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The Superman Trilogy, Part I: The Last Son of Krypton (A Screenplay)

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Returned to the "Last Son" script for one final wave of revisions.

  • Removed the prism-bird from the opening. I did this to make Krypton more mysterious and alien.
  • Removed all elements indicating Kal was born on Earth. I have a strong ideological aversion to Byrne's raison d'être for the birthing matrix concept, but initially went with it because I found it more compatible with my concept of Kal as a bioengineered colonizer. In the end, I had to stay true to Siegel & Shuster's vision of Kal as the ultimate immigrant.
 
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I've come to realize that I have too much story to fit comfortably inside a trilogy of feature-length screenplays, so I've decided to retool my Superman trilogy into a three-season series instead. Everything from the destruction of Krypton to the development of Clark's powers is Episode 1, everything from Labor Day weekend to Jonathan's phone conversation with Helen is Episode 2, and I imagine a minimum of five further episodes to follow, bringing Season 1 to a close.
I'm going back on this. Having discarded the sidestories I had planned for Krypton, Luma, and Luthor, I don't have enough material left to sustain a multi-episode series.

I've also deleted the last page+ worth of posts. With the revisions underway, it'll be easier to simply repost the revised material than edit the old posts/link back to to them with lists of revisions made.
 

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FADE TO

Somewhere in Rice County, Kansas, where we find a sprawling conglomeration of metal pipes, tanks, and funnels.

SUPERIMPOSE: LUTHOR CORPORATION FERTILIZER PLANT No. 3 — SEPTEMBER 1933.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/LABORATORY #1 — SUNSET

Behind the windows of a sealed observation booth is DR. EMMETT VALE. A thin man with receding hair, he is assisted by a number of subordinate technologists and technicians. He peers out into the adjacent antiseptic chamber, where we find SUBJECT ONE. Seventeen years old, the swarthy girl is a sight to behold. She is strikingly beautiful, with azure eyes, a straight nose, high cheek bones, full lips, and snow white hair grown down to her knees. Tall, with a body toned with lithe muscle beneath the white gown she wears, she nevertheless broadcasts timidity. She keeps her eyes to the floor as technicians attach wires to her body.

TECHNICIAN #1

This last connection is made, Doctor.

EMMETT VALE

(to Subject One) This test will determine if even a small percentage of your strength has returned. We'll lower the weight slowly, adjusting with your bio-electric aura accordingly.​

Subject One glances up. Suspended overhead is a massive 100-ton steel weight.

EMMETT VALE

Let's begin the test.​

The weight descends. Subject One raises her arms, pressing against the mass as it meets her.

TECHNICIAN #2

She's bearing two tons.

EMMETT VALE

(nods) Continue.​

The weight is increased incrementally. Subject One is now bearing four tons, then six, then eight, then ten. Still no visible signs of strain or fatigue.

TECHNICIAN #2

Bearing sixty-four tons.​

At this point, Subject One has begun showing signs of tension. Slight but evident.

EMMETT VALE

Continue.​

The weight descends. Subject One grits her teeth, shifting to redistribute the weight.

TECHNICIAN #2

Seventy-four tons.​

Subject One can no longer stand upright. She is in a half-crouch, grimacing, straining to support the weight across her back and arms.

EMMETT VALE

Continue.

TECHNICIAN #2

I don't think she can support —

EMMETT VALE

Continue.

The weight descends. One of Subject One's knees buckles, striking the metal-plated floor, denting it. She cries out in agony.

EMMETT VALE

Stop.​

The weight rises, releasing Subject One. She collapses onto her side, spent.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE — DAY

Seated at his desk, Vale dictates into a wire recorder.

EMMETT VALE

(cont'd) The compound has an approximate biological half-life of forty-eight hours; its symptoms subsided in increments over the next twenty-four. (beat) Subject One's senses are restored, though I cannot be certain she won't relapse or undergo other changes to her health. Further testing is in order.​

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/SUBJECT ONE'S CELL — DAY

Subject One's cell is a drab concrete room, harshly lit by a ceiling light fixture. Mostly spartan, it is furnished with some few luxuries: a small desk, complete with phonograph player, records, and a half-dozen books braced between bookends. Lying upon her cot, hands folded beneath her head, Subject One listens in on Vale with her super hearing.

EMMETT VALE

(O.S.) The compound has proven an effective counterbalance. I recommend Subject One's cell be reinforced with it once enough bars have been synthesized. In the interval, equipping the guards with outfitted cudgels should be sufficient.​

EXT. KENT FARM — WHEAT FIELD — NIGHT

Jonathan Kent is busy removing a large boulder embedded in the ground. Working with a long pry bar, he struggles to uproot the stubborn boulder. Though a virile man still, Jonathan is beginning to show the signs of age; his blond hair is starting to fade to a pale gray and he now wears his glasses on a permanent basis.

As Jonathan sweats and strains against the boulder, Clark walks up to him, his red-haired dog Rusty — son of Shelby — running circles about his heels. Seventeen years old, Clark has grown into a strapping young man — tall, broad-shouldered, and rustically handsome.

CLARK

Pa?

