II as a backstory, while directly not referencing the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Singer's story tells of Superman's return to Earth following a five-year search for survivors of Krypton. He discovers that in his absence Lois Lane has given birth to a son and become engaged. Singer chose to follow Donner's lead by casting relatively unknown Brandon Routh as Superman, who resembled Christopher Reeve somewhat, and more high-profile actors in supporting roles, such as Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Singer brought his entire crew from X2 to work on the film. Via digitally-enhanced archive footage, the late Marlon Brando appeared in the film as Jor-El. Superman Returns received generally positive reviews and grossed approximately $391 million worldwide. Arrowverse Routh later reprised his role as Superman in the 2019 Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths". During the crossover, Superman references his son Jason. Superman '78 A comic continuation titled Superman '78 was submitted to DC Comics and was released in 2021. The run was inspired by DC's recent comic run Batman '66, which was a continuation of the 1966 television series and by Batman '89, a continuation of the Tim Burton continuity. The comic acts as a direct sequel to Superman II, ignoring other Superman films and his Arrowverse portrayal. Timelines Original continuity Superman (1978) On the distant planet Krypton, unable to convince Kryptonian elders, scientist Jor-El promises that neither he nor his wife, Lara, will leave the planet. However, he sends his infant son, Kal-El, to Earth to ensure his survival, just as Krypton begins its death throes. Kal-El's spaceship crash-lands three years later in Smallville, Kansas, where the boy is found and adopted by a childless couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark Kent and find that he is no ordinary child, but incredibly agile and strong. He is told by his parents to keep his abilities hidden. After Jonathan dies of a fatal heart attack, Clark conveys helplessness about having "all those powers and I couldn't even save him". After a few months pass, Clark hears the call of a green crystal hidden in his parents' barn, and decides it is time to discover his purpose and departs on a journey to the Arctic and uses the crystal to build the Fortress of Solitude, a majestic crystal palace in the architectural style of his home planet, Krypton. Inside, learns