The 10 Best Superman Scenes in TV History

It doesn’t get much more iconic than Superman when it comes to the world of superheroes, and over the last few decades, the Man of Steel has been brought to life in a number of different variations. Whether that’s in animated form or live action, or early in his career or later as a family man, there’s a Superman for everyone over the years, and we are breaking down what we feel are the 10 best Superman scenes in TV history right here.

10. Crisis on Infinite Earths: Kingdom Come Superman

The Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover was the epic final crossover event of the Arrowverse, and it featured some truly great moments for longtime fans of both the Arrowverse and DC Comics in general. One of the most unexpected moments was when it brought Brandon Routh back to the Superman role, but this time he was playing the Superman of the longtime favorite storyline, Kingdom Come.

Routh was the star of Superman Returns, but after the film didn’t receive a sequel, Routh didn’t get the chance to reprise the role until Crisis on Infinite Earths. While all of his appearances stand out in the crossover, the one that resonates most is this scene with Lois Lane and The Monitor. Routh’s earnestness to save others and prevent the same fate of his loved ones in his world is palpable, and when he explains the meaning of his crest and why he made it red and black, you can’t help but want to see him succeed.

9. Crisis on Infinite Earths: Return to Smallville

Speaking of Crisis on Infinite Earths, there was one other scene that stood out from all of the other memorable moments, and this was especially true if you were a Smallville fan. The crossover featured a return to Smallville’s timeline, bringing back Tom Welling to be confronted by the CW’s Lex Luthor.

One of the best moments is when Luthor tries to take Clark out using Kryptonite, and instead of wincing in pain, Clark grabs the rock nonchalantly and throws it into the woods. He reveals that it has no effect on him since he gave up his powers, which leads Lex to the realization that Clark has children and a family now.

Luthor mocks him and then tries to punch Clark, only for Clark to catch his fist and clock him, adding “still stronger” as Lex gets knocked back. It’s all topped off by a return from Erica Durance as Lois, and the whole scene felt like the perfect send-off for Smallville and exactly in line with what the original show’s Clark would have done.

8. Superman & Lois – Superman Reveals His Identity

We move to the CW’s excellent and rather slept-on Superman series, Superman & Lois, and this particular scene occurs after Emmitt returns to town armed with information that Clark is Superman. After getting humiliated by Clark previously, Emmitt takes a gun into the diner and straight up shoots Clark, and that sets off a truly fantastic scene.

Everything slows to a crawl as Clark sees the bullet flying towards him. Everyone in the diner is terrified, but Clark just stands still, contemplating his next move. As the bullet moves closer, he looks at Lois, and then he takes off his glasses and tears open his shirt to reveal the S symbol for all to see. The bullet bounces off of him, and when time returns to normal speed, everyone is staring as Superman stands where Clark was, revealing to everyone that they are one and the same. It’s an amazing scene, and one we won’t forget anytime soon.

7. Superman: The Animated Series: Apokolips Now

Superman: The Animated Series had some truly epic moments over the course of its run, and many of them involved Darkseid. One of the ones that stands out most though is Apokoplis Now, a multi-part storyline where Darkseid tried to take over Earth and almost did after capturing Superman.

This episode shows how important the people of Metropolis are to Superman, but it also showcases how much the city and its citizens care for their beloved protector. Darkseid displaying Superman like a trophy around the city is jarring, and yet that’s what prompts the citizens to stand up to him and help Superman escape, setting up one of the more vulnerable and painful moments of the series when Superman can’t stop Dan Turpin from being killed at Darkseid’s hands. The raw emotion and anger Superman displays isn’t something you see all that often, and it’s a moment during the series no one will forget.

6. Smallville: Clark Tells Lois He’s The Blur

On the other side of the emotional spectrum is this amazing moment from Smallville, which happens after Lois discovers that Clark is really The Blur after he sacrifices himself to defeat Zod in a previous episode. Lois tries to create scenarios to catch him using his powers, and then she tries to get the secret out again during a scene where he is bandaging up an injury.

