History YMMV / TheDeathOfSuperman

* FranchiseOriginalSin: This story is the TropeCodifier for the modern overuse of DeathIsCheap in comic books: a story in which the major superhero of the DC universe dies and is brought back over the course of a major storyline. However, back then, killing Superman was actually ''shocking'' to the audience because it hadn't been done to death yet (previous examples were rare and usually not planned), created immense EmotionalTorque, and the Reign of the Supermen was a brilliant takedown of the NinetiesAntiHero. It's still a classic of comic book storytelling and a point of light in UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, but it also [[FollowTheLeader set such a trend]] for future {{Character Death}}s that the comic book afterlife had to have a revolving door installed.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
** Because of the "DeathIsCheap" trope (whose former {{Trope Namer|s}} is "Comic Book Death"), this story is hard to take seriously today. However, it's believed to be the {{Trope Maker|s}} ''for'' DeathIsCheap, so at the time it was a big deal. Heck, it made ''the nightly news'', at a time when ComicBooks were believed to be culturally irrelevant.
** It was hard to take seriously at the time for comics fans, given that NeverFoundTheBody predates the medium, and ComicBook/JeanGrey had [[OlderThanTheyThink already returned from the grave]]. Heck, even mainstream {{Superhero}} TV shows pulled this stunt before such as ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' in the 1970s reviving the supposedly deceased Jamie Sommers for her own series, ''Series/TheBionicWoman''. Superman's death is the TropeCodifier.

** It's worth noting that '''NO ONE''' familiar with the {{Superhero}} genre expected Superman to stay dead. Even back then people would tell you that only Uncle Ben, Bucky Barnes, and Jason Todd stayed dead in comics (which was true until 2005, when Barnes returned as the Winter Soldier and Todd returned as Red Hood -- Uncle Ben is still dead, though). What "Death of Superman" started was killing off/resurrecting heroes for shock value to generate sales. Before this story, superheroes died and came back plenty[[note]]Including Superman himself, who was often killed off in imaginary stories.[[/note]], but rarely with much fanfare outside of their own titles. After this story it began to happen far more often, and always with [[TonightSomeoneDies huge marketing pushes to make sure you knew it was going to happen]].

* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Zig-Zagged. As Creator/MaxLandis "educational parody film" ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PlwDbSYicM The Death and Return of Superman]]'' explains, comic book readers at the time really did believe Superman was gone for good. At the time, death wasn't something focused on in comic books, especially the main characters dying. As such, when TheCape himself died, it was a big thing for both readers and people who didn't even bother reading comics. However, in hindsight the idea that one of DC's most popular heroes and ''de facto'' {{Mascot}} would ''really'' be KilledOffForReal seems ridiculous. Also, after Superman's death and resurrection, '''every''' comic book with a dead character decided that it would be equally cool to have them return, until the concept of CharacterDeath in comics was so inherently cheapened that HesJustHiding became the constant response any time a popular character died.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** After several movies where Superman has essentially been TheBigGuy of the Justice League, with not much else done to flesh him out as a character beyond pairing him with Wonder Woman (in itself controversial), this film is not only actually about him, but finally gives him some much needed characterisation that shows why he's such a beloved hero. The fact that characterisation leans closer to his classic portrayal than his more arrogant persona from the ''ComicBook/New52'' helps.
** After ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDark'' relegated most of the League to [[TheCameo cameos]], this movie has the entire League actively involved in the plot. This is especially true of members who haven't been seen active in the League, such as Aquaman, who's up to his third appearance here after doing nothing in his second, and newcomers Martian Manhunter and Hawkman, who likewise did nothing in their debut.
** Unlike ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', the story will be told in two movies instead of one, allowing things to be fleshed out more.
** For many who didn't like the Clark/Diana relationship since ''Justice League War'', the ShipSinking in this movie and Clark finally expressing interest in Lois was seen as a major stepping stone in pulling away from the New 52 style.
** Green Lantern's IdiotBall from the comics was addressed. Rather than attacking up close, he is clearly shown using distance attacks and constructs against Doomsday. Doomsday ''does'' break out of said constructs, but points for actually trying.
** After years of interpretations playing up the "alien god amongst humans" aspect of Superman in [[ComicBook/New52 comics]] and [[Film/ManOfSteel movies]], Superman's humanity is utilized much more than before through his actions and interactions with other characters, swinging back to the "[[NiceGuy upstanding good guy with superpowers]]" aspects that endeared him to the audience in the first place. There's an exchange just after he reveals his secret to Lois that illustrates this return to character perfectly.
--->'''Lois:''' Oh my God, you're from another planet! ''(quietly)'' [[InterspeciesRomance My boyfriend is from another planet...]]\\
'''Superman:''' ''(takes her hand)'' Listen, Lois, [[HumbleHero I'm just a guy from a small town who wants to do the right thing.]] But doing what I do could put my family in danger. I did [[SecretIdentity this]] so they wouldn't have to pay for my choices.

