What Superman III Was Supposed To Be

Video of the Original Draft of Superman III

[@ironcrosstrainingltd6482]

One of the greatest battles was Clark Vs Evil Superman 👊👊

[@THE_TonyFielding]

I thought that Moggot Kidder got written out because of her loyalty to Donner and criticism of the Salklands?

[@--Fish]

Tony Fielding exactly what I was thinking

[@MGSBigBoss77]

You did get those facts right, creator of the video got his wrong though! The Salkinds punished Margot Kidder for her blasting them in the media press for how they treated Richard Donner.

[@THE_TonyFielding]

Cheers guys. And its why Hackman never came back for reshoots on SM2.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

Even back in 1982 thats alot of money for any actress to take for any movie role. but it was still a very stupid decision to drop the actress off from playing Lois Lane from the third film though. Playing Lois and Lana off of both Superman and Clark's dual identities off one another?! Would've been wonderful to see as one of the film's subplots. As Lana always preferred Clark over Superman, and Lois would've then been jealous somewhat of all the new attention, Clark suddenly received from his old childhood sweetheart in the film come bet. Had it all been written that way in the film's script!

[@stubie]

The whole politics around it - such a mess - depresses the hell out of me as all the backbiting and bitching ruined what could have been the greatest superhero movies of all time. Instead the first two movies are simply "nearly perfect" :D

[@halblow448]

The problem with this version would be the same as the final one and that would be that Richard Lester and the Salkinds would be involved. The film would be littered with same tongue and cheek campiness that weighed down the final version and the parts of pt 2 that Lester directed (selifan "S" and the silliness in the small town). I read Ilya Salkind's original outline, which has Brainiac and big blue dressed up as knights, having a jousting duel. Finally, the Salkinds would nickel and dime the hell out of it, which is true reason franchise went downhill with the firing of Richard Donner. Also, the reason Margot Kidder's role was greatly reduced in pt 3 was that she very outspoken about Donner's exit.

[@stubie]

This. The firing of Donner was their greatest mistake. His vision was simply perfect!

[@gregr3720]

Margot Kidder wasn't in SMIII at all. The description in this video is what it was supposed to be.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

The Salkinds never really understood what they had with Superman. They wanted a comedy. Richard Donner wanted an epic. From the Salkind ' s perspective, Donner was out of control, yet Donner delivered a huge success for them. The ONLY reason that Superman II turned out good was because of Donner ' s influence on the film, having filmed some of it and pretty much already shaped the story. There wasn't that much damage that could be done. Superman III represents the true Salkind vision, and it was not well received. The Salkinds let personal drama get in the way of good business, and they proved that they didn't have a clue what the audience had loved so much about the first two films. They would go on to make Supergirl, messing that up with witchcraft, silly comedy, and way too much fantasy elements. They just didn't get it, and they quickly drove what could have been a strong franchise into the ground.

[@Argonautx66]

I remember being 17 years old, walking out of this theater and wanting to write a nasty letter to whom it may concern about this. Man, this was a disappointment.

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

Martin Dawson : I felt the same way when I was 22 years old & saw "Blues Brothers 2000"... The ONLY movie that I EVER walked out the theater before it was finished... Once they started that 'Zombie Stomp' shit, I was outta there :-p

[@scottjulie27]

Thanks for making this. :))) I think if this version WAS the version of "Superman III" it would have been so much better than the original. I do admit, though, that the only 2 good things I liked about the theatrical version of "Superman III is not only the beginning of the film which I found to be comically creative (it is definitely a Richard Lester trademark thinking of the 2 Beatles films "Help!" and "Hard Days Night"), but also the entire segment when Superman became evil from the Red Kryptonite. I think Christopher Reeve did such a fantastic job making Superman super-evil.

[@gillianorley]

The strange thing about Superman III is that, if you didn't know any better, you might think that the huge change in tone from Superman and Superman II and the, really, "stunt casting" of Richard Prior was an attempt to "reboot" and change direction from previous flops. Like, if Superman II had done poorly, someone might have decided, "We really need to do something completely different to save the franchise after that stinker, Superman II. But, of course, BOTH Superman and Superman II were hugely successful and, as noted in this video, some think Superman II was even BETTER than Superman. Not me, I think Superman is far better, especially with Richard Lester's silly slapstick nonsense in Superman II, but that's not the point. The point is, the "franchise" was doing very well at the box office. So why on Earth would you take what works, abandon it, turn it upside down, and make Superman III into a Richard Prior improv comedy with him, yes, bumbling around trying to be funny. I mean, nothing against Prior and he can be very funny, of course, as a stand-up, a writer (Blazing Saddles), and even a pretty decent actor, but in Superman III, his performance was embarrassing and not at all funny. So, in addition to changing the basic tone of the movies to try to be more comedic, even THAT part didn't work. It really is unfortunate.

[@christophercavill6730]

Superman 2 : the Richard Donner cut is way better than the theatrical cut maybe better than the first one too

[@salparadise5335]

Pryor is not the problem. He had some funny moments. I would have prefered they make Pryor a nerdy scientist who unleashes Brainiac. Fuck that Webster shit and his dumb sister.

[@Scripture-Man]

Put simply: If it ain't broke…

[@StevenSmyth]

It was Warner Bros. and Pryor himself who were trying to remake Pryor into a kind of cuddly, family friendly persona. Let's not forget, shortly after Superman III, Pryor, Jackie Gleason (another actor who was trying to broaden his appeal) AND Richard Donner made The Toy, a bad remake of a bad French film. This was the beginning of the end for Pryor as a film actor and it was probably the reason Columbia snapped him up. Warners had two bombs in a row with him. His concert films are so much better than his later work.

[@knytrydr73]

Not bad, but the story's biggest flaw is obviously making Superman and Supergirl lovers. remember the flack Batman and Robin got when they made Barbara Alfred's niece instead of Commissioner Gordon's daughter? Yeah, same problem here.

