In Superman I and II Lex Luthor had Otis, and his nephew Lenny in Superman IV. Webster has Gus Gorman in III. In Supergirl, Selena had Bianca. Hell, General Zod had Non. Why is it in the early Superman films and Supergirl, the major villains had an idiotic cohort/follower at their side? And does anyone think that diminishes their menace? Afterall, they're up against an all-powerful, nearly indestrutible opponent.
It's called comic relief, you cannot overlook how much comedy there are in these films, not to mention comic books. Why do you say "early"? Superman Returns has the same thing going on.
Am I unreal? Am I a character who can’t possibly exist? – Alissa Rosenbaum
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Oh you're just a poor pathetic troll that likes to bash good movies and good comic books.
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I'm not a troll. I love the Superman movies. I'm looking forward to Man of Steel in the summer. I loved Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Superman. I was just making an observation that the villains had a goofy sidekick. I know most villains have a not so smart follower. It's a common trait in these hero stories. I just thought it slightly diminished the menace of his adversaries.
Not to say they were completely ineffective, although I never saw Webster and Gus posing any real threat to Superman. I could understand Non being the muscle to Zod's brains but Otis was just completely useless for Lex Luthor as Lenny with the exception of helping Lex escape from prison. Now, take that with the portrayal of Lex Luthor in Superman-The Animated Series or even John Shea's portrayal in Lois & Clark. Those Lex Luthors had competent followers who were loyal enough to him and clever enough to match wits with Superman.
Like I said, I'm not a troll. I've been a HUGE fan of Superman as far back as I can remember. A fan of George Reeves and Dean Cain's TV Portrayal, Christopher Reeves Film portrayal, the SuperFriends, TAS, Smallville, etc. I'm a HUGE Superman mark. I just feel that the Man of Steel deserves the most formidable enemies of all the superheros.
Because they like hanging out with people they're smarter than.
shareOddly enough, Non was mute but was not depicted as a silly idiot who can't use his powers well and who makes goofy noises in the original Donner footage. That was all Richard Lester's new footage and tweaks.
Anyhow, I think the whole sidekick thing was just the way films were made back then and gave well known actors fun little roles that audiences seemed to enjoy. Otis is goofy, but he is entertaining and provides Gene Hackman with comedic moments that I have always gotten a goo laugh out of. Same with Miss Teschmacher. It's all about how well the material is written. The writing in Superman The Movie was great and the comedy was funny. Not one scene makes me cringe. It was genuinely funny. Now whether you want comedy in a film like this is another discussion, but it is here and is well done. Superman II continued this trend with Lex, Otis, and Teschmacher because it was filmed alongside the first movie and by the same director.
With Superman III, we got a more poorly written sidekick in the form of Richard Pryor. The material may have looked better on paper, but it really didn't work very well because I think Pryor was very out of place and just didn't fit in with what was going on. This type of comedy wasn't Pryor's style at all, and it just wasn't ultimately a match. Ergo, his scenes feel more forced and just aren't funny. It doesn't help that Robert Vaughn wasn't very interesting either. His plan was weak, and he came across as more a spoiled man-child than anything. Annie Ross as Vera Webster was the best of the new characters and the only one that provided some truly funny moments. The characters here paled in comparison to Hackman, Beatty, and Perrine and instead came off as cheap imitations that were trying to do what they had done. Supergirl's banter between Selena, Niles, and Bianca wasn't as good as Hackman and company either, but they were actually a step up from Superman III.
by the time of Superman IV, the writing was a mess and the casting not much better aside from the veteran cast. Hackman and Reeve were good as usual, but everything around them was a disaster. The series was spent.
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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?
Of course, there is always a danger of going too far in the opposite direction and portray the secondary baddie as a total badass and completely overshadow the main villain. Just check out Faora in MOS.
"Nope, Hipster nonsense. I'm out."
...AND don't let's forget Parker Posey as "Kitty," Lex Luthor's superfluous and goofy sidekick/taste o' cheesecake in that Brandon Routh turkey of a Superman reboot.
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Exposition.
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