Deleted Scene from Superman TAS: Identity Crisis?

[SuperBatman]

Hi, everyone. I have a question that's been really bugging me. I've been meaning to ask this for a while and figure I better ask it now while a few of us still have our memories some what fresh. Part of me hopes Bruce Timm catches this thread during the hussle and bussle of his busy life.

anyways....

I remember during the late 90s watching the episode "Identity Crisis" from S:TAS on the WB. Probably as it originally aired. I'm not sure. But when I bought volume 2 for my brother a while back, I noticed a very important and poignant scene missing....

Now...we all have foggy memories and sometimes we get something called "false memories" where the different grainy reels of film in our brains get mashed together and recreated by the mind, which is guessing when filling in the blanks. However....I would bet everything in my bank account that this really happened.....

I remember a scene in which a confused Bizarro tried to save an old lady from a speeding bus by punching the front of the bus. Really, really hard. Nearly killing everyone inside.

Please...please tell me I'm not crazy. I'm 25 years old. I don't need this kind of crap in my life.

EDIT: Check out the talk page for Bizarro at DCAU wiki. http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Bizarro

[Bat Bruce]

Sanity's overated

But good news, it's written about in the STAS enty here http://www.supermansupersite.com/bizzarro.html so it must've happened.....unless u wrote it to keep your insane story going

[SuperBatman]

I'm not crazy! I've found other links with a mention of the scene:

http://superman.wikia.com/wiki/Bizarro (look in the section for Superman: The Animated Series)

http://www.batman-superman.com/super...p/bizzaro.html

....now if only someone taped it in the 90s and could upload it onto YouTube.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

So, wait a sec.. This scene exists, but it's not on the DVD!? So there are actually DCAU episodes on the DVD collections that are edited from the way they originally aired?

[TemporalFlux]

Transcript of WHV response to the allegation:

-------------------

WHV Exec - "We have asked our production manager, and he assures us that all footage is present on the DVD releases. Is that not correct, Mr. Arro?"

B. Arro - "It am there!"

WHV Exec - "See. There's no problem."

B. Arro - "It am!!"

[theRedDeath]

Editing the DVDs is nothing new. I can think of at least two other edits off the top of my head.

One in S:TAS, it was in "The late Mr. Kent" where the funeral scene was cut. The original had Marvel characters in it like Nick Fury.

The second is in the B:TAS episode "Girls Night Out" where the scene of Batgirl riding on Supergirl's back as she flies is cropped, because in the original you could see up Supergirl's skirt.

It's unfortunate that our DVD collections really aren't the "ultimate" collections we'd prefer, but I guess at the end of the day none of these changes really matter.

---

[king zrz]

Originally Posted by theRedDeath

One in S:TAS, it was in "The late Mr. Kent" where the funeral scene was cut. The original had Marvel characters in it like Nick Fury.

You mean Apokoilps...Now!" Part 2 right?

[Toddman]

Originally Posted by theRedDeath

Editing the DVDs is nothing new. I can think of at least two other edits off the top of my head.

One in S:TAS, it was in "The late Mr. Kent" where the funeral scene was cut. The original had Marvel characters in it like Nick Fury.

The second is in the B:TAS episode "Girls Night Out" where the scene of Batgirl riding on Supergirl's back as she flies is cropped, because in the original you could see up Supergirl's skirt.

It's unfortunate that our DVD collections really aren't the "ultimate" collections we'd prefer, but I guess at the end of the day none of these changes really matter.

---

The funeral scene you're thinking of was actually in part 2 of "Apokolips...Now!". And the scene wasn't cut, it was reanimated to exclude all of the cameos that were in the original broadcast (including but not limited to Nick Fury, Stan Lee, The Fantastic Four, Kamandi, Orion, Scott Free, Big Barda, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Alex Ross and a few others).

