‘Superman’ ending explainer: What does this mean for potential sequels or spinoffs?

Superman is back, along with crowd-pleasing action, super-powered colleagues, vicious villains, and a star-studded cast that includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Skyler Gisondo, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced.

But the James Gunn-helmed Superman does more than launch a new leg of DC movies. In the film’s final moments — pre-credits — it also sets up what could be the sequel.

So let’s break down everything we know about what Gunn and Warner Bros. have coming up next for Superman and his super circle of friends and family.

Spoilers below.

Will there be a Superman 2?

Well, Superman ends with its titular hero still standing. So why not?

Sure, his nemesis Lex Luthor (Hoult) is last seen defeated, being carted off in the back of a cop car. But Lex’s supervillain power is basically money and influence, so it’s easy to imagine he’ll be out before long. However, Gunn, who is co-chair of the relaunched DC Universe alongside Peter Safran, hasn’t yet announced a Superman 2.

In January of 2023, when Gunn announced the DC slate he was planning across theatrical releases and HBO Max, he revealed plans for The Batman 2, a Swamp Thing movie, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, based on Tom King’s 2022 comic mini-series of the same name. The last movie’s title has since been shortened to Supergirl.

Everything we know about the Supergirl movie:

After the day is saved in Superman, Clark returns to his Fortress of Solitude and finds anything but. He’s chatting with his superbot Gary (Alan Tudyk) while the lovable chaos puppy Krypto is frolicking and causing destruction. Then the super-powered pup goes absolutely giddy when his real owner appears: Supergirl, who is also Clark’s cousin Kara, played here by House of the Dragon‘s Milly Alcock.

Looking back, the movie teased this appearance when Clark told Lois Lane (Brosnahan) that Krypto is not actually his dog, and that it’s more of a “foster” situation. Well, just imagine how she’ll react when she learns there’s a whole super cousin he hasn’t mentioned!

Turns out, while Superman was saving the Earth from a Luther-made tear in their dimension, Supergirl was off partying on a planet with a red sun. (Our galaxy’s yellow sun means the super crew can’t get properly intoxicated on Earth, or so says Superman.) Now, she’s back with a party girl buzz on and her lovable dog gently thrashing her, matching her charmingly reckless energy. But what does all this mean for a Supergirl movie? Well, it could mean the movie picks up where Superman leaves off.

What’s the premise of the Supergirl movie?

In January of 2024, Variety described its plotline as follows: “Supergirl travels across the galaxy to celebrate her 21st birthday with Krypto the Superdog. Along the way, she meets a young woman named Ruthye and winds up on a murderous quest for revenge.”

Deadline has reported that Eve Ridley (3 Body Problem) has been cast as Ruthye Marye Knoll, a young alien girl and noble warrior who vows vengeance when the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hill kills her father in cold blood. Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (The Old Guard 2) has been cast as Krem.

Craig Gillespie (Cruella; I, Tonya) will direct, with a screenplay from Ana Nogueira. Also joining the cast is Jason Momoa (the DCEU’s Aquaman) as Lobo, an alien bounty hunter, and David Krumholtz as Zor-El, Kara’s dad and Clark’s uncle.

As much of Supergirl‘s proposed plotline seems to take place off-planet, it’s possible David Corenswet won’t reprise the role of Superman in this spinoff. And yet, considering Gunn’s love of cameos, it feels very likely we’ll see this Supes again soon.

When is Supergirl coming to theaters?

At the time of reporting, Supergirl is slated to release theatrically on June 26, 2026.