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Superman vs. The Elite
Superman vs. The Elite is an animated superhero film based on the comic book story "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" in Action Comics #775 (March 2001). Adapted by Joe Kelly who also wrote the comic book story and directed by Michael Chang. The film featured the return of George Newbern as Superman and David Kaufman as Jimmy Olsen reprising their roles from the DC animated universe. Released on June 12, 2012, it is the 14th film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
Lois and Clark witness the deaths of numerous citizens in the streets at the hands of the Atomic Skull who, through his actions, hoped to lure Superman into a confrontation. After a brief but violent struggle, however, Superman defeats Atomic Skull by throwing him into a lake, "extinguishing" him. Superman subsequently delivers a speech at the United Nations which emphasises both the folly of lawless violence, and the greater good that is found within everyone. Superman's speech is interrupted, however, by the leaders of Bialyia and Pokolistan, who, blaming each other for the violation of a peace treaty, declare war on each other, forcing Superman to intervene. Arriving in Bialya, Superman witnesses the deployment of a Pokolistani bio-weapon which attacks and destroys most of the Bialyan military forces. As Superman attempts to remove the Bialyan soldiers from danger, the Elite arrive and aid Superman in destroying the bio-weapon.
The Elite consist of Manchester Black - A British telepath and telekinetic of immense mental power and acts as the Elite's leader; Coldcast - A man who can emit tremendous amounts of energy; Menagerie - A woman who is symbiotically bonded with a number of demonic-looking beasts covering her body called symbeasts; and Hat - A magician whose magical abilities are centered upon his fedora.
Superman returns to Metropolis to report the news and further investigate the Elite. Superman and Lois fly to England to find out if they, and the world, can trust the Elite. It is revealed through Manchester Black that he gained his powers near puberty and used it for the first time to save his sister Vera from being hit by a train. The Elite and Superman arrive on the scene to save the civilians on a subway train which was trapped underwater due to a terrorist attack. After Superman and Manchester save the passengers, the terrorists that bombed the train are nearly killed by Manchester's attempt at interrogation. Superman begins to be concerned about the motives of his new-found friends.
The film was first announced at Comic Con 2011, during the screening of Batman: Year One, as one of the films from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line for 2012, by producer Bruce Timm. Joe Kelly, writer of Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?," adapted his own work into the film. He was quoted as saying, "The story tackles themes that go way beyond a typical superhero story...politics, the price of power and America's place as a force in the world are all viewed through the lens of the DC Universe. Even if fans aren't paying close attention to these issues, they're all over the media. You can't escape them. So with the state of affairs being what it is, I can't think of a better time to see Superman confront these themes... I'm a big fan of taking real world issues and working them out through our "superhero" stories - but this one goes beyond strict allegory. Like the original comic story, the film is thought provoking without being preachy and really delivers a punch." He also said that, in terms of expanding the comic book issue into an animated film, and the differences between the two; that he "had Alan Burnett. Alan helped me cut to the heart of the story and personalize it for an audience who might not have known the original comic... the original story was about anti-heroes and comic fans and trends in the industry that were disturbing to me when it was written. For the story to work as a film, we needed to get beyond that while keeping the core of the story: that Superman serves a purpose and his moral code is relevant even in the modern world. This is where the expansion into "world politics" really helped."
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 80% score based on five reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.
Superman vs. the Elite earned $1,815,269 from domestic DVD sales and $1,394,884 from domestic Blu-ray sales, bringing its total domestic earnings to $3,210,153.
Superman vs. The Elite was released on DVD and Blu-ray with a combo pack. Features include: a sneak peek at Part 1 of the animated film version of The Dark Knight Returns, two featurettes "The Elite Unbound: No Rules, No Mercy" and "Superman and the Moral Debate", audio commentary, two episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, and Action Comics #775 as a digital comic. The combo pack was released on June 12, 2012.
It is the final film by Warner Premiere, as Warner Home Video shut the company down two months later. Though, titles still continued to be released under the Warner Premiere label until 2013.
