Superman is reincarnated with an Ohio flavor this week when director James Gunn’s take on Cleveland’s native son comes to the movie screen July 11.
The film promises a tonal shift from that of Zack Snyder’s iteration of the character, with Gunn taking the character back to his roots — including filming in Cleveland, home of creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, last summer.
It will be interesting to see how David Corenswet does with the dual roles of Clark Kent/Superman. Plenty of men have tried to wear the red cape, with only a few standing out. He may carry the weight of not only the character, but also that of a multi-film franchise on his shoulders.
“Superman,” one movie in a larger, interconnected DC Universe helmed by Gunn at DC Studios and its parent company Warner Bros. Studios has placed a big bet on doing what Snyder couldn’t do with his Snyderverse (a take on the DC Comics characters deemed too dark by critics). Snyder’s version still has its fans, and he certainly had the right actor portraying the “Man of Steel” in Henry Cavill.
But where does Cavill rank in the universe of supermen? How about others?
Here is my Top 5 portrayals Kal-El, the last son of Krypton:
Christopher Reeve isn’t the OG Superman, but his performance still stands up
Movies: “Superman,” “Superman II,” “Superman III” and “Superman IV”
Christopher Reeve flew across the screen creating a gale of fresh air in “Superman: The Movie.” His and director Richard Donner’s take on the character are indeed responsible for “making you believe a man can fly.”
Reeve’s portrayal of Clark Kent was one in which any mousy nerd from the ‘70s could identify, despite the fact he was 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, according to reports of the time.
The first movie asked the right questions of the character — the main one being: “What’s my place in this world when I am so unique?” Many credit Tim Burton’s “Batman” for creating the comic book movie genre. That’s a fair argument, but “Superman” is the granddaddy of them all. The sad part: the original film proved the viability of comic book characters on the big screen, before the studio operated as usual and tried to squeeze every penny out of the franchise before it withered after a masterful “Superman II” with two more blech sequels.
Henry Cavill’s performance as Superman