One night near the city's docks, Lois attempts to secretly record the U.S. Army's Colonel Evers engaging in an illegal arms sale. Evers captures her and destroys her recording before sending her in a boat to crash into a nearby barge, but Superman manages to save her in time and repair the ship. The next day, Perry refuses to run her story without other official sources. Unbeknownst to them, Evers is actually General Viktor Morosov of the Soviet Union.
In Moscow, Morosov meets up with Captain Maxim Nikolaev, a dedicated and well-regarded Soviet soldier. He reveals to the young captain that the Soviet Union came into possession of kryptonite in the early 1950s shortly after Krypton's destruction and have recently acquired an enhanced armor to harness its power. Believing that defeating Superman will demonstrate their might to the world, Morosov offers Nikolaev the chance to become the ultimate Soviet soldier that they will call "Metallo".
Superman flies Lois to the Fortress of Solitude for an interview and for the chance for her to meet his parents, still miniaturized in the city of Kandor. As Lois talks with Jor-El and Lara, Clark prepares to reveal his secret identity to her once more. Before he can do so, he hears an American spy plane getting attacked in the skies above the Bering Sea and leaves to rescue the pilot, codenamed Highball. After helping Highball to safety, Superman is attacked by Metallo, who uses his kryptonite armor to sap his strength and brutally beat him down before leaving him to die in the sea.
In Moscow, Morosov reprimands Metallo for attacking Superman and revealing their power to the American military too soon. Highball saves Superman from drowning before the two are picked up by Lois' father, the U.S. Navy's General Sam Lane. Learning of the threat the Soviets pose with Metallo, Lane encourages Superman to stay out of the conflict as the Man of Steel returns to the Fortress to bring Lois back to Metropolis. Perry assigns Lois to cover Metallo's attack on the spy plane after she claims she has Superman as a source, but secretly contacts her father before publishing the story. Lex reads the story the next day and decides to investigate further.
Metallo attacks Washington, D.C. to challenge Superman to a rematch for the world to see. With help from the military, Superman is able to hold his own, but still struggles against Metallo's kryptonite. Suddenly, he is contacted by Lex via radio frequency. Lex reveals that he created Metallo's armor and guides Superman to activate an emergency fail-safe to shut down the power. With thirty seconds before the armor powers down completely, Metallo quickly flees the scene.
Superman, Lois, and General Lane meet Lex in the California Desert, where he confirms he was the one who sold the armor to Colonel Evers that night on the docks, not knowing Evers was secretly Morosov. He also reveals the armor doesn't have any weaknesses besides the fail-safe (which the Soviets have removed after Metallo's last fight with Superman). Despite the risks, Superman decides to confront Metallo in Moscow to avoid endangering more innocent lives.
Upon his arrival, the citizens flee in terror due to the Russian military's propaganda against him. Morosov believes they can use this opportunity to sacrifice soldiers against him to push their narrative further, but Nikolaev, now more prone to anger due to the kryptonite's effects on his body, disobeys his orders and dons the Metallo armor. Superman's attempts to negotiate with Metallo initially fall on deaf ears, and the Russian soldier puts multiple bystanders in danger in his attempt to eliminate him. As the Man of Steel goes out of his way to save the citizens during the fight, the people begin to realize the propaganda against him is wrong and help Superman convince Metallo to stand down.
Morosov arrives with the military and threatens to replace Nikolaev as Metallo if he doesn't kill Superman, but Nikolaev vows not to let the kryptonite suit harm anyone again and sacrifices himself by flying into space and detonating the suit. Though Morosov is determined not to let anyone remember Nikolaev as a hero, Superman reminds him that the Moscow citizens who witnessed his death will and threatens to take action if he attempts to stop them. With the Moscow news not reporting the fight, Superman shows up at the Daily Planet to confirm his survival.[5]
