| August Gorman | |
 | |
| Alias(es) | Gus Gorman |
| Appeared in | Superman III |
| Actor | Richard Pryor |
August "Gus" Gorman is a computer hacker and employee to Ross Webster.
Biography[]
Superman III[]
The company Webscoe hired Gus Gorman as a computer programmer, Gus took the job due to having financial troubles. There he embezzled through salami slicing, this then brought him to the attention of the CEO Ross Webster. Webster's sister Vera, and Webster's girlfriend Lorelei blackmailed Gus into helping them.
Infuriated by Colombia's refusal to do business with him, Webster ordered Gus to command Vulcan, an American weather satellite, to create a tornado to destroy Colombia's coffee crop, which allowed Webster to corner the market. Gus traveled to Smallville to use a Webscoe subsidiary to reprogram the satellite. Although Vulcan creates a storm, Superman neutralized it. Seeing Superman as a threat to his plans, Webster orders Gus to fabricate Kryptonite.
Gus used Vulcan to analyze Krypton's debris. However one of the elements of the Kryptonite was unknown, so he substituted tar. Later during Smallville's town celebration of Superman's visit, Gus and Vera, disguised as Army officers, gave Superman the flawed Kryptonite as an award. Despite being Kryptonite, instead of killing Superman, this version made him selfish and violent. Ross Webster was disappointed when he found out that Gus' Kryptonite didn't kill the Man of Steel.
Gus asked Webster to build the world's most sophisticated supercomputer; he agreed, if Gus created an energy crisis by directing all oil tankers to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Gus, along with Ross, Vera and Lorelei proceeded to go to the Grand Canyon, where the supercomputer was located. Superman eventually showed up, Gus initially pleaded that he had no allegiance with the three, but the hero didn't believe him. They then used the computer to attack Superman, eventually said computer produced a Kryptonite ray which nearly killed the hero. Guilt-ridden, Gus destroyed the Kryptonite ray with an axe. Superman escapes, but the computer became self-aware, defending itself against Gus's attempts to disable it. Gus swallowed a screw that was a part of the computer, despite Ross' attempts to make him spit it out, he did swallow it whole.
After defeating the computer, Gus was carried by Superman to safety. Gus declines to return to Metropolis, deciding to make a clean start in West Virginia. He thanked Superman for his help, having a new found appreciation for the hero.
Superman '78[]
Gus Gorman makes a cameo in the fifth issue of the comic series.
Relationships[]
- Superman - Enemy-turned-ally.
- Ross Webster - Boss-turned-enemy.
- Vera Webster - Boss-turned-enemy.
- Lorelei Ambrosia - Ally-turned-enemy.
- Evil Superman - Indirect creation; deceased.
Appearances/Actors[]
- Donnerverse (1 film)
- Donnerverse (1 comic)
- Earth-789 (1 comic)
- Superman '78 (Cameo)
Behind the scenes[]
- Richard Pryor got the role of Gus Gorman after appearing on an episode of The Tonight Show in 1981. In which he expressed his excitement for the release of Superman II.
Trivia[]
- In the original version of Superman III, Gus Gorman was to be a disguise for the supervillain Brainiac in which he could live among humans. Under his Gus persona, Brainiac would then set about his evil deeds using the supercomputer which appears at the end of the film. The filmakers rejected this idea, instead using the Gus Gorman character for comic relief.