to becoming what they can be." Jor-El also shows Clark a dark blue and red uniform with an "S" that will symbolize his mission: to help the people of Earth and act as their guardian. Clark takes the suit and then flies back to Smallville and tells his mother what he has just learned. He expresses his doubt that he can fulfill the destiny that has been expected of him, but his mother reminds him of what Jonathan said to him before he died, that one day the world will need him for guidance and he will be forced to reveal himself, saying that maybe the "S" in his uniform means Hope. Back at the government lab, Dr. Hamilton is using Luthor's device to inspect the ship with a group of scientists, as they are running scans, the ship turns on again, and a black liquid comes out of it. Everyone in the lab runs back, as they do not know what the liquid is. The liquid then starts forming into the shape of a human, before completely forming into an extraterrestrial android. The being introduces himself as Brainiac, the Kryptonian Brain InterActive Console. He asks them where Kal-El is, and none of them have any idea what he is talking about. The security team then pulls out their guns and fires at him, but the bullets bounce off of him without even leaving a scratch, he then destroys the entire lab killing almost everyone and flies away. Back in Metropolis, Lois gets a call from a source about the attack on the lab and then calls her dad asking for a statement. He tells her that he has no comment and that she should stay away from stuff like this because is too dangerous. Soon after, vibrations are felt throughout the city, and then explosions occur, causing everyone to run rampant all over the place. Brainiac then uses his technology to take over the TV, internet, and radio airwaves and announce that he wants Kal-El and that if he does not come to him immediately, Earth will be destroyed. Clark watches Brainiac's speech from his tiny apartment and remembers that Kal-El was what Jor-El called him in the hologram message. He goes through his bag and takes out the suit. He then remembers what Jonathan said to him about the world needing him someday and what Jor-El said, about how it is his destiny to lead the human race to reach their potential. He puts on the suit and flies away. Brainiac, meanwhile, continues causing mass destruction all over the city. Jimmy Olsen runs up to get a photo of him. Brainiac sees the flash and flies toward Jimmy. He grasps Jimmy's neck and says that he is a stupid boy, but Jimmy tells him that he is willing to risk dying in order to get the truth out to the public. Brainiac begins to use more force on him, but Clark flies over and grabs Brainiac before throwing him across the street. He tells Brainiac that he is Kal-El and asks what he wants. Brainiac then reveals his nefarious true intentions, that he was the one who sent toxic energy waves to Krypton core so it could be become unstable, before escaping with all the information about the planet claiming that the fewer beings who possess the knowledge, the more precious it becomes, but when he discovered that Jor-El was going to save his son, he couldn't allow another Kryptonian alive so he decided to download himself into the same ship that saved Kal-El and brought him to earth. Now, he plans to do the same to Earth, but as it is not in imminent danger, he plans to annihilate it himself, Clark became furious with the revelation and says that he will not let him destroy Earth like he did Krypton. Brainiac says that his father, Jor-El, created him and that he made him capable of being more powerful than any Kryptonian could ever dream of. As Clark and Brainiac battle each other in the streets of Metropolis, Lois and Jimmy run toward the action while everyone else is running away in fear. Lois asks Jimmy who the man in the red and blue suit is, but he says that he has no idea. Lex Luthor is shown watching from his office, and he is in clear suspicion of the man in the red and blue suit, looking even possibly threatened. General Lane is shown on the phone with the Secretary of Defense, who tells him that the president has ordered to launch a nuclear missile at both men in an hour. Back in Metropolis, Clark and Brainiac are still fighting each other, and are clearly equal in terms of ability. Jimmy makes a comment to Lois that with both men having incredible strength, they could destroy the entire city before they destroy each other. Clark soon realizes the same thing that is evident to everyone else and flies out of Brainiac's range in order to avoid city damage, while he comes up with a plan to stop Brainiac. Lois and Jimmy, wondering where he went, decide to go to the military base to find her father. Clark goes to the same place, but to find the ship instead. When he arrives, he touches the ship, hoping it will give him the guidance