Trivia: Sarah Douglas' voice was dubbed over by actress Annie Ross who would play Vera Webster in Superman 3. Sarah's own voice was used in Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut.
Trivia: Some of Gene Hackman's scenes were actually filmed with a body double and a voice impersonator. That's because he had already completed all his scenes under Donner's direction and was not obligated to return for Lester's reshoots, either due to unavailability (according to Ilya Salkind) or unwillingness (out of loyalty to Donner). The voice impersonator was also used on a lot of Donner footage for audio consistency.
Trivia: Richard Donner, the director of Superman, was originally hired to make Superman II. He had made over half of the movie before being fired. Richard Lester was hired to complete the film. So, Superman II contains footage from both the Richard Donner version and the Richard Lester version.
Trivia: Jack O'Halloran who played Non was a professional boxer between 1966 and 1974. He got as high a ranking as 5th in the world.
Trivia: When Clark and Lois arrive at the diner, Superman I director (and part of II) Richard Donner is walking by. He was fired before filming ended and was replaced by Richard Lester, but his cameo made it to the final cut.
Trivia: Sarah Douglas was knocked unconscious by Margot Kidder during one take of the fight scene between Lois Lane and Ursa.
Trivia: Before signing on as director, Richard Lester had never heard of Superman.
Trivia: Actor Jack O'Halloran who played Non had the idea that he should be a mute.
Answer: In the theatrical cut, nobody really knows why the green crystal restored his powers. However if you watch the Richard Donner cut, it is explained that the green crystal is a communication device that helps Superman talks to the residual essence/spirit/ghost of his father Jor-El. Before he died, Jor-El gave the crystal to his son. Jor-El anticipated that Kal-El might give up his powers, and he also anticipated that Zod might eventually escape the Phantom Zone, so Jor-El lets his son absorb the leftover energy of his spirit, thus restoring all his Kryptonian powers.
Matt Van Gogh