Superman is all about doing the right thing. When there’s a cat stuck in a tree in Metropolis, he doesn’t wait for a first responder or someone else to show up; he does the job himself because he believes that every life is sacred. If the situation presented itself, he would even put his life on the line for Lex Luthor, his greatest enemy. The Man of Steel owes his positive attitude to his parents, Johnathan and Martha Kent, who teach their son that being strong and shooting lasers out of his eyes aren’t the most important things about him. Time and time again, the hero favors the human parts of himself, but he doesn’t always have a choice.
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In the movies, especially, Superman usually finds himself facing off against a powerful opponent that refuses to hold back, no matter how many lives it costs. Having the fate of the world in his hands forces the hero to go all out and prove just how formidable he really is. Here’s every Superman movie actor, ranked by how powerful their version of the Man of Steel is.
5) George Reeve
George Reeves might be best known for playing the titular hero in the TV show Adventures of Superman, but he appeared first in the movie Superman and the Mole Men. The film isn’t much to write home about, as it follows Clark Kent and Lois Lane as they investigate a mystery in a small town. Since Superman doesn’t get to show off his character’s fighting skills in his first big-screen appearance, Reeve’s Man of Steel ends up at the bottom of this list.
4) Brandon Routh
Superman Returns is a continuation of the continuity that begins with 1978’s Superman, picking up a few years after the events of Superman II. Being part of Richard Donner’s world means the movie is pretty grounded, even when it comes to its titular hero. Superman saves a space shuttle from crashing and pushes a giant land mass into space, but he doesn’t get much more to do than that. Without fighting a powerful villain, it’s hard to put Routh’s Man of Steel any higher than fourth.
3) David Corenswet
James Gunn takes a unique approach with his version of Superman, making his first few moments in the DC Universe all about him losing in a fight. The Hammer of Boravia, which turns out to be a Superman clone, gets the best of him. While Clark Kent’s alter ego gets a few wins in Superman, such as defeating the Engineer and Lex Luthor’s Raptors, that initial loss is hard to look past. He’s still early in his career, though, so he has plenty of time to move up the rankings.
2) Christopher Reeve
Despite being only the second actor to truly play the Man of Steel on the big screen, Christopher Reeve still holds the record for the most appearances. Getting four cracks at it allows his Superman to face off against some pretty impressive opponents, including an evil version of himself, General Zod, and Nuclear Man. Since Reeve’s hero comes out on top every time, he deserves a spot near the top of this list.
1) Henry Cavill
The one thing that Henry Cavill’s DC character has over Reeve’s is that he gets to play around in a universe full of heroes and villains. Quality issues aside, the DC Extended Universe puts Superman through the wringer, having him fight Zod and Doomsday, who kills him. After being brought back to life, the Man of Steel has to fend off an alien invasion, which ends up not being much of an issue for him.
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