Christopher Reeves is perhaps the most famous Superman. He first appeared as Clark Kent and his alter ego in 1978’s Superman. The DC actor then went on to star in Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
But his life took a turn for the worse when he broke his neck in a horse riding competition in 1995. The injury paralyzed him from the shoulders down. The actor relied on a wheelchair and ventilator for the rest of his life. There was an instance because of his injury when he had to be threatened to leave the set of Smallville.
Christopher Reeve had to be threatened to leave the set of Smallville
To accommodate Christopher Reeve‘s physical condition, the filmmakers prioritized shooting his scenes first so that he could leave early. They then adjusted the angles to film Tom Welling separately. Welling revealed—during a Smallville reunion panel hosted by New York City Comic Con in 2022—that Reeve refused to leave the set (as reported by Entertainment Weekly):
“He was only supposed to be there for three hours, but I think he stayed for like six-and-a-half. He was like, ‘I don’t want to leave. He wanted to stay with me! It got to the point where his nurse said to him, ‘I’m going to call the police.’ He’s like, ‘On who?’ She’s like, ‘On you! You’re done, you can’t be here anymore!’ He just wanted to be there.”
But the former Superman star eventually left the set of Smallville. Fortunately, his guest appearance on the show did not cause any serious harm to him.
Tom Welling Felt Honored as Christopher Reeve Blessed Superman’s Legacy
Tom Welling—who played a small-screen Superman/Clark Kent for ten years—also shared a story on the 2023 episode of TalkVille about how honored he was that Reeve agreed to appear on Smallville.
“‘I’m glad you’re the next Superman. I’m not, I’m playing Clark Kent.’ And he said to me, ‘Well you should be.'”
Christopher Reeve blessed Tom Welling and permitted him to carry on the role of Superman into the 21st century. Later, during the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths event, Welling passed the cape onto Tyler Hoechlin.
He starred on the CW’s Superman & Lois (2021) as Supergirl’s Man of Steel. This chain of passing the torch pays homage to the legacy of Superman across different actors and eras.
