The Detroit rapper has explained the Superman fixation that features in so many of his tracks

Eminem’s ‘beef’ with Superman actor Christopher Reeve has continued and reached new levels.

The actor, who rose to fame for iconic film roles like Superman, became paralysed in later life before he died in 2004. Despite not being alive anymore, that hasn’t stopped his name being mentioned for the past two decades with Eminem dropping his name 44 times in his tracks.

Usually when a rapper features a celebrity name in their tracks, it alludes to a fall out or a bigger scandal, like Eminem’s recent spat with Machine Gun Kelly.

Eminem has made references to actor Christopher Reeve 44 times throughout his career. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Yet for Christopher Reeve, Eminem has made it clear that isn’t the case and actually, his multiple references stem from a childhood memory of him.

In his track ‘Rain Man’ he raps: “And let’s clear this up too; I ain’t got no beef with him either.

People cringing at footage of Mark Wahlberg and Eminem being interviewed when the actor ‘hated’ the rapper

“He used to be like a hero to me, I even believe I had one of those 25-cent stickers on my refrigerator, right next to Darth Vader.”

Whilst it’s mostly praising the Superman actor or calling him out as one of his childhood heroes, there have been some lyrics from Eminem that have been criticized for seeming to be harsh towards the late actor.

One example includes on his 2009 song ‘Medicine Ball’, in which he raps: “Put Christopher Reeve on a unicycle with a kickstand, kick it up and push him and lead him right into quicksand.

“Here, you need a hand, big man?”

The track also saw Eminem attempt a mimic of Reeve’s voice, before he added: “Always hated you, and I still do.”

Actor Christopher Reeve died in 2004, but was most known for his role as Superman. ( Keystone/Getty Images)

Ultimately, the excessive use of Reeve’s name could be more down to the fact that it creates an easy rhyme, and has been pretty simple for Eminem to weave into his tracks.

Either way, fans have been here for the Reeve drama, with many coming up with their own theories on why Eminem seems to mention the actor so much.

On Reddit, one person wrote: “I think he just likes how the name sounds,” as another shared: “The beef went so far Christopher Reeves died on purpose, just so Eminem couldn’t release a disstrack against him.”

To this, one person responded: “And the madman has done it anyways, going to be interesting to see how Reeves responds from beyond the grave.”

And another said: “I roll my eyes every time I hear Eminem bring up Christopher reeves…. Ugh.”