It's the climax to Superman 2, and the Man of Steel has shocked the world. The underdog from Smallville has defeated the undisputed heavyweight ruler of planet Earth, General Zod.

"Yo Lois! ... we did it!,'' screams Superman after his glorious victory.

This is Superman Sylvester Stallone-style.

While the latest installment in the series, Superman Returns (2006), was generally considered a disappointment, things could've been a lot worse.

Stallone was keen to play the role in Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie (1978) as a follow-up to his smash hit Rocky.



The story goes, Marlon Brando, already signed on to play Jor-El, blocked the casting. Maybe Brando had seen Stallone's earlier work in soft-porn flick The Italian Stallion?

Other names bandied around at the time included Nick Nolte, Jon Voight, Warren Beatty, James Caan, and believe it or not, Arnold Schwarznegger.



Imagine that one, big Arnie playing mild-mannered reporter from Smallville Clark Kent. Maybe they could've changed the script to be make Superman's alter ego actually Clarkus Kentenegger, originally an exchange student who's generic European country exploded. I think Christopher Reeve may have been a good choice at the time.

It is also believed Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of arch villain Lex Luthor.

Here's Lexy!