Here's a quick comparison of the edited and original versions along with Bruce Timm's storyboard:







I've glimpsed a copy of Bruce Timm's storyboard (seen above) and the complete roll call from the funeral in a book called The Krypton Companion but I don't actually own a copy myself.

B.T. briefly discusses the cameos in Modern Masters Vol. 3, but he doesn't acknowledge the re-take. (EDIT: Wanted to correct myself. I think it's actually the DVD commentary for "Apokolips Now" part 1 that he mentioned the various funeral cameos but didn't say anything about them being removed). I assume there was probably some concern about the Marvel cameos, but they ended up replacing everybody w/no-name extras.

And regarding the change to "Identity Crisis"...I never knew that! I wonder what the reason behind such a drastic change could have been? Was the cut simply too long in the opinion of the network (who would have probably coveted more air time for commercials)?


Toddman

[Callonme]

This is crazy...kind of galls the completist in me. I luckily have a TV copy of "Apokolips...Now!, Part 2" with the cameos. Unfortunately, I don't have "Identity Crisis." I wonder if there are any other changes we are unaware of.

[Joker1238]

Also Girl's night out was not cut.

Lets say, they were white.

[John Cage]

That's really odd that they cut the scene from "Identity Crisis". I can understand not having the original version of the funeral from "Apokalips... Now!" since they changed it after the initial airing (like they did with the vertigo effects in "Off Balance"), but it's strange a whole scene was cut out.

Can anyone shed some light on what was cut from "Girls' Night Out" though -- Was a sequence cut from the first broadcast or was it just reanimated?

Have a good day.
John Cage

[seryass]

Originally Posted by John Cage

Can anyone shed some light on what was cut from "Girls' Night Out" though -- Was a sequence cut from the first broadcast or was it just reanimated?

Nothing was cut out from "Girls' Night Out". The poster who thought it had been cut was mistaken. He thought that the scene where Batgirl is flying on Supergirl was cut to avoid showing up Supergirl's skirt. It wasn't cut as Joker1238 pointed out in his post.

[theRedDeath]

I never said it was cut, I said it was "cropped". The bottom of the screen was cropped off and the remaining image was expanded to fit the screen as if nothing had ever happened. At least, I thought it was.

But maybe i'm thinking of something else.... There was another instance, and for similar reasons, that a B:TAS episode was cropped: In "Cold Comfort" there was a scene where one of Mr. Freeze's henchwomen lifted her leg up really high and you saw her exposed pelvis at the bottom of the screen, which was generically flesh-toned. I saw that on a taped copy, and then on the DVD it was understandably cropped off the screen. I was probably confusing the two instances.

I don't know WHY I've noticed these two upskirt shots so much, that's not even something i'm into. I guess I just thought it was so surprising to see it there in the first place that it kind of stuck in my head. Then again, I've obviously confused the two so I guess I don't remember them THAT well.

---

[seryass]

Originally Posted by theRedDeath

I never said it was cut, I said it was "cropped". The bottom of the screen was cropped off and the remaining image was expanded to fit the screen as if nothing had ever happened. At least, I thought it was.

I do apologise as you did say cropped. Regardless nothing's been changed from the "Girls' Night Out" episode. The broadcast version that I saw is exactly the same as the one on the DVD so I'm guessing you might be mixing the episodes up. I can't comment on "Cold Comfort" as I never saw the original broadcast version and in all honesty I'm not in any rush to do so again as it isn't one of my favourite episodes.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

Originally Posted by theRedDeath

I don't know WHY I've noticed these two upskirt shots so much, that's not even something i'm into.

---

Hey, there's nothing wrong with it. I notice that kind of stuff (or at least look for it) all the time -- but, then again, I've seen every episode of Gatchaman where Jun always has her panties peeking out.

[Joker1238]

Good old Jun lol.

I only seen one panty shot though out all of DCAU from BTAS up to JLU.

And that was Supergirl in "Girl's night out".

When Batgirl was riding on Supergirl's back.

Out of 300 or so plus shows, thats not bad compare to other shows.