[@jimscribner8314]

Yeah, the whole Superman marrying his first cousin thing would have been seriously creepy to the large part of the fan base that had grown up actually reading Superman comics. Annette's Lana Lang would have been the best choice of a replacement for an at the time seriously mentally ill Margot's Lois Lane although Lois and Clark have such a history together it would have been a serious problem ending their relationship in any case My choice would have had her be rejuvenated into a little girl and perhaps get adopted by Lana which is actually a fairly typical Lois Lane sort of thing to do and would have allowed the character to continue with a different actress. Richard was a horrible choice for a Superman villain. If they were thinking of a Black actor in green body paint for Brainiac a much better choice would have been somebody like James Earl Jones with that menacing Darth Vader voice of his. Perhaps Supergirl could have reprogrammed him into an easier to get along with less paternalistic Brainiac 5.0 version at the end so it wouldn't have come off like a racist condemnation of inter-racial dating.

[@jimscribner8314]

If Superman's relationship with Lois was ended by Superman II why have they gotten married since then not only in the comics but also in the Lois and Clark tv series and the Smallville tv series? Lois Lane is literally the only character from Superman's debut in Action Comics No. 1 aside from Superman who is still appearing in Superman movies in the 21st century. Lana Lang who wasn't introduced until the 1950's is the only one of Superman's girlfriends who was ever any serious competition to her with the fan base. His relationship with Supergirl was never intended to be more than platonic because Supergirl's creator Otto Binder based her on his own daughter Mary Binder...named for a similar Otto Binder creation Mary Marvel ...who tragically died in an auto accident in 1967 at the age of 15, ironically the same age as Supergirl was when she first appeared 1959 which also was the year we met Lucy Lane who was probably created to make Jimmy Olsen stop looking like a closet drag queen without a steady girlfriend. A big part of the whole Clark Kent is really Superman appeal is about stroking the fragile male ego of nerds with fantasies of impressing women who undervalue them which Supergirl couldn't really achieve even if they weren't first cousins since her powers pragmatically make Superman less necessary to have a relationship with than Lois needs him.

[@jamesshepherd9390]

Or maybe she wouldn't love him like that at all. She doesn't have to, she just doesn't want to hurt him because he's family.

[@jimscribner8314]

Trush Tucker That issue was brought up in an episode of Smallville where Clark stops having sex with Lana after he gets his powers back from Jor-el and Chloe points out that he learned to have self-control with all of his powers and he is having sex with Lois without killing her by the end of the series so the whole "Man of Steel Woman of Straw" theory that Superman can't have sex with Earth girls is over-simplistic. He just has to learn super-yoga from some sort of Kryptonian kama sutra. Having self-control during sex is not as hard as it might seem. I can keep sex going all night by just thinking about mathematics when I need to slow down. :)

[@drew2fast489]

I agree.

[@doriansaunderschristfirst]

Mistake one...Lois Lane gone. Mistake two...Brainiac raised Supergirl then wanted to get with her?! Gross. Mistake 3...making Superman and Supergirl lovers instead of cousins...WEIRD! Mistake 4...adding Mytstilpyk. Mistake 5...time travel? This was a mess!

[@DeusExAstra]

Yeah, it sounds like the writers didnt know or care about the characters, and wanted to throw as much at the movie as possible, regardless of whether any of it made sense. It would have likely been even worse than what we did get, which was already pretty bad.

[@tryksta7247]

Had the Salkinds never fired Richard Donner, he would have kept this film more grounded (no pun intended). Just check out Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut and you'll see what I mean. Part III no doubt would have been handled more seriously and refined.

[@luchohuaquique6137]

Yeah, it sounded very Woody Allen.

[@Xeranx]

If I'm not mistaken, Superman and Supergirl were never cousins originally. They introduced themselves as cousins.

[@Fazzel]

There were a few Supergirls before. Lois Lane in one version. Superboy getting gender swapped in another version. Jimmy Olsen creating her by rubbing a magic totem. But Kara Zor-El was Kal-El's cousin from the very beginning, with Jor-El and Zor-El being brothers.

[@AnimeGamingNation]

That sounds like way too much for one movie.

[@Akabackalooka]

It would have been interesting to see it on screen, I agree though it would have been too much for one movie, especially back then.

[@stevejoshua1995]

That's exactly what I was thinking ! My eyes started glazing over about halfway through the video.

[@xkee2013]

Exactly!!! Way too much going on

[@mejsmith1]

Probably, but considering what Superman 3 was like, it would likely have been an improvement.

[@hoggy2much999]

Totally agree with that.

[@Playitstraight44]

I liked the fact Superman III took a different direction. I thought it was excellent. The Clark vs Superman scene is STILL one of the great hero moments in cinematic history. I think it holds up better now than Superman II.

[@johnnandy3293]

I have fond memories of 3 because it had Richard Pryor and Robert Vaughn, two great talents that I admire plus the special effects were very good for their time but I think of Superman 3 as being part of the 80's craze for movies about computers/computer games like John Badham's "War Games" or Disney's "Tron".

[@jamiebraswell5520]

The whole cast does a fine job. Though Pryor is the weak link, he did the best he could with the material he was given. He wanted to play a more serious role, but the Salkinds wanted lame comedy.

[@oldbaldfatman2766]

Jan. 2018----This version sounds a hell of a lot better than the schlock I watched.

[@jaydav6521]

Clark vs Superman was the best fight scene of all the Christopher Reeves movies.

[@Argonautx66]

Jay Dav Best part of the movie. That was well done

[@Scripture-Man]

It was a great sequence, but I just do not like having an evil Superman. It wasn't right. Reminds me of the new Man of Steel films. Superman should not ever be dark and sinister.

[@dhenderson1810]

I always thought that the "Dark" Superman in SMIII should have turned out to be Bizzarro, also played by Christopher Reeve.

[@NStuffGuitars]

Jay Dav Yes you are totally right I really like Superman 3 it's a good Superman adventure

[@nashf5925]

It was amusing seeing Superman getting drunk n terrifying people, lol

[@numb3r5ev3n]

It would have been cool to see them really try and do Braniac from the comic book as a villain in 1983.

