LMPC/LMPC/Getty ImagesThe first cinematic version of Superman was technically a cartoon. From 1941 to 1943, moviegoers were treated to unforgettable, full-color animated shorts featuring the Man of Steel, originally produced by Fleischer Studios, and then later, Famous Studios. And, oddly enough, when Superman was first played by a human actor, Kirk Alyn, Superman’s flying sequences were also done in animation. So, the one thing that the earliest live-action Superman movies have in common with the 21st century versions is that when Superman flies, its very rarely an actor on wires, but more often, visual trickery, either hand-drawn in 1950 or CGI in 2025.Seventy-five years ago, on July 20, 1950, the second serial starring the first cinematic Superman, Kirk Alyn, debuted in theaters. It was titled Atom Man vs. Superman, and represented not only a time when the franchise was about to undergo a big change, but also introduced one concept into the canon of Superman that had a much bigger impact than people might realize, and is echoed, in a way, in the new James Gunn 2025 epic. Mild spoilers ahead for 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman.In the 1940s, Superman was just as popular on the radio has he was in the pages of DC comics. Voiced by Bud Collyer, the format of Superman adventures as short, interconnected serials was the perfect precursor for a big-screen movie serial version of Superman. In fact, when Kirk Alyn’s first 15-part Superman serial finally hit theaters in 1948, much of the storyline was based on scripts from the radio show, not the comics. This was also true of its sequel, the 1950 serial Atom Man vs. Superman, which featured various interconnected (and self-contained) stories in which Superman battles Luthor, who is also sometimes wearing a glittery mask and calling himself “Atom Man.” (Think: 1970s Doctor Who villain, but sillier.)For all of its outdated black-and-white clunkiness, Kirk Alyn’s take on Superman — which predated the famous George Reeves TV version in 1952 — is extremely charming. Like David Corenswet today, Alyn makes the line between Clark Kent and Superman extremely thin, and convincingly conveys a sense of super-strength, even with a limited budget and rudimentary camera tricks. Is a close-up shot of Alyn holding up a bridge less convincing than Corenswet lifting a massive CGI building? That depends on how you look at it.Superman (Kirk Alyn) and Lois Lane (Noel Neil) in a classic pose. | George Rinhart/Corbis Historical/Getty ImagesBut, one thing that Gunn’s new film certainly owes to Atom Man vs. Superman is Luthor’s basic scheme. At one point, Luthor/Atom Man creates synthetic kryptonite, which puts Superman into a ghostly realm called “The Empty Doom.” This predates the idea of “The Phantom Zone” in the comics by 11 years, when that dimension first appears in 1961 in Adventure Comics #283. But what’s interesting about the specifics are that Luthor creates synthetic kryptonite, which kind of happens in the new 2025 Superman movie when Metamorpho is forced to create kryptonite to weaken Superman. And, although the new Supe isn’t in The Phantom Zone or The Empty Doom, he is trapped in a pocket universe, which feels very close.Although it’s 15 chapters long and a bit difficult to track down today (many installments are on Daily Motion) Atom Man vs. Superman is a surprisingly lively companion to the newer iterations of Superman on both in theaters and on TV. In fact, Atom Man vs. Superman represented the moment when the character of Superman was transitioning from a movie property to a TV franchise. After Kirk Alyn hung up is cape, George Reeves starred in the film Superman and the Mole Men in 1951, meaning, yes just one year passed between different live-action versions of Superman. Superman and the Mole Men, the big screen Superman film that followed Atom Man vs. Superman. | LMPC/LMPC/Getty ImagesSo, even in the early days of Superman on film, reboots, recasting, and new formats for the Man of Steel were not only common, but part of the way the character evolved in the collective conscience. Seventy-five years later, when Alyn’s Superman morphs into animation for the flying scenes, Atom Man vs. Superman proves that there never was just one version of Superman. Even within the same movie serial, Superman was reinventing himself. Superman (2025) is in theaters now. Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) can be found on Daily Motion and YouTube.