Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. He quickly became one of the most famous fictional characters of all time, idolized by grownups and children alike. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its legacy within American society.
His unique spandex costume is one of the most iconic parts of his design and has seen many iterations as well as an interest in the market. It’s hard to resist the cuteness of a child in a superman costume, and many professional costume makers compete to make the most intricate of Superman cosplays.
With that said, fans may be very interested to know that one of the most famous Superman costumes in existence is now up for grabs. ScreenUsed, co-owned by Desi DosSantos and Jeff Castillo, has announced today their company will hold it’s seventh on-line auction. The centerpiece of the auction is an original costume worn by Christopher Reeve in the 1983 film Superman III. Take a look:
In the late 70’s, Christopher Reeve became the embodiment of the Man of Steel wearing this suit. Though he had predecessors, his name became synonymous for the Man from Krypton, sent to Metropolis to protect Earth. In 1995, with the tragic announcement of Chris Reeve’s spinal injury from a horse accident, rendering him paralyzed in a wheelchair, fans’ ongoing hope of Mr. Reeve once again donning this suit were shattered. As a result, Chris Reeve’s Superman costumes have become one of the most sought-after artifacts in film history. As witnessed in the fine arts world, it did not take long for the forgers to see an opportunity and today, several fake suits, manufactured long after filming – yet copied from the real thing, therefore identical – are known to have ended up in private collections, sold as “originals”. Many of the die-hard collectors are aware of that fact, which naturally makes a purchase choice in today’s market a rather difficult one, especially since hardly any of the suits documented in public sales seemed to be accompanied by any meaningful provenance. In fact, the standard “COA” often reads that the suit was given to “x” person by an employee from the costume department with no direct link that would allow tracing it back to a credible or undisputable source.
ScreenUsed is proud to offer a rare original Christopher Reeve Superman bodysuit with his trademark belt, accompanied by an actual Certificate of Authenticity direct from Warner Brothers Studios. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only original Superman costume ever to be released to the public with full Warner Brothers Archives sanctioning. The studio’s unique DNA encoding system allows for matching the suit with its corresponding COA at any given time, eliminating the risk of the valuable and authenticating paperwork ever being matched up with a replicated bodysuit. To adequately display the suit, it was dressed on a custom muscular ‘heroic’ mannequin with custom sculpted Christopher Reeve head (painted in silky white to direct the emphasis towards the suit, not the sculpture) and completed with a replicated set of cape and boots. Superman’s appearance is distinctive and iconic, making this costume instantly recognizable the world over.
The costume is available for pre-bidding right now, and the live online auction will take place starting at 10am Pacific Time on July 12, 2014. See the ScreenUsed.com website for details.