The Death and Return of Superman Complete Film Collection Gets a Release Date

The Death and Return of Superman Complete Film Collection, which collects The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen animated movies along with some new features and footage, will make its way to the home entertainment market in October. Like they did with The Dark Knight Returns, the story first released as a pair of separate animated movies will be combined into a single, 166-minute film with previously-unseen footage, new bonus features, and more. The collection will fly into stores on October 1 with a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and a 4K Combo Pack that also includes a standard Blu-ray.

There will be a limited collector’s edition run of the combined movie that comes packaged with an exclusive Steel figurine, based on the hero’s look in Reign of the Supermen. You can see the box art below, which features DC heroes mourning the loss of Superman in front of his tomb, meaning that between the three releases, there will be covers loosely representing “The Death of Superman,” “Funeral For a Friend,” and “Reign of the Supermen,” the three comic book storylines on which the movies are based. The limited-edition release will also include a bonus disc featuring Superman: Doomsday, the first DC Universe animated movie, which was also loosely based on the same storylines. It will be Superman: Doomsday‘s first time available in 4K.

In a statement, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment underscored the road to this version of the story, saying that “The Death and Return of Superman completes the quest of Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Animation and DC to craft a faithful animated version of ‘The Death of Superman,’ DC’s landmark 1992-93 comic phenomenon. Superman Doomsday, the inaugural film in the DC Universe Movies series, told an abridged version of that comics story, as the film’s runtime of 75 minutes allowed for a narrow focus on a core, singular storyline. The 166-minute The Death and Return of Superman restores many of the moments and characters that fans hold dear to their hearts.”

“The collected work of The Death and Return of Superman, with its two films and added footage, is truly an epic, authentic animated retelling of ‘The Death of Superman’ saga, giving fans the complete tale just as they have craved since the inception of the DC Universe Movies,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “The Warner Bros. Animation filmmaking team and the all-star cast have gone far beyond expectations to bring this important Superman story to life.”

The films starred Jerry O’Connell as Superman, Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane, Rainn Wilson as Lex Luthor,

The Blu-ray and 4K releases also include bonus animated episodes — the two-part “Dark Victory” from Legion of Super-Heroes, “Heavy Metal” from Superman: The Animated Series, and “Panic in the Sky” from Justice League Unlimited. Additional bonus features are listed below.

Long Live Superman (Featurette) – Superman is a symbol for hope across the world. Hear the story of how the Man of Tomorrow will always be the hero we need today. Long Live Superman!

The Death of Superman: The Brawl That Topped Them All (Featurette) – Experience the battle between Superman and Doomsday like never before as creators of the iconic comic and the new film explore the nuances of “The Greatest Fight” with the help of a martial arts expert.

Lex Luthor: The Greatest Nemesis (Featurette) – Evil Genius. Archenemy of Superman. Misunderstood hero? This documentary will look at one of the most renowned villains in literature and debate his ethics and motivations throughout his publication history and as the calculated anti-hero of Reign of the Supermen. We’ll also explore how Lex Luthor is emblematic of technology without limit, often demonstrating what effect unbridled power, resources, and influence can have on humanity. We’ll discuss the affinity for storytellers to associate Lex Luthor and with the field of science as they challenge our morals and integrity with real world issues such as cloning and what can happen if science fiction became science reality.

The Death and Return of Superman will be available on Blu-ray and 4K on October 1, 2019.