JONATHAN

(busy) Hrm?

CLARK

Can I help?​

Struggling with the pry bar for a few more seconds, Jonathan finally gives the futile effort up. Taking off the hat he's wearing, he wipes his moist brow, sighing with exasperation.

JONATHAN

(steps back) You're gonna need something for leverage, son.​

Stepping up to the boulder, Clark reaches under and uproots it, holding it aloft with one hand effortlessly. This is a Clark who wouldn't struggle lifting the rear of the Model T now.

CLARK

Where do you want it?

JONATHAN

(smiles) Let's take it to the barn, around back.​

Leaving the field, they take the boulder behind the barn, where Clark gently sets it down on the ground. With a few short whacks, he splits the boulder up into smaller chunks to be hauled away later.

CLARK

Is it alright if I head off to the park? I was hoping to meet the gang there.

JONATHAN

All your chores done?

CLARK

Uh-huh.

JONATHAN

Then what do you need my permission for? (claps Clark on back) School starts tomorrow. Make the most of these precious few hours.

CLARK

(grins) Thanks, Pa.

JONATHAN

Just don't be late getting back for supper.

CLARK

Am I ever?​

Before Jonathan can reply, Clark is gone in a flash. Shaking his head, Jonathan takes his hat and slaps a boulder chunk with it, smiling.

EXT. BYRNE PARK — DAY

It is a sunny, late Labor Day afternoon. Though most visitors have retired home for the coming evening, several people are still present, playing games, flying kites, talking, reading, or just sitting and milling about.

Dropping out of super speed, Clark arrives on the park outskirts, well out of view of anyone. Checking his clothes over to make certain they are neat and clean, he proceeds onward, walking at a leisurely pace. He soon spots Lana and Pete. Like Clark, they, too, have matured into young adults. Pete is tall, almost as tall as Clark, just as handsome, but lanky in build. Lana, shorter than the two boys but still tall for a lady, is a beauty with large thick-lashed eyes, full cheeks, and full pink lips, a large congregation of freckles covering her exposed skin only adding to her natural beauty. Sharing a bench, the pair are deep in conversation, too busy to notice Clark.

CLARK

(waves) Lana! Pete!​

Noticing Clark, they rise from the bench. Clark joins them.

PETE

(claps Clark on arm) Glad to see you made it out today, fella.

CLARK

Summer break's almost over. Like my pa said, "Make the most of these precious few hours." (beat) Brought the pigskin?

LANA

(brings out football) bien sûr.​

Heading out to a clear area on the grass, the three begin playing catch.

PETE

(tosses ball to Lana) Returning to the Torch again this year, Lana?

LANA

(catches ball) Returning to this question again this year, Pete?​

Lana tosses the ball to Clark, who tosses it back to Pete.

PETE

(catches ball) Well, yeah. This is senior year. (tosses ball to Lana)

LANA

(catches ball) So? (tosses ball to Pete)

PETE

(catches ball) You've been editor-in-chief of the school paper three years straight. Don't you wanna give something fun a run your final year? (tosses ball to Clark)

CLARK

(catches ball) Working on the Torch is plenty fun, Pete. (tosses ball to Lana)

PETE

You think milking cows is fun, Kent.

LANA

(catches ball) You'd rather I try out for cheerleading? (tosses ball to Pete)

PETE

(catches ball) Getting dolled up in a cute number? Hoofing it for the boys on the field? Flashing those grand gams of yours? A mite niftier than sitting on your keister in a cramped, fusty office getting an edge off mimeograph fumes, I can tell you. (tosses ball to Clark)

LANA

Sorry, Pete. Tried that freshman year; didn't take to it. (intercepts ball) Go long.​

Jogging out, Clark spreads his arms high. Lana sends the football sailing through the air; Clark just barely misses it. He goes to retrieve the ball.

LANA

(to Pete) Though if you want to admire my grand gams, you need only ask.​

As Clark returns with the ball, Lana hikes the hem of her skirt up to her thigh, affording both boys a lingering look at one long, shapely, creamy leg.

CLARK

(drops football) Hot damn!

Flashing a sexy grin, Lana drops her skirt back in place.

A couple hours later.

With the sun beginning to set, the three call it a day. Giving their farewells, they part to return home.

EXT. KENT FARM — BARN — SUNSET

Returning from the park, Clark crosses past the barn on his way to the house.

KENNY

(O.C.) Hey, Clark! Clark, up here!​

Stopping, Clark turns and looks up to the barn. He can just make out Kenny standing in the loft's open door.

INT. BARN/LOFT — SUNSET

Clark climbs the ladder to the loft, where he finds Kenny sitting in a wooden chair by the loft door, casually sipping from a bottle of root beer as he looks out, seemingly a million miles away. As tall as Pete but even leaner, he'd look handsome if he wasn't so painfully thin.

Turning to Clark, the black teenager hoists up a small carrying case of root beer.

KENNY

Have one.​

Clark silently takes one of the bottles. Placing his thumbnail under the rim of the metal cap, he pops it off with one flick of his thumb.

KENNY

I still haven't learned how you do that.

CLARK

Trade secret.

KENNY

You out with Pete and Lana?

