Big screen tribute to Superman's debut

As someone who grew up loving the (first two) Christopher Reeve Superman movies, I had high expectations for Superman Returns (2006).

Too high.

I found Brandon Routh more sympathetic than many reviewers, but thought the rest of the major players were miscast. In fact, the only aspect of the film I truly liked was the tribute to the first appearance of Superman, a tribute that the majority of the audience would not have picked up on.

Here's the scene:

Here's the object of the homage:

No, it's not a coincidence.