For the last few years we’ve experienced a powerhouse of superheroes with even more coming this year such as Thor, X-Men: First Class, Captain America and Green Lantern.

Their arrivals couldn’t be more perfectly timed. Warner Home Video is celebrating the year of the superhero with the June 7, 2011 release of Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (1978-2006) on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray collection contains all four original theatrical Superman films starring Christopher Reeve Superman Returns, and the two alternate versions of Superman I and Superman II.

You can check out the trailer, which seems more like a commercial, but it does bring back memories such as Marlon Brando as the original father of Superman (Jor-El) and Gene Hackman as Luthor. We can’t forget Glen Ford, Jackie Cooper and Ned Beatty.

Another interesting treat to the anthology are the Donner Cuts of Superman II. Nearly thirty years later, we can view Richard Donner’s footage that didn’t make it to the movie. Richard Donner had become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage “in the can.” Adding back a substantial amount of that unused footage, the director has seen his original vision restored and brought to fruition.

Most notably, the “Donner cut” restores the Marlon Brando role, filmed for, but not included in the final theatrical release version of Superman II. The legendary Brando’s performance as Jor-El has finally been restored in key scenes that amplify the Superman lore and deepen the profound relationship between father and son.

With so many other changes, large and small, including a variety of Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman, this Superman II proved to be an eye-opening experience and an important addition to film history.