CLARK

At the park, yeah.

KENNY

(looks out loft door) Those were the days, weren't they? Just us four, running wild all summer-long, day and night. (beat) Your folks always understood. My dad never did.​

Clark takes a seat in a second chair beside Kenny.

CLARK

(takes sip) How's your pa? Doing any better?

KENNY

Worse. A lot worse. (takes sip) I won't be coming back this year, Clark.

CLARK

(frowns) What do you mean, won't be coming back?

KENNY

I'll be needed at the gas station full-time now. I won't have time for school anymore.

CLARK

Ken, this is our senior year. Graduation's this spring.

KENNY

And I know you'll make it — with flying colours. (finishes bottle) Keep the rest.​

Morose, Kenny rises and crosses over to the ladder.

EXT. BRAVERMAN HOME/FRONT YARD — TWILIGHT

Kenny arrives home. The Braverman home is a cottage in shabby, weather-beaten, but otherwise alright condition.

INT. BRAVERMAN HOME/LIVING ROOM — TWILIGHT

Within the confines of the cottage living room we finding AL BRAVERMAN sitting in a threadbare armchair, a bottle of moonshine cradled in his lap. Eyelids droopy, lower lip hanging low, nose misshapen, chin unshaven, and frame and features positively skeletal, he is a homely man. His bleary eyes are quite yellow, but that could be due to the dirty lighting afforded by the living room's kerosene lamp.

As Kenny enters the cottage, he reluctantly steps into the living room doorway and stands there, watching his father for a sign of acknowledgement. Taking a long sip from his bottle, Al takes a gander at his son. Spitting a stream of saliva through the gap in his bottom front teeth, he returns to watching nothing.

INT. BRAVERMAN HOME/KITCHEN — TWILIGHT

Entering the kitchen, Kenny begins preparing supper. As he lights a fire in the wood stove, he rests a finger against his lips in thought.

INT. BRAVERMAN HOME/LIVING ROOM — TWILIGHT

Returned to the doorway, Kenny finds Al slipped into a doze. The bottle, held limply now in his hands, begins to tilt precariously forward, threatening to spill. Kenny strides up to the armchair and stills the bottle. This action is enough to jolt Al out of his light slumber. Thinking his son is trying to steal his bottle, the ugliness of Al's face deepens with a scowl as he slaps Kenny hard against the face. Kenny rears back. Al stares hard at Kenny for several long seconds, then falls back into unconsciousness.

INT. BRAVERMAN HOME/KENNY'S BEDROOM — TWILIGHT

Kenny enters his bedroom. Unlike the rest of the home, this room is kept clean and relatively tidy, though there are books everywhere, hardcover and paperback, fiction and nonfiction. Closing his door behind him, he strides up to his desk. Opening the top drawer, he reveals the revolver nestled inside.

Withdrawing the revolver, he pulls back the hammer, aiming it at the bedroom door, in the direction of his father. As Kenny keeps the barrel of the gun trained in that direction, his face twists with deep-seated loathing, his hand and arm beginning to violently shake with suppressed rage.
 

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INT. KENT FARMHOUSE/CLARK'S BEDROOM — DAY

Clark, wide awake, clad only in pajama bottoms, sits atop his bed, reading a paperback novel.

MARTHA

(O.S.) Clark Kent, you're about to miss the bus!​

Hearing his mother's voice, Clark sets down his book and rises. Sauntering over to his bedroom window, he opens it and leans out. Allowing the cool morning air and warm morning sun to play across his bare skin, he closes his eyes, relishing the sensation.

EXT. MAIN ROAD — DAY

Clark — groomed, in fresh clothes, notebooks in hand — comes to the top of the driveway just in time to see the school bus pulling away. He frowns, bemused.

INT. SCHOOL BUS — DAY

Inside the bus, near the back, Pete and another boy share a seat. Looking behind them, they watch Clark's diminutive shape recede in the distance.

PETE'S FRIEND

(handing Pete 25¢) I can't believe you bet against your best friend.​

EXT. MAIN ROAD — DAY

Clark stands there, watching the bus shrink into the horizon. With his super hearing, he listens in on the two boys' conversation.

PETE

(V.O.) It's a statistical fact: If Clark moved any slower, he'd be extinct.​

Once the bus has disappeared from sight, Clark's bemusement fades, replaced with a wry smile. Breaking into a run, the world slows to a crawl as he attains top speed. In seconds, Clark overtakes the school bus. Twisting around, running backward, he waves to the motionless vehicle and its oblivious passengers. Turning back 'round, he leaves the bus far behind him, eating his dust.

EXT. SMALLVILLE HIGH/ENTRANCE — DAY

Clark is loitering by the school entrance, propped against a stone wall, arms crossed in front of him, when the school bus finally pulls up by the curb. Exiting the bus, Pete and his friend come to the entrance, where they find Clark in-wait.

PETE

(dumbstruck) How'd you get here so fast?

CLARK

(smirking) I ran.​

Uncrossing his arms, Clark heads inside.