[@jimscribner8314]

Supergirl's most serious long lasting romantic relationship in the comics was with Brainiac 5 whom she was made a member of the Legion of Superheros in the 30th century at the same time as during JFK's New Frontier. One of her last Otto Binder stories has her spanking a couple green skinned super-brats who were using Brainiac's size changing technology to steal landmarks for an alien monopoly game. Probably the closest she ever came to a traditional motherly role in her stories. Brainiac was Superman's second most frequent villain after Lex Luthor and brought a lot of cool stuff into the Metropolis mythos like the Bottled City of Kandor. He would have been a good logical choice for the villain in a movie where Superman meets Supergirl. Going with Richard Pryor instead was an incredibly crackhead idea I don't see any possible way they could have actually come up with a script for that didn't seem more like an SNL parody skit or one of those Batman vrs. Liberace sort of episodes on the Adam West series back in the '60's. James Earl Jones with that Darth Vader voice of his would have made a perfect Brainiac.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

*It would have been cool to see them really try and do Braniac from the comic book as a villain in 1983.* ^This!

[@yonii8344]

I mean if they used the 1983 brainac it would be awesome but using the superman III budget of the time..it might not have turned out that great. I think only james cameron terminator director could make it work on a tight budget in those days.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

@@yonii8344 , Brainiac wasn't a big robot Terminator back in 1983. He was a green guy in tights with a little computer strip on his head. Superman The Movie reinvented Lex Luthor because he was just a generic mad scientist in green and purple tights back then, and that never would have worked on screen. Similarly, they would have come up with something new for Brainiac back then. What they should have done was have the Ultimate Computer early in the film, used by Ross Webster for nefarious schemes. Then in act II it comes to life and turns Ross Webster into its new body sort of like you see it do to Vera. This Brainiac could then have been the villain for the third act.

[@YourFutureEx]

Superman 1 & 2 were made at the same time. They held the world record for the most film on the cutting room floor. Watch Superman II The Richard Donner cut, it's even better than the original.

[@will_it_work]

The Donner Cut is better, but only if you understand the history of the second movie. The poor decision to re-use the "Superman turns the world around" negates it from being a drop in replacement for a newcomer.

[@captainvadergaming4696]

Here's a video I recommend (and yes, this is the title) Superman II - WTF Happened to this Movie?

[@jazzmanx54]

According to the comics, the name Mxyzptlk is pronounced MIX-YEZ-PITTLE-LIK.

[@thelittlepasty8360]

jazzmanx54 It bugs me when people pronounce it wrong even tho it’s gibberish

[@brandonporter8509]

What’s funny is the animated series even had him say an exaggerated pronunciation just to hammer it home. MIX YES SPIT LICK.

[@matthewcurrymma6354]

I cringed so hard whenever he said it

[@randaljbatty]

Besides the story of Superman III being idiotic, the producers skimped on the budget, so the effects look cheap.

[@VERMISIMILITUDE]

Thor Odinson I honestly think the effects in this are better then 1 or 2. They perfected the flying rigs in this.... also, Reeve never looked better in my eyes. Respect your opinion though. PS.... cannot wait for Ragnorok, honestly the best cbm I’ve seen in years!

[@randaljbatty]

Re. Ragnarok: Normally, I am patient enough to wait for a superhero film to find it on NetFlix, but in this case I will probably end up buying the film once it is available for sale in BluRay format. I feel as if I already know half the story by having watched too many clips and reading comments left by those who have already seen the film in theatrical release. Nonetheless, although I have read some good reviews and a few bad, I think it would be worth spending the cash. Every now and then it's nice to indulge oneself.

[@SovereignStatesman]

Thor Odinson More like the script was so bizarrely complex, that they replaced it with something crappy as a preferable. The story has to have some coherence to the original. Gen. Zod was inevitable, being introduced from the beginning of Superman I, but I don't see how this plot relates to anything.... it just goes into confusion, nobody who's not a die-hard DC-fan could stomach it.

[@tryksta7247]

The Salkinds pulled some shady business all the way back to when they produced The Three Musketeers films and tried to make a sequel using leftover footage and not paying the actors. And then their crap with never telling Richard Donner what the actual movie budget was, so he was often set back while trying to plan scenes.

[@nick6var]

Watching Superman III I can easily see the wires for his flying. The passage of time in the film is all messed up. (How long does it take for Pryor's character Gus to learn computer programming, get a job, and get two paychecks? How long does it take for the husband to get the inflated credit card bill?) Also, the effect of "merging" the computer and the main villain's sister looks so cheesy that it shouldn't have been done at all. I honestly prefer Supergirl, because they mostly took that material seriously. (Just don't bring up the magic stuff and Faye Dunaway, okay?)

[@Windupchronic]

I remember when I was a kid and went to the theater with my family. My Mom and Dad were going to see The Survivors with Robin Williams, while my brother and I were planning to see Superman III. At the last second I changed my mind and went with my parents to see The Survivors, which, while not great, was generally enjoyable, and a good time. My brother chose to go see Superman III. After the movie, we met up with my brother. I asked him how Superman III was. His response: "I wish I'd seen Survivors."

[@deathcloset9183]

ShadowCat pretty sure you still love christopher reeve. Who doesn 't. 😉

[@Panwere36]

I could tell when I saw it how it was intended to be Brainiac as the villain, so I feel your brother's pain.

[@Panwere36]

BTW... years later, I saw *The Survivors* .. very underrated comedy.

[@Chayaen]

Fun fact: Chris Reeves and Robin Williams were best friends.

[@bronson1392]

Blah blah blah

[@tyrssen1]

Superman III absolutely sucked. It was a Richard Pryor comedy with a guest appearance now and then from Superman.

[@JPatelLive]

Seth Tyrssen haha! Good take! 😂 Richard Pryor rules! ;)

[@KoasterKing205]

Seth Tyrssen You need help.

[@simonster-9094]

Bruh, whatchu talkin' 'bout? Everything you listed was why it is awesome.

[@tyrssen1]

@Lawrence Rodriguez I still think III was THE worst, but yeah, you're right.

[@dbzking02]

Let's be honest, though. Would they have even had the proper budget for a villain like Brainiac? Then again, it was the Bronze Age, so maybe they could've pulled it off.

[@reggiegipson9348]

lron man vs captin amrica

[@salparadise5335]

$35 million was an insane amount of money in those days. What a stupid question.