Lois just wants him to trust her, and you are desperately rooting for Clark to just spill the secret, and just when it feels like he won’t, he finally breaks down the last wall and tells her. That’s followed by Lois running towards him and jumping on him, and as they hit the floor, you can’t help but smile at how happy she is that he finally trusted her enough to tell her. He’s also surprised that she already knew, and this moment kicks off a new era for the iconic couple during the show.

5. Smallville: Justice – Justice League Assembles

We’re not done with Smallville yet, but this time around, we’re focusing on the superhero side of things with the Justice League. The League would make their debut individually over the course of the series, but in Justice, The Blur joins up with Green Arrow, Arthur Curry, Victor Stone, and Bart Allen to take out Luthor’s secret lab.

To call this team-up epic would be an understatement, especially at the time. Each character brought something unique to the mission, and seeing how powerful they could be when working together was something special. You also can’t beat the cinematic team shot as they walk away from the massive explosions at the lab, which dealt Lex a major blow and set up big storylines in the future.

4. Superman: The Animated Series – World’s Finest

If you were a fan of Batman: The Animated Series, you were waiting for the day when Bats would crossover with Superman: The Animated Series, and that happened in the truly excellent World’s Finest. Batman showed up in Superman’s city, and Superman didn’t take too kindly to a vigilante causing havoc in his town or to Batman’s methods in general.

That leads to a moment where Superman uses his X-ray vision to see who is under the mask, but Batman is able to get away with some handy kryptonite. Clark then settles in for bed in his apartment, only for him to realize that he has a tracer on his cape. Superman then looks out the window and sees Batman on a rooftop, revealing that the Dark Knight now knows who he is as well. It’s a picture-perfect first collision, and is one of the all-time best animated DC moments.

3. Smallville: Clark Finally Wears The Superman Suit

Over the course of Smallville, fans knew it would likely be the final season before they got the chance to see Clark actually step into the Superman costume, but even that was in doubt at times. Fans were rewarded, however, in the season 10 finale, which was also the finale of the series, which not only presented the iconic Daily Planet newsroom but also Clark’s debut as Superman.

After seeing the inner workings of the Daily Planet and Clark and Lois working side by side, there’s an emergency that Clark has to attend to. We see him head to the roof, and as the iconic Superman music plays, he rips open the shirt to reveal the iconic Superman suit below it before flying off into the distance. It was the long-awaited payoff for Smallville fans, and it was worth the wait.

2. Superman & Lois – Superman 2nd, Father 1st

This might be my personal all-time favorite Superman scene, which occurs in Superman & Lois and happens before our number 8 pick earlier in the list. Earlier in the episode Emmitt had punched Clark’s son and pulled a gun on Lois, and when Clark finds out, he responds to Lois that he’s not going as Superman, but as a father.

That distinction is so key to this scene because it’s one of the rare times we see Clark go into parent mode and utilize his powers at the same time. No parent would be okay with what Emmitt did, and what follows is a scene where Clark does what every parent would want to do in that situation. He takes a shove from Emmitt and doesn’t even move, and then he slams him down on the bar and tells him he will find him if he ever lays a hand on his family again. It’s one of those moments that makes it all too clear just how human Clark is, and that’s part of what keeps him so relatable.

1. Superman: The Animated Series: Legacy

We are closing things out with another classic scene from Superman: The Animated Series, which is a follow-up to the earlier scene in Apokolips Now. In Legacy, Superman eventually makes his way to Apokolips to battle Darkseid one-on-one, and the battle is a straight-up brawl. It’s pretty evenly matched, but Superman isn’t doing so well.

That’s when Darkseid makes a mistake, replying to Superman’s Dan Turpin mention with “who?”. Darkseid taunts Superman afterwards, threatening to kill so many more, and that’s when he goes to unleash his Omega Beams. Superman then suddenly puts his hands around Darkseid’s eyes and holds on, and the resulting blast ends up frying Darkseid’s head. It’s rare to see Darkseid hurt, nonetheless fall, but Superman isn’t done. He goes to lift Darkseid’s fallen body over his head and throws him down to the people below to deliver their long-sought revenge, showing just how far Darkseid pushed one of the greatest superheroes ever.

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