Christopher Reeve Superman Callbacks
After two movies that have been heavily criticized for portraying Superman as too dour, Justice League attempts to put things right. As if to bang home how Henry Cavill is now playing the classic version of the character, the film features several callbacks to Christopher Reeve’s iteration.
For one, Clark’s fashion sense is ripped straight out of Reeve’s wardrobe. Once he gets his memory back and returns to the Kent farm, Clark dons a red and black plaid shirt and stands in a field. Basically recreating a shot of the teenage Clark from 1978’s Superman: The Movie.Â
At the end of the film, Clark Kent is back on the streets of Metropolis, dressed in his geeky finest – before he hears a call for help, turns to the camera and lets loose the classic shirt rip to reveal the Superman suit underneath. Apart from being the first time this iconic moment has appeared in the DCEU, Cavill’s beige coat in the scene mirrors the colour scheme Reeve’s Kent often sported.
Finally, an actual cast member from 1978’s Superman appears in Justice League: Jimmy Olsen himself, Marc McClure. McClure has previously been glimpsed in the trailers as a cop saved from being squished by Cyborg. However, this must have changed during the reshoots as McClure actually stars as the guard at Henry Allen’s prison.
