So tonight the son and I wrapped our Superman movie marathon by watching “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.”
The film is, without debate, one of the worst things ever. The plot makes no sense. The effects are laughable (you can literally see strings when Superman flies). The writing is brutal. Truly, everything about Superman IV is a hot mess, and Christopher Reeve bemoaned the project from the day he started filming.
That said …
There is a moment in “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” that sparks absolute joy. It lasts for all of two seconds, and occurs near the beginning of the film, when Clark is shown in his apartment—alongside a miniature white robot, a couch and … a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pendant!
Yes, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pendant.
Now, intellectually, this makes no sense. We learn in the original Superman film the Clark is never allowed to play high school football in Smallville, which surely led to some resentment for the game. Furthermore, what could Superman/Clark Kent possibly enjoy in the sport? He would throw 100,000 times harder than Warren Moon, break through tackles like Bo Jackson on juiced juice, decapitate ball carriers from (I’m guessing) the linebacker slot. It’d be painfully dull for the Man of Steal.
But then it hit me: This movie was filmed in 1986, when the Buccaneers finished 2-14 behind the quarterbacking of Steve DeBerg and Steve Young. On that roster was K.D. Dunn, the former Clemson tight end who was born and raised in … Smallville, Iowa!
It all makes sense.
