The Man of Steel has been part of mass media culture since his debut in 1938. This isn’t only in comic books. Superman has been portrayed by live-action actors in radio, television, and movies.
How spot-on these people were depended on the writing and directing. Some of the iterations were so popular they established a path for future actors to don Clark Kent’s glasses and Superman’s cape. Overall, each of the live-action Men of Steel helped defined the character for their respective generations.
10 Bud Collyer’s (1940-1950) Radio Role Was As Secret As Superman’s Real Identity
It didn’t take long for Supes to enter the fray of radio shows. In February of 1940, the Mutual Broadcasting System premiered The Adventures of Superman. For the next decade, this strange being from another planet graced the airwaves five days a week in 15-minute intervals.
The Man of Steel was portrayed by Bud Collyer for most of the show’s run. However, listeners never knew this future host of To Tell the Truth voiced the character. The actor was only known as Superman in the credits. Adventures of Superman introduced the “Faster than a speeding bullet…” narrative as well as the hero’s main weakness: Kryptonite. In 1946, the series aired “Clan of the Fiery Cross” in which Superman battled the Klu Klux Klan.
9 Kirk Alyn (1948) Brought The Man Of Steel To The Movies
Meanwhile, on the big screen, actor Kirk Alyn donned the red-and-blue to portray Superman in a 15-part serial of the same name. Here, the character is played by Broadway actor Kirk Alyn. He was chosen to play Superman in the 1948 series after producer Sam Katzman declared that he looked like the comic book version of Clark Kent.
Superman followed the formula of other movie series of the time. After the first three setup chapters, the rest of the episodes ended in a cliffhanger, thus ensuring captive audiences would return. In 1950, Alyn appeared in Atom Man vs. Superman, a sequel to the series.
8 George Reeves (1952-1958) Set The Standard For Superman On Television
George Reeves was almost 40-years-old when he donned the tights and cape in 1952. Nevertheless, he became the most popular Man of Steel of the time when Adventures of Superman debuted on television in 1952. There was something about his presence that connected him to the way his comic book companion was written at the time.
Reeves was part of many firsts as Superman. He was the first person to portray a DC Comics hero on television. Adventures of Superman was one of the few shows to air in color from 1954 until the end of its run. Additionally, the popularity of Jack Larson’s portrayal of Jimmy Olsen motivated DC to create Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen comic in 1954.
7 Christopher Reeve (1978-1987) Introduced A Modern Take On Superman
Live-action versions of Superman took a break in the 1960s and early 1970s. Although, Bud Collyer did reprise his role as the Man of Steel for Filmation’s The New Adventures of Superman cartoon in 1966. It wasn’t until 1978 that an actor donned the costume again, and the results were groundbreaking.
Christopher Reeve put on the iconic uniform in the big-budget Superman film directed by Richard Donner. Over two hours, the movie spanned Clark’s origins and his early days as Superman with state-of-the-art special effects of that time. One of the most expensive movies made up to that point, it was a critical and financial success thanks to Reeve’s smooth portrayal of the inept Clark Kent and the confident Superman. The movie was so successful that it spawned three sequels (with varying amounts of success).
6 Gerard Christopher (1989-1992) Portrayed Superboy
Syndication reached a peak in the 1980s and 1990s. Tired of airing repeats of sitcoms, independent stations wanted original fare. As a result, studios went out to produce a large amount of material, among which was the syndicated Superboy live-action series.
John Hayes Newton portrayed a young Clark Kent during the show’s first season (though he doesn’t count because he never actually played Superman, only Clark). The rest of the episodes featured Gerard Christopher as the young Man of Steel. While the show started with Clark as a college student, he moved to the Bureau of Extra-Normal Matters by the third season. Superboy is noted for the live-action television debuts of Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, and Mr. Mxyzptlk.
5 Dean Cain (1993-1997) Was A Cool Clark Kent
Lois & Clark isn’t your typical Superman show. Though there was plenty of action for the main characters, portrayed by Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, the ABC show went for romantic-comedy and sex appeal instead of punches. Even Lex Luthor, played by John Shea, was handsome, a trait not typically associated with the character.
And yet, it worked. One possible reason for this was Lois & Clark stayed true to what went on in the Superman comic books at the time, even to the point where the television and comic versions of the couple married at approximately the same time.
4 Tom Welling (2001-2011) Performed Super-Heroics Without A Cape
What made Tom Welling so popular as the costume-less Superman wasn’t simply his good looks. It was also his endearing characterization of a young Clark Kent trying to find his way in the world. On top of that, of all the Superman incarnations, Smallville is the one that drew heavily on his connections with friends and family
It’s probably why viewers didn’t care that Welling didn’t wear a suit with underpants on the outside. It wasn’t about the costume for the actor, it was about his growth as a hero. Hence, the reason the very last scene of the series where Welling finally revealed his costume was met with joy, as it felt truly earned.
3 Brandon Routh (2006) Was Tasked With Playing Christopher Reeve Playing Superman
Brandon Routh tried his hardest to emulate Christopher Reeve’s versions of Clark Kent and Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns. Unfortunately, the fans weren’t having it, despite Routh’s respectable performance coupled with the direction of Bryan Singer who at the time was well-established as a capable director of comic book movie adaptations. After decades of seeing the Man of Steel change in the comics and on television, Routh’s Superman seemed to be infected by very dated kryptonite.
In Superman Returns, the hero comes back from space after a five-year absence. He learns that Lois has found another love and Lex is ready to mess things up again by reshaping North America. Sadly, this last installment of the original Christopher Reeve-based Superman movie series ended with little fanfare and led to another long gap between big screen adaptations of the Man of Steel.
2 Henry Cavill (2013-2021) Is A Dark Version Of Superman
On the other hand, compared with the Man of Steel portrayed by Henry Cavill, Routh’s Superman was downright chipper. A dour hero asked to hide his powers from others wasn’t what fans wanted to see. In turn, Cavill’s first turn as the hero in Man of Steel polarized the fan base. It was between those who loved and hated Zack Snyder’s direction and the screenplay by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan.
Throughout Cavill’s run in this movie, Batman vs. Superman, and Justice League, Superman is hit with continual bad luck. He’s seemingly killed in the second film, and when he’s resurrected in Justice League he doesn’t realize who he is until later in the movie. In the end, while he lasted longer than Routh, Cavill’s Superman was met with equal disappointment, only for different reasons.
1 Tyler Hoechlin (2016 – ) Is Both Superman & A Father
A live-action version of Superman returned to television in 2016 courtesy of the Arrowverse. Tyler Hoechlin, a former star of 7th Heaven and Teen Wolf, took on the role of Clark Kent/Superman in Supergirl. After that success, he continued his characterization on Legends of Tomorrow and the Arrowverse’s version of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
In 2021, he was given a starring role, along with Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois, in the CW series Superman & Lois. Rather than continuing the themes of previous shows, this version focuses on the couple’s life back on the Kent farm as they raise their children. In a way, it expands on what DC Comics did when they introduced Jonathan Kent as Superman’s son in the 2010s.
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