INT. SMALLVILLE HIGH/TORCH OFFICE — DAY

Opening the door, Clark enters the office of the Smallville Torch. Equipped with a pair of desks with a typewriter each, three file cabinets, and a table at the back complete with hand-cranked mimeograph machine, it is windowless, with bare brick walls — quite small, hell in less temperate seasons, but adequate for the needs of a small student newspaper. Lana, present at her desk, is busy at her typewriter, typing an article for the Torch's upcoming back-to-school issue. Setting his notebooks atop the other desk, Clark comes up behind Lana, leaning over her shoulder to peer at what she's typed.

CLARK

"Effluvious" has two "F"s.​

Pursing her lips, Lana goes for her bottle of correction fluid, but Clark beats her to the quick. Uncapping the bottle, he applies the black fluid to the mimeograph stencil, covering up "efluvious". Once it's dried, Lana retypes the word with the extra "F".

Still leaning over her shoulder, Clark looks to Lana, and she to him. Her eyes, hazel, meet his, azure. In that moment, nothing exists for them beyond each other. And then the spell is broken. Straightening, Clark steps back, putting a hand behind his head. Confused, hesitant, Lana turns back to her typewriter. Retiring to his own desk, Clark begins consulting a notebook.

LANA

(facing Clark) Clark?

CLARK

(looking up) Lana?

LANA

(cont'd) Aunt Hel's back in Smallville.

CLARK

Is she?

LANA

(nodding) For keeps. (beat) Her property's in need of sprucing up. She's looking for a part-time hand. (beat) You always seem to have time on your hands.

CLARK

I'll ask my folks tonight.​

Lanas smiles tightly, then returns to her article.

INT. KENT FARMHOUSE/DINING ROOM — NIGHT

Clark is with his parents at the dining room table. They're enjoying a dinner of shepherd's pie with bean salad.

CLARK

Helen Winters' back in town.

MARTHA

Helen's back? (facing Jonathan) It's been ten, eleven years since we saw her last?

JONATHAN

(distant) About that.

MARTHA

We should pay the old girl a visit.

JONATHAN

(non-committal) Um-hmm.

CLARK

She's looking for part-time help. I figured ...​

This gets Jonathan's attention.

JONATHAN

You have school work, and chores.

CLARK

Duck soup, pa. (beat) We could use the cash.

MARTHA

It shouldn't be a problem, Jonathan.

CLARK

It shouldn't, should it, pa?

JONATHAN

(frowning) It shouldn't. (beat) No, no, it won't.​

EXT. HELEN'S HOUSE/FRONT YARD — DAY

Dropping out of super speed, Clark arrives at Helen's home. A two-storey house in fine structural condition, it nevertheless needs new shingles, a fresh coat of paint, and the surrounding yards weeding/mowing.

Climbing the porch steps, Clark knocks at the front door. In moments Helen opens the door. Though her hair's gone salt-&-pepper and her face lined with age, she's still quite the handsome woman.

HELEN

Hello?

CLARK

Clark Kent, ma'am.

HELEN

(astonished) Clark Kent‽

CLARK

I go to school with your niece. She told me you were in need of a hand?

HELEN

Come right in.​

INT. HELEN'S HOUSE/ENTRANCE HALL — DAY

Stepping aside, Helen allows Clark inside. Closing the door after him, she examines him head-to-foot then foot-to-head with her eyes.

HELEN

Clark Kent. You were seven years old the last I saw of you. (beat) You've surely grown.

CLARK

That I have, ma'am.

HELEN

(resting hand on Clark's shoulder) Will you walk into my parlour?​

INT. HELEN'S HOUSE/PARLOUR — DAY

Helen and Clark enter the parlour. Guiding him to a small table surrounded by two padded side chairs, she sits him down in one.

HELEN

Would you care for something to drink, Clark? Iced tea?

CLARK

(nodding) Thank you, yes.​

Helen leaves. Shortly she returns, carrying a metal platter laden with two tall glasses and a full pitcher of iced tea. Setting the platter down on the table, she fills both glasses, then takes the chair opposite Clark. Hiking the hem of her brown paisley dress up, Helen crosses her legs, affording Clark an unobstructed view of them. Shapely gams clearly run in Lana's family.

HELEN

What would you say needs doing?

CLARK

(distracted) Excuse me?

HELEN

Around the house?

CLARK

(looking about room) Your home looks quite nice inside. There's no sign of termites or dry rot.

HELEN

(smiling) You've quite the peepers, haven't you, Clark?

CLARK

(antsy) Just my cursory examination, missus. (sipping iced tea) The roof needs attending to, and the yard, certainly.

HELEN

(nodding) How does 10¢ an hour sound to you?

CLARK

It sounds quite fair to me, Mrs. Winters.

HELEN

Miss Potter. But call me Hel.

CLARK

Hel it is.​

Smiling, Helen drinks from her glass; some of the tea runs past her mouth, down her neck. Collecting the tea on a finger, she sucks at it. Clark doesn't fail noticing the fullness of her lips.
 

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INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/LABORATORY #2

From the floor of the underlit and untenented chamber rises an elevated steel platform. Atop it rests an open stasis matrix identical to the one Clark arrived in.

