July's Icon of the Month: Superman (Christopher Reeve)

More specifically, the Christopher Reeve Superman. I plan on using the other incarnations in future installments and honestly, he's my favorite one.

Why do I like the Reeve Superman so much? Well, part of it because I watched the first two movies before any other adaptions and so my thinkbox automatically jumps to him whenever Superman movies or TV shows come up. The other reason is because in my opinion, Christopher Reeve is, was, and always will be Superman because of how he lived his life after his tragic accident. Aside from a brief period right after the accident, he didn't wallow in self-pity or become a recluse from society. Instead, he worked and worked to try and defy his doctors and get his body working again. He was never fully successful in that endeavor, but he did have some success near the end of his life. I also admire his dedication to stem cell research and how he campaigned tirelessly to get as much funding for it as possible. The thing about it that always gets me is that he knew full well that a cure for spinal injuries and paralysis would never be found in his lifetime or in the lifetime or other disabled people but that a cure would be found and it would benefit future generations. His desire to see that nobody should have to endure that kind of tragedy ever again is both inspiring and humbling and makes him the real Superman.