When Does the Film "Superman" (2025) Take Place?
"Superman" is a superhero film written by James Gunn [adapting "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" #4-#5 (2005) by Brian Azzarello, as well as "Superman: Birthright" #? (?) by Mark Waid] that released July 11th, 2025. So when is "Superman" set?
It takes place on the fictional DC Films timeline in the year:
We know this because while no specific year is given, the story opens with relative time setting information in white title cards superimposed over the footage telling us: "3 DECADES AGO, an extraterrestrial baby was sent in a spacecraft to Earth, and adopted by Kansas farmers." and "3 YEARS AGO, the baby, now grown, announced himself as SUPERMAN, the most powerful metahuman of all."
2014 AD
We know this because while no specific year is given, the story opens with relative time setting information in white title cards superimposed over the footage telling us: "3 DECADES AGO, an extraterrestrial baby was sent in a spacecraft to Earth, and adopted by Kansas farmers." and "3 YEARS AGO, the baby, now grown, announced himself as SUPERMAN, the most powerful metahuman of all."
This narrative exists in a splinter universe from the stories labeled by fans as the DC Extended Universe or DCEU. In this new universe, the date of Superman's arrival on Planet Earth and subsequently being "adopted by Kansas farmers" is not established but that year has been established in other live-action media, not to mention the material the film is adapting:
-During "Man of Steel" (2013), Kal-El/Clark/Superman says, "I've been here for 33 years", in reference to his arrival on Earth not being recent. That movie strongly implies he arrived on Earth within the same year he was born and Kal-El is born in "Man of Steel" (2013) scenes that take place in 1980 AD. This roughly lines up with the "3 DECADES" and "3 YEARS" in this movie's opening.
30 + 3 = 33
and
1980 + 33 = 2013.
That would put us around 2013 AD, and Clark says to Lois Lane, "3 months ago, we had our first date." in an early scene. "Man of Steel" (2013) primarily takes place in late September of 2013 AD. Though the two characters aren't explicitly dating at the conclusion, they have met and are dating by the start of the next part of that series, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016). So, that would put us during or after January of 2014 AD.
10.2013 + 3 months = 1.2014.
More specifically, very early in this movie the front-page of an issue of "The Daily Planet" newspaper including a headline referring to the directly previous scene is visible when held by a security guard and dated for "MONDAY MAY 19" and then another appears at the end dated for "SATURDAY MAY 24TH". So it appears the entire plot takes place in less than a week and it is probably May of 2014 AD.
[HOWEVER, Kal-El is born in prologue scenes of "Man of Steel" (2013), that take place in 1980 AD. That might make the current time May of 2010 AD since that universe's debut narrative strongly implies he arrived on Earth within the same year and the opening text reads "sent in a spacecraft to Earth" AND "adopted by Kansas farmers" under the same "3 DECADES AGO".
1980 + 30 = 2010.
In "Man of Steel" (2013), Clark publicly "announced himself" to the general public and it primarily takes place in late September of 2013 AD so "3 YEARS AGO" from that point would make it May of 2016 AD.
2013 + 3 = 2016.]
-In the Superman films universe timeline, sometimes called the Donnerverse after director Richard Donner (less likely to be parallel, but still related), partway through "Superman: The Movie" (1978), Lex Luthor recites some facts from Lois Lane’s exclusive interview with Kal-El/Superman. Among the facts Kal-El offers up to the public, Luthor says, "In the interview, he says that the Planet Krypton exploded in 1948." and then "Ridiculous little freak took 3 years in a rocket ship to get to Earth."
1948 + 3 = 1951
and
1951 + 30 = 1981.
That would put the thing in May of 1981 AD. Unlike the "Man of Steel" (2013) situation, "Superman II" (1980) offers no contradictions but "Superman III" (1983) and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987) do because they take place in 1980 AD and 1985 AD, respectively. Lois and Clark/Kal-El/Superman have been dating for "3 months" (When Perry White jokingly asks, "How long have they been hooking up?", Jimmy Olsen quickly responds, "About 3 months, I think.", confirming Clark’s statement from earlier on) but he debuted as Superman "3 YEARS AGO" as per the omnipotent opening text. Not to mention the presence of social media in this story makes it much more likely to be in the 2010s AD as the first social media platform Friendster was launched in March of 2003 AD in the real world.
It is a chronologically early film in the DC Films multiverse timeline (an early chronological film to feature Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman) and can be watched at its timeline point.