Adjacent to the platform is a long table. Ladened with laboratory equipment, it also bears a particular curiosity: a pentagonal chrome disc engraved with an S-shaped symbol.

EXT. HELEN'S HOUSE/ROOF — DAY

Clark is up on Helen's roof, replacing worn/missing shingles. Though he could do the job solely by hand if he so chose, he works with a hammer to disguise his particular talents.

INT. KENT FARMHOUSE/ATTIC — DAY

At the back of the attic is a large trunk. From within begins resonating a high-pitched siren.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/LABORATORY #2

The disc lights up, glowing a phosphorescent white, broadcasting an identical siren.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/SUBJECT ONE'S CELL

Hearing the ultrasonic siren, Subject One stiffens, snapping the pencil in her hand.

EXT. HELEN'S HOME/ROOF — DAY

Clark stops hammering. He, too, hears the siren.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/SUBJECT ONE'S CELL

The girl stands up, knocking over her chair. Getting a lock on the siren, she goes for the cell door.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/CORRIDOR

With her great strength, Subject One tears the thick steel door out, frame and all. As she steps out into the corridor, she finds a pair of guards ready for her, billy clubs out; the butts of the wooden truncheons are fitted with luminescent red gemstones. The siren in her ears abruptly dies.

A guard takes a swipe at Subject One. She manages to evade the blow, but just barely. She dashes past them, but again, without any hint of super speed. The guards chase her down the hall. Catching up to her, they pummel her with their clubs. She collapses with agonized cries, her invulnerability gone.

INT. HELEN'S HOUSE/ENTRANCE HALL — DAY

Hearing a knock at her door, Helen answers it. Clark stands in the threshold, quite perturbed.

HELEN

Problem, Clark?

CLARK

I don't feel well.

HELEN

It's quite warm out. I'm not surprised. (touching his arm) I'll fetch you some water.​

Nodding his thanks, Clark enters.

INT. HELEN'S HOME/PARLOUR — DAY

Clark is seated in a chair when Helen comes in with a glass of water in hand; she hands it to him.

CLARK

(accepting glass) Thank you.​

Clark swallows the water greedily, but it does nothing to dispel the siren. Stepping behind Clark, Helen rests her hands on his shoulders.

HELEN

May I?​

Clark acquiesces. Helen begins massaging his shoulders and neck.

HELEN

How does that feel? Helps?

CLARK

(closing eyes) Hmmm.​

Helen continues the massage. There is the trace of a smile on her lips.

HELEN

Clark?

CLARK

Yes?

HELEN

You needn't knock, if you want inside. My door is open to you (into his ear) any time.​

Opening his eyes, he abruptly rises.

CLARK

I believe I'll call it a day.

HELEN

Are you alright to drive? Would you like a ride?

CLARK

I can manage. Thank you for the water and ... attention, Hel.​

Giving him a brief, thin smile, Helen allows Clark to go.

INT. KENT FARMHOUSE/ENTRANCE HALL — DAY

Martha is heading out when Clark bursts through the door and up the stairs at super speed, startling her.

INT. KENT FARMHOUSE/ATTIC — DAY

Clark follows the siren to the trunk. Kneeling, he begins riffling through the contents. Finding a small oak box at the bottom, he lifts it out, examining it; locked. Using his strength, he forces it open, revealing a disc nestled against the black velvet lining. An exact twin of the one in the laboratory, it, too, glows a bright white. As Clark takes the radiant disc in his hand, the siren trails off. Relief surges through him.

Hearing a creak behind him, Clark looks over his shoulder; his parents stand there. Spying the glowing disc in their son's hand, husband and wife exchange glances. A long moment of uneasy silence passes between the three of them.

JONATHAN

Son ... it's finally time to show you something.​

INT. TRUCK — DAY

Jonathan is behind the wheel, Clark beside him. They are headed towards one of their fields.

CLARK

Where are we going, Pa?

JONATHAN

We're going back in time, son.​

EXT. KENT FARM — FIELD — DAY

Jonathan soon brings the truck to a halt before a barbed wire fence ahead. Emerging from the vehicle, father and son slip under the wire and into the disused field yonder.

JONATHAN

It's been eighteen years since your ma and me last came to this field. I've let it lay fallow ever since.

CLARK

This ... this is the field you told me never to play in, when I was a little kid.

JONATHAN

That's right. And I posted "NO TRESPASSING" signs all 'round, and put up the nastiest barbed wire fence I could find ...​

Jonathan leads Clark to a large wood panel set flush into the earth.

JONATHAN

(cont'd) all to hide this. (beat) Lift it away, son.​

Reaching under the heavy panel, Clark effortlessly uproots it. Setting the panel aside, he discovers the secret concealed beneath — the stasis matrix nestled in its depths.

CLARK

(astonished) Oh, my God. P-pa...? (facing Jonathan) What is it?

JONATHAN

This is how you came into our world, son — the day the grandfather of all blizzards slammed down on Smallville. (beat) It's where your ma and me found you.

CLARK

(flabbergasted) "Found me"‽ You mean ... I'm adopted‽

JONATHAN

Something like that. (beat) Yes, "adopted" is as good a word as any.​

Reaching into his trousers, Clark fishes out the disc. Cupping it in both hands, he stares at the engraved, glowing "S".