[@tyrranos9688]

The budget to paint a man green and put dots on his head? Yeah, I think they could manage.

[@CaptainSpalding72]

dbzking02 the movie cost $35 million. Loads of money in those days, don't be an ignorant ass.

[@nick6var]

It was a green man. They would have used green make-up, like The Incredible Hulk show. Would it have looked good? Who knows.

[@roddi733]

This plot sounds like the ramblings of a hyperactive ten year old who's been on force fed acid for a couple of weeks

[@eaglesrlife]

Deleted scene; Superman shoots a super load into super girl and their super baby rules earth.

[@robertpolanco1973]

Personally, I think that "Superman III" was not only a bad movie, but also, a cringeworthy and embarrassing movie as well. In having seen the movie, I think the level of humor was totally misplaced by courtesy of the screenwriters. I am quite sad that the filmmakers couldn't hire better screenwriters for the third installment.

[@billtooke6642]

@The Joker it was worse than IV. IV was cheap, but it had heart. III was abominable.

[@GreenLanternPrime01]

Thanks for posting this! This version is not better than the movie we eventually got. We dodged an overcrowded mess!

[@CubanPete1990]

You know what in Superman 3 (1983) they should add an Evil Villain name Braniac played by Michael Keaton not just Richard Pryor!

[@CDHfilms]

Some fans believed that Gorman's machine sent out a signal into space far enough to reach Brainiac and then when the machine took over Webster's sister some believe it was really Brainiac possessing her.

[@johnnyfavorite1194]

*The “Punishment” of Margot Kidder or the even more ridiculous lore involving her refusal to play a big part in Superman III* are based firmly in the IMDB’s refusal to check citations for its trivia content. According to Ilya Salkind’s commentary on the Superman III DVD *there was no Beef with Margot Kidder.* From a screenwriting standpoint they wanted to explore a new relationship with Clark Kent and Lana Lang. For all of Superman III’s ham-handed concepts, the Lana/Clark relationship grounded in her love and admiration of Superman’s Alter Ego rather than Superman himself was brilliant writing; the very opposite of Lois and Clark’s interaction, where she worships Superman but considers Kent merely her platonic beta male buddy.

[@jay-cy4ds]

Donner respected the character and how the movie should be Shame he got fired by the salkinds and replaced by someone who just done it for a pay check.. who knows what could’ve been with donner still at the helm.. 3 was watchable and enjoyable.. a brainiac story would’ve been good I would’ve done it that he tried to shrink metropolis and Superman has to stop him. And for light hearted part of the movie have mxyzpktk cause havoc but not for long in the film.

[@Magnero]

The Donner edit of Superman 2 is even better than the first movie.

[@jonathangoode546]

Jason Norman OMG ! I NEVER KNEW THIS .

[@klel68]

Actually I liked superman 3, I saw it in a theatre and it had a full house. Everyone was clapping and laughing and having a great time. Part 4 I didn’t really care for

[@iamnostalgic9567]

Ken Lafrentz Most people didn't care for it either. Part 4's problem was that it was a rushed production.

[@tyrranos9688]

Three is the only one I saw in the theater as a kid. I didn’t notice anything wrong with it then of course. Rewatching the films a couple years ago I actually enjoyed it less than the fourth one (also bad).

[@jasonmichaelnowakowski6691]

That was part 4s problem???Educate yourself.

[@jamesmbs1]

& why?

[@jamesmbs1]

go fuck yourself!

[@mike1967sam]

Superman was a 1978 film I remember, I was 11 yrs old and saw it just before Christmas '78.

[@mikeb8674]

Superman III was certainly a mess... I mean, it's pretty obvious that the supercomputer was meant to be Brainiac, and it certainly looks like Robert Vaughn's character is nothing but a cut-rate Lex Luthor, Business Tycoon. Just inviting comparisons to the superior versions in the comics - not a smart move - but to be fair, this draft also sounds like a mess. Too much going on at once. Brainiac, Supergirl, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Lana Lang, time travel... ugh.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

Business tycoon Lex Luthor was not invented until 1986. Ergo, Robert Vaughn was not just a Lex Luthor rip off. His character just wasn't developed into a real threat of any sort. Bad script. Not Robert Vaughn ' s fault.

[@SDA0271]

I also read that Christopher Reeve was very much against sharing top billing with Supergirl and told them he was done if they brought her in. With rumors now of Supergirl showing up somewhere in the Snyder Cut of Justice League, we could conceivably have our Superman/Supergirl film (Man of Steel 2) and fight the likes of Brainiac.

[@megansavage7152]

Superman the movie came out in December 1978 not in 1979

[@rockie0708]

Megan Savage First thing I said too

[@micjoseph6250]

Megan Savage yep I was almost 4 years old I remember watching it , it was amazing I can still Rember it and hearing people cheering through out the movie, I don't think kids today understand what it was like watching movies back then , there were only so many theatres so the theatre would be packed for certain block busters.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

Yes man, i can so relate to that classic era! Cinemas today are multiplexes and thus no packed lines around the block anymore's (sigh).

[@cwell510]

Mike Joseph Same with me...I was almost 5 and it was the first film I can remember going to the theater to see. The opening scene was magical...The audience was so into it and applauding when he rescued Lois in the helicopter. Great memories to a classic movie.

[@fido2644]

Yeah I remember seeing it in Alaska and at that time I was a huge Superman fan because my dad got me into the Superman comics, my favorite was Superman meets Dial H for hero. Then they came out with Boostergold and I fell in love with that book I loved how Boostergold and Superman didn't hit it off at all.

[@wadebarnett2542]

"Superman: The Movie" was out in December of 1978. "Superman II" was released in the U.S. the summer of 1981.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Shoot. Whose brilliant idea was it to change the original story?

[@johnstitt3717]

Little known fact: The studios wanted a song to help introduce the Brainiac character in the first version, so they went to Michael Sembello, who came up with, "He's a Brainiac" to play over a montage showing who Brainiac is. When the first version was scrapped, Sembello tweeked the title, and shopped it to the Flashdance producers.

[@JiM-SWEET-art]

The evil superman was great in it though.

[@JiM-SWEET-art]

Oh yeah it could have been a lot better.

