By Laura Allan : 24 September 2021
Whether or not you believe in curses, it's hard to deny that the Superman Curse is a famous one. Many actors who have played the role of Superman have died in strange or unexpected ways, or have suffered horrible accidents in their lives. The Curse of Superman seems to extend beyond the actors themselves, affecting random stagehands, relatives, and even co-stars, such as those who play Lois Lane. It has even supposedly killed one of the youngest actors to ever play Superman.
So, what exactly is the Superman Curse?
Its origins go as far back as the birth of Superman himself. Supposedly, those who play Superman or work with Superman media have a terrible curse put upon them. They either suffer a mysterious death or a freak accident. The number of these occurrences is definitely enough to raise a few eyebrows.
Is the Superman Curse real?
While people who nearly played Superman will never know, many people who have worked on the comics, films, shows, and other media about the Man of Steel swear the curse has made their lives a living hell.
Superman's Creators Were Likely Struck By The Curse First
Perhaps the first people struck by the Curse of Superman were the creators of Superman themselves. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were the writer and artist of Superman, and they sold the rights of the character to DC Comics for a surprisingly small amount of money - $130. After they sold the rights, the superhero started raking in the big bucks for DC. Yet the original creators, Siegel and Shuster, were unable to make any money from the Man of Steel, despite repeated efforts to recover legal ownership or a share in the profits.
The creators of Superman lived in near poverty all their lives as the Man of Steel became a billion-dollar franchise. Shuster suffered from extensive medical problems and Siegel became bitter about all Superman media as a whole. In 1975, Siegel is quoted saying, "I can't stand to look at a Superman comic book. It makes my physically ill. I love Superman, and yet to me he has become an alien thing."
Kirk Alyn Was Probably The First To Be Afflicted
In the 1940s, a low budget, black-and-white Superman series hit the small screen, starring a man named Kirk Alyn. He was popular as the Man of Steel, but as soon as the show ended, he found it impossible to find work. He told the Associated Press, "I couldn't get another job." He was only able to land roles in other Superman films, commercials, and minor, uncredited roles. Apparently, he was typecasted and "the world wouldn't accept him as anything else."
While he did live until 1999, dying at age 88, the last part of his life was filled with suffering. Alzheimer’s disease began to destroy his faculties before he passed away due to natural causes.
Cartoon Superman Was Not Exempt From The Curse
Even people who did not act in live-action Superman media found themselves cursed. From 1941 to 1943, a cartoon version of Superman appeared on television, voiced by Bud Collyer. Unlike Alyn, Bud went on to a rather successful career in game shows and even went on to voice Superman again in 1966 for a CBS cartoon series. However, this second participation in Superman media seems to be what drew the curse’s attention. Only three short years after voicing Superman for the second time, Bud was found to have a circulatory ailment and died unexpectedly at the age of 61.
George Reeves Was The First One To Think It Was A Curse
George Reeves is widely regarded as the guy who brought the Superman Curse to the public's attention. He first played the Man of Steel in the 1951 film, Superman and the Mole Men. He went on to star in a Superman TV series that ran for six years between '52 and '58. This may have given Reeves success in his career, but just like Alyn, it also typecast him. Reeves had trouble finding more work.
He starred in a war movie called From Here to Eternity, which was actually met with resistance because "test audiences expressed their distaste for seeing Superman at war." Even though Reeves wasn't playing Superman, viewers couldn't help but see him as the superhero figure. Allegedly, this drove him toward depression as his acting career had come to a standstill. He was even considering going into wrestling. Then, in 1959, Reeves was found tragically deceased. It was officially ruled to have been by his own hand, though his own mother cast doubt on this ruling.
Christopher Reeve Took Up The Cape Until A Fateful Horseback Ride
The next actor to step into the Superman role was arguably the most popular, and that man was Christopher Reeve. He was cast in the 1978 Superman movie and went on to enjoy a successful career with the series, starring in three more movies. Unfortunately, he was also typecast as Superman afterwards and had difficulty finding non-Superman leading roles.
Still, he regularly played Superman and also took the time to participate in one of his favorite pastimes: horseback riding. Sadly, it was this hobby that brought his downfall. In May 1995, Reeve was participating in a cross-country riding event when he was thrown from his horse. He was paralyzed from the neck down, never to walk again. However, the Superman Curse wasn't quite done with him.
Medicine Meant To Help Reeve Actually Killed Him
Wheelchair bound, Christopher Reeve became a philanthropist and a public figure for disability rights. Even after being struck down in his prime, Reeve seemed to be rebounding well, considering his circumstances. Sadly, it was not to last. Suffering from an infection in 2004, he took antibiotics to combat the illness. However, the antibiotics he was taking to keep him alive reacted negatively in his system. As a result, he suffered an unexpected heart attack and died on October 10, 2004. He was only 52 years old.