JONATHAN

(cont'd) I tried for years to trace its origins, but it's not any symbol known to Man.

CLARK

What are you trying to tell me, Pa? That I'm a Martian?

JONATHAN

I don't know, Clark. Maybe we just weren't meant to know. Maybe we'll never know.​

Clark takes a step back, overwhelmed.

CLARK

T-this is a joke, right?

JONATHAN

We should have told you earlier. Should have told you years ago.

CLARK

(irate) Why didn't you tell me?

JONATHAN

We wanted to protect you.

CLARK

(angry) Protect me from what‽ You should have told me!​

His world turned upside down, Clark doesn't know what to do, so he does the only thing he can think to do; he leaves.

JONATHAN

Clark! Clark!

But his son is already long gone.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/CORRIDOR

Vale comes to Subject One's temporary cell. The guard at the door takes out his set of keys, unlocking it for the doctor.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/SUBJECT ONE'S TEMPORARY CELL

Vale enters. He finds Subject One curled in a fetal position on her cot, back to the door.

EMMETT VALE

Subject One, are you awake?​

The girl stirs, indicating yes, she's awake.

EMMETT VALE

Turn over. I want a look at you.​

Subject One turns over. Vale lifts her shirt; purple bruises mar her chiselled abs. He feels the bruises; she winces. Satisfied with her reaction, he straightens her shirt.

EMMETT VALE

Why did you try to escape?

SUBJECT ONE

(hesitant) I don't know.

EMMETT VALE

Tell the truth.

SUBJECT ONE

I am.​

Vale gives her a stern look.

SUBJECT ONE

Something compelled me. (beat) I can't explain it, Doctor. I can't, really.​

Pursing his lips, Vale turns to leave.

SUBJECT ONE

Doctor, can I have my things?

EMMETT VALE

Your privileges have been rescinded for a month.​

The doctor leaves. As the key is turned in the lock, Subject One turns back over. She begins crying.

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE

Entering his office, Vale takes a seat at his deck. Lifting the receiver from the rotary telephone, he dials.

OPERATOR

(V.O.) Long distance.

EMMETT VALE

This is Emmett Vale. I would like to place a call to Lex Luthor in SUllivan, Delaware. The number is 0539.​

Vale waits as the connection is routed through.

EXT. LUTHOR MANSION/BACK YARD — DAY

Behind the prodigious Scots Baronial-style mansion is an Olympic-size swimming pool. Frolicking in the water is ALEXEI "LEX" LUTHOR and THREE FLAPPER GIRLS.

From out of the house comes a black male servant, a telephone in his hands.

MALE SERVANT

Telephone, sir. Doctor Emmett Vale.​

Leaving his colour-coordinated companions, Luthor climbs out of the pool and fetches a towel, drying his face and hair. A powerfully built 38-year-old man, the bushy brows set over the billionaire's green eyes are the same shade as his thick, curly red hair.

Accepting the phone from the servant, Luthor takes a seat in a sun lounger, putting the receiver to his ear.

LEX LUTHOR

I'm here, Emmett.​

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE

EMMETT VALE

Lex, it's happened. For the first time in eighteen years — activity.​

EXT. LUTHOR MANSION/BACK YARD — DAY

LEX LUTHOR

Tell me everything.​

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE

EMMETT VALE

The metal disc found with the vessel's become active, resonating a white glow.​

EXT. LUTHOR MANSION/BACK YARD — DAY

LEX LUTHOR

Is it exhibiting any other properties?​

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE

EMMETT VALE

Spectral analysis is underway. (beat) The disc's activation coincided with an outburst from Subject One.​

EXT. LUTHOR MANSION/BACK YARD — DAY

LEX LUTHOR

She knows of its existence.​

INT. FERTILIZER PLANT/LEVEL 3/VALE'S OFFICE

EMMETT VALE

I questioned her. She confessed a reaction to an indescribable stimulus. I believe she was holding something back from me.​

EXT. LUTHOR MANSION/BACK YARD — DAY

LEX LUTHOR

I'll need to assess the situation in person. Continue your tests, Emmett, but under no circumstance allow Subject One to come into contact with the disc before then.​

Luthor hangs up.

EXT. FOX-WATSON THEATER — DUSK

In the city of Salina, we find Clark seated high atop the Art Deco spire of the Fox-Watson Theater, staring up into the dimming sky. The stars in the firmament appear particularly luminous tonight.

EXT. LANG HOUSE/BACK YARD — NIGHT

Having gathered pebbles, Clark chucks them at Lana's window, hoping to draw her attention. After several attempts, Lana fails to show.

EXT. LANG HOUSE/FRONT YARD — NIGHT

Coming around to the front door, Clark knocks. Lana's mother eventually answers.

SARAH LANG

(bemused) Clark‽

CLARK

May I see Lana?

SARAH LANG

Have you any idea what the time is‽ (looking at watch; isn't wearing one)

CLARK

Please, Mrs. Lang. It's important I see her.

