Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a 1987 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman, portrayed by Christopher Reeve in his final appearance as the character. It is the sequel to Superman III (1983), and the fourth mainline installment as well as the fifth installment overall in the Superman film series. It was directed by Sidney J. Furie, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and stars Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer, Sam Wanamaker, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway and Margot Kidder.
Reeve agreed to return in exchange for a larger salary and limited creative control, including contributing to a script dealing with nuclear disarmament. It is the first film in the series not to have the involvement of Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind as producers. Shortly before the film's production, the film's producer, The Cannon Group, suffered a major financial crisis that forced major budget cuts, and 45 minutes of footage were deleted after negative test screenings.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was released on July 24, 1987. It received negative reviews from critics, citing poor special effects and boring action sequences. It underperformed at the box office, grossing $37 million on a $17 million budget. Plans for Superman V were cancelled, and no further Superman films were released until Superman Returns in 2006.
Plot
Superman saves the crew of a Russian space station before uncovering the capsule that brought him to Earth and retrieving a green Kryptonian energy module. A recording left by his mother Lara reveals the module's power can only be used once. Returning to Metropolis, he discovers that the Daily Planet has been taken over by tabloid tycoon David Warfield, who replaces Perry White with his daughter Lacy Warfield, who develops a crush on Clark Kent.
Meanwhile, Superman seeks guidance in the Fortress of Solitude after learning of escalating tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear weapons. He later addresses the United Nations and announces his plan to rid the world of all nuclear arms.
Meanwhile, Lenny Luthor orchestrates a jailbreak to free his uncle, Lex Luthor, from prison. The pair travels to Metropolis, where Lex steals a strand of Superman's hair to create a genetic matrix. Partnering with black market arms dealers, Lex attaches the matrix to a nuclear missile. When Superman intercepts the missile and hurls it into the Sun, the resulting energy discharge creates Nuclear Man, a superhuman entity. Nuclear Man returns to Earth, aligning with Lex, who reveals that Nuclear Man becomes inactive without sunlight.
Superman confronts Luthor after learning what he had done, spurring Luthor to direct Nuclear Man to attack. The two battle across the world until they reach New York City. Superman stops Nuclear Man from throwing the Statue of Liberty into Metropolis, but this distracts him enough for Nuclear Man to slash him across the back with his toxic claws.
Superman develops radiation sickness due to a shock from Nuclear Man and is defeated by being cast away. Nuclear Man returns to Luthor, and they conspire to future victories. Superman is badly hurt by the radiation poisoning, but he retrieves the Kryptonian energy module and uses it to heal himself.
Superman confronts Nuclear Man in a second battle that results in them fighting on the Moon and Superman being driven into the Moon's surface. Nuclear Man, having taken an interest in Lacy, kidnaps her and takes her into outer space. Superman frees himself and creates a solar eclipse by moving the Moon out of orbit, depriving Nuclear Man of sunlight. Superman rescues Lacy and ultimately destroys Nuclear Man by trapping him in the core of a nuclear power plant. This converts Nuclear Man into electrical energy for the power grid.
Back in Metropolis, Perry White secures a loan to regain a controlling interest in the Daily Planet, reducing Warfield to a minority shareholder and ensuring the paper's independence. Superman apprehends the Luthors, placing Lenny in Boys Town and returning Lex to prison. In a closing speech, Superman acknowledges that world peace cannot be achieved overnight but remains committed to guiding humanity toward that goal.
Cast
Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent / Superman Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor Hackman also provides the voice of Nuclear Man Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man Jackie Cooper as Perry White Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen Jon Cryer as Lenny Luthor Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield Margot Kidder as Lois Lane Damian McLawhorn as Jeremy William Hootkins as Harry Howler Jim Broadbent as Jean Pierre Dubois Stanley Lebor as General Romoff Don Fellows as Levon Hornsby Robert Beatty as U.S. President Susannah York as Lara (voice)
Production Development and casting Alexander Salkind and his son Ilya, the producers of the Superman series, planned to produce a fourth Superman film if Superman III grossed at least $40 million. The film received an unexpectedly negative reaction but still grossed $80.2 million. Christopher Reeve was also hesitant to return to the series as Superman, fearing typecasting. The Salkinds announced plans for a fourth film regardless, but after the commercial failures of Supergirl and their next film Santa Claus: The Movie caused them financial strain they began to consider if the franchise had run its course.
After negotiations during the 38th Cannes Film Festival, Ilya Salkind agreed to sell the Superman franchise to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of The Cannon Group, Inc. for $5 million in June 1985. The studio enticed Reeve to return by offering him $6 million, financing for his pet project Street Smart, and approval over the story and director.
