“I’m here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way.”
I’m far too young to have seen any of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, which means that my introduction to the 1978 masterpiece was through a used DVD that my family won at a Church silent auction (We also went home that night with Africa Screams). While most people my age would probably declare Tom Welling or Brandon Routh as their Superman, I’m “old for my age” (as adults love to tell the young), as Christopher Reeve is my Superman. Even though David Corenswet came close in James Gunn’s latest reboot, nobody has ever quite mastered the duality that comes with the role like Reeve did across his four solo movies. Just as there will never be another Man of Steel like Christopher Reeve, there will never be another groundbreaking superhero movie like Superman.
What Superman Means to Us
I was never into comic books, but I always loved me some superhero movies, and that all started with Richard Donner’s Superman. It was fun and campy. It captured the imagination of kids and adults alike. Christopher Reeve was and still is the standard bearer for the Man of Steel, and I’ll never forget him flying through the air to save Lois from falling to her death. The opening of the shirt to reveal the red and yellow S, the John Williams score, “You’ve got me?! Who’s got you?!”. All iconic. Arguably one of the greatest hero introductions of all time. Superman: The Movie is timeless, and with every rewatch, it takes me back to being a kid watching it on VHS for the first time.
–Vincent Kane
I’ve been a comic book fan since I could read – hell, before I could read – but I never really enjoyed the live action offerings I got as a kid. Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I had fun watching them, but they were really pallid versions of the four-color adventures I got to see on the comic page. Then came Superman. The tagline was “You will believe a man can fly!” but what it really did was make me believe superheroes could thrive on the big screen. It took a while for that belief to be validated (with Batman (1989) being a lone bright spot), but eventually superheroes came into their own. Maybe too much so. But I can’t fault Superman for that. Christopher Reeve was perfect as both Supes and Clark Kent, and the effects – though dated now – were perfect as well. I DID believe a man could fly, and stop helicopters, and save cats. It remains one of my favorite superhero movies, and one I should probably go watch right now, before I see the newest version.
–Bob Cram
You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly
We are so accustomed to superhero movies now that it’s hard to believe that they were pretty much nonexistent on the big screen before the 21st century. When Superman came along in 1978, it was the first DC, hell, superhero movie period to hit the big screen since Adam West’s Batman twelve years prior. Needless to say, Superman had an uphill battle on its way to the big screen. Yet, against all odds, Superman shattered the box office when it was released, becoming the second-highest-grossing movie of the year.
Part of the movie’s success can be explained by its tagline, “You’ll believe a man can fly.” Much like how George Lucas’ Star Wars wowed audiences with its groundbreaking VFX one year earlier, Superman had audiences believing that the titular Man of Steel actually existed and could fly through the air, stop a bullet, run faster than a train, and reverse time to alter history. Even the Academy, which we know is allergic to superhero movies, was so impressed by Superman that it awarded the movie a Special Achievement award for Visual Effects.
Superman’s Alien Daddy Is Marlon Brando
Not many people can say that Marlon Brando is their daddy, but, then again, not everybody is Superman. Much has been said about Brando’s inclusion in Superman, from being first billed despite not being the title character to being well-paid for what amounted to a small role to refusing to memorize any lines and having them written on props around the set. Regardless of your opinion of Brando, the man not only gave Superman some much-needed credibility ahead of its release, but also delivered a performance that remains ingrained in the minds of all who have watched it. Brando is also responsible for originating the idea of Superman’s S shield being the family crest of the House of E instead of just “S for Superman,” which is just an absolutely insane fun fact.
Superman Continues to Influence Today’s Superhero Movies
The saying, “Save the best for last,” has never really applied to the Superman film series, as Donner, Reeve, Warner Bros., and company knocked it out of the park on their first try. Unfortunately, this meant that the sequels had no chance at matching the critical or commercial acclaim of Superman, although 1980’s Superman II by far came the closest. The less said about Superman III (a.k.a. Superman’s Pal Richard Pryor), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and spinoff Supergirl the better, although Reeve never once phoned in his performance as the Man of Steel.
The sort of God-tier status that Superman acquired in the decades following its release made it almost impossible for any reboot to get off the ground, leading to 2006’s Superman Returns being a pseudo-sequel/homage to the Reeve movies. Despite a promising box office return, Warner Bros. opted to perform a hard reboot, leading to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013, which, if you changed the characters’ names, could almost be about an entirely different hero. That’s how radically different Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel is from the one Reeve played. Cavill’s take divided the fandom, with many believing that Snyder misunderstood the superhero. So, when James Gunn took over as the new head of DC Studios, Cavill’s Supergirl was the first thing he ditched.
Cavill’s replacement, David Corenswet, made his screen debut as Superman in this summer’s Superman, which, like Superman Returns before it, leaned into the Reeve-era nostalgia fans have for the character, with Williams’ score and the red trunks both returning after being absent during Cavill’s tenure. Gunn’s Superman is what Superman Returns should have been from the get-go, taking what worked with the 1978 movie (which is damn near everything) but updating it for the present day. Reeve and Superman‘s DNA is also over the 2025 reboot, proving just how much influence it continues to hold to this day.
You can say that your favorite superhero movie is Spider-Man 2 or The Dark Knight, but turn to “superhero movie” in the dictionary and you’re going to see the poster for Donner’s Superman because it is the superhero movie.
Are you a Superman fan? Do you have a fun fact, piece of trivia, or analysis about the 1978 classic? Please share it in the comments!
