By now everyone should know the story of Kevin Smith and
Superman Lives. For a brief recap, Hollywood producer, Jon Peters, asked Kevin Smith in 1997 to write the script for a new Superman movie. At this time the "Death of Superman" comic storyline was still the talk of the town, and Peters wanted the story to be along those lines. The gist of Kevin Smith's script, is that Brainiac comes to Earth, works with Lex Luthor to block out the sun, and unleashes Doomsday. Without the sun, Superman becomes weaker, and is killed by Doomsday. After his death a Kryptonian robot-like creature, Eradicator, comes to life, and takes Superman's body. Kal-El is resuscitated, but no longer has any of his powers.
Now, the reason why everyone should know of the Kevin Smith/Superman saga, is that he was asked by Jon Peters to add a giant spider to the story as an homage to his childhood love of King Kong. That has always made Superman fans flinch, because it's a terrible, terrible idea. But, Smith wanted the gig and he incorporated the foolish idea into the script as best he could. Below you will find images and an excerpt of the script detailing Superman's battle against a giant spider (Brainiac).
If you're one of the few people that haven't heard Smith's humorous retelling of this event in his life, check out the video at the bottom of the page. Also of note, these images were created before Tim Burton ("Sleepy Hollow") was attached to direct the film.
"The first design I submitted (with Kevin Smith at the meeting) was commented on by Jon Peters (the producer) as "looking like something I ate at lunch". Eww! So I did a version with a more human looking head, which to me isn't as scary, but I wasn't paying for it." -
Tim Burgard
Kevin Smith's SUPERMAN LIVES Script
Lois squirms about in a mire of fiberglass-looking "webbing."
From the darkness above, an echoey growl is heard.
EXT. METROPOLIS PARK
The cape still hangs off the statue's extended hand., Then, a
black flash whips in and out of the frame, and the cape is no
longer there.
INT. MENAGERIE
Superman bursts through the ceiling again - now wearing his cape -
and through the many levels of the ships, still contained in the
single beam of light.
INT. PIT
He rockets through the ceiling of the pit, allowing the singular
shaft of light to follow. Suddenly, he's struck by a high-powered
stream of murky liquid from above, which knocks him out of the
light, and entraps him in the "webbing," beside the struggling
Lois.
LOIS
Baby!
SUPERMAN
Hey, kid. How about we get out of here?
Something huge and quick, drops from the shadows beyond the shaft
of sunlight, striking Superman.
The THANAGARIAN SNARE BEAST has grown. It resembles something of a
cross between a squid and a spider, but very bio-mechanical and
sleek. And now -- inhabited by Brainiac's consciousness -- it's
extra lethal as well. Brainiac's voice is heard, hissing from
somewhere within the creature.
Note: Image above has been on the net since 2006.
BRAINIAC
SSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUPERRRRRMAAAAAANNN!
It batters the Man of Steel, then moves quickly back into the
darkness. Superman's a bit dazed.
LOIS
Are you alright?!
SUPERMAN
I'm... I'm okay...
(squints up)
I just wish I could see what I'm fighting.
Then, the beast drops on Superman anew, its massive legs tearing
at him. Superman struggles free, bolting toward the shaft of light
to strengthen his powers, but the creature grabs hold of him,
pulling the Man of Steel back into the darkness.
Suddenly, the creature's underbelly opens, setting loose six
smaller, metallic versions of itself. Superman breaks free of the
beast and begins fighting the creatures off, smashing them
together, crushing them in his grip. We hear LOIS'S SHRIEK.
Superman reacts.
The micro-beasts crawl all over Lois. Superman uses his heat
vision to blast the CREATURES, which EXPLODE, hissing. Using his
powers leaves Superman a little dazed.
But the TSB is on him again -- its mid-section spreading to reveal
a primeval head. The BEAST brings Superman to its jaws while
letting loose an ungodly SCREECH. The pair violently tussle, the
beast's head and legs rising and striking, Superman blocking and
attacking. A leg shoots from the darkness and catches Superman by
the throat, pinning him against the web. The beast's jaws come in
close to Superman's face, preparing to gorge.
We see the strain on Superman's face, the veins in his neck and
head throbbing.
Then we see why -- Superman uses all of his strength to stretch
his fist into the just-out-of-reach shaft of light. He makes it,
charging himself.
The jaws of the creature almost on his head, Superman comes across
with a right hook that knocks the creature into the air.
Superman crawls into the sunlight, takes in as much as he can, and
leaps up at the beast, grabbing hold of the wildly flailing
creature. He flies it up and...
INT. MENAGERIE
... out into the full beam of sunlight.
SUPERMAN
You wanna hide in a bug... I'll crush you
like one!
Superman begins mangling the beast.
Hooked into his helm, Brainiac convulses, feeling the pain of the
beating.
Superman grabs the head of the creature and pulls it off,
ferociously.
The MACHINE he's hooked up to EXPLODES from the feedback, and
Brainiac flees back into his own body, throwing the helm off. He
weakly tries to crawl away from the wreckage. Breathing heavily,
Superman grabs a hold of him, lifting Brainiac above his head.