History TearJerker / Superman

** It's [[HarsherInHindsight even more of a tear jerker]] if you grew up back in the Golden Age of Comics, since it's ''your'' Superman.

* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'': The death of Lois Lane and Superman's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxF3kNmJ7tk reaction]] is both tearjerking and chilling.

* ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'': The entire ending of the fight between Supes and Doomsday, where you suddenly realize that the Man of Steel ''knows'' that he might not survive this, and still keeps on fighting. Then when they both drop dead, you're subjected to 4 straight pages (2 of them double spreads) of every person who's seen the fight starting to break out into tears. Anyone who read the comic did too. And the flag made from Superman's torn cape was just extra incentive for the water works.

* ''Tearjerker/{{Supergirl}}''
** ''TearJerker/{{Supergirl 1972}}''
** ''TearJerker/{{Supergirl 1982}}''
** ''TearJerker/{{Supergirl 2005}}''
** ''TearJerker/{{Supergirl 2011}}''
** ''TearJerker/SupergirlRebirth''
** ''TearJerker/DemonSpawn''
** ''TearJerker/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl''
** ''TearJerker/ManyHappyReturns''
** ''Tearjerker/RedDaughterOfKrypton''
** ''TearJerker/SupergirlBeingSuper''
** ''TearJerker/SupergirlCosmicAdventuresInTheEightGrade''
** ''TearJerker/YoungLove''

** On a related note, Creator/ChristopherReeve's death as well. Considering this movie was to him as Adam West is to Batman, this troper occasionally cries when he hears the Music/JohnWilliams Superman theme.

* '' TearJerker/SupermanSuperLeague''

** ''TearJerker/TheSupergirlFromKrypton''

* Imaginary story ''Franchise/{{Superman}} vol 1 #149: The Death of Superman!'' is the original ''Comicbook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' story, penned by Jerry Siegel himself. Comicbook/LexLuthor manages to murder Superman, forcing Clark's friends to watch horrified. Superman dies ''for real'' and ''doesn't'' come back from the dead. Every decent person on Earth mourns him. Hundreds of thousands of persons wait outside of the Metropolis chapel to say goodbye to him, including Comicbook/LoisLane, her sister Lucy, Perry White, Comicbook/JimmyOlsen, Lori Lemaris, Comicbook/LanaLang, Comicbook/KryptoTheSuperdog, Linda Lee - Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s SecretIdentity - and the Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes.\\

* ''TearJerker/ManOfSteel''
** ''TearJerker/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''

* ''TearJerker/TheSupermanAdventures''
* ''TearJerker/SupermanBirthright''
* ''TearJerker/SupermanLoisAndClark''
* '' TearJerker/SupermanSuperLeague''
* ''TearJerker/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan''
* ''TearJerker/WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''

* ''TearJerker/{{Supergirl}}''

** ''TearJerker/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl''
** ''TearJerker/ManyHappyReturns''

** ''TearJerker/RedDaughterOfKrypton''

* ''Film/{{Superman}}'': The death of Lois Lane and Superman's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxF3kNmJ7tk reaction]] is both tearjerking and chilling.

* The scene where Jor-El, Lara and all other Kryptonians dies as Krypton tears itself apart. The film provides one of the more gruesome versions of the plants destruction.
** One of the most heartwrenching versions is possibly the one shown in the 90's animated series. It includes a scene with Lara's father, one of the most outspoken skeptics against Jor-El's theory, which is implied to be heavily influenced by his dislike for his son in law. Leaving the house, he sees the rocket carrying baby Kal-El leave the planet, just as another earthquake begins, which finally hammers home to the old man that Jor-El was right.

* ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'': The entire ending of the fight between Supes and Doomsday, where you suddenly realize that the Man of Steel ''knows'' that he might not survive this, and still keeps on fighting. Then when they both drop dead, you're subjected to 4 straight pages (2 of them double spreads) of every person whose seen the fight starts breaking out into tears. Anyone who read the comic did too. And the flag made from Superman's torn cape was just extra incentive for the water works.

** In real life one of the entertainment news outlets that covered the ''Death of Superman'' story-line was literally titled: "Superman Falls Victim To Age of Anti-Heroes." That's incredibly sad when you remember that the 90s era of comics were being overrun with DarkerandEdgier anti-heroes, almost symbolizing that there was no place left in comics for NiceGuy heroes like Superman.
* Imaginary story ''Franchise/{{Superman}} vol 1 #149: The Death of Superman!'' is the original ''Comicbook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' story, penned by Jerry Siegel himself. Comicbook/LexLuthor manages to murder Superman, forcing Clark's friends to watch horrified. Superman dies ''for real'' and ''doesn't'' come back from the dead. Every decent person on Earth mourns him. Hundreds of thousands of persons wait outside of the Metropolis chapel to say goodbye to him, including Comicbook/LoisLane, her sister Lucy, Perry White, Comicbook/JimmyOlsen, Lori Lemaris, Comicbook/LanaLang, Comicbook/KryptoTheSuperdog, Linda Lee -Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s SecretIDentity- and the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes.\\
Meanwhile, Lex Luthor and a bunch of crooks toss a party... until Supergirl breaks into Luthor's mansion, reveals that she is Superman's cousin and secret emergency-weapon, and she takes him away, bringing him to Kryptonian Bottle City of Kandor. Lex is put on trial for murder.\\
Earthlings and Kandorians watch the proceedings on television. Lois, Perry and Jimmy testify at the trial. Luthor tries to wriggle out of pay the penalty, but the Kandorian judge replies that "[They] don't make deals with murderers". Luthor is sent into the PhantomZone, and Supergirl carries on in her cousin's name, with help of Krypto, becoming a popular, beloved and very sad hero.