he needs in destroying Brainiac. Dr. Hamilton, who is revealed to have survived Brainiac's attack, is then seen by Clark. Hamilton is clearly in awe of Clark and tells him that he knew someone had to come to Earth in that thing. Clark asks him what he knows about the ship and Brainiac. Dr. Hamilton tells him about all of the military research over the past twenty-five years, and that just earlier that day, Brainiac came out of the ship as a black liquid before shapeshifting. Clark then deduces that since Brainiac is just a computer program, he is part of the ship and must have "woken up" when the scientists activated it. Clark asks Hamilton if there is a way to destroy the ship, but Hamilton says that through his research, he has deduced that only a nuclear weapon lined with the green meteorites from the surrounding crater area (kryptonite) could even come close to destroying it. Lois and Jimmy arrive in the room looking for the general and are stunned to see the man in red and blue. He and Hamilton explain the situation to them, and Lois points out that her father may be able to help. She calls him, and he again tells her to stay away from the subject. He then tells her that she should stay away from both of the aliens because, in less than forty minutes, he is going to launch a nuclear missile filled with kryptonite at both of them. She tells this to Clark, and he decides that he must find Brainiac and lead him to the lab so that the missile will destroy the ship and thus Brainiac, and to avoid casualties in the city. Lois asks him if he'll die in the explosion as well, and he says he doesn't know, but they all need to get out. Jimmy and Dr. Hamilton both leave, but Lois stays behind and thanks him for saving them all. She then gives him a kiss on the cheek and leaves. Clark flies back to Metropolis and finds Brainiac. They battle for a little while longer so that Clark can stall in order to time the arrival of them both in precise timing with the missile. After a while, Clark flies away again but makes sure that Brainiac is able to follow him. They arrive at the lab just as General Lane gives the order to launch the missile. The missile hits the lab, destroying the ship and Brainiac. Lois and Jimmy run over to the wreckage to see if Clark survived. They find the remains of the ship, and then find him unconscious. After a brief period, he awakens, showing that he is still alive. They all question how he survived the blast, and Dr. Hamilton points out that the only part of the suit he was wearing that wasn't damaged was the cape, which was covering his body. Clark realizes to himself that Jor-El must've used some sort of protective fabric, just in case the kryptonite ever made its way to him. He flies away, and Jimmy says that he wonders what the "S" stands for. Lois, in a dreamy tone, says to herself: "Superman". In the aftermath, Clark is now a global hero, but his true identity remains unknown to the public. The Daily Planet runs a story written by Lois about Superman, with a close-up photo by Jimmy, selling loads of copies, much more than any other news outlet. Clark, back in Smallville, is talking to his mother about how now the world has seen his face and knows what he can do. She tells him that it is good that they've seen his face, because if he wore a mask, they'd fear him, but since his face is seen, they trust him. She tells him that the mask is what he will now wear as Clark Kent, not Superman. The next day, Clark goes back to the Daily Planet building but now wearing an old business suit and a pair of glasses. He also gels his hair back and slumps his shoulders to further the disguise. He arrives in Mr. White's office and gives him an article he wrote about the events with Superman and Brainiac. Perry loves the article and hires Clark right away. Clark is given a desk right across from Lois's, and she looks at him suspiciously, asking if they've met before. He tells her that he was in the office the other day and bumped into her, but she didn't really notice him. She still thinks he looks familiar from somewhere else, but shakes it off and gets back to work before telling him: "Welcome to the Daily Planet, Smallville." After the end credits: Lex Luthor walks into Dr. Hamilton's lab and tells him that he is recruiting him to work on another project funded by LexCorp. Dr. Hamilton asks what the project is, and Luthor tells him that Superman isn't the only evidence of life beyond Earth that the government has. Dr. Hamilton gets excited and packs up his equipment, while Luthor dials a number and tells the person he is calling that Hamilton is going to help them. The person being called is shown to be Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). After she hangs up she turns on the light in a lab and smiles as we are shown a green man (J'onn J'onzz) asleep in a cryogenic chamber.