Mayhap think on it like this? :
Had it not been for Superman Returns (which did so-so at the box office, if I recall correctly), there might not've been a Man of Steel reboot.
I will agree with a friend of mine at another forum that Brandon Routh got a raw deal out of this. I thought he did a bang up job carrying Chris Reeves' torch as Superman, and that there were no follow up movies allowing Routh to continue to be everyone's favorite Boy Scout in a cape is sad. He was given the blessing of Reeves' family to portray Clark Kent/Superman.
But, all told, I am stoked to see this movie....but not near as stoked as I am for Star Trek Into Darkness.