Christopher Reeve’s Son, Will, Is All Grown Up and Looks Just Like His Superman Dad

(Getty Images | HECTOR MATA)

From the archives: This story was last updated in April 2019

Actor Christopher Reeve shot to fame for his iconic portrayal of Superman in the original Warner Bros. movie franchise some four decades ago.

With his piercing blue eyes, charismatic smile, well-built physique, and captivating performance, Reeve looked every inch the classic superhero as he donned his Superman’s blue, red, and yellow bodysuit and cape, flying around the earth in the science-fiction fantasy film.

American actor Christoper Reeve (1952–2004), best known for his role as Superman. (©Getty Images | Jones)

Sadly, at an equestrian competition in 1995, a horse-riding accident left the man “who can fly” paralyzed from the neck down. Nine years later, on Oct. 10, 2004, he drew his last breath at the age of 52. Later, his wife, Dana Reeve, succumbed to lung cancer and passed away in March 2006 at the age of 44.

With the passing of Christopher and Dana Reeve, their son Will Reeve became an orphan at the age of 13. Losing both his parents within a short span of time at an early age was heart-wrenching, to say the least.

Appearing on CBS This Morning’s series Note to Self, Will read a heartfelt note addressed to his 13-year-old self, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“The bad news is: You’re at the lowest point of your life. You’re in a hospital room in New York City, and you’ve just said your final goodbye to Mom,” he read. “You’re 13. She’s 44. Lung cancer. Never smoked. Gone, just like Dad, who died a year-and-a-half ago, which at the time was the lowest you had been. Now you’re at a new bottom and you’re terrified and confused and just so sad.”

©Getty Images | HECTOR MATA

“But! Here’s the good news: this is the low point. There’s nowhere to go but up, and that’s exactly where you’re headed,” Will continued.

“You will face no greater obstacle than the one you are starting to overcome right now, and no matter which way your journey leads, Mom and Dad will live in you the whole way. How lucky are you?”

After his mom’s passing away, Will lived with a childhood friend in Bedford, New York. He graduated from Middlebury College in 2014 with a bachelor of arts degrees in English and American Literatures. In the same year, he interned as a production assistant for ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Currently, he is an anchor at ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Apparently, Will and his family shared “a very deep bond” with their common love for sports. The day before Christopher died, he attended Will’s hockey game.

“Sports was definitely a major component of our family bond,” Will told PEOPLE. “If it involved a ball or a stick or a racket or a bat or a puck, we were either watching it or playing it or talking about it together.”

Now at 26, Will Reeve has grown into a dashing young man. With the same sharp jawline, broad shoulder, and beautiful smile, he bears a strong resemblance to his late father. It is not too farfetched to say he’s a spitting image of his famous Superman dad.

Besides his work at ESPN, Will is also doing his utmost to carry on his parents’ humanitarian work to help those living with paralysis under the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Will, along with his half-siblings, Alexandra Reeve Givens and Matthew Reeve, are active board members of the foundation, which is “dedicated to advancing quality of life and discovering cures for spinal cord injury in the here and now.”

To Will, his dad was a Superman “for the way he fought tirelessly to discover cures for spinal cord injuries after sustaining one himself by falling off a horse in 1995 and dedicating his life to achieving his dream of a world of empty wheelchairs.”

“No, to me, my father was Superman because he was my hero: Dad,” Will wrote for MailOnline.

In honor of his late parents and to help raise money for the foundation, Will ran in the New York City Marathon in 2016.

“What I realized is that it’s for something bigger than me. It’s for the millions of people around the world affected by paralysis who can’t run a marathon and who would do anything to make it to the starting line, let alone finish the race,” Will told TODAY. “I’m also running to honor my parents because everything I do is to honor them, and I know that they would be proud of me for doing this.”

“Their passion for everything is what made them so special. They deeply cared about making a difference in the world in any context. It was a really special experience to grow up in a house with them setting that example. I try to carry on their legacy every day by just doing what I was taught,” he further added.

Certainly, Will has been told by many people that he resembles his late father. He’s glad to hear this remark and takes it as “a compliment.”

“My parents were beautiful people on the inside, so if I can resemble them that way, I certainly appreciate the comparison,” he said.

©Getty Images | Dia Dipasupil

Undoubtedly, Will is Christopher Reeve’s living legacy. Superman’s spirit lives on through his son.

Perhaps you weren’t aware that Will had also tried his hand in acting when he was younger. He acted in movies such as In the Gloaming (1997), The Brooke Ellison Story (2004), and Everyone’s Hero (2006).

If Superman ever needs a replacement, Will Reeve would clearly be an ideal choice!

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