A CGI version of Reeve as Superman makes a cameo in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Flash (2023), which retroactively incorporates him into the franchise's multiverse, alongside a de-aged Helen Slater as Supergirl.

[7] Various actors including Jerry O'Connell (who later voiced the DCAMU version of the character), Henry Cavill (who auditioned for J. J. Abrams's cancelled 2004 film Superman Flyby and eventually played Clark Kent in the DCEU), Daniel Cudmore (who later played an armored Bizzaro in Superman & Lois), Paul Walker, Will Smith, Josh Hartnett, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, David Boreanaz, Hayden Christensen, Ian Somerhalder, Jim Caviezel, Jason Behr, Jared Padalecki, and Ryan McPartlin were all considered for the role before Routh was cast.

Reeve would base his portrayal of Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego, on Cary Grant's performance for his role in the 1936 film Bringing Up Baby.

[17][18] The noble Superman portrayed by Reeve, though, hides his secret identity by pretending to be an awkward and apprehensive reporter named Clark Kent.

"[25][26] Ironically, it is also in the Reeve films that Clark Kent's persona has the greatest resemblance to Woody Allen, though his conscious model was Cary Grant's character in Bringing Up Baby.

Salkind felt this was an important point in the film, since Superman, living under his secret identity as Clark Kent, is "telling the biggest lie of all time".

[22] One of the most important aspects in the first and second films was the romantic relationship between the two main characters; Clark was hopelessly in love with Lois and even gave up his powers to be with her as depicted in Superman II.

[20] Christopher Reeve was originally planned to make a cameo appearance in the 1984 Supergirl spin-off film starring Helen Slater as Superman's cousin, but bowed out early on.

For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing the villains Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk, as well as Supergirl.

Singer chose to follow Donner's lead by casting relatively unknown Brandon Routh as Superman, who resembled Christopher Reeve somewhat, and more high-profile actors in supporting roles, such as Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

After 12 years of education and training within the Fortress of Solitude, he emerges garbed in a red cape and blue body suit with the El family symbol on the chest and flies off.

While there, he meets editor-in-chief, Perry White, teenage photographer Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane, who he becomes immediately infatuated with but is unable to properly gain her affection while in the bumbling guise of Clark Kent.

It isn't long before Clark's true nature is unveiled when he publicly rescues Lois from a helicopter accident atop the Daily Planet building.

Following a series of incidents in which Clark in his yet-unnamed guise comes to the rescue and saves the day, Perry issues his reporters to find out as much information as possible about this mysterious hero.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor plans to launch two missiles, one of which is programmed to hit the San Andreas Fault, causing most of California to slide into the ocean, killing millions of people while making the worthless desert land that he had purchased to skyrocket in value when it becomes the United States' new West Coast.

With Superman's fame rapidly spreading, Luthor perceives him to be a serious problem, luring to his lair with a phony threat to gas the population of Metropolis.

Superman prevents the catastrophic landslide by plunging deep into the earth to shore up the fault line, but Lois, reporting in the area trapped inside her car is crushed to death.

Clark learns from Perry White that Lois is in Paris, France, where terrorists have seized the Eiffel Tower, threatening to level the city with a Hydrogen Bomb.

Superman arrives and throws the elevator containing the bomb out of the atmosphere and into deep space, where it explodes, shattering the Phantom Zone mirror containing the Kryptonian criminals General Zod, Ursa (DC Comics) and Non.

During this time a computer genius named Gus Gorman befriends millionaire Ross Webster, who orders him to create synthetic Kryptonite, using a satellite to locate and analyze the wreckage of Krypton.

Before taking action, he departs to the north pole to seek advice from the spirits of his Kryptonian ancestors at the Fortress of Solitude, who warn Kal-El that interring with human politics is forbidden.

Nuclear Man finds his way to his "father", Luthor, who establishes that while he is indeed powerful, he will completely deactivate if isolated from the Sun's rays or suitably bright artificial light.

Felled by radiation sickness, Clark staggers weakly to the terrace of his apartment, where he retrieves the last remaining crystal from Krypton, which he took from the barn in Smallville at the beginning of the film.

Nuclear Man returns to Earth, abducting Lacy and flying her into outer space (where she, strangely enough, is unaffected by the lack of breathable atmosphere and air pressure).

Luthor vows vengeance against the Man of Steel and contrives a new sinister plot, using the crystals of Krypton to build a new continent which would submerge the United States underwater.

After the end of the Crisis, Earth-96 is recreated and Clark can be seen, his crest again red and yellow, hinting that the Daily Planet gassing was reversed and that Lois, Perry, and Jimmy are alive.

After the events of Superman II, Clark Kent discusses his future as a reporter at the Daily Planet with his boss, Perry White, when Metropolis is suddenly attacked by a robot from outer space, which begins wreaking havoc on the streets while scanning the people and environment.

Clark suits up as Superman and manages to destroy the robot, but not before it identifies him as a Kryptonian and informs its creator, Brainiac, an exterrastrial cyborg from the planet Colu who is the last of his kind and obsessed with preserving life and cultures.

After taking him into his ship, Brainiac shrinks Clark and places him in the bottle city of Kandor, the last remains of Krypton that was preserved before the planet's destruction, where he discovers that a portion of Kryptonians survived, including his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara.

However, it instead encourages Brainiac to excise Metropolis and shrink it to preserve it like he's done for the other civilizations, leading Lex to flee in a hot air balloon.