With the recent announcement that David Corenswet has been cast as the new Superman for DC’s rebooted slate of upcoming movies, it means that a total of 8 actors have donned the red cape. Since his comic book debut in 1938, the Man of Steel has gone on to become (arguably) THE most iconic superhero ever – in close contention with Spider-Man and Batman.
Due to his immense popularity among the comic book crowd, big-screen adaptations of Superman‘s story and origins were inevitable, with there currently being twelve feature-length movies and a smattering of tv shows featuring and focusing on Superman. Ahead of Corenswet’s debut, let’s take a look back at every actor that’s worn the red cape, starting right at the beginning in 1948.
Kirk Alyn (1948-1950)
The first ever big-screen Superman, Kirk Alyn first appeared as Clark Kent in the 1948 tv series Superman, which ran for 15 episodes. The series was immediately followed by a feature film, under the same name in the same year. Both the series and the film released to decent reviews, with a second film being released in 1950, titled Atom Man vs Superman. Little did Alyn know, he’d begun Superman’s long journey to becoming one of the most popular and profitable fictional characters ever.
George Reeves (1952-1958)
George Reeves first portrayed Superman in 1951’s Superman and the Mole Men. The film was intended to serve alongside and promote the pilot for a new Superman tv series titled Adventures of Superman. The series made its premiere in 1952 and ran for a total of 104 episodes (across six seasons), up to 1958. Reeves sadly passed away a year later in 1959, aged 45.
Christopher Reeve (1978-1987)
Arguably one of the most recognizable Superman actors, Christopher Reeve (no relation to George Reeves) is considered by many to still be the best live-action iteration of Superman. Unlike modern versions of the character, Reeve’s Superman embodied the boy-scout spirit the character is famous for, and his films’ aesthetics lent themselves to the characters’ positive persona. Reeve appeared in four feature films as Superman, starting with 1978’s Superman: The Movie up to 1987’s Superman 4: The Quest for Peace.
John Haymes Newton (1988-1989)
Possibly the least well-known Superman, John Haymes Newton portrayed a younger Clark Kent in the underperforming tv series Superboy during its first season. While the show ran for four seasons, Newton only starred in its debut season, with the part being recast for the following three seasons after producers were unhappy with his performance.
Gerard Christopher (1989-1992)
Another lesser-known Superman actor, Gerard Christopher took over for John Haymes Newton for seasons 2 to 4 of the show. Even with a fresh recasting, the show never reached the heights any of the cast and crew intended and was canceled in 1992.
Dean Cain (1993-1997)
Part of the reason for Superboy‘s cancelation was to clear the IP airways for ABC’s Lois & Clark series, which starred Dean Cain as Superman – alongside Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. Lois & Clark also ran for four seasons, however, it was canceled in 1997, much to the annoyance of fans as it left the show on a cliff hangar.
Tom Welling (2001-2019)
Entering the new millennium, Superman made his first appearance on the small screen when Tom Welling took on the role for the immensely popular series Smallville. Focusing on a younger Clark Kent as he grew into the iconic Superman, Smallville ran for a total of 217 episodes (across ten seasons), ending in 2011. Welling also reprised the role for 2019’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, a special series of episodes from CW’s The Flash.
Brandon Routh (2006-2019)
Appearing in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, Brandon Routh’s iteration of Superman was intended as the rebirth of Reeve’s version of the character. Sadly, due to a massive production budget, the film flopped financially, in spite of strong reviews from critics and fans. Like Tom Welling, Brandon Routh also reprised the role for CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths in 2019.
Henry Cavill (2013-2023)
The most recent iteration of Superman, Henry Cavill first appeared as Clark Kent in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013, kickstarting the DCEU (a connected movie universe). While the film received mixed reviews, almost every critic praised Cavill’s performance as Superman. Cavill portrayed Superman a further four times, most recently in 2022’s Black Adam. Cavill’s version of Superman also makes a brief cameo in The Flash movie, which is currently in theatres.
Tyler Hoechlin (2016- )
The only Superman to currently have job security in the role, Tyler Hoechlin first played Superman in the CW series Supergirl, and also appeared in other ‘Arrowverse’ shows like The Flash and Arrow following his debut. Hoechlin currently plays Superman in the ongoing Superman & Lois series, also on the CW. The show features a slightly older Clark Kent and Lois Lane (played by Elizabeth Tulloch) as they balance their careers and responsibilities with their two teenage children. Since its premiere in 2021, Superman & Lois has received great reviews and currently sits on a solid 81% fan score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nicolas Cage (2023)
It feels questionable to include this entry on the list, but given the smorgasbord of cameos in The Flash movie, it only feels right. Nicolas Cage was lined up to play Superman in Tim Burton’s shelved Superman Lives movie back in the late 90s, going so far as to try on the costume for screen tests. While the film never saw production, editors on The Flash used clips of Cage’s Superman to include his version of the character as a cameo in The Flash, meaning Cage has technically played Superman in a feature film.
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