Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

As the world powers engage in a tense arms race, Superman tries to curb danger by promoting nuclear disarmament and safeguarding lives. Lex Luthor, freshly freed from jail, declares war on the Man of Steel and his mission to protect the planet. He steals a lock of Superman's hair and uses it to forge Nuclear Man, a blazing adversary created to exploit Kryptonian powers. Their ensuing clash spans from crowded cities to the depths of space, turning every confrontation into a race against time as Superman fights to prevent catastrophe and keep hope alive for a wary public.

Directed by Sidney J Furie and released in 1987, the film adapts the Superman mythos from DC Comics with Christopher Reeve returning as Clark Kent and Superman alongside Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman.

The production budget was about 17 million, and the worldwide gross reached around 36.7 million, making this installment a modest financial return compared with earlier entries.

Nuclear Man became one of the more infamous villains in the Superman film canon, a gleaming foe born from a hair sample and hampered by novelty effects. The movie is often cited in discussions of superhero films that overreached their budgets.

Critics welcomed Christopher Reeve's performance but criticized the script and effects, with many noting a tonal unevenness and rushed plotting. The film wrestles with the ethics of power and the risks of nuclear weapons, delivering a straightforward rescue tale with clear moral stakes and a final emphasis on responsibility.