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On February 8, 2025, a group of Superman actors gathered for a Megacon panel. Tim Daly, George Newbern, Tyler Hoechlin, Brandon Routh, and Tom Welling came together to share their stories about their time as the Man of Steel. However, there was another Superman actor whose presence was felt throughout the panel. Christopher Reeve may have passed away in 2004, but he may as well have been the panel’s sixth speaker.

Every actor shared a story about how Reeve’s take on Superman inspired them. For Tom Welling, it went deeper. Reeve guest starred on 2 episodes of Smallville in 2003 and 2004, where he played Dr. Virgil Swann. Onscreen he helped Welling’s Clark Kent learn about his Kryptonian heritage. Offscreen, his presence served as a passing of the torch.

“We just had a really great banter,” Welling recalled. “I had a lot of fun with him. It was so cool that the scene was this brilliant scientist who knew more than Clark and was downloading Clark this information. Here I was with this brilliant man being downloaded with so much information.”

Reeve had been paralyzed following a 1995 horseback riding accident. As a result, Warner Bros. Television worked to limit Reeve’s time on set for health reasons. The only thing they didn’t count on was Reeve having too much fun to leave. “Considering the circumstances of his condition, we got there, and the plan was to shoot four hours and get his side of two scenes, and then he would leave, and then I would do my side with someone else. And we did the first scene, and they said, okay, we’re going to the next scene. He goes, ‘What about Tom?’”

Ever the professional actor, Reeve wanted to film during Tom’s sides instead of using a body double.

“He was like, ‘No, I’m not leaving.’ And long story short, it got to a point about eight hours into the day, and they had turned around filming my scenes with him, and his nurse with power of attorney was like, ‘If you don’t come with me in 15 minutes, I’m calling the police.’ Because she could. He had to leave. He looked at me and said, ‘They’re always telling me what to do.’”

Despite his condition, Welling said Reeve had a dignity about him, and he still commanded respect.

“You didn’t feel sorry for him at all. He was actually telling jokes the whole time. We had a riot. He was cracking me up.”

“I walked away from it wanting to be a better person,” Welling reflected. What else would you expect from Superman?

Here's how to watch all the Superman TV series and movies in order.