Reeve pitched a storyline focused on the nuclear arms race in protest of the breakdown of the Reykjavik Summit and US President Ronald Reagan's military buildup and skepticism towards arms control. His story was accepted, and he was also a candidate for director. Although he was allowed to direct some second unit scenes, he was ultimately deemed too inexperienced for the full-time job. Richard Donner claimed in the commentary for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut that Cannon had asked him to return to the series, but he declined due to a scheduling conflict with Lethal Weapon. Wes Craven was originally hired by Cannon Films to direct the film, but he and Reeve did not get along well and Reeve demanded that a new director be brought in. Although Reeve recommended Ron Howard, Sidney J. Furie was hired.
Filming Production of Superman IV began in 1986. In his autobiography, Still Me, Reeve described filming the movie:
Rosenthal's DVD commentary cited this scene as an example of Cannon's budget-slashing. According to Rosenthal, Reeve and Furie begged to be able to film that sequence in New York in front of the real headquarters of the United Nations because everyone knew how they looked and the Milton Keynes setting looked nothing like them, but Cannon refused. According to Rosenthal, they were "pinching pennies at every step".
Shortly before production began at Elstree Studios on September 27, 1986, Cannon reduced the budget from $36 million to $17 million. Part of the problem was that Cannon financed its films by selling the television and home video rights in advance, which failed with films of a budget of over $5 million. The studio had also gone six years without a major hit. The studio was narrowly saved from bankruptcy after a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to provide $75 million to repay its loans in exchange for distribution rights to its upcoming films, including Superman IV, which provided enough confidence in the studio for a $65 million line of credit from First Bank of Boston. During the production, the filming and special effects crews of the first three films were replaced with cheaper Israeli crews. Principal photography concluded at the beginning of January 1987.
According to Jon Cryer, who played Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman)'s nephew Lenny, Reeve had taken him aside just before the release and told him it was going to be "terrible." Although Cryer enjoyed working with Reeve and Hackman, he claimed that Cannon ran out of money during the production and ultimately released an unfinished film.
The film was shot at multiple locations around England. The Metropolis metro train scene at the beginning of the film was shot at the now abandoned Aldwych tube station, while the city of Milton Keynes was used to represent multiple locations: the Avebury Building was used for the Metropolis Hyatt Hotel and the Daily Planet's interiors, and Milton Keynes Central station was used for the UN Headquarters.
Deleted footage According to writer Mark Rosenthal's commentary on the 2006 DVD, in the gallery of deleted scenes included on the disc, there are approximately 45 minutes of the film that have not been seen by the general public. They were deleted following a failed Southern California test screening. The Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) that appears in the film is actually the second Nuclear Man that Luthor created. Cut scenes featured the original Nuclear Man (portrayed by Clive Mantle) engaging Superman in battle outside the Metro Club and being destroyed by the Man of Steel. The first Nuclear Man was somewhat more inhuman-looking than his successor, and resembled, in both looks and personality, the comic book character Bizarro. Luthor postulates that this Nuclear Man wasn't strong enough, and hatches the plan to create the second Nuclear Man within the Sun as a result.
Not all of the deleted scenes made it to the deluxe edition of the DVD, including a scene depicting Clark Kent visiting the graves of his foster parents Jonathan and Martha Kent (portrayed by Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter in Superman). This scene was to have preceded the film's theatrical scene where Clark returns to Smallville to meet realtor Levon Hornsby (Don Fellows) in hopes of selling or leasing the Kent farm. A deleted scene about Lacy Warfield (Mariel Hemingway) and Clark Kent's romance, showing them dancing in the Metro Club, was also not released on disc. In March 2026, the footage of Metro Club was found.
Music
The music for the film was adapted and conducted by Alexander Courage based on existing and new music composed by John Williams.
Release Theatrical The film had a Royal premiere at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on July 23, 1987, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Reception Box office It was released on July 24, 1987, in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. In the US and Canada, it opened in 1,511 theatres and grossed $5.6 million during its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. In the UK, it opened on 234 screens and grossed £508,468 ($800,000) for the weekend becoming the number one film in the UK for the weekend. It failed to retain number one spot for the week, grossing £987,495 compared to The Living Daylights £1,108,256. It was the eighth-highest-grossing film in the UK for the year with a gross of £3,457,959 ($5.5 million). The movie grossed $15.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.6 million internationally, for a worldwide box office gross of $30.2 to 36.7 million.