Can you believe that we’re now into the final thirty-plus pages of the second draft script? This has been quite a thrill ride for me to break down these scripts and share the lowdown with all of you of what Mario Puzo had written back in 1975, and how much of it would form the basis for Superman: The Movie and Superman II.

As we begin on page 269, we are given new material involving Clark and Perry watching Jimmy’s news report on the failed Trident submarine hijacking, and Perry wants to know where Clark was in all of this. “I was on the roof of my building,” Clark responds in a somber voice, “watching the stars.”

At that point Lois, Jimmy, and Steve all come into Perry’s office and again attempt to convince Clark to stay on at Galaxy Communications. Clark is still adamant about resigning his position. “I’m sorry to say this, but I have to resign,” he says.

Then the voice of Morgan Edge pipes into the office yet again, blaring from out of nowhere about another major news story occurring and nobody is covering it.

Perry is about to blow his cork. “Clark is just about to quit, and I will too if you don’t keep your nose out of the news business.”

Edge just continues. “A whole continent is being wiped out by some strange force. … Australia has been wiped out, its cities destroyed, its people killed. We have to know what’s going on.” He then orders Clark and his team to go to Australia and cover the story, but Clark is nowhere to be found.

The script then resumes with material from the first draft script, as Superman heads back to the Fortress of Solitude to consult the Kryptonian memory banks on the history and construction of the Phantom Zone.

Over the next several pages we see how Puzo intercuts the script material from the first draft with all new material of the Kryptonian villains wreaking havoc and destruction across the Australian continent.

And looking out over the Pacific Ocean are Zod, Jax-Ur, Professor Vakox, and Kru-El, enjoying their handiwork and ready to take their path of destruction elsewhere.

Later, in a new sequence, Clark says goodbye to Lois. She figures out that he’s going to Australia to help Superman in his fight against the Kryptonian villains, and she is concerned that Clark could be killed in the process.

Clark then gives her an envelope and says, “If something should happen to me, use the information in this envelope. It gives you the power of attorney in my affairs.”

Then this happens.

Without any further comment I present this script excerpt from page 284, uncut and uninterrupted.

That’s right. The mystery of Morgan Edge has now been revealed. It’s been a secret identity for Superman all along.

So now the next question is how and why? Whenever we saw Clark in the office at the same time “Edge” spoke to the staff, I can only conclude two things. One, Clark was using his super speed to go back and forth between the staff offices and Edge’s office. Two, Clark had prerecorded all of the Edge dialogue for use in those moments. Those are my theories. I’d enjoy hearing yours.

Then on pages 285 and 286, “Edge” speaks to his staff and makes his physical presence known to them for the first time in the script. Instead of the gruff, mysterious owner we thought him to be, he is now benevolent and a little sad. “I want you to know that if anything happens to me, I have left the Galaxy Communications Empire to my employees, and Perry White will be the president,” he says.

Superman then takes off and goes into battle against the villains from the Phantom Zone.

Next time: the ultimate showdown.

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