Christopher Reeve Superman's 5 Different DC Movie Timelines Explained
Christopher Reeve starred as Superman in four classic DC movies, and his iteration of Clark Kent inhabits multiple branching timelines. Richard Donner’s 1978 film Superman was not the first superhero movie but it was the first major blockbuster in the genre. The film’s overwhelming success is owed to numerous factors, with one being Donner’s insistence on respecting the source material and treating the film as an earnest epic rather than a self-parody. Naturally, 1978’s Superman led to numerous sequels, spin-off properties, and the emergence of the superhero movie genre, thanks to similar films like 1989’s Batman and 2002’s Spider-Man.
The superhero comic genre tends to be more concerned with continuity than most corners of pop culture. The big two publishers (DC and Marvel) have made continuity maintenance the center of entire storylines in many cases. Naturally, the concept of overlapping continuity is familiar to longtime followers of mainstream superhero comics. Unsurprisingly, the concept has found itself in superhero adaptations too, with the two Tim Burton Batman movies notably having various branching timelines. Richard Donner’s Superman similarly has branching timelines, with the different universes appearing in sequels and spinoff materials to the original 1978 movie.
5 Superman's Original Timeline Had Three Sequels Superman Also Spawned A Spin-Off With Supergirl Close The original Superman movie timeline is straightforward. After 1978’s Superman, the story continues in the theatrical version of Superman II, then Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic.
Superman and Superman II were notably filmed concurrently for a time, and Richard Donner was replaced by Richard Lester during production of the sequel. With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic. Between the releases of III and The Quest for Peace, the canonical spin-off film Supergirl introduced Helen Slater’s Kara Zor-El into the Donner universe.
4 Superman II's Richard Donner Cut Is An Alternate Sequel THe Theatrical Cut Of Superman II Changed Directors During Production![]()
Richard Donner never completed his iteration of Superman II, but in 2006, a restored and re-edited director’s cut of the film titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released. The film utilizes as much of Donner’s original footage as possible, including a screen test for Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.
The superhero comic genre tends to be more concerned with continuity than most corners of pop culture. The big two publishers (DC and Marvel) have made continuity maintenance the center of entire storylines in many cases. Naturally, the concept of overlapping continuity is familiar to longtime followers of mainstream superhero comics. Unsurprisingly, the concept has found itself in superhero adaptations too, with the two Tim Burton Batman movies notably having various branching timelines. Richard Donner’s Superman similarly has branching timelines, with the different universes appearing in sequels and spinoff materials to the original 1978 movie.
5 Superman's Original Timeline Had Three Sequels Superman Also Spawned A Spin-Off With Supergirl Close The original Superman movie timeline is straightforward. After 1978’s Superman, the story continues in the theatrical version of Superman II, then Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic.
Superman and Superman II were notably filmed concurrently for a time, and Richard Donner was replaced by Richard Lester during production of the sequel. With Donner, who wanted the Superman films to be more epic and earnest, departing the series, the sequels became far more comedic. Between the releases of III and The Quest for Peace, the canonical spin-off film Supergirl introduced Helen Slater’s Kara Zor-El into the Donner universe.
4 Superman II's Richard Donner Cut Is An Alternate Sequel THe Theatrical Cut Of Superman II Changed Directors During Production
Richard Donner never completed his iteration of Superman II, but in 2006, a restored and re-edited director’s cut of the film titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released. The film utilizes as much of Donner’s original footage as possible, including a screen test for Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. 