Even People Who Don't Play Superman Can Fall Victim To The Curse
You didn't have to actually be Superman to be laid low by the dastardly curse. People who played supporting roles in the Superman films found themselves facing tragedies. Richard Pryor was a comedian who'd already gone through some pretty hard times. He'd almost killed himself, gone through drug addiction, and had dealt with severe depression. But in 1983, he was in Superman III as a villain named Gus Gorman. It looked as if Pryor was somewhat recovering from his many troubles. But then, only a few years later, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and his health began to deteriorate. He had a heart attack and died in 2005, when he was only 65 years old.
Marlon Brando also suffered from tragedies in his life after playing Jor-El in the 1978 Superman movie. His son ended up killing his half-sister, his daughter committed suicide, and Brando himself eventually died in 2004, only three months before Christopher Reeve.
The Life Of Margot Kidder, Who Once Played Lois Lane, Became A Nightmare
Margot Kidder wasn't the first actress to play Lois Lane, but because she played the part in the 1978 movie, she is perhaps the most famous one. However, after starring in the film, her life began to fall apart. It was as if the Superman Curse was doggedly following her career. Kidder fought with the director of the Superman movies, so her part was minimized in later installments. She was also unable to get any other major parts because she was typecast as the damsel in distress.
In 1990, she was in a major car accident that left her temporarily paralyzed. She could not work, which led to severe mood swings and depression. She began to have manic episodes and eventually had a severe breakdown in 1996. She became convinced that her previous husband was trying to kill her and began sleeping outside. She cut off her hair, was assaulted by a homeless man, and was finally sent in for treatment at the UCLA Medical Center. She seems to have leveled out some since then and is living a quiet life.
Even Baby Superman Became A Victim
Possibly the saddest story linked to this alleged curse is that of Lee John Quigley. Lee was the youngest actor to ever play Superman (as well as the only British one): he was cast at seven months old to represent the baby version of the Man of Steel in the 1978 movie. He may have only been on screen briefly, but it was apparently enough to leave a mark. After the movie, Lee's life was not exactly a happy one. His home life was turbulent, and he was teased and bullied at school. This eventually led him to abusing solvents. In 1991, this abuse ended his life, as he "inhaled harmful gas aerosols" and subsequently died. He was only 14 years old.
Relatives Of The Victims Could Still Be Cursed
Dana Reeve may have only been the wife of a Superman star, but she still felt the supposed curse's effects. She stayed by Christopher Reeve's side throughout his Hollywood career, his accident, recovery, and advocacy. Naturally, when he passed away in 2004, she was grief-stricken, but her tragedies were not over yet. Only a short time later, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, even though she had never been a smoker nor stayed near anyone who chronically smoked. Only two years after her husband's untimely death, Dana Reeve died due to complications from lung cancer. She was only 44 years old.
The Curse Has Been Blamed For Small Instances Of Bad Luck, Too
The curse doesn't seem to just go around killing people at whim. Sometimes, it seems to just want to cause misfortune in the lives of anyone involved with the Superman franchise. For example, the crew that made the DVD for Superman Returns had numerous weird accidents happen on set. One person fell down the stairs, one person was mugged, and one person was smashed into a glass window. The director of the movie, Bryan Singer, went on record as saying that the DVD crew had absorbed the Superman Curse for the rest of the movie crew.
Kate Bosworth, who played Lois Lane in Superman Returns, also blamed the curse for some misfortune in her life. She didn't believe in the curse at first, but while filming the movie, her relationship with long-time boyfriend Orlando Bloom became strained. The pair eventually broke up in the wake of Bosworth filming the movie. After it was all said and done, Bosworth allegedly said she believed in the Superman Curse.
A Few Superman Actors Just Don't Believe It
Of course, not all Superman actors believe in the curse. Brandon Routh and Bob Holiday have both played Superman in various media forms, and no great tragedies have befallen either of them (yet). Routh has suffered from being typecast since, but nothing too drastic or tragic. Both Routh and Holiday have also said they do not believe in the curse, but one actor in particular has been very vocal about the curse not being real.
Henry Cavill played Superman in the 2013 film Man of Steel. Not only has nothing particularly bad happened to Cavill yet, but he adamantly denies the existence of the curse at all! In an interview with Collider, he had some pretty strong words about the curse's existence:
"Well, I mean, I honestly don’t believe there’s a curse. I think there’s been some bad luck in the past, especially when it comes to horses, and I don’t mean that as a joke. My fiancée is an international show jumper and I know all the risk attached to that. You can fall off 1,000 times and be fired through fences and then the one time you’re home out in the yard, all it takes is something to startle the horse and you’re off and you fall the wrong way. There’s bad luck, but I don’t think it’s any curse."
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