SARAH LANG

(shaking head) Lana isn't here. She's sleeping over at Chloe's. (beat) Sakes alive, Clark. Visit during godly hours!​

At that, Mrs. Lang closes the door in Clark's face. Crestfallen, Clark turns away. As he leaves the Lang property, he looks to the sky. The thick cloud cover which had blotted out the moon has broken, allowing strong moonlight to filter through the tears. Following the rays to Earth, Clark spies in the distance the house of Helen Potter.

INT. HELEN'S HOUSE/BEDROOM — NIGHT

The windows in Helen's bedroom have been opened wide, allowing bright moonlight inside. It cascades over the bed, over the woman whose curves are only tenuously hidden beneath a thin sheet. A cool breeze seeps in through the windows, rustling the parted curtains and Helen's sheet. Hearing the sound or feeling the sensation, Helen is drawn from her slumber. Turning over, looking up, she finds Clark standing there at the foot of her bed, ghostly in the moonlight.

Sitting up, Helen pushes the sheet away, exposing the full length of her supple porcelain body, then crosses her arms above her head to afford Clark a strong look at her ample bosom. Leaving the foot of the bed, Clark sits down on the mattress with her. He examines her with his eyes, head-to-foot then foot-to-head. Anxious, inexperienced, he doesn't know how to proceed. Reaching for him, Helen removes his suspenders. Once they're out of the way, she unbuttons his flannel shirt. Pushing it open, she exposes the wiry muscle of his hairless chest and abs. Cupping his pecs, she feels the taut sinews in her palms and under her fingers — experiences them. Then snaking her fingers through his hair, she guides his lips to the nape of her neck.

EXT. KENT FARMHOUSE/FRONT PORCH — DAWN

Jonathan and Martha sit in the porch swing. Jonathan holds Martha, who fell asleep some time ago.

JONATHAN

Martha….​

Hearing her name, Martha is roused from sleep.

MARTHA

(inquisitive) Clark?​

Following Jonathan's gaze, Martha finds Clark coming down the driveway, on his way towards them.

As Clark climbs the porch steps, Martha and Jonathan rise from the swing. Clark stands there, facing his surrogate parents.

MARTHA

Clark, honey ... don't hate us for keeping this secret from you all these years.

CLARK

I don't hate you, Ma. I could never think badly of you or Pa.​

Opening his arms, Clark goes to them. Opening their arms, Martha and Jonathan go to him. They embrace, holding to each other fast, family to the very end.
 

Duragizer

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It's been almost three years since I last updated this script. When my previous laptop died in November 2022, I lost a chunk of the screenplay I was still working on, throwing me into a tizzy. And ADHD and depression have long been demotivators in my life, with the latter getting worse since my mother died. I fully intended to get back to work on it, but life's been hurtling barrage after barrage of hardships on me ever since and I've never been able to get back into a constructive headspace. So now I've decided to make it official: progress on this screenplay's on indefinite hiatus.

For my long-suffering readers who've had to bear with constant revisions and a dearth of updates, it's not fair that they don't get to know where I intended to go with this and the rest of my Superman trilogy, so I'm going to do my best to summarize the storyarc in one or a few follow-up posts.
 
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Duragizer

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Part 1 of my outline covering the rest of The Last Son of Krypton:

Luthor makes the trip to the fertilizer plant. As he touches base with Vale then visits Subject One in her cell, we learn more about Subject One. The same time Clark's stasis matrix arrived in Smallville, hers touched down in another part of the country, crashing and causing a devastating fire in a munitions factory owned by Luthor Incorporated. The matrix was found undamaged and Subject One retrieved soon after, whereupon she was taken into captivity and subjected to scientific observation/experimentation. While not a constant presence in her life, Luthor's the only person she knows who's shown her any affection, having given her gifts on the occasions he's visited her in the past. It's obvious, however, that Luthor's tenderness is purely performative, the ruse of a charismatic manipulator, that the gifts he's given her — mostly in the form of books authored by figures such as Hobbes and Poe — were curated to make her subservient to him and fearful of the outside world.

Through guilt-tripping and bribery, Luthor wheedles out of Subject One knowledge of her super-hearing. He then tells her of the stasis matrix, the disc found within it, and his desire to learn their secrets, persuading her to interact with them and pass on anything they reveal to him. Under controlled conditions, Subject One's taken to the laboratory housing her matrix and given the disc. Upon finding a niche the exact shape/size of the disc in the matrix's side, she inserts it. Upon doing so, she's thrown back, suffering a violent seizure which leaves her catatonic. Vale performs cerebral angiography on Subject One, but the underlying cause of her condition eludes them. Luthor orders Subject One fitted with a feeding tube and placed under observation until further tests can be arranged. Unbeknownst to her keepers, Subject One's feigning her affliction. No longer periodically exposed to red kryptonite, her powers gradually return in 72 hours. Then using her x-ray vision to map the layout of the plant, she speedily neutralizes her guards, retrieves the disc, and escapes.

Using her disc as a homing device, Subject One makes the trek from Metropolis to Smallville. Along the way, she crosses paths with a gas trucker who attempts to sexually assault her. Brutally disabling him, she tears his truck apart in a fit of rage, causing a tremendous explosion. The conflagration incinerates her clothing but leaves her unscathed.

