What is it that fascinates us about the “Superman Curse?” Could it be that perhaps we all have an innate desire to have an interest in all things mysterious, paranormal, or the otherwise unexplained? Or is it that the unfortunate super-sequence of events surrounding the Superman legacy is simply an interesting read? Either way, it is fascinating that some of those who played the strongest man on Earth either died or ended up in the weakest position possible.

The alleged “Superman Curse” is said to have all started when writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster created the multi-million dollar Superman franchise in the 1930s and only received a measly $130 from DC Comics and a contract to continue supplying material to the publisher. After a massive legal battle in the 1940s, they finally settled on a couple hundred thousand dollars, and signed away all further claims to the Superman character. Tragic how in the end, they still received a raw deal and it is from here that the “Superman Curse” begins.

Misfortune soon began to follow the actors who played the Superman role, starting with the very first Superman star, Bud Collyer, who voiced the role on radio and eventually died of untimely heart complications. Next to be plagued was Kirk Alyn, who played Superman on a low-budget in the 1940s and was unfortunately unable to find work as an actor after his role of Superman had expired. Casting agents claimed that he was far too recognizable as the famed superhero, ending his career as an actor.

The “Curse” strikes again, this time fatally for George Reeves, the man who played Superman on television in the 1950s and lived in the shadow of the character the rest of his life. It was rumored that he went insane and tried to fly out of his window, however, that was proven to be a false accusation. According to police documentation, George Reeves died of a single gun-shot wound to the head. It still remains a mystery as to whether it was self inflicted or not. An account of his death is told in the 2006 movie, HollywoodLand.

Christopher Reeve, the most recognized Superman, experienced a disastrous equestrian accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed nearly a decade before his death. Adding to the bad luck is Reeve’s wife, Dana, a non-smoker who passed away from lung-cancer in 2006.

Curiously, it wasn’t just the actors that played Superman who had unfortunate events happen to them. Actress Margot Kidder, who played the role of Lois Lane in the late 1970s Superman: The Movie, was placed in a psychiatric ward in 1996 after being found disheveled, confused, and frightened in a stranger's backyard. She has since been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, which is what lead to her widely publicized manic episode.

Among others who have been apart of the Superman mishaps was comedian Richard Pryor, who was stuck down with multiple sclerosis, just a few days after his 65th birthday. He played the role of mysterious computer genius, Gus Gorman in Superman III.

Kate Bosworth, the actress who plays Lois Lane in the 2006 Superman Returns movie, blames the “Superman Curse” as the reason for her breakup with actor Orlando Bloom. Though the two had conflicting schedules, she is convinced it was the “Curse” that inevitably ended their romantic relationship.

In addition, while filming Superman Returns, producer Rob Burnett was mugged by four men who broke his ribs, giving him a concussion and a black eye. Editor Adam Robitel fell through a closed window and went to the emergency room after a glass shard punctured his lung and injured his spine. Also, associate producer and cameraman Todd Stanley fell down a flight of stairs, fracturing his skull and tearing his pinkie finger so badly it had to be partially amputated. It seems that in this instance, the crew absorbed most of the "Curse."

Many arguments can also be made against the “Curse.” Dean Cain, for instance, who played Superman in the ‘90s hit TV show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman has been perfectly fine thus far, hosting Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and acting in multiple made-for-TV movies. Some might claim that if it wasn’t for the Superman TV series, Cain wouldn’t have had a career at all. In addition, Tom Welling, who plays the role of Superman on the hit TV series Smallville has reported no sudden mishaps, as well as Brandon Routh, the star of the newest Superman movie, Superman Returns. Whether the “Superman Curse” is real or not really comes down to superstition and the eyes of the beholder.