Did The Flash Just Destroy Christopher Reeve’s Superman Universe?

The Flash might have destroyed Christopher Reeve’s ’70s and ’80s Superman universe.

To this day, Christopher Reeve’s Superman continues to be considered by many to be the definitive adaptation of the Man of Steel. The iconic hero debuted in his 1978 movie which spawned three mixed sequels and even a Supergirl spin-off.

Superman introduced the famous “You’ll believe a man can fly” slogan, offering a revolutionary recreation of the Kryptonian hero’s powers, so much so it was awarded a “Special Achievement Award” for its visuals at the 1979 Oscars.

The Flash’s Christopher Reeve Cameo Explained

Warning – The rest of this article contains spoilers for The Flash.

During the climax of The Flash, fans caught a glimpse into several universes within the Speed Force as they began colliding with each other. Among those shown was that of the original ’70s and ’80s Superman movies, starring Christopher Reeve.

The classic Clark Kent – whose actor passed away in 2004 – was shown in CGI form as he flew down to stand on a rooftop looking upon his Metropolis.

Joining him was Helen Slater’s Supergirl, who led her own 1984 movie which was canon to Reeve’s Superman. However, the Kryptonians never appeared together, with this being their first time shown side-by-side.

As the young Barry Allen-turned-Dark Flash messed around with time travel, universes could be seen colliding, with Christopher Reeve’s and Nicolas Cage’s Superman worlds seen chaotically crashing into each other.

At the time these worlds were shown, they certainly appeared to be heading for destruction. However, it’s unclear whether Barry Allen undoing his time-meddling would serve to prevent this apocalyptic event, or if it was too late at this point for Reeves’ world to be saved from certain doom.

Nonetheless, the DC Multiverse has already established how the same actor can play a character in more than one universe, so it’s possible these may not be the exact Superman and Supergirl featured in the 20th-century franchise.

Even if Reeve’s Superman world, as featured in The Flash, was a victim of this collision event, others like it may still be thriving elsewhere in the Multiverse.

DC Revisits Superman & Other Classic Movies

DC previously revealed Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Helen Slater’s Supergirl, and Michael Keaton’s Batman actually occupy the same universe. In The Flash, Reeve and Keaton were shown within separate universes, which would seem to indicate at least one of these was not the same variant from their original movies.

So, with Keaton’s Batman dead after The Flash and Reeve’s Superman potentially having his world destroyed, fans can still hold out hope that other versions of these iconic and beloved portrayals remain alive and well somewhere out there.

The Flash paying tribute to the likes of the 1989 Batman and 1978 Superman truly makes the Speedster blockbuster a celebration of DC and those that made it the Hollywood hit it has grown into today.

The Flash is playing now in theaters worldwide.