Maybe you thought Man of Steel was awful or maybe you despised Superman Returns. But you have not known true pain unless you have tried to sit through Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. This was Christopher Reeves final outing as the Last Son of Krypton, and he also wrote the script (proving that just because youre a talented actor doesnt mean you can write worth a damn). This film is unfortunately the closest weve ever gotten to seeing Bizarro on the big screen in the form of the Nuclear Man. In the movie, the Nuclear Man is created when Lex Luthor attaches a strand of Supermans hair to a nuclear missile. Superman intercepts the missile and throws it into the sun, and for some reason, this creates the Nuclear Man. Played by Mark Pillow and voiced by Gene Hackman, the Nuclear Man has an ugly orange and black costume and also long, black nails that are apparently radioactive. So now weve got a villain whose major power against Superman is scratching him with his goth nails? Look, we love Christopher Reeves portrayal of Supermanit is without a doubt the best version of Superman that has ever appeared in live-action. But he should have given the writing duties to someone else for this outing.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
