Superman (1978): 15 INSANE Facts You Never Knew

Superman looked like a heroic adventure about an alien from Krypton becoming Earth’s greatest protector. But behind Christopher Reeve’s cape was a production shaped by impossible special effects, producer battles, casting resistance, enormous salaries, and a determination to make audiences genuinely believe that a man could fly. Marlon Brando seriously suggested playing Superman’s father as a floating bagel before agreeing to appear on camera. Gene Hackman refused to shave his head or wear a bald cap to play Lex Luthor, so his real hair was disguised as a series of changing hairpieces. Margot Kidder performed much of Lois Lane without her contact lenses because Richard Donner liked the vulnerable, slightly disoriented quality it gave her. And after nearly a million dollars of failed flying tests, the breakthrough effect that finally made Superman fly required just $25,000 more — money the producers initially refused to spend. These are 15 wild facts about Superman — the kind that make one of the most influential superhero movies ever made feel even more impossible once you know what was happening behind the scenes.