Superman Through the Ages! Forum

I've often thought it would be a nice and fitting tribute to Christopher Reeves if a statue depicting him as Superman could be placed at the park in Virginia where Reeves broke his neck after getting thrown from that horse. Christopher Reeves is not able to be with us any longer, we should remember him. But Brandon Routh appears be doing a good job of carrying on the "S"   Just my thoughts.

I would support this effort wholeheartedly

Does anyone know what they might do already?  A little Googling suggests that http://www.cdcta.com might be a starting point for finding out such efforts.  It was a CD&CTA Memorial Day event where he was paralysed.

I seem to recall there being paralysis charity stuff at equestrian events, so maybe Reeve might not want something that spooks riders.  Would he want a statue when that money could go to paralysis research?

 If he grew up in one home town his entire life, that might be a better place for the statue. Perhaps Metropolis Il. could also do something like that.

I have to agree Reeve would probably prefer a statue at the site of some career triumph, or his birthplace, or ideally at a facility bearing his name and dedicated to medical research or rehabilitation for victims of spinal injury.  Focusing on the site of his injury strikes me as maudlin, like those makeshift memorials I see on the side of the highway.  Sites like that probably attact their share of gawkers as it is, without encouraging more of them.

I'm also not sure I like the idea of honoring Reeve with a statue that shows him in the Superman costume.   It gets too easy for people to confuse who's being honored; the man or the character. 

I agree Nightwing.

This is a touchy subject. So there is no mistake in my point of view. Christopher Reeve was a hero to me. I cried when he died. But people like to blur the line between Reeve the man, and Superman the character so much. I know it is intended out of respect for him.

But I have often wondered -

What if Christopher Reeve had not played Superman? But was equally famous for playing some other role. Would his courage after the accident have been admired as much? Or was it simply the irony of him having played Superman. I hope not! But the often stated "He became a real Superman" seems to imply he was moving out of the shadow of Superman. Not giving the credit to the actual courage itself.

Anyways, I would love to see a statue erected to honor Christopher Reeve. Either of him as a young man in street clothes. Or in a wheel chair.

Of course there is no reason a Reeve as Superman statue could not be put somewhere else more appropriate. Noel Neill is getting a statue of her as Lois, in Metropolis, IL.

May 27 1995