Now we’re getting into the final 100 pages of Mario Puzo’s second draft script, and this time he has intentionally set the final third of the script to outline his groundwork for what he saw Superman II to be about. While it is clear that the true dividing line occurred earlier, after the action in Iran, here I plan to honor Puzo’s dividing line in his script and see what he expanded in the script itself.

Beginning on page 212, we find Lex Luthor, Eve, and the four henchmen watching Clark Kent deliver a news report stating that federal authorities have launched a nationwide search for Luthor. Then, changing gears, Clark mentions how WGBS plans to send a news team to the Vatican in Rome and cover the installation of the new Pope of the Catholic Church.

Wait a minute here… didn’t we see back on page 166 that moment when Jimmy Olsen mentioned to Clark about “that Pope thing” earlier on?

Over the next six pages Luthor describes his three great crimes to his henchmen and how the first of these crimes will be to travel to Rome and assassinate the new pope.

Now we know what happened to this plot point. Mario Puzo moved it from the first half of the script to the second half to fill out the action for Part II. However, in doing so, he forgot to edit Jimmy’s dialogue from page 166, thereby creating a continuity error in the process.

Puzo then adds a new bridging sequence of Morgan Edge assigning Jimmy Olsen and Steve Lombard to cover the story in Rome. Again, we can only hear Edge’s voice and not see him on any of the TV monitors in Perry White’s office.

Edge assigns Lois to go to a monetary conference in Geneva. “It may decide the fate of gold,” Edge comments. “That has to be covered, too. Render Caesar what is Caesar’s, remember?” Edge then gives a crazy laugh that is possibly not unlike the Joker’s in the 1989 Batman film or in the 2008 film The Dark Knight.

Perry then says, “I don’t think that monetary conference needs covering.”

Edge counters by saying that he doesn’t want Lois or Clark anywhere near Rome. “People who are always around other people to get them out of trouble never get any gratitude,” he says. “They just get known as a jinx.”

But Perry sticks up for his reporters. “The Rome assignment is a plum. I think it’s only fair that Lois and Kent get to go.”

Edge then snaps back, saying, “What is this fair stuff? In my forty years in business I never heard the word fair.” His image disappears from the TV screen at that point. It appears that Perry has done all he can for his reporters.

Then we hear an even creepier laugh, followed by this comment:

Some time later, all four reporters arrive in Rome. Jimmy expresses his concern to Lois and Clark, saying, “You two are going to get in a lot of trouble being here.”

Steve echoes Jimmy’s sentiments, adding, “What if Gold fumbles the ball?”

But Lois is confident that she and Clark have made the right decision. “Don’t worry about us. White and Edge will never know.”

The scene then continues with Lois and Clark heading to check into a nearby hotel, when a local boy steals Lois’ purse. Clark attempts to go after him, then turns into a nearby alley and catches up with the boy at super speed.

Puzo has modified this part of the script, as in the first draft Clark was powerless to catch up to the boy. Now his powers are back in full force, as he returns Lois’ purse to her. She comments, “Either he fell down or you’re Superman.”

Clark replies, “He fell down.”

As he continues with the Rome sequence, Puzo has removed all of the references to Clark being powerless, as he has moved the sequence to the second half of the film. Interesting how this was fixed and not the reference on page 166.

Puzo then adds a new bridging sequence to the script. As the four reporters walk through Rome, they come upon a small church and hope to enter in and get some good pictures for their story. A priest stops them and says, “On the day of the Pope you take pictures? Blasphemy! Get inside and make your confessions. Make your souls pure for this day.”

Jimmy tells the priest that he is Catholic, and the priest allows him inside, while Clark, Lois, and Steve remain outside.

Jimmy goes inside and enters into a confessional booth to make his confession to the waiting priest.

As he does so, Jimmy looks up and sees that the priest on the other side of the booth is none other than Lex Luthor, dressed in a priest’s robe. Jimmy rushes out and tells his companions, but by now Luthor has escaped from the church and disappeared into the streets of Rome, in the midst of lots of priests who happen to be on the streets at that time.

From there the script continues as before, as Luthor and his henchmen attempt to assassinate the Pope. Clark leaps into action and stops one of the henchmen, who manages to shoot one of the Pope’s cardinals and kill himself in the process. His last dying words to Clark: “This is nothing… this is nothing…”

The only difference here is that Clark has all of his Kryptonian powers back, and the end conversation between him and Lois where they both say, “Super ain’t happy,” has been deleted from the second draft script.

Next time: we will look at Lex Luthor’s second great crime.

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