Warning: this story contains MAJOR spoilers for The Flash.
DC's The Flash is full of cameos. There are countless Batmen, multiple Supermen, and even two Ezra Millers. If there's a character you wanted to see in The Flash, there's a good chance they show up somewhere. Still, some of the cameos are a bit more surprising than others. Unless you've been able to stay off the Internet today—or if you skimmed right past that spoiler warning above—you've likely read about some of the A-listers who suited up for a brief spot of superhero glory.
Surprisingly, most of the most cameos in The Flash come from digital recreations—a process of blending archival footage with A.I. to make it seem like Hollywood's superheroes of days since past are sharing the same screen as today's modern actors. There's a scene in the latest DC outing with such technology on full display. As Miller peers into the multiverse, he's bombarded with sequences of Nicolas Cage in a Superman suit, Adam West’s Batman, Helen Slater’s Supergirl, and even Christopher Reeve's Superman.
For those who need a bit of jolt to the memory, Reeve played the Man of Steel throughout four films in the late 70's and 80's. For many fans, he's one of the most beloved actors to ever wear the red and blue tights. Sadly, he passed away back in 2004, following health problems resulting from a 1995 horseback riding accident that paralyzed the actor from the shoulders down. Though some viewers appreciated the homage to the celebrated DC actor, comments flooded social media from those audience members who were largely put off by his inclusion. It's always a mixed bag when it comes to digital recreations like these, and Reeve's may have finally broke the camel's back.
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On Twitter, users have already begun sharing footage from an old interview with Reeve, wherein the actor speaks against many practices that films like The Flash employ. "Hollywood suffers from a very bad disease called sequelitis," Reeve jokes. "What the majors do is take what grossed $100 million domestically last year and get the key ingredients back again and try to pump it up a few more times. Of course, the quality is a sliding scale of diminishing returns. And I think, very rarely do you get a sequel that is an improvement on what went before it." Eek! Sounds like Reeve would not have enjoyed his A.I. cameo in The Flash. "The irony of this," a Twitter user who shared the video commented. "Warner Brothers did exactly what Christopher Reeve hated." Ouch.
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