Best Superman portrayal

Best Superman portrayal

  • Henry Cavill

    Votes: 17 21.3%
  • Tyler Hoechlin

    Votes: 10 12.5%
  • Tom Welling

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • Dean Cain

    Votes: 5 6.3%
  • Christopher Reeve

    Votes: 45 56.3%
  • Brandon Routh

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    80
Christopher Reeve. His take on the character has stayed with us.
As someone said, he's the Connery of the bunch.
There still haven't been an actor who could do what Roger Moore did and do an equal successful transformation for Superman, throwing off the baggage of the first one and successfully making the character his own. Today, Moore's run is almost as classic as Connery.
Dean Cain did a more modern take just as Moore did. But he never actually reached that evel of success. He could have done though, if he had done a couple of really good films, not just the TV show.

Welling never wore the suit so he is just the Bond jr one.
Brandon Routh could be "one film only" George Lazenby though. He played the "same character" as Reeve, just as Lazenby and Connery did.
Granted, the others Bonds (until 2002) are the same guy too. But Lazenby is the closest to the original.

Cavill is like Dalton. Both got into the darker aspects of the character, and both are said to be wooden.

Next one would be Brosnan esque, taking elements from all the previous ones. Not yet sure if Hoechlin is that actor.
 
Can't wait to see more of Cav-El in the Snyder Cut.
 
Tyler takes it for me, we've never seen Cavill really get to loosen up in the role for more than a couple minutes here and there, and Reeve's Clark is just not my cup of tea, I prefer Clark to feel like a genuine side of who he is and not just an act, and Daily Planet Clark never feels like more than that with Reeve's. Tyler is the closest I've seen so far in live action to how I like seeing Superman/Clark portrayed.
 
Five actors have donned the cape since Reeve and he still holds the crown. Quality stands the test of time.

Agreed with this. None of the TV Superman were any good including George Reeves IMO. They all feel like dress up and post-Reeves are all forgettable. Routhe never felt like an adult Superman. He actually felt more like the Superboy scenes in the 1978 version. Cavill has the physical presence but lacks Reeve’s charm.
 
Tim Daly and George Newbern are my personal favorite of the movie/television Supermen.
 
I’ve always said how lucky we were that when Tim Daly couldn’t do JL/JLU that we ended up with George Newbern. Daly has the edge for me but Newbern was great and actually sounds a lot like Daly.

He was great in Jl/JLU. Soft enough voice to convey kindness and empathy but can switch it to be stern when needed. Everyone else stopped & listened when he spoke, as should be the case with Superman.
 
He was great in Jl/JLU. Soft enough voice to convey kindness and empathy but can switch it to be stern when needed. Everyone else stopped & listened when he spoke, as should be the case with Superman.

Well said mate
 
Christopher Reeve followed by Brandon Routh

I'm glad to see that his fans have become more vocal online. SR really wasn't that bad, and Routh's performance wasn't something that could be rightfully criticized. I was happy him as Supes again in Crisis of Infinite Earths. There was a time when he was getting far too much heat for things that he couldn't control.
 
It seems Cavill is getting a 2nd chance because of Snyder Cut
 
With Superman & Lois having multiple episodes out, and the Snyder Cut being out for a minute, I figured I would update my rankings.

Tom Welling
Tyler Hoechlin
Christopher Reeves
Henry Cavill
Dean Cain
Brandon Routh


I actually think they all do a fantastic job in the roles, just personal preference. The only one I've never been crazy about is Routh, but I did enjoy him a bit more in the Crisis crossover.

I've only seen the first season of Lois & Clark. I'm gonna try and finish the show before the end of the year haha. So list is subject to change if I really get attached to Cain's portrayal.

I think Hoechlin could end up taking the number one spot from Welling for me. Which honestly, I never thought would happen lol!
 
Christopher Reeve is the gold standard. If you watch SM:TM, the acting is superb. It really gives me chills.

The more fair question to me is: who gets second place. And for me that would be Tyler Hoechlin. That show has separated itself possibly as the best live action Superman entertainment out there.

Routh Cavill and Welling all did their best with films/shows that were deficient in some way. Routh was good but there was the lack of action and the Jason side story did not show him in a good light. Welling was extremely charismatic and enjoyable, but Smallville, enjoyable as it was, never felt like it intended to be a Superman show. Cavill is a likable guy playing an unlikable Superman.

Dean Cain is like buying Malt-O-Meal cereal. Marshmallow Mateys aren’t as good as Lucky Charms, but I’m not passing them up if they are available. But I’m also not going to make a special trip for them like I would the good stuff. Similarly Dean Cain was serviceable for the show he was on in the time period that it was aired. But while I will still to this day watch any of the other portrayals (even Superman Returns), I don’t have any desire to revisit Lois and Clark.
 
Christopher Reeve is the gold standard. If you watch SM:TM, the acting is superb. It really gives me chills.

The more fair question to me is: who gets second place. And for me that would be Tyler Hoechlin. That show has separated itself possibly as the best live action Superman entertainment out there.

Routh Cavill and Welling all did their best with films/shows that were deficient in some way. Routh was good but there was the lack of action and the Jason side story did not show him in a good light. Welling was extremely charismatic and enjoyable, but Smallville, enjoyable as it was, never felt like it intended to be a Superman show. Cavill is a likable guy playing an unlikable Superman.

Dean Cain is like buying Malt-O-Meal cereal. Marshmallow Mateys aren’t as good as Lucky Charms, but I’m not passing them up if they are available. But I’m also not going to make a special trip for them like I would the good stuff. Similarly Dean Cain was serviceable for the show he was on in the time period that it was aired. But while I will still to this day watch any of the other portrayals (even Superman Returns), I don’t have any desire to revisit Lois and Clark.

Lois and Clark is quite... campy. Some of it is okay, but I'll agree with pretty much everything you said tbh, even if our rankings may be slightly different. Hoechlin is doing great work.

I'm curious what Jerry Seinfeld thinks of the new Superman show, if he's even watched it lol. He wasn't a fan of Man of Steel, but I feel Superman & Lois has been doing a great job of bringing a more optimistic and hopeful Superman. I've been watching Seinfeld a lot lately and he's a huge Supes fan haha.
 
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