[@gregr3720]

The evil Superman fucked that lady from the bar.

[@cyberpimp29]

Nothing about that film was 'great'

[@kidologist]

Superman III was actually the best one! It was fun and a nice change up from the corny previous two. This one embraced the silliness and made it fun. Its the most memorable.

[@cwell510]

That is one long, convoluted storyline...not to mention the cringe-worthy incestuous relationship between Supes and Kara. Other than that, blows the other film away.

[@jnusaira]

This ... i like the idea of supergirl and brainiac ... but dear god i am glad they DIDNT make that movie either. That would have actually been worse than 3 or 4. And like you said overly convoluted

[@Floymin]

An emotional Brainiac falling in love and getting jealous is just as shallow as what was actually made. Look at what happened in 4 with Nuclear Man. Not to mention... the script written for the concept as described would have been more fitting as a 5-part TV miniseries, since each element would have taken nearly an hour of story time.

[@jrasicmark1]

I'm so used to Supergirl being Superman's cousin, that making her a love interest just sounds like incest. And throwing Mr Mxyzptlk in it was just too much. And why put Brainiac's lair back in time instead of in space? One slight correction; I remember reading in the old DC Answer Man column the correct way of pronouncing Mxyzptlk. Bob Rozakis asked E. Nelson Bridwell, who was pretty much the resident DC Universe historian and continuity tracker (and this was when there were still multiple earths to keep track of) and Bridwell said the correct pronunciation was Mix-yez-pittle-ick.

[@jrasicmark1]

OMG! My mind is blown! It's so confusing trying to read and comprehend all that (and I'm not being critical of you, it's just the convoluted subject is confusing). Obviously, I missed out on a lot! I take it all this happened in the Supergirl series since the 90s? The only pre-crisis thing I remember is when Supergirl found Superman double of herself, the superheroine called Luma Lynai for him to romance. The cover showed them embracing, and it just seemed creepy. Even though she really wasn't his cousin, she looked exactly the same. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable dating someone who looks exactly like a cousin. Even down to the same hairstyle. I remember seeing a cover of... I think it was the Harley Quinn/Power Girl miniseries, where Power Girl is wearing Luma Lynai's costume which was similar to Power Girl's in that the main bodysuit was all white with long sleeves and nothing covering the legs. That made me wonder if Wally Wood was somewhat inspired by Luma Lynai when he designed Power Girl.

[@MovieVigilante]

Superman 3 is a very fun movie. It puts the _comic_ in _comic book movie_. The scene where Superman battles himself in the junkyard is iconic. I love this movie.

[@winternow2242]

Braniac at 3:45 looks a bit like Benedict Cumberbatch

[@davc433]

ari rottenberg I believe it was

[@gallanosa]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@uchihaedgelord5589]

Superman III: Sweet Home Alabama.

[@sabumnimphillips]

Kidder only left because of the situation with Richard Donner.

[@sabumnimphillips]

My answer was just the short version lol

[@AK-pr2nk]

Superman 3 is brilliant simply for Clark Kent v superman fight

[@BigJwlz]

Robert Vaughn's character was the villain in Superman 3, not Richard Pryor.

[@audreyseddon9749]

I think the original story featuring Brainiac would have been much better than what audiences got. One of the big problems probably was that there wasn't the technology or budget available to do it justice. Superman III ended up being a slapstick Richard Pryor movie and not a Superman film. Just in one of the early scenes, where Pryor's character falls off a highrise and SURVIVES through a series of convenient mishaps pretty much killed my suspension of disbelief.

[@joenesvick7043]

Richard Pryor is the reason I sat through that film. Boy he makes me laugh. Superman 4 is worse. A lot of fans hate Superman Returns but it was better than 3 & 4, at least in my opinion. I didn’t like that Supergirl film much either, but I love that new Supergirl show. Helen Slater is great guest starring in the new show, she wasn’t the problem. I prefer the Richard Donnor Cut of Superman 2, but even the theatrical cut was better than the later films I’m listing from least worst to worst: Superman Returns Superman 3 Supergirl Superman 4 The Quest For Piece You may have noticed I left off Man of Steel, I haven’t seen it so I’m unable to make that qualified judgment.

[@alexsantiago176]

Man of steel was a good movie. I don't know why people hated it. Hopefully you'll enjoy it when you finally see it.

[@christophercavill6730]

+Alex Santiago nobody hated it only old hags living in the past, it was a damn good film

[@cathridge]

charles ryanlee i only like S4 bc i get to see Mariel Hemingway in tights.

[@xkee2013]

You had me totally agreeing with you until you said that Trainwreck of a film Superman Returns was better than Superman 3 & 4. Even though 3 & 4 had major problems, a car crash is better than Superman Returns!!!!

[@chronoguy3199]

xkee2013 seriously? Superman 4 ruined my life

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

Now THAT...is what I wish "Superman III" was. I saw "Superman III" at the movies and when I started to laugh at Mr. Pryor's antics, I thought: "Uh-oh....something's wrong here..!"

[@78.BANDIT]

Why would they be in love? They are cousin's...and 1st cousin's at that. That almost a sibling. SICK!!!!

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

depends on which version of the story you want to go by. fun fact. in the golden era of superman, supergirl was originally introduced as a new love interest for superman. no joke, but it was later rewritten to where she was younger and was his cousin instead. according to this video, it sounds like WB was going to steer away from them ever being related aspect of the recent comics of that time, and go back to where they weren't related and were potential lovers.

[@DS_portraits]

This was the only superman vhs we had as a child So iv got a soft spot for this movie

[@doriansaunderschristfirst]

That was even worse than the version we got.

[@tentringer4065]

It does sound like a mixed up mess. Time travel, medieval castles and an interdimensional Dudley Moore?

[@awcindy]

I bet Donner could have changed the script enough to salvage something good.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

Yes, this script outline was awful.

[@flonomcflooneyloo7573]

FYI the correct pronunciation of the Imp's name was 'Mix-yetz-pit-lik'. Thanks for the summary of what it was supposed to be!

[@user-zs5of5en5o]

I am a Richard Pryor fan but he was one thing that wet wrong with 3. He didn’t help it.

