In most recent incarnations since 1986, the world does not see Luthor as an outright villain.
Superman
- Thread starter urbandefault
- Start date
In most recent incarnations since 1986, the world does not see Luthor as an outright villain.
The greatest criminal mind of our time laid low by some musclebound miscreant?
Must have been Otis' catlike reflexes.
In the Donnor Cut, after Superman killed them, he turned back time, unkilling the three alien terrorists, so they are still trapped in the Phantom Zone.
Either that time line evaporates when he turns back time, or time continues, as a world without Superman, so he had to kill Zod Ursa and Non, if his plan was to go back in time a week all along.
One wonders why Zod didn't go back in time a lot, to well before the destruction of Krypton, and pick up refugees, supplies and tech to out fit and well stock a colony?
I always got the impression that Zod was a fairly linear thinker.
Depends on the Zod, I guess. See: Krypton (refraining from spoilery details in case you haven’t seen it, which you totally should).
I thought the Donner cut actually restored the bit where Superman carried off the now-depowered villains to prison? 
^ It did not.
According to IMDB, Jack O'Halloran (Non) revealed in an interview earlier this year that the scene WAS shot, but cut from every version of the film. He said he regrets that for all these years, fans believed that Superman actually killed the criminals.
OTOH, the Wikipedia entry for S2 says that the scene was included in international broadcasts. So I don't know who's right.
Also, Zod may not have known that he even had that power. It probably never occurred to him to try. Being blinded by megalomania and all that.
OTOH, the Wikipedia entry for S2 says that the scene was included in international broadcasts. So I don't know who's right.
Also, Zod may not have known that he even had that power. It probably never occurred to him to try. Being blinded by megalomania and all that.
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^
Although this scene does open up the proverbial can of worms about how Luthor knows Superman is from Smallville unless he knows he masquerades as Clark Kent?
Although this scene does open up the proverbial can of worms about how Luthor knows Superman is from Smallville unless he knows he masquerades as Clark Kent?
Maybe Luthor does know, but waiting until an opportune time to use it to blackmail Superman?
I forgot about that version! I liked the 1st season, but thought it got bogged down in the 2nd.
One of the more interesting analyses of Snyder's Superman I've ever encountered:
I actually feel like the commentator may be smarter and more thoughtful than Snyder or his movies, and I'm also not persuaded there's any inherent value to subjecting the character of Superman to this kind of interrogation -- if you deconstruct and dismantle him to this degree, is it even the same character, or just pseudo-intellectual self-abuse? It ceases to be about Superman and more about your own cynical worldview. Still, it's a worthwhile listen, for both Snyder's devotees and his detractors.
I actually feel like the commentator may be smarter and more thoughtful than Snyder or his movies, and I'm also not persuaded there's any inherent value to subjecting the character of Superman to this kind of interrogation -- if you deconstruct and dismantle him to this degree, is it even the same character, or just pseudo-intellectual self-abuse? It ceases to be about Superman and more about your own cynical worldview. Still, it's a worthwhile listen, for both Snyder's devotees and his detractors.
He knows the same way that Gus Gorman somehow knows about Superman's famous shirt-rip.
Recently I listened again to the audio commentary of the Donner Cut with Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz. They never directly discuss that deleted scene of Zod, Non, and Ursa alive and arrested. But comments by Mankiewicz around the time Superman defeats Zod suggest why that scene was left out. He specifically says that Zod was a one time villain. That it would be repetitive to bring him back. He also says specifically you would never want to kill off Lex Luthor. That he is such a fun character and would want to keep him alive for sequels...
Read between the lines.
I suspect if they could have edited Lex’s arrest without the Kryptonians being seen in the background they would have included that. That likely no closeups of the Kryptonians being arrested were ever filmed is revealing. They were not important to that scene. Zod was already defeated, dead or alive . As often in film making they left that as an option. But decided that our last image of General Zod in both cuts was him falling into a pit with no superpowers.
I am sure someone will remind me that scene was in the extended tv cut shown on ABC in the 80s. That was created by the Salkinds, the producers who got more money for including as much footage as possible. Which was not based on any creative decisions or storytelling.
Read between the lines.
I suspect if they could have edited Lex’s arrest without the Kryptonians being seen in the background they would have included that. That likely no closeups of the Kryptonians being arrested were ever filmed is revealing. They were not important to that scene. Zod was already defeated, dead or alive . As often in film making they left that as an option. But decided that our last image of General Zod in both cuts was him falling into a pit with no superpowers.
I am sure someone will remind me that scene was in the extended tv cut shown on ABC in the 80s. That was created by the Salkinds, the producers who got more money for including as much footage as possible. Which was not based on any creative decisions or storytelling.
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In an older thread on this board, somebody had a link to the original screenplay and it is pretty definitive that Zod and crew die.
Obviously though, the shooting script says otherwise.
SUPERMAN smiles tolerantly as CAMERA PANS: they have
reached a large snow cat vehicle with the THREE VILLAINS
tied up inside, guarded by an ARMY PATROL. SUPERMAN hands
the now desperate LUTHOR over to them.
