Spoilers ahead for The Flash.
Since its inception, the DC Universe has had countless peaks and valleys. The franchise is currently in a strange place thanks to it being rebooted by new co-CEOS James Gunn and Peter Safran. The past few movies have had strange roles in the overall franchise, including Black Adam and Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. The latter project had some wild cameos from previous DC projects both new and old. This included an appearance by the late Christopher Reeve as Superman, which some fans took umbrage with. And now one Smallville actor who worked with the late actor gave his honest take on Reeve’s likeness being used for The Flash.
Christopher Reeve had a long career, but perhaps his most iconic role was as the Man of Steel in the Superman franchise. He also portrayed Dr. Virgil Swann on Smallville, appearing in 2 episodes of that series. Actor John Glover, who played Lionel Luthor on the show, recently responded to the discourse surrounding Reeve’s cameo in The Flash movie, tweeting out his thoughts which read:
I think it’s up to his family / estate and not anyone else. Chris’ dedication to the franchise led him to Smallville as dr swan. He loved Superman and would have wanted to be included. And this is from someone who worked with him in plays and on Smallville.
Well, there you have it. While some fans took umbrage with Reeve’s Superman appearing in Ezra Miller’s DC flick, it ultimately wasn’t their decision. That goes to the actor’s estate and family. Although John Glover seems to think that the Superman actor would be happy to be included in the movie’s wild multiverse sequence.
The scene featuring Christopher Reeve’s likeness occurs late into The Flash’s runtime. Ezra Miller’s title character watches as the multiverse is all around him, and worlds begin to collide. During this we see Reeve as Superman and Helen Slater as Supergirl from the 1984 movie. Considering this crossover never actually happened, it was definitely striking to see these two characters brought back to life in such a way. But some fans didn’t like seeing the late actor used in this sequence. We also saw Nicolas Cage’s Superman finally brought to life, and even Adam West’s Batman appeared.
Christopher Reeve died in 2004 at the age of 52. His story was one of hope and persistence, as he became quadriplegic in 1995 in a horse riding accident. Reeve is still beloved by moviegoers and Superman fans, which no doubt inspired the discourse surrounding his Flash cameo.
The Flash is still in theaters now and is already arriving on digital platforms. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