[@dreamlandnightmare]

He's still one of the least of the movie's problems.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

Richard Pryor was a huge fan of Superman and jumped at the chance to be in the film. He wanted to play a more serious role, as he took Superman serioysly. Sadly, the Salkinds wanted a comedy and ended up giving Pryor some rather weak material to work with. They really underused Pryor ' s talents. I don't blame Pryor at all. This was fully the result of the Salkinds ds just not getting what made Superman a success to begin with AND not listening to Richard Pryor.

[@DanielAlvarez-iw8hr]

Because people keep asking around for a source to this supposed original Superman 3 script. I provided a source. There are tons and tons of sources on this original Superman 3 script that was rejected by Warner Bros. The original S3 script is actually downloadable online. All you have to do is Google search it and you will find the full original script easily. You can download it and read it all. This original S3 script was finished in 1980 and sent to Warner Bros and it was rejected by Warner Bros in 1981. That the rewritten script happened and we have the Superman 3 that was actually made

[@mr.j1104]

I wish this was made instead of what we got with Pryor.

[@clabarkyable]

everyone misses the point of superman 3. it was the original deadpool, or at least hancock. complete satire, subverting the genre. it is arguably the best superman movie ever made, years ahead of its time

[@TheDylandProductions]

I really enjoyed watching your analysis of Superman III, Gordon Briggs. While I don't share your sentiment that the original Superman III would have been better than the film we ended up getting, I did find it interesting to hear about what the original film was going to be like - and to hear all of the changes/leftovers and how they affected the Superman III that we finally got. The Christopher Reeve superman series has always been a personal favorite of mine. I do agree that Superman II is great - perhaps even better than the original film. BTW, have you seen the Superman II Richard Donner Cut? I believe it's even greater than Superman II, and that whole situation (Donner's firing, Re-filming scenes, and the like) is another behind the scenes story I've heard about over the years. Do you ever think you'd cover that in a video? Plus, the Quest for Peace, Superman IV apparently had a lot of changes as well, and Christopher Reeve himself (who also wrote a bit of that film) actually hated how the producers mucked it up and refused to spend any extra dough on special effects... From what I can tell, the original Superman IV story would have been a great film as well - but the original draft passed between too many hands before the final cut - resulting in the campy and lackluster conclusion to the Reeve series. While I'm suggesting, the topic of Superman IV would make another great video as well! :) I found out about your channel through this video, and, really like your other content. So that's one subscription from me! I even ticked the bell and everything. I'd love to see more uploads from you, as movie reviews, recaps, retrospectives, and behind the scenes info is a topic I much enjoy to learn about. :) Can't wait for your next video!

[@gbriggs154]

its interesting to me to see what could have been

[@BlueSparks25]

Dyland I love the Richard Donner version! It makes more sense, and fixes continuity issues because he was fired during the making of II. For those who never seen it, watch it with a grain of salt, especially since they had to use screen tests in it to make it work.

[@tryksta7247]

The underlying reason this film changed so much was that Richard Donner was fired by the Salkinds during simultaneously filming I & II. They brought in Richard Lester who reshot much of part II in order to have filmed over 50 percent of the movie to receive director credit. He injected ridiculous slapstick humor and the Salkinds sanctioned those goofy made up superpowers like the cellophane "S" shield. One of the points of contention between Donner and the Salkinds was that they would never tell him what the budget was. In any event, this caused a rift between much of the cast and the Salkinds, with Gene Hackman refusing to film any scenes under Lester's direction. Margot Kidder also resented the Salkinds, so when part III was to be filmed, Hackman was gone and Kidder was reduced to a cameo. Lester continued his ridiculous slapstick humor for much of part III which is why it's as goofy and weird as it is.

[@milesmayhem5440]

Superman III was pure garbage.

[@Argonautx66]

MD SS except for the fight scene between Clark and the evil superman. That was hard-core cool

[@Syklonus]

Bullshit! There was at least half a great movie in there. The Smallville stuff was fantastic and the Evil superman sub-plot was amazing. Had that been fleshed out to the whole movie it would have been great.

[@jonq8714]

It to this day is still my favorite movie. It takes me right back to being 5 years old... I don't care if it isn't Citizen Kane or fantastically dated, it will always be my favorite super hero film ever. I wouldn't change a thing about it. The humor still hits, the villains are still great, the scene with good superman v bad superman in the junkyard is still the best superhero battle yet captured on film and has the most iconic and triumphant superman moment when it's completed. I adore this film.

[@djdark1]

For the record, Mix-yez-spit-lick.

[@gregr3720]

There's no "e" in the name.

[@jamesshepherd9390]

So? He's showing how it should be pronounced.

[@robertmorgan5455]

In all these years I had never heard this. Thank you for the info! Very cool. And I agree, it would have been better than what we got.

[@D2Kprime]

All things considered, as much of a misstep as Superman III was in many regards, I'm glad we got THAT instead of what this script was with Brainiac raising Kara as his daughter then developing the hots for her. Then Clark having the hots for her later on. They can keep that. Brainiac also would have been hard to do in 1983. TODAY Brainiac would be a awesome villain for him to fight. I never look at Superman III _as_ a "Superman" movie. I look at it as a Richard Pryor movie with Superman in it. That makes it far more enjoyable. It was much better than what part 4 turned out to be.

[@jorgensenmj]

Christopher Reeve looked and acted exactly how superman should. Proper wearing of the red underpants on the outside of the super suit was an essential detail. With the "new" superman you just don't know if he is wearing Hanes, Fruit of the loom or Under-roos.

[@vitoguttilla2926]

The Original Superman was from 1978. Not 1979.

[@painkiller1968]

So what? 1 year diff.

[@--Fish]

He should at least get the year right

[@speelbergo]

although the idea of Supergirl as a romantic lead is unsettling, i found this script surprisingly ambitious and comic book-centric in tone. It would've been interesting to see how they would've pulled that off with 1980's special effects

[@brycenelson7274]

That would've been a good story to bad they had to change the script oh well I guess it's movie business sometimes but it still would've made superman three Builder movie in my opinion

[@waynemccrory3772]

Actually, it was Richard Donner - the original director on the first two movies - wanted to make a third movie featuring Brainiac as the main antagonist.

