My son is a mad fan of the Marvel comics franchise; every form of it. The current crop of movies, with the much anticipated guest roles by Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel superheroes, is his obsession. He fits neatly into the young, urban demographic that is now becoming increasingly homogenous around the world, its members preferring superheroes with swagger, lots of bravado, a touch of humour and even a distinct streak of evil. Fed on a steady diet of very realistic fantasy violence in the eternal fight between good and evil, featuring superheroes who still have very human quirks and habits, the average teen fan is now inured into accepting that being wicked is cool.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!
Must admit that yours truly is also a fan of superheroes; even of the current Marvel and DC portfolio of hunks and hotbods. Who doesn’t like to fantasise about superheroes and their superpowers. For me personally, a flying superhero has been an eternal fantasy. My school pencil-box was full of stickers of Superman; crowding the inside of the lid, lest I be reprimanded by Geetha ma’am during Maths class. And for me only one actor epitomised the character, the charm and the humanity of Superman. That was Christopher Reeve. I can’t picture another actor donning the role better than Christopher.
The heroes of today become more popular amongst their fans by mouthing dialogues like “I’m getting a whiskey ‘cause I’m thirsty. Do you want one?”. Another series has ex-mercenaries and stragglers become heroes after being recruited by a secret, under-the-radar Government agency to fight aliens. Want to boost the coolness quotient of today’s supers? Make them seem more human with as many quirks, and the audience finds it easier to identify with these larger-than-life heroes. No wonder there is an expanding fan base, even for a series as violent as Deadpool.
These complex plots, the wicked twists and the unrepentant protagonists are probably needed in today’s versions of the very same superhero franchises that were first penned decades ago. After all, a measure of the rising popularity of today’s genre of superhero movies is understandable, given that they are meant to entertain adults even more than they need to appeal to children.
In contrast to the other characters, Superman is often portrayed as a simple, innocent superhero who didn’t go rogue or take the law into his own hands. He assists the guardians of the law by looking out for and battling the forces of evil, and never misuses his Kryptonian superpowers. If DC, the outfit universe that the Superman franchise is a part of, was to allow a new series of movies in the future with a different script, that could possibly include a new, invented dark side to the man inside the cape and blue-red skin tights.
The human touch
Christopher Reeve’s Superman was possibly a part of ‘more innocent’ times. But, despite the relative simplicity of the character, the complexity of the role can hardly be downplayed. He played the character in four movies, starting from the original in 1978. And he owned it; not so much in his believably ample physique — the square jaw and the rippling muscles on that 6’4” frame — but in the way that every aspect of Reeve’s demeanour matched the comic-book superhero’s legendary love of Earth and its people.
Reeve’s kind blue eyes, the mirth-lines around them and his charming smile made the man of steel’s humaneness more believable. In addition to being naturally talented, Reeve is said to have worked on making the Superman of his movies show gentleness and vulnerability on screen because the audiences of that era would have liked it.
But Christopher Reeve’s greatest role came later, when he proved that superheroes don’t need capes or even superhuman powers to inspire others. He was left paralysed from the neck down after a horse-riding accident in May 1995. An avid, licensed pilot, who performed many of his movie stunts himself and a budding, competitive horse-rider, none of the risky moves of his past landed him in trouble. It was just a head-first fall while negotiating a simple jump on his horse that left him a quadriplegic, permanently confined to a wheelchair. I was always really picturing Christopher Reeve every time I thought of my favourite superhero. So, it was tragic to see him bound to a motorised wheelchair, his head held in place, instead of zipping around saving Lois Lane from the evil Lex Luthor.
Superheroes are meant to be demigods, who, we would like to believe, suffer from the same frailties of a human heart, despite their superhuman or ‘mutant-like’ strengths. Yet, for our own sakes, we also want them to display a rare, superhuman ability to rise above these weaknesses. There is no telling if Christopher Reeve was indeed only inspired by the comic book hero he reprised in four films, but he certainly behaved like he was, with his ability to continue to passionately engage as an activist, a motivator and even as an actor, despite never recovering from his quadriplegia.
He used his celebrity status to spread awareness about spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders, set up numerous research centres and foundations, and even lobbied the US Government to enhance funding for medical research on embryonic stem cells and regenerative therapy. He wrote two books including the autobiography Still Me . And, in addition to travelling the length and breadth of the US delivering extempore speeches to motivate the differently-abled, he personally called or visited many to encourage and inspire them to go above and beyond their illnesses or injuries.
Christopher Reeve passed away in October 2004, nine years after his crippling injury, due to complications from reactions caused by an antibiotic administered to help him fight an infection. Last week marked the 14th anniversary of the passing of Christopher Reeve — a great actor, a passionate activist and a remarkable human with a never-say-die attitude. The man amongst Supers who lived to inspire all of us to find our inner Superman.