Superman has now been played multiple times on both the big and small screen, and while there are things to like about many of the different versions, the two with the biggest fan bases have to be the original big screen Superman, Christopher Reeve, and the most recent one, played by Henry Cavill. Now, the two have come together as an artist has put Reeve inside the suit worn by Cavill. It's either an alternate reality where Christopher Reeve played the role in Man of Steel, or perhaps the Infinite Crisis we'll never get to see. Check it out.
As a piece of art, the creation from Zerologhy on Instagram is perfect. It drops Christopher Reeve right in the middle of the DC movie universe. He's in Henry Cavill['s costume, which is only fair, since Cavill wore the original Christopher Reeve costume as part of his original screen test before getting the job in Man of Steel. There's even the back drop of a desolated Metropolis, setting the image at the end of that film.
Of course, while the image succeeds at its intended goal, I'm not sure how much it works in concept. Whatever you think of these too Superman performances, and there are reasons to like both, but they are clearly very different. Christopher Reeve could have played a more Man of Steel-like version of the character, he was a good actor and could do anything, but since that's not the version that he did play, seeing his body inside that costume just feels very strange. His Superman was very different.
At the same time, if the image had things reversed it would likely be equally odd. Both Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill made the role their own. While the core character was the same, neither version would work very well dropped into the other actor's film.
Seeing these two great Superman actors combined together obviously makes one wonder about the future of the character, except that, at this point, there apparently isn't one. While many DC movies are in some form of production, there's apparently no plan for Superman going forward. Henry Cavill's contract to play the big blue boy scout is, apparently, over, and while Warner Bros. could easily go back to him to try and work out another movie if the studio wanted that, it can just as easily go elsewhere and start something new. Since that's what's happening with Batman right now, it certainly feels like that's the more likely option.
However long it takes, we'll certainly see Superman again on the big screen. When we do, somebody can put Henry Cavill's face in his costume to keep us entertained. At least, by the time there's another Superman movie, it means we'll be going to the movies again.