[@bijibadness]

I think maybe a different narrator would work better for this channel.

[@sonicvasquez4673]

Yes instead of Fat Albert..Hey Hey Hey

[@SciFifan19]

This would definitely have been a better Superman III movie!! Amazing ideas, and they FIT! Sure, given the time they were in, it'd probably be hard to pull off Brainiac, but hey they weren't no-budget movies, so they might've found a way. Also, all of that romance and jealousy, very interesting plot device, for the story and the villain's plan. Man, I wish we could've gotten this. Would have definitely made the series a Real Trilogy.

[@MasterOfSparks]

Failed comic book movies Always start with the same problem. Some idiot director with no appreciation for the art form decides that he knows better how the story should have been told. And he starts changing things. Hey, idiot director, we aren't going to see your "interpretation". We are going to see a story that we love brought to life. You might think that your version will appeal to a wider audience but it Never works out that way.

[@SombreroBeanieHat]

The National Razor were you thinking the last jedi too?

[@w41duvernay]

I like the intended version better than what came out. This is probably how Supergirl turned into a film by being written out of Superman.

[@paulpasadena]

I think that both movies, the real and the proposed were equally as horrible.

[@Scripture-Man]

LOL, true. The third film should have been something like, say (let me come up with a better film idea off the top of my head)… OK, Lois gets a boyfriend called Doug who is a handsome and rich, creating a bit of tension, jealousy and humor between Lois and Clark that runs throughout the entire film. But the main story is that Doug works for the military involved with a top secret experiment to create a super-soldier armor (bit like Iron man). This armor is sought after by the film's villain, a genius like Lex, only more physically imposing. He obtains the armor and becomes a brilliant supervillain. While Doug initially clashes with Clark, he ends up being an ally to Superman and Lois, with the three working together in different ways to thwart what the villain is doing, including Lois pretending to be someone she's not in order to get invited in somewhere, then getting into big trouble. There are a few good action sequences, including a plane hijack, and the final scene at a huge night-time conference of world leaders, with Perry White and Jimmy also at the event. The climax involves lots of hostages, a bomb, some difficult dilemmas for Superman to grapple with, including whether to or not kill the villain when he is defenseless in order to save other lives. Ultimately the villain is defeated in a clever way by Superman, Lois and Doug working together, with Superman being the true hero of course. At the end of the film, Lois and Doug have parted ways on good terms, ending the film once again with the good old chemistry between Lois and Clark. For the record, this concept took me about 10 minutes to come up with :)

[@paulpasadena]

I think Superman should travel to different planet and have to go on a quest to get back home. That'd spice everything up a bit.

[@timefilm]

That's what happens when you fire the director and say to yourself 'I think we got this'

[@corrollasful]

Incest?

[@kellyespinosacuriel8624]

Manny Scott Is not incest between cousins.

[@corrollasful]

Kelly Espinosa Curiel oh it is if it's your blood related cousin

[@FULANODETAL]

Twin lannisster did with his cousin..like teh 90% of marriagues of the ages

[@DEJAVUCRISTIAN]

Manny Scott not realy , but You need genétic test to see If your genes are compatibles

[@alanfrost75]

I am guessing that in this version of reality they were not cousins though...

[@renmysterio]

Two Things...1. I'm hoping that this version of Supergirl had ABSOLUTELY NO BLOOD TIES TO SUPERMAN!!! 2. I've read that It's not that Margot "didn't want be in another Superman movie", she liked working with under Richard Donner and didn't really want to be in it without him...

[@The_Antiquary]

This version sounds pretty bad too.

[@darkpitch1]

All of that would’ve been an awesome sequel, the main problem were the Salkinds. The Salkinds were not producers that would shell out money to do big productions. Their only expensive production was the first “Superman” film. That whole idea for part 3 would’ve exceeded the budget from the first film. Had Warner Bros. wanted this version to be made, they would’ve asked Richard Donner back, fired the Salkinds and financed the movie all by themselves.

[@alanlittlemoon8194]

Mix-yes-pittle-ick

[@munstrumridcully]

alan littlemoon Didn't they prounounce it "Mix-yes-spit-lick" in Superman the animated series? Is the way you pronounce it the DC canon way, or something?

[@stubie]

I don't think there is a canon way of spelling it, unless the original creator wants to weigh in... But as he's dead... We may never know :(

[@snarkus63]

When I was a kid,I thought it was pronounced "Mixel-puTULK". On one of the animated shows of the 70's (early 80's?),it was "MIXel-plick". When DC did John Byrne's mid-80's reboot,which included a re-introduction of the character,they established it as "mix-yez-PITTLE-ick" (by having it spelled out phonetically) ...which does match the spelling. Funny...in a story where Superman fought Ultraman,his alternate-universe evil twin,we were introduced to Mxyzptlk's counterpart,a non-humorous practitioner of logic named Mixyezpitelik.

[@anonygent]

One good thing about Supe III was the battle with himself. They could have salvaged that movie if they had gotten rid of Pryor and made the supersmart secretary the bad guy/girl.

[@aaronflament]

arent they related

[@edlaprade]

First cousins. Kara's dad, Zor-el, is Superman's dad's brother.

[@DreamsOfLegend]

Kryptonian DNA very resistant to inbreeding side affects, they can bang away

[@pavanbhatia389]

aaron flament ...... cusins.

[@danieldishon688]

I bet some executives thought "hey, I think we can milk Supergirl with her own spin off stand alone movie, and it's easier on screenplay writers if they don't have to make their story charachters fit the background set up in some other movie, so let's just save her for another movie" Then after taking her out, they had to work their asses off making the plot work without her. Not having a damn clue what makes Braniac tic without a love interest to force a weird triangle on, they saw no need to make him an alien or give him personality and thought "billionaire are easier villains to write plot for, and all this time travel stuff is more trouble than it's worth"

[@sammylane21]

Personally,I love part 3. Everytime I watch it now a days,Raspberry Par Fat Fruit filled childhood memories come back to my mind.

[@wilykat]

Sammy Lane same here. I like it despite what others think.

