In 1978, moviegoers watched a glowing, white-haired man place a baby into a crystal starship. That man was Marlon Brando. He looked like a god. He sounded like a prophet. He was playing Jor-El, the doomed scientist of Krypton.
But behind the scenes? It was a mess. Brando didn't want to be there. He barely knew his lines. He basically treated the most expensive movie ever made like a quick trip to the ATM.
Honestly, the story of how Marlon Brando became Jor-El is way more entertaining than the actual movie. It’s a tale of "green bagels," massive lawsuits, and an actor who was so over the whole "acting" thing that he wanted to play a piece of luggage instead of a person.
The Most Expensive 15 Minutes in History
Let’s talk money. Brando was the biggest star on the planet, and he knew it. For about 15 to 20 minutes of screen time, he demanded—and got—a salary of $3.7 million.
That sounds like a lot for 1978. Because it was.
But the real kicker was his backend deal. Brando secured 11.75% of the film’s gross profits. By the time the dust settled, he walked away with roughly $19 million. Christopher Reeve, the guy actually playing Superman and doing all the heavy lifting? He made $250,000.
Brando worked for exactly 12 days.
If you do the math, he was making over $300,000 a day. His agent basically pulled off the heist of the century.
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"Can I Play Him as a Bagel?"
When director Richard Donner first went to meet Brando at his home on Mulholland Drive, he was terrified. He’d heard the rumors. Brando was notoriously "difficult," which is Hollywood code for "unpredictable and exhausted by fame."
During that first meeting, Brando looked at Donner and suggested something truly insane. He asked why Jor-El had to look like a human.
"How do we know what people on Krypton look like?" Brando reportedly asked. He suggested that maybe they looked like "green suitcases" or even a "green bagel." He told Donner that he could just do the voiceover while the camera filmed a glowing pastry.
He wasn't joking.
Donner had to think fast. He told Brando that every kid in the world knew what Jor-El looked like—and he looked like Marlon Brando. He stroked Brando’s ego just enough to get him into a costume. It worked, but it was a close call. We almost had a Superman movie where the protagonist’s father was a breakfast food.
Reading Lines Off a Diaper
If you watch Superman: The Movie closely, you'll notice Brando's eyes often wander. He isn't looking at the other actors. He isn't looking into the distance.
He’s reading.
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Brando famously refused to memorize lines. He believed that the first time an actor read a line, it was more "honest." In reality, he just didn't want to do the homework.
The crew had to hide cue cards everywhere. They were behind crystals. They were held up by assistants just out of frame. In one of the most famous (and hilarious) anecdotes, Brando actually had his lines written on the diaper of the baby playing Kal-El.
He was literally looking down at a toddler’s crotch to remember what to say about the fate of the galaxy.
The Lawsuit That Erased Him
You might remember that Jor-El isn't in the original theatrical cut of Superman II. That wasn't a creative choice. It was a legal one.
Because Brando’s deal for the first movie was so lucrative, the producers—Alexander and Ilya Salkind—realized they’d have to pay him another massive percentage of the sequel if they used his footage. Brando had actually filmed a lot of stuff for both movies at the same time.
The Salkinds didn't want to pay up. Brando sued them for $50 million, claiming he was cheated out of his share of the first film's profits.
To avoid the payout, the producers cut every single frame of Brando from the sequel. They replaced him with Susannah York, who played Superman’s mother, Lara. It took nearly 30 years and the release of The Richard Donner Cut in 2006 for fans to finally see the original footage of Brando as Jor-El in the second film.
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Why It Actually Worked
Despite the ego, the suitcases, and the hidden notes on baby clothes, Brando is incredible in the role. There is a weight to his performance. When he says, "The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son," it feels important.
He gave the movie legitimacy. Before 1978, superhero movies were seen as "kids' stuff." Hiring the guy from The Godfather told the world this was a serious epic.
He even contributed creative ideas that changed the lore forever.
- The "S" as a Crest: It was largely Brando's idea that the "S" on Superman's chest shouldn't just stand for "Superman." He suggested it be a family crest—the House of El. This is now standard DC Comics canon.
- The White Hair: He insisted on the look, which gave Jor-El a patriarchal, almost biblical appearance that set the template for every version of the character that followed.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re a fan of the 1978 classic or just a movie buff interested in the "Old Hollywood" chaos, here is how you can experience the best of Brando's Jor-El today:
- Watch the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II: This is the only way to see his full performance. The theatrical version is fine, but the scenes between Brando and Reeve in the Fortress of Solitude are the emotional heart of the story.
- Look for the "Eye Wander": Next time you watch the first movie, pay attention to Brando’s eyes. Try to spot where the cue cards are hidden. It’s a fun game that reveals just how much work the crew did to make him look focused.
- Compare to the Comics: Check out some of the Silver Age Superman comics. You’ll see how much Brando’s portrayal changed the character from a young, red-and-green-suited scientist to the "space Jesus" figure we know today.
Marlon Brando might have been a "difficult" actor who wanted to be a bagel, but he ended up defining the mythology of the world’s most famous hero. He took the money and ran, but he left behind something iconic.
Sometimes, you get what you pay for.