Christopher Reeve Is Superman

What is it about Christopher Reeve that made him the perfect Superhero?

Christopher Reeve as Superman, WB

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There have been many actors who’ve put on the red cape. It began with the Superman serials back in 1948 with Kirk Alyn and continued with George Reeves on the Adventures of Superman from 1952-1958. Modern performances include actors like Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill, who played the legendary superhero in movies like Superman Returns and Man of Steel, respectively. But there’s only one actor who truly captured the essence of what Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created in Action Comics #1— Christopher Reeve.

Reeve’s journey to Superman was unconventional. He had studied at the Juilliard as a theater major and found work at multiple productions, working with actors like Katherine Hepburn, William Hurt, and Jeff Daniels. It was during the production of the Off-Broadway show My Life that Reeve got the call to audition in front of Superman director Richard Donner. The documentary, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, goes into great detail about all the actors who were considered for the part. People like Neil Diamond, Robert Redford, Bruce Jenner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were connected to the superhero in some way or another. The list of people who wanted to play him was lengthy. But there was only ever going to be one choice.

“I realized that if I could pull off this part, it could change my life.” - Christopher Reeve.

Reeve brought a boyish charm to Superman that few others could. Although the character of Superman had every opportunity to grow up like his peers, he contextualizes the world with a hopeful demeanor that few of us possess. That could simply be how Superman was written for the screen, but with Reeve in the suit, you believe it.

Donner was looking for that specific element when he cast Superman; you had to believe what you saw on screen. You had to believe a man could fly. Many of the other actors Donner considered, all he could see was that actor attempting to fly. With Reeve, audiences could get swept away in the fantasy.

“I met Christopher Reeve in New York,” reflected Donner. “I had gotten a call from someone who said, ‘There’s a kid who’s terrific. Would you like to see him?’ He was about 20 or 30 pounds lighter, his hair was a sandy color and he had dressed in the burliest clothes he could find to make him look good. He just had this great look and I gave him my glasses to wear and he looked so much like the part it was unbelievable. Nobody wanted to go with him because he was an unknown, but the idea to me was that we should go with an unknown so that you could make it believable. It ended up just that. (https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/christopher-reeve-superman/)

During my prep for the It’s the Pictures podcast and this piece, I rewatched Superman: The Movie. Reeve does not appear in the film until about the 48-minute mark when the adult Clark Kent arrives in Metropolis and begins his job at the Daily Planet. It takes even longer, almost an hour into the movie, for Reeve to finally put on the iconic costume for the first time.

A lot of superheroes keep their public persona separated from their superhero work. For Reeve, that meant he had to portray the sweet, but hopeless, Clark Kent in addition to Superman.

Reeve gets to play Kent as the comedy relief of the movie, while Superman does the heavy emotional lifting.

Superman III is often maligned for leaning into comedy (especially with the odd inclusion of Ricard Pryor), weak villains, and Superman feels like an afterthought to the story. One portion of the movie allows Reeve some flexibility when it comes to his Superman performance, the idea of an evil Superman. There’s a junkyard fight between “good” and “bad” Superman, where Reeve gets to explore even more nuance with Superman.

Even though Reeve’s acting career is defined by his role as Superman, Reeve’s activism became just as important to his legacy. After a horrific accident left him with paralysis, Reeve dedicated his life to research and advocacy for those in need. A foundation, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, exists to “finding treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.” Reeve did plenty to raise awareness and funding for research, but he often pursued that life with a disability was something to be “fixed” rather than emphasizing access, inclusion, and dignity. Even with that caveat, Reeve is certainly remembered for being a Superman on and off the screen.

On the eve of a new theatrical Superman movie, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Christopher Reeve personified Superman, with his boyish charm, genuine smile, unrelenting drive, and his commitment to saving lives through his activism. David Corenswet might be playing Superman in James Gunn’s new movie, but for me, Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.