"Up, Up, and Away!": "Superman II" (1980) Quiz

Answer: Bus

Ursa and Non picked up a bus that was full of people. General Zod told Ursa and Non to throw the bus. Superman pleaded with them not to throw it because of all the people on-board. Ursa and Non obeyed Zod's orders and threw the bus. The bus landed on its side, and Superman tried to stop it from going too far. Superman attempted to stop the bus but was trapped between it and a delivery truck.

The delivery truck was for Marlboro cigarettes. The citizens of Metropolis thought the three villains had killed Superman. Superman eventually emerged from between the truck and bus and flew away.

Answer: A snake bit her while she was holding it.

The three villains had just landed on planet Earth. They originally thought Earth was called the planet Houston. Upon arrival on planet Earth, the three supervillains descended next to a lake. General Zod landed in the middle of the lake. A nearby fisherman witnessed the three villains descend from the sky. General Zod raised himself and started walking on water.

The fisherman who was drinking a cup of coffee stared at this in disbelief. He threw the coffee aside as if this was causing him to see this. Ursa was walking around the edge of the lake when she noticed a snake.

She picked it up and started examining it as it moved in her hand. The snake bit Ursa and she threw it to the ground. Ursa stared at the snake and the rays emitted from her eyes.

She burned the snake with the beams from her eyes. The three criminals were becoming more and more aware of their powers.

Answer: Zod

Superman was standing in front of a cab when Zod landed on top of it. The two men battled, and Superman was able to knock Zod off his feet. Superman grabbed Zod by one of his legs and arms. Superman swung Zod around in a circle several times and then released him. Zod went flying off and collided with a billboard advertising a soft drink.

The billboard was for Coca-Cola. The sign exploded when Zod impacted with it. This kind of destruction ran rampant as the three supervillains fought with Superman. Several buildings were damaged, including the Daily Planet. Superman flew away to avoid further devastation and destruction to his beloved city and its inhabitants.

Answer: Cuba

Lex Luthor had gone to the White House where General Zod and his accomplices had taken over. As he entered the Oval Office, he waved a white handkerchief to let them know he came in peace. At first, they were not interested in what Lex had to say and seemed intent on killing him. Lex told Zod that Superman was the son of Jor-El, their captor. In exchange for Australia, Lex gave Zod information on where he could find Superman. He led them to the Daily Planet and Lois Lane. After Superman arrived and the battle between them concluded, Zod returned to the office of Perry White. Lex told Zod he knew Superman's address and how to get there. Zod asked what Lex wanted in exchange for the information. Lex smiled slyly and told him he wanted Cuba.

The scene is one of the many new scenes included in the Richard Donner version of "Superman II". It was almost as if I was watching my favorite film for the first time. Richard had filmed several scenes for part two while shooting for the first film. Richard took a risk that sadly worked against him as he went uncredited as the director for the second film.

Answer: laundry detail

Lex and Otis were in the prison's laundromat. The laundromat was their assigned work detail. Lex walked by a fellow prisoner and told him that he wanted his Liberace record back that night. The prisoner seemed upset by this. The inmate informed Lex that the album had a scratch on it. Lex and Otis continued walking and talking about Lex's invention. Lex told Otis his device was almost ready. Otis excitedly yelled out when he heard this. Lex told Otis to be quiet, and then he explained the purpose of his invention. Lex advised Otis his little black box would lead him to Superman.

He told Otis the device would track alpha waves. The alpha waves would lead him to Superman.

Answer: A hydrogen bomb inside an elevator.

The three criminals had been imprisoned for their crimes against Krypton. General Zod attempted to make a last-ditch deal with Jor-El to elude imprisonment. Jor-El decided to go along with the decision of the council and imprisoned them in the Phantom Zone. The trio had been imprisoned until Superman inadvertently released them. Superman had retrieved the elevator the hydrogen bomb was in. He took the elevator into the deepest part of outer space. The bomb exploded, thus releasing the three criminals from their prison.

The Phantom Zone was a void in space or a black hole that was contained. It was the invention of Jor-El. Since Krypton had no death penalty, it was Krypton's harshest punishment. No one had been able to escape the imprisonment in the Phantom Zone.

Answer: He said he had been working out.

Clark had given up his powers so he could be with Lois. The pair stopped at a diner because Lois was hungry. Clark went to the restroom while Lois ordered her food. Rocky, a truck driver, had entered the restaurant and sat down next to Lois. Lois told Rocky that the seat was taken, but he ignored her. Clark came out of the restroom and asked Rocky to move. Rocky refused, and Clark asked him to step outside. Rocky attacked Clark from behind and beat him up. Several weeks later, Clark returned to the diner and confronted Rocky. Clark had regained his superpowers.

He got his revenge on Rocky by sitting Rocky on his plate of food. He then slid Rocky down the counter of the diner into a pinball machine. The owner of the diner looked at Clark in amazement. Clark told the owner he had started working out.

He made a motion like he had been lifting weights.

Answer: Lois punched Ursa in the face knocking her down.

Superman had tricked the three criminals into giving up their powers. He had them convinced the chamber he stepped into would drain him of his powers. It however, did the exact opposite; it protected Superman. The lights in the chamber where the villains, Lois, and Lex were turned red, while the chamber Superman was in stayed white. Superman came out of the chamber and was acting weak and sad. Zod ordered him on his knees and to swear his allegiance to him. Superman took Zod's hand and crushed it. Zod cowered over in pain and disbelief. Superman picked Zod up and threw him into the mist of the chamber. Non attempted to fly away but simply fell into the mist as well. Ursa had been holding Lois by the neck and forcing her to watch Superman losing his powers. Lois turned around and removed Ursa's hand from her body. Lois then punched Ursa straight in the face. Ursa fell into the mist of Superman's hideout too.

She was screaming as she fell.

Answer: Artemis II

Artemis II was a three-person mission to the moon. They were there taking geological surveys. One of the astronauts, Nate, was speaking to the home base. He looked up from his ship and saw Ursa flying past him. He reported this to Houston. The three villains subsequently killed all of the astronauts.

After they destroyed the men and their mission, the three began to understand the source of their newfound powers. Ursa had told Zod the astronauts came from a place called Houston. Zod then declared they would go there to rule.

The three super villains flew to the planet Earth to wreak havoc and chaos throughout the world.

Answer: Christopher Reeve

Sylvester Stallone had expressed interest in playing the role of Superman in the original film. Richard Donner did not feel like Sylvester was a good fit for the part. He went with Christopher, who had been plucked from obscurity. Christopher was an unknown talent at the time he got the title role in "Superman". He would reprise his role as the bumbling and accident-prone Clark Kent and the heroic role of Superman in "Superman II".

Christopher did an outstanding job in both films. This has been my all-time favorite film since childhood. The battle between good and evil was always thrilling for me. Just when it seemed Superman was bested by the three villains, he would turn the tables on them. At the end of the film, Superman would prevail over his enemies, and justice was served.