Clark pursues his relationship with Helen in secret. Though neither his schoolwork nor chores suffer, he neglects his friendship with Lana and Pete, who've started dating. The amount of time he spends with Helen also draws Jonathan's ire, who's suspicious of Helen's intentions.

Subject One arrives in Smallville. She follows the disc to the Kent farm and begins discretely spying on the Kents. It isn't long before she learns Clark's the one she's looking for.

Early one morning, just before sunrise, Kenny pays Clark a visit. Frantic, he tells Clark that he shot and killed his father and needs Clark's help disposing of the body and gun. Clark reluctantly accompanies Kenny into the woods with the corpse. As Kenny begins digging the grave, Clark changes his mind about helping him, urging Kenny to turn himself in to the police. As the two boys argue, Subject One, who's been tailing them, reveals herself. Taken by surprise, Kenny reflexively fires at the naked girl. Uninjured but angered, she grabs Kenny's gun hand, crushing both, but Clark's able to talk her down before she can do him any worse harm.

Clark takes Subject One back to the farm, leaving her in the care of his parents while he goes back for Kenny. He finds Kenny back at his home where he prevents him from committing suicide, revealing his powers in the process. The sheriff arrives and takes a bewildered Kenny into custody.

With the Kents, Subject One's clothed and fed. Though claiming to have amnesia, she recalls that her name's Mala. Initially reserved around Martha and Jonathan, Mala warms up to them the more time she spends with them — helping Jonathan with firewood, receiving a haircut from Martha, etc. — though only truly relaxes when alone with Clark.

After Lana catches Helen and Clark in bed together, Clark confides in her that his relationship with her aunt's purely physical and unfulfilling emotionally. He stops seeing Helen shortly thereafter.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Helen invites the Kents to join her and her sister's family at her house for Thanksgiving dinner. Mala, passed off as a distant relative, accompanies them. Upon meeting Helen, Mala takes an immediate disliking to her. After Helen pressures Clark to assist her in the kitchen, the dinner commences. Immediately, Helen acts passive-aggressively toward her guests, with especial attention given to Clark and Jonathan, the gibes and innuendoes growing less passive and more aggressive as time presses on. Tensions mount until finally Helen shoves a pecan pie in Martha's face. Pandemonium ensues. Screaming at Clark that he's just like his father, she slaps him across the face, breaking her hand in the process. Mala grabs Helen by the throat, holding her aloft, choking her until the others persuade her to drop her. Falling to her knees, Helen breaks down crying.

Later that night, back at the farm, Clark and Jonathan have a private conversation in the barn. Jonathan reveals to Clark that years ago, he had an affair with Helen. Sad and angry at Martha's inability to have children, he went to bed with Helen out of spite. But when Clark entered their lives, Jonathan and Martha were able to reconnect and his love for her was restored. He immediately ended things with Helen, but never told Martha of his infidelity. Clark advises his father that the time's come to tell her. Jonathan agrees and goes inside. From the barn, Clark spies Jonathan telling Martha everything. She's heartbroken.

Mala joins Clark in the barn and they have a brief conversation on human nature; her appraisal's decidedly cynical while his is cautiously optimistic. She then confides in him, revealing that she was never amnesiac. She tells him of her life imprisoned, of the years subjected to cold, clinical experiments devised by amoral scientists, that the little love she received was false, that she was never given a name, only a number. Then she tells him she does have a name: Mala-Sonn, genetic offspring of Sela-Sonn and Dax-Ur. She tells him of Krypton, doomed to explode, and the Kryptonians, genetically bound to their planet, doomed to perish with it. She tells him that she and he were of 144,000 Kryptonian supermen genetically engineered to live free of Krypton and thrive as gods on Earth. Taking Clark's hands in hers, she levitates them off the ground, revealing that she's capable of flight. She tells Clark it's time he learned who he is and accept his destiny.

Clark and Mala visit his stasis matrix, disc in hand. He asks Mala what the "S" stands for. She tells him it's had many meanings across the millennia — it's been a Raoist religious icon, a family crest for the great houses, a symbol for hope. Over and above all, it represents Krypton itself. Inserting the disc into its niche, Clark's greeted by an AI gatekeeper, the Voice of Rao. The Voice touches Clark's brow, and in an instant Clark's bequeathed with understanding of Kryptonian languages, technology, history, and his own identity; he's Kal-El, genetic offspring of Jor-El and Lara-Van.

The stasis matrix then transmogrifies into a pedestal which transport Clark and Mala across the world to the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica. Accessing the Fortress' computer, Mala brings up a display of Earth marking the whereabouts of all the stasis matrices across the globe. Mala tells Clark that they must seek out their brethren, then together reshape humanity according to proper Kryptonian ways. Clark tells her that for all he's discovered of his heritage, none of it defines him. Krypton may've bred and bore him, but Earth made him who he is. He'll always cherish the memories of Krypton given to him, but he won't be party to colonialism. He urges Mala to come back with him to Smallville to think things through. Mala hesitantly agrees.
 
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