Fight For The Soul
The Moment: Superman 3's stand-out setpiece sees a divided hero fighting for his own soul, as Clark Kent 🐬splits away from the 'evil' Superman for a pitched battle in a car scrapyard.
Why It's Great: Not only a surreal and distinctive scene, it's a reminder that, for all of Superman's alien powers, it's his warm, raised-as-a-human qua♎lities which truly make him Super.
The Death Of Superman
The Moment: This 1961 comic strip imagine🤪s that Lex Luthor finally gets his way and kills Su🍷perman by capturing him in an outer-space laboratory and poisoning him with a kryptonite ray.
Why It's Great: It's the first attempt to kill off Superman, although Action Comics was quick to assure the public that the story was non-canonical, describing events as "An exciting three-part imaginary novel (which may actually 🔯never happen, but then again may!) full of astounding surprises!"
The Death Of Superman… Again
The Moment: Doomsday, a viole🌱nt creature from Krypton's past, arrives on Earth. Superman stops him but at the cost of his own life, in a 1992 comic series known as The Death Of Superm♑an.
Why It's Great: The comic sensation of the early 90s, this long series (which ul🔯timately ended with Superman's resurrection) was designed - as its creators put it - because "the world was taking Superman for granted, so we literally said 'let's show what the world would be like without Superman."
The Beginning
The Moment: The publication on 18th April𝓀 1938 of Action Comics #1 saw the birth of several new superheroes: Zatara Master Magician, Tex Thompson, and some guy from outer space known as Superman.
Why It's Great: The♍ sing🎃le most influential comic in history, its impact is still felt today. No wonder a pristine copy of the issue can fetch over $2 million.
Rings Around The World
The Moment: A distraught Superman is too late to save Lois Lane - or is he? Using the full extent of his powers, he breaks his ൲father's rules to turn back time by flying really, really fast around the Earth.
Why It's Great: The perfect example of Supe𒉰rman: The Movie's sense of scale, as we move from the micro (via the moving anguish of Reeve's grief) to th𒆙e macro.
Reversal Of Fortune
The Moment: The climax of Superman 2 sees a weakened Superman forced, finally, to kneel before🐽 Zod... Except he's switched the power drain in the Fortress of Solitude. Actually, it's Zod and his cronies who have lost their powers.
Why It's Great: A new definition of sleight-of-hand, as Zod suddenly discovﷺers that Kal-El has a bone-crushing super-grip.
Kneel Before Zod
The Moment: General Zod (Tereꦏnce Stamp) seizes control of the White 🔯House in Superman 2, where he learns of Kal-El's existence on Earth. His demand, made via a television broadcast, is simple: "Kneel before Zod!"
Why It's Great: The most quoted line of any Superman movie is also the point whಞere the stakes are raised: Superman no longer has the advantage over his enemies. Indeed, given he's voluntarily🍨 given up his powers, he's at a considerable disadvantage.
Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?
The Moment: Lois Lane recounts the last ten years of Superman's life, in a two-part flashback s🎐tor𒆙y published by DC Comics in 1986.
Why It's Great: Devised as th⛎e coda to the 'Silver Age' of Superman comics before its reboot, it stands as a🌌 memorable end to the character's mythos, and an obvious source should Zack Snyder's franchise ever need a conclusion.
Step Outside
The Moment: His powers restored, Superman returns to Metropolis in Superman 2 to pick a fight with General Zod. Talk about making an entrance🎀 - he hovers outside the Daily Planet to ask, "General, would you care to step outside?"
Why It's Great: On the one hand, Superman is politeness personified. On the other, an enraged Zod revisits his favourite line by snarlin🍰g, "Kneel before Zod!" The battle lines are drawn right there.
Hero
The Moment: Less than a year after the tragic accident that disabled him, a wheelchair-bound Christopher Reeve appears at the 1996 Oscar ceremony to mak🌃e a speech about Hollywood's need to tackle important subjects.
Why It's Great: Never mind Superman. With grace, humour, 🌺courage and humility ("I wouldn't have missed this kind of 🎃welcome for the world") Reeve proves that you don't need superpowers to be a hero.