* The ''original'' 1961 "Death Of {{Superman}}" [[WhatIf Imaginary Story]] by Superman's co-creator Jerry Siegel is an enormous tear-jerker.

* ''Action Comics'' #800 is a retelling of Clark Kent's life from the moment the Kents found him until the instant he decides to be {{Superman}}. While that story is good (and has a few tearjerker moments itself), it's interspersed with short b+w vignettes of people in the DC Universe who have been inspired by Superman in different ways, such as the man who willed himself to learn to read because he wanted to know what Superman was saying in a comicstrip, or the boy dying of cancer who reassures his father that he'll be fine because they're "going to get all the Kryptonite out." It's the final piece that really turns on the waterworks, though: it's the story of a policeman who wears a Superman shirt under his uniform; he'd been doing it for six years, ever since another cop had been shot, and all the guys he worked with made fun of him for being superstitious. Then one day, he runs to help a woman who's being attacked, and is shot in the process. [[spoiler:When he recovers and returns to the precinct, everybody who'd ragged on him is there to welcome him back, and they're all wearing the same Superman shirt. He still wears his, too, complete with the bullet hole.]]

* ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'''' #76. Every damn page of it. The issue is from the viewpoint of Superman as he deals with the death of Bruce Wayne. The most touching moment is when Superman is talking to Wonder Woman. Clark is discussing how they'll outlive everyone they know and how they're higher beings. Diana stops him, telling him that no matter how he wants to rationalize it, he's just a man grieving for a lost friend.

* Near the end of Geoff Johns' "Brainiac" arc in Action Comics, {{Superman}} [[spoiler:fails to save Pa Kent from a fatal heart attack, because Kandor was coming back to full size and he was mesmerized]].

* In ''[[http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com.es/2011/08/review-dc-retro-active-superman-1980s.html DC Retro-Active Superman 1980's]]'', Earth-1 Superman has a nightmare where -among other things- he sees ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' dying during the ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. When he wakes up he barely remembers his dream, but he is very shaken and frightened, and he calls his cousin to ask her to be careful. Kara dismisses his fears... and then she mentions that [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Plakld5wb0s/TkUeyzQsojI/AAAAAAAAMkE/hwV1bgRGnsQ/s1600/dc+sm+80s-08.jpg the morning sky is red...]]
* The end of the Star Light, Star bright series where Neil deGrasse Tyson helps Superman find where Rao and Krypton are in the sky on Earth. When they do find it, the light from it is the exact moment Krypton was destroyed.
* The [[spoiler:death of the New52 version of Superman. Already weak from Kryptonite poisoning, he sacrifices himself by absorbing a massive amount of solar energy from a deranged metahuman. He survives long enough to say goodbye to Batman, Lois, Steel, Lana, Kara, and Wonder Woman.]]
* ''Superman: Rebirth'' #1 [[spoiler: Superman spends most of the issue with the great hope of reviving his New 52 counterpart, even helping Lana steal his body and taking them to the Fortress of Solitude. He even recounts [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman his death and rebirth]] to her. It's all dashed away when he discovers that there's no Regeneration Matrix in the New 52 Fortress of Solitude, and that New 52 Superman left everything to the New 52 Supergirl.]]

--->'''Lana:''' '''CLARK!''' You're alive! What happened -- How did you --\\
'''Superman:''' um... Miss Lang... I'm afraid I'm not who you think I am.\\

** In ''Superman #1'', [[spoiler: Jonathan accidentally kills his cat with his heat vision. The look on his face is heartbreaking.]]

Earthlings and Kandorians watch the proceedings on television. Lois, Perry and Jimmy testify at the trial. Luthor tries to wriggle out of pay the penalty, but the Kandorian judge replies that "[They] don't make deals with murderes". Luthor is sent into the PhantomZone, and Supergirl carries on in her cousin's name, with help of Krypto, becoming a popular, beloved and very sad hero.

** On a related note, Christopher Reeve's death as well. Considering this movie was to him as Adam West is to Batman, this troper occasionally cries when he hears the John Williams Superman theme.