Before I begin this next analysis of the Mario Puzo scripts, I owe you, the reader, an apology. Early on, when I began my analysis of the first draft script, I had commented that the characters of Professor Vakox and Kru-El were original creations of Mr. Puzo. As I started my research for this blog, I realized that I was in error. Professor Vakox first appeared in Action Comics #294 in January 1962 and was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Curt Swan. Kru-El’s first appearance was a year later in Action Comics #297, in February 1963, in a story written by Leo Dorman and illustrated by Jim Mooney.

It’s important to reference them now and make this correction because they, along with General Zod and Jax-Ur, play a vital part in the final segment of the script in their confrontation with Superman. For that oversight, I apologize.

Now, onto the story.

Picking up at page 202, we find the four villains standing in the streets of Metropolis, with mass carnage, destruction, and death all around them. Superman confronts them, but even with the kryptonite belt in his possession it’s still four against one, no matter who gets weakened. As the fight moves into the heart of Metropolis, Jax-Ur manages to rip the kryptonite belt away from Superman, giving them the advantage.

The fight through Metropolis is described in almost a breakneck pace, with the villains gaining momentum and destroying buildings and hurting Superman to the point where he starts bleeding.

Eventually, Superman lures them to Luthor’s lair and uses the same holographic trickery on them that Luthor Lux used on him, resulting in multiple Supermen.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen reports that with the presumed death of Superman, the President has declared martial law in the United States.

Back in Luthor’s lair, we find that Luthor and Eve have saved Superman from the four villains. Superman proposes that Luthor help him trap the villains.

Luthor then approaches the villains and reveals that he can lead them to Superman. Is this a double cross, or is this part of the plan after all?

Meanwhile, Superman arrives at the Fortress of Solitude and begins to hotwire the restructuring chamber.

Once the villains arrive, they somehow manage to break into the Fortress and confront Superman.

Superman somehow lures the criminals into the restructuring chamber, and a blue fog envelops all of them, including Luthor Lux. Once the blue fog disappears, the villains again attack Superman, but this time something is different.

With the four Kryptonian villains now powerless and as mortal as Earthlings, Superman gives them laced drinks that will erase all of their memories of good and evil and allow them to begin new lives on Earth. He then gives the same drink to Luthor Lux, allowing him to start his life anew.

As the script ends, we finally see Clark Kent reporting the news on WGBS very matter-of-factly, noting that Earth’s reprieve from the Phantom Zone villains is permanent, but people’s reprieve from the everyday threats in the world is only temporary. The script ends with Clark saying, “Not even Superman… can save us from ourselves.”

All of these final moments seem quick, a little sketchy, even a bit fast paced in the final five pages. It’s actually a good thing that these last beats did not survive in the final films beyond the original Puzo script. It may work for a comic book ending, but not necessarily for a movie.

Next time, I will wrap up my thoughts on the first draft script and start the process all over again with the second draft script.

(Some of the screenshots in this blog are used courtesy of CapedWonder.com.)