The third film in the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise came out in 1983. Superman III was a box office hit that made over $60 million in total. The movie did not, however, come without controversy. The movie’s abandoned storyline surprise, which would have depicted Superman falling in love with Supergirl, was one of its most contentious elements.
Superman falling in love with Supergirl would have been one of the most fateful turns in box office history, not to mention how well the movie already did, but the results could have been even better if the twists were as planned to begin with.
The Superman/Supergirl Love Plot Twist That Never Happened
Before knowing why the twist was canceled in Christopher Reeve’s Superman III, let’s know how it came into existence.
Ilya Salkind, co-producer of the first two movies, created the script for the third one. The treatment featured Lana Lang’s entrance, who ultimately played a significant role in Superman III’s finished product. Though some of the topics addressed in the first treatment found their way into the finalized film, no other significant new characters made it into the final product.
Although Brainiac was the movie’s first antagonist, the main focus of the story was the inclusion of Supergirl in the Superman cinematic world. She would arrive on the planet under Brainiac’s control, where Superman would find her, raise her, and subsequently fall in love with her. But she rejects him, and runs away, to finally find herself.
The storyline twist was ultimately dropped by the creators. It is still one of the most fascinating “what-ifs” in the movie’s history, though. It’s probable that if the narrative surprise had been revealed, it would have sent the character’s followers into a frenzy. After all, it was unthinkable for Superman to fall in love with someone who was practically his sister.
The incestuous plot almost ruined Superman’s legacy on the big screen.
Although they both are relatives, they did not grow up together in any of the versions. Kara first arrived on Earth as a teenager, and they first spoke when Kal was already an adult. In more recent incarnations, she was depicted as the older woman who was brought to Earth to care for Kal as a baby but somehow got lost in time and/or space and returned to find him grown and older than she was. Even if there is no blood connection at all, people who were reared together frequently view each other as family and wouldn’t consider starting a relationship.
The idea for this plot twist came from screenwriter David Odell. Odell felt that it would be interesting to explore the idea of Superman being attracted to someone who was essentially his equal. He also felt that it would be a way to add some humor to the film. The twist was canceled for various reasons, but the main reasons were that it was too controversial, as they are cousins, as per the comic of Superman; it was difficult to explain how they fell in love given their close genetic relations; and most importantly, it was only a side gig and not necessary for the plot.
Source: LegendsRevealed