[@jwhaler82]

If you skip to the end, I like S3. Yeah, the movie sucked, but the battle with the supercomputer was cool.

[@lacrartezorok4975]

I liked it, mostly because when i watched it i alredy knew it was mostly a comedy and didn't felt disapointed.

[@MrLukeStump]

To be honest with you all what they did in the 80's was good, but this idea would be good with today's technology. Having said that I made a point about when you take something and split it into 2 it is not as good, but having 2 can be still good. Splitting superman into 2 people in superman 3 is similar to what they did with superman 4 they split a blockbuster superhero movie into 2 super hero movies. Superman IV was weaker (just like evil superman was in superman 3 without good clark), but good for what it tried to be without the good budget. The budget was spent on the other super hero movie that year in 1987. If anyone can remember what it was, that is why 2 movies were not high quality, but being 11 that year, I liked both super heroes and was glad to get both.

[@SovereignStatesman]

Sammy Lane "She ate a Rasberry Parfait...." The artist formerly known as Prince, now known as dead.

[@morganmccrindle1489]

heres an easy way to remember mixy's name, MIX-YEZ-SPIT-LICK, mixy himself explains this easy way on superman the animated series from the 90s

[@katieell4084]

SUPPOSED to be

[@andrewgordon5016]

What would have been more effective would have been if the Salkinds made a solid (far better than it was) Supergirl film in between Superman II and Superman III with Christopher Reeve making a cameo like he was originally supposed to... AND THEN make the Superman III movie with Braniac as the main villain and Supergirl already on earth from the get go.

[@psecdocumentary]

At least the new supergirl series seems to be of good quality so far. It even shows Kara's "humanness" as it were, that supergirl "isn't perfect" and that she can make mistakes, and learn from them. Supergirl seems to have that anti-tyranny / moral code of the 1980s, that many modern shows seem to sacrifice in favor of the glitz and bling of special effects and lots of stuff going BOOM. It also seems to criticize the political correctness that seems to be infecting both media and politics.

[@andycheal9183]

Paradigm Shift - An Educational Comedy v2.0 in

[@Scripture-Man]

I live in the UK so they don't show it here, but that sounds good. I honestly hate modern drama, political correctness, and feminism.

[@TwistedSoul2002]

Lee Bee Supergirl is shown on Sky 1 dude... and it reeks of political correctness and feminism. It's the worst.

[@ixoyedeg]

Paradigm Shift - An Educational Comedy v2.0, season 1 was somewhat free of the PC crap and seemed to be heading for a good enjoyable series, but I stopped watching in season 2 when it took a hard turn to the left.

[@cgsimons1187]

Thank you for making this video. As a kid I felt that Superman II was the last of the good movies in the series. This explains what went wrong.

[@danielhausser8038]

* supposeD

[@johnrobinson6945]

Doug Bradley ( Pinhead ) would have been a perfect Brainiac!

[@nedflagman1872]

think this version would of been super awesome

[@jayexonauts5587]

I never knew about the original draft/plan for Part 3, thank you!

[@M.A.S.K._Crusader]

This is the worst movie I've sat through.

[@garygramm6533]

I agree it's painful, but at least it had the 'Clark vs bad Superman' battle, which I guiltily enjoy for some reason. Have you seen Birdemic or Sharknado? Those will make Superman III (and maybe even Superman IV) seem like Academy Award material.

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

Apparently you've never seen "Blues Brothers 2000" or "Highlander: The Source" :-p

[@elgruffo]

You haven't lived then. Try sitting through JCVD's "Knock Off" in a theater. I'd never asked for a refund until then.

[@penquin402]

Also try Thinner! That movie was terrible

[@richardsawicki9820]

Superman 4

[@80too23]

I know I'm in a minority,, but I love this film! So many funny moments: "both keys at the same time", evil Superman flicking peanuts in the bar, Gus Gorman "hacking" the computer and diverting all the half cents to his expenses account - then turning up in a Ferrari!

[@bobspears2487]

Omg...its pronounced MITZEL-PLICK

[@SmithDoe]

Actually, no. It's pronounces Mix-Yes-Pit-Lick

[@Argonautx66]

Somebody watched the Superfriends. They mispronounced it constantly

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

Would you believe it??? I STILL can't pronounce that little imp's name!!!

[@BobsiPringlez]

I always pronounced it as Mixiez-Putulluk but that’s probably wrong lol

[@leblanccnabell2223]

Actually you are wrong, Margot Kidder was demoted because of her support for Richard Donner. She didn't like that the Salkinds fired Donner from Superman 2. When Superman 3 rolled around, in retaliation the Salkinds reduced her role to a cameo.

[@realsitu6602]

Im Glad they did it the Way they Did it, Superman 3 is A Classic, Richard Pryor is a Joy to Watch, sure it might not be on par exactly with Superman 1 and two but in some ways you expect it not too, how ever said that its a Great movie to watch, it has a lot of Stunning Scenes, It has a lot of Iconic scenes, These movies are Treasures Trust me Compared to The Bag of Shits they Pan Out Today, this movie gives a lot you get a Evil Superman, You Get a Super Computer and the Acting is One of the Best it Really Delivers, Heres The Best Bit Top it Off You Get One Of the Scariest Villains in the movies Series, this movie is a must

[@VERMISIMILITUDE]

real situ totally agree!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@luciano790]

real situ you are seriously about this??? The only redeeming quality this film has is bizzaro Superman vs clark

[@realsitu6602]

No the new Superman movies ( not Brandon Routh ) visualized Superman Henry Cavill aka Man Of Steel as a selfish thinker, not much of caring person, and killer though not completely all his fault that is the way it was scripted but it certainly brought out a Darkside to Superman not thee Superman Christopher Reeves but one being mentioned that i really didnt appreciate that much, the movie is just over exzagerated and more of an alien affair with too much tech in your face, let me guess you must be some one born in the 2000s so you cant see the comforting Factor a meaningless person

[@realsitu6602]

Cool, thank you for comment

[@realsitu6602]

Yes Spot on serious, these Superman movies Rocked

[@GPlewright]

Warner Bros has a history of messing with potentially good films by meddling with the artistic vision. Let the writers and directors make their movies. In the end the fans will thank you for it.