As a gamer with a soft spot for superhero films, I’ve seen my fair share of Superman adaptations. Among them, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace stands out as an oddity – not quite a masterpiece, but certainly a fascinating footnote in the history of the Man of Steel.
Generally speaking, when it comes to the evaluation of the Superman films, most people believe that the 1987 release, “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace,” is considered the weakest. This film, which marked Christopher Reeve’s final appearance as Superman, was met with widespread criticism by both professional critics and audiences, managing to earn only about $30 million worldwide. After his successful role as Duckie in “Pretty in Pink” the previous year, Jon Cryer appeared in “The Quest for Peace” as Lenny Luthor. During an interview discussing this Superman movie, Cryer himself expressed some reservations about his performance as Lex Luthor’s nephew.
In a recent episode of the podcast “Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch”, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace came up when Christopher Reeve, who played Dr. Cyril Taft in three episodes of the long-running CBS series NCIS, was interviewed by hosts Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo. During the conversation, Reeve mentioned that it’s enjoyable to connect with someone who appreciates a piece of art that you once considered your most embarrassing work, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace certainly fits that description.
In a film titled “Superman IV,” my final appearance as Superman, the fourth installment in the Christopher Reeve series, encountered financial difficulties midway through production. Consequently, the movie is disjointed due to unfinished special effects, necessitating significant scene removals that have left it lacking coherence and logical flow. I feel disappointed about this outcome because I held a deep affection for the original “Superman” film, which was released when I was 14 years old, making me the target audience for that movie.
In the year 1985, Ilya Salkind, who along with his father Alexander produced the initial three Superman films starring Christopher Reeve, sold the movie rights for the character to The Cannon Group, Inc. for $5 million. The company initially planned to produce Superman V while working on Superman IV. However, as Jon Cryer pointed out, the financial issues with the latter film led to a confusing plot about Superman confronting Lex Luthor and Nuclear Man. Consequently, the Superman movie series took a break until the 2006 release of Superman Returns, which acted as a spiritual successor to the first two movies starring Christopher Reeve (but unfortunately did not receive a sequel).
Jon Cryer acknowledged that he too played a part in the lackluster reception of “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace“, since he isn’t pleased with his portrayal of Lenny Luthor in the film. His exact statement was:
As a gamer, let me confess, I’m not exactly a pro at this game. And here’s something else I feel a bit sheepish about: In my enthusiasm, I went all out and picked a really powerful character for my role. Looking back now, it wasn’t the best decision as it didn’t quite work out as planned.
Luckily, the actor managed to restore his reputation within the Superman fanbase after landing the role of Lex Luthor on Supergirl. From Season 4 onwards, his portrayal of Luthor emerged as a consistent antagonist for Melissa Benoist’s Kara Zor-El in the Arrowverse’s Earth-38. This universe eventually combined with Earth-1 and Black Lightning’s Earth to form Earth-Prime following the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Regrettably, Cryer was not invited back for Superman & Loise, set on a different Earth, but he did commend Michael Cudlitz when he was chosen as the bald villain in The Walking Dead.
If you’ve never seen Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and would like to have context for what Jon Cryer was talking about, it can be streamed with a Max subscription. Otherwise, just keep checking back with us for updates on James Gunn’s Superman movie, which will take place in the DC Universe shared continuity and come out on July 11, 2025.
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2024-09-06 18:38