With the conclusion of Superman and Lois, I thought it would be a good idea to see where star Tyler Hoechlin ranks in the canon of Live-Action Supermen.
To be fair, I have not seen every live-action portrayal in-depth. I've only seen snippets of Kirk Alyn or Gerard Christopher, so I w uld not be able to give them a fair shake. Also Nicholas Cage only had the very brief cameo in The Flash. So I will stick to the ones that I have at least some familiarity with.
So here are the top Supermen
8. George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman)
For his day, Reeves was exactly what Superman needed to be: the perfect hero all the time. But, like the campy Adam West Batman, the flat nature of the character makes him much more a product of his day than something that can be enjoyed in all times. But for his day, Reeves embodied truth, justice, and the American Way.
7. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)
I don't fault Routh for being as low on this list. Superman Returns did not give him a lot to work with. On top of that, he was forced into a very narrow performance path where he had to do his best to imitate Christopher Reeve. Given more time and a better script, I think there would be a lot more depth seen to his performance.
6. Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)
I like Cain very much. But one of the things he failed to do with this performance is create a clear differentiation between Clark and Superman. As a result, he sometimes felt like he was just Clark pretending to be a superhero. However, he had enough charm to keep us watching.
5. Tom Welling (Smallville)
He must have done something right to carry the show on his back for a decade. The thing that he had going for him was that he could pull off the simple dececny of a man born to good parents while at the same time ramping up the teen angst of the man who would be Superman.
4. Brandon Routh (The Flash)
Routh is on here twice because he played two different Supermen. On The Flash he had a chance to play the Kingdom Come version of the character, one who had been beaten down by tragedy. While his time on the show was brief, it gave us a glimpse into what a good Superman he could have been if he had been given enough time. Regardless, it was a joy to see him stick the landing.
3. Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, Justice League, Black Adam)
I loved Cavill's portrayal of Superman. He was a man conflicted and forced into making dark choices while trying to find the idealism that would define him. He made the part his own while taking some of the best character traits from previous performances. A towering figure, you could believe he could bend steel. And when he lost his senses, he was absolutely terrifying. But he showed that all of that power was held in check by a decent soul.
2. Tyler Hoechlin (Superman and Lois, Supergirl)
When he first came on to the scene, I wasn't terribly impressed with him. But I think that had more to do with the overall production team at Supergirl. Once he was able to showcase his talents on Superman and Lois, Hoechlin was able to give us a deep, multi-faceted view of the Man of Steel. He was a man of struggles, who could not cure his sick wife or fix all of his teenage sons problems. But he was first and foremost a husband and father and those things informed his life as Superman. As Superman he stood in the place of a father-figure: larger-than-life and ready to protect you with every once of his strength. He was believably strong and resolute while showing us his complete simple vulnerability. I was so happy with his performance.
1. Christopher Reeve (Superman I-IV)
As good a Hoechlin, Cavill, and the others are, they will always be runners-up to the might Christopher Reeve. As I've written previously on this blog: Many good actors have played the part, but he will always be THE Superman. His performance is genius. When he speaks about truth, justice, and the American way, he does so with complete conviction and authority. He does not come off as naive. He walks in his outfit not like its a costume but a royal garb. He exudes confidence in everything but not arrogance. Once again we see that simple virtue come forth that is so hard for modern people to understand. The best display of Reeve's genius is when he picks Lois up for their date. He takes off his glasses for a moment and we see the physical transformation Reeve goes through from Clark to Superman. By simple facial movements and posture changes, he becomes someone else. It is amazing.
Thoughts?
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