Synopsis for
Superman (1941) More at IMDbPro »

"Up in the sky, look!" cries a voice. "It's a bird!" cries another. "It's a plane!" "It's Superman!"

"In the endless reaches of the universe," says the narrator, "there once existed a planet known as Krypton, a planet that burned like a green star in the distant heavens. There, civilization was far advanced and it brought forth a race of 'supermen,' whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection.

"But there came a day when giant quakes threatened to destroy Krypton forever. One of the planet's leading scientists, sensing the approach of doom, placed his infant son in a small rocket ship and sent it hurtling in the direction of the Earth just as Krypton exploded. The rocket ship sped through star-studded space, landing safely on Earth with its precious burden: Krypton's sole survivor. A passing motorist found the uninjured child and took it to an orphanage. As the years went by and the child grew to maturity, he found himself possessed of amazing physical powers. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The infant of Krypton is now the Man of Steel: Superman!

"To best be in a position to use his amazing powers in a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Superman has assumed the disguise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper."

The managing editor of the Daily Planet calls Clark Kent and Lois Lane into his office. He reads a note written by The Mad Scientist: "Beware - you fools! My Electrothanasia-Ray strikes tonight at 12. Total destruction will come to those who laughed at me and failed to heed my warnings. Beware - I strike at midnight!"

"This nut," says the editor, "may prove dangerous. Kent, you help Lois follow up her lead. She may have an angle on this thing."

"But, Chief," says Lois. "I'd like the chance to crack the story on my own."

"Well, now--"

"Thanks, Chief!" And Lois is out of the room.

Clark turns to his editor. "Chief, don't you think that's a dangerous mission for a girl?" [In the censored version, he says, "Don't you think that's a dangerous mission?"]

Lois takes off in an airplane as we dissolve to The Mad Scientist's mountaintop laboratory. The Scientist and his pet raven watch the clock intently as it chimes midnight. "The hour has come!" The Scientist turns on his massive machine, and it powers up with whirring and crackling and electric bolts. But the raven spots Lois's plane and alerts The Scientist. By the time they get to the door, Lois is there waiting. "I'm a reporter for the--" Her words are barely out before The Scientist grabs her and pulls her inside.

Soon Lois is bound and gagged. "So, you want a story? I'll give you the greatest story of destruction the world has ever known!" The Scientist turns on his machine again. It sends out a beam of light that hits a bridge and destroys it, as The Scientist and Lois watch on a television screen. "How is that for a story, Miss Lane?"

"Flash!" says a voice on the radio. "True to his threat, The Mad Scientist, whose warnings have held the city in a grip of terror, went on his rampage of destruction on the stroke of midnight. The deadly impact of his mysterious ray smashed the famous Tower Bridge, hurling cars and pedestrians into the river below. The police have warned everybody to remain in their homes."

Clark says to himself, "This looks like a job for Superman." He sneaks into the stock room and changes clothes. Now, in his red-and-blue costume, with an "S" on his chest and a cape around his neck, Superman flies into the night sky.

The Scientist sends out his ray again, this time hitting the bottom of the Daily Planet. The building is about to topple over before Superman catches it and puts it back into its proper position. Then Superman blocks the ray with his indestructible body and flies against it.

The Scientist is surprised and thrilled. "It's Superman!" He laughs and turns his machine on to its higher force. At first this knocks Superman back to the ground. But he musters his strength and flies against the ray beam again, even punching it as he gets closer to The Mad Scientist's laboratory.

"I don't believe it!" cries The Scientist. "He isn't human." He turns up the machine's force even higher, but it does no good. Superman makes it to the top of the mountain and ties the cannon of the machine into a knot. The machine breaks apart and bursts forth fire. Before it explodes, destroying itself and the entire laboratory with it, Superman grabs Lois and The Scientist and flies them safely away. Superman throws The Scientist into a jail cell and soon the image of the madman gripping the bars is on the front page of every newspaper.

"Congratulations, Lois!" says the editor. "That was a great scoop."

"Yes, Chief," says Lois. "Thanks to Superman." Clark sits nearby. He winks to us as the picture fades to black, thus ending the first cinematic adventure of Superman.