''Superman Returns'' is the

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...

of the 2006 film '' Superman Returns'', 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 (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...

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 Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

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 (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...

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 'the hidden one') is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless noble gas that occurs in trace element, trace amounts in the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere and is of ...

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 is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in the Superman (comic strip), ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939. Jor-El is Supe ...

and Lara's courtship is presented (ch. 1, pp. 12–17). * Clark remembers the first time he used his heat vision, triggered by hormonal spurts, just like in the TV series ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' (p. 64). * Ma Kent is dating Ben Hubbard, selling the Kent farm and moving to

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

(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'' #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics ...

. 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 Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English C ...

, Richard and Jason – from the sinking ship (p. 285). * The bank robber shot Superman's head, not specifically stated as the left eye compared to what was 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. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

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 Eart ...

(p. 89). * It was

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

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, as well as multiple television series. After graduating from the Univ ...

. Led by Brandon Routh. 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)