* {{Narm}}: The [[http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Death-of-Superman-TPB-Platinum.jpg original cover]] to ''The Death of Superman'' Graphic Novel looks painful and goofy compared to [[https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/735653.jpg later releases.]]

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments:
** After Superman leaves the Flash to clean up his latest act of heroism, Flash mutters to himself that he should join the Titans, then muses that he's probably too old.
** When Batman mentions having to speak to Damian's principal, Flash asks if Batman is on the PTA. He follows this up with an impression of how Batman might behave in such a scenario, using [[Film/TheDarkKnight the infamous]] [[GutturalGrowler "Bat-voice"]]. Batman's disapproving gaze shuts him right up.
** Clark introducing Lois to his parents, and then they proceed to embarrass him by bringing up his past girlfriends, including Lori Lemaris (who's a mermaid). Martha Kent then notes they probably shouldn't be talking about her since she's cooking halibut for dinner.
** After Clark reveals his SecretIdentity to Lois, one of the first thing she takes issue with, before his parents and being an alien, is [[SkewedPriorities the ethics of Clark having written stories about himself.]]

** It was hard to take seriously at the time for comics fans, given that NeverFoundTheBody predates the medium, and ''ComicBook/JeanGrey'' had [[OlderThanTheyThink already returned from the grave]]. Heck, even mainstream {{Superhero}} TV shows pulled this stunt before such as ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' in the 1970s reviving the supposedly deceased Jamie Sommers for her own series, ''Series/TheBionicWoman''. Superman's death is the TropeCodifier.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Doomsday tends to be seen as either one of Superman's greatest villains or one of his all-time worst villains. The sheer impact he had on the franchise, his intimidating design, his awe-inspiring power, and his frequent use in other material has earned him a strong following, but just as many fans see him as an incredibly dull and lazily-written character who didn't deserve to be the one who killed Superman and whose continued prevalence only further shows his flaws.

** It's worth noting that '''NO ONE''' familiar with the {{Superhero}} genre expected Superman to stay dead. Even back then people would tell you that the first rule of comics is "Only Bucky Stays Dead" (the second rule of comics was "Jason Todd isn't coming back either", for added irony when they both came back in the same year). What "Death of Superman" started was killing off/resurrecting heroes for shock value to generate sales. Before this story, superheroes died and came back plenty[[note]]Including Superman himself, who was often killed off in imaginary stories[[/note]], but rarely with much fanfare outside of their own titles. After this story it began to happen far more often, and always with huge marketing pushes to make sure you knew it was going to happen.

** It's worth noting that '''NO ONE''' familiar with the {{Superhero}} genre expected Superman to stay dead. Even back then people would tell you that the first rule of comics is "Only Bucky Stays Dead" (the second rule of comics was "Jason Todd isn't coming back either", for added irony when they both came back in the same year). What "Death of Superman" started was killing off/resurrecting heroes for shock value to generate sales. Before this story, superheroes died and came back plenty, but rarely with much fanfare outside of their own titles. After this story it began to happen far more often, and always with huge marketing pushes to make sure you knew it was going to happen.

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The Death and Return of Superman'' by Blizzard and Sunsoft. While it suffered from the usual concessions of making Superman [[AdaptationalWimp more vulnerable than in the comics]], it condensed the whole storyline while still managing to be a pretty fun game.

** It was hard to take seriously at the time for comics fans, given that NeverFoundTheBody predates the medium, and ''ComicBook/JeanGrey'' had [[OlderThanTheyThink already returned from the grave.]] Heck, even mainstream {{Superhero}} TV shows pulled this stunt before such as ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' in the 1970s reviving the supposedly deceased Jamie Sommers for her own series, ''Series/TheBionicWoman''. Superman's death is the TropeCodifier.

* SignatureScene: The image of Superman's torn cape snagged on debris, fluttering in the wind like a macabre flag. In-universe, it was a picture snapped by Jimmy Olsen, and regarded as important an image as the flag raising at Iwo Jima. Out-of-universe, it is ''the'' defining image of this story, included in almost every single adaptation of it (''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' a notable exception), and is likely to make many a Superman fan at least a little [[TearJerker misty-eyed]].

*** To both points above: Doomsday evolves and adapts to whatever he is fighting. Against most of the Justice League, he could just be a mindless monster, flailing wildly like an animal. Against someone who could equal, or surpass, his strength, such as Superman? He adapts a measure of intelligence and tactical thinking. With this intelligence comes a capacity for respect for someone like Lois.

--->'''Max Landis:''' The [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief Sacred Suspension of Disbelief]], as far as death, had ended. 'Death of Superman' didn't kill Superman. It killed ''death''.

* GenreTurningPoint: Part of the reason that this comic was so important was that, for better or for worse, writers realized that they could kill off a major character and just bring them back later. Starting with this, DeathIsCheap has become so prevalent in comics that it's almost impossible to take any death seriously.