With the opening of director Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" approximately two weeks away, plot details are beginning to leak onto the internet, including that the Man of Steel impregnated, and abandoned, Lois Lane before going on a five-year space mission.

In several fan reviews for the upcoming film, Ain't It Cool News is reporting that, when the Man of Steel returns from his outer space adventure, he finds his beloved Lois is a single mother, in a relationship with Perry White's son. However, the reviews note, the boy soon begins to display "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men."

The news that the Last Son of Krypton has a son of his own is not sitting well with some fans and creators.

Former "Superman" writer-artist John Byrne, who revitalized the character in 1986, has blasted the film, stating:

I am sick to death of ...finding...that I, and those who think like me, have been wasting our time for the past twenty, thirty, forty years, working on superhero comics. None of the lessons we have tried to teach have sunk in. Superman can desert the Earth. Lois can have a bastard kid. Doesn't matter. Just make it fast and loud and shiny.

Besides issues with Superman's parenting philosophies, other controversies have surrounded the film, including issues regarding the sexuality of both the hero and the actor who plays him.

Several fan sites have speculated that director Singer, a well-known gay rights activist, cast his new Superman, with an unknown closeted gay actor in order to have the actor "come out" during publicity for the film, to provide gay children with a role model.

This rumor has, in part, fueled rumors that the character himself would be gay in the new film, prompting Warner Brothers, the film's producers to issue a denial stating that the character would not be a homosexual. However, the denial does not address the sexuality of the lead actor Brandon "BJ" Routh.

How this controversy affects the box office, if at all, will be revealed when the film opens June 28.