Superman (Christopher Reeve) starts his life out as an orphan named Kal-El. His parents Jor-El (Marlon Brando) and Lara (Susannah York) place their baby son in a protective pod and launch it away from Krypton, their dying planet. The pod orbits its way through space and crashes on Earth. An older couple named Kent (Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter) happens upon the burning spacecraft and rescues the child. Young Kal-El is given the name Clark Kent by his adoptive parents. As he grows into adulthood, Clark becomes aware that his isn’t like everyone else. The boy possesses strength and agility like no one else he knows. Young Kent ventures out on his own by becoming a newspaper reporter for “The Daily Planet”. Clark’s boss (Jackie Cooper) is constantly complaining about his apprentice's job performance, while Clark is becoming smitten with a fellow reporter named Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Trouble arises when criminal-minded Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) tries to create havoc with his sinister plan. Will Clark Kent be able to use his unique powers to stop Lex Luthor’s evil objective?