You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly
That was the slogan for the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeves as Superman.
Before Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, audiences only had one movie as an on-ramp to the world of bright spandex suits and superhuman people.
The year prior, Star Wars debuted, exposing audiences to a faraway galaxy. Superman, in contrast, is from Kansas and an All-American Boy Scout.
“It was Superman who helped create my American journey so that to this day,
the face and body of truth, justice, and the American way
remain those of that comic book superhero with the large S on his chest.
While the poignancy of his death derived from how successfully Reeve had turned himself into the Man of Steel, it was a death that threatened to overwhelm his entire career.” (Krigel 2006 p.259)
Today’s social media landscape has made celebrities’ personal lives fodder for the public to insert themselves in.
As far as audiences are concerned, actors are their characters. Some do everything they can to escape a reputation as a single character. It is understandable to be disgruntled with the media.
However, there is also a tremendous power of having followers. People hear and act on the words their favorite “characters” support.
The importance of a character in the media and real communities contributes to the conversations
About how much actors should identify with roles involving race, ability, or gender identity.
“Ideally, anybody should be able to play anybody, but only when there is a truly level playing field of opportunity.” (The Guardian)
Actors do not suddenly gain the power to fly or climb walls when they wear those suits. What they do receive is attention and social capital. Creating
“Great power which comes with great responsibility.”
The power Reeves gained from being the silver screen’s original superhuman was not wasted. Reeves said, “I am getting older, and time is ticking.
The more time passes, the more I feel a sense of urgency, and I can accept anything except for complacency.”
This quote was after his paralyzing horse riding accident. Reeves used his power to strive and invest in walking again. Moving towards a better quality of life since you’ve only got one.
The inspiring acts of his story go beyond
the poster of him in a flying cape and being the face of a charity designed to support the disability community, which he became a part of.
He was driven to move up and over his circumstances. Like Superman, he maintained hope.
Krigel “If a spinal cord crushed by a fall from a horse was a ludicrous ending for a Man of Steel,
it was an even more ludicrous ending for a Hollywood star.
Yet what other than a freak accident could turn all-powerful Superman into a helpless cripple or make the death of a Hollywood actor synonymous with the death of America’s superhero?”
The crossroads of who an actor plays and what someone in real life is capable of could not conflict more. When Christopher Reeves fought for his life, audiences were given a new perspective for so long before and after Hollywood was sensationalized.
All actors are scrutinized for what went “wrong” after fame. Accidents are events that go wrong. With less judgment, there’s more room for shock.
For many people who perceive disability as more of a descriptor word for the body, the words’ disabled’ and ‘superhero’ may not seem to go together.” (Norris)
Make no mistake about it: not only did the actor die, but Superman died with him.
In a virtual reality moment, more real than computerized images of the Man of Steel leaping tall buildings or flying into the up, up, and away, he left for good.
As cripple, Superman would be forced to surrender the holy triad of truth, justice, and the American way. (Krigel 2006 p.260)
Giving up can connect to pity. Resigning oneself to fit into the community of people with disabilities can be difficult sheerly because of expectations and fears of disablement that outsiders feel.
Directly after his accident, Reeves permitted his wife, Danna, to let him pass.
She was the one to maintain hope at that crossroads of life. The goal to walk again also shows the double-edged sword of striving for a better life and seeing and accepting where you are now.
Since Superman, Science Fiction storylines often parallel current political or social issues through superheroes.
Having disabled superheroes helps to provide role models for the disability community and also exposes the “normal.”
Sources
KRIEGEL, L. (2006). Superman’s Shoulders: On the Healing Power of Illusion. Southwest Review, 91(2), 258–267. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43472711
Norris, M. (2015). Comics and Human Rights: Oracle and Representations of Disabled Superheroes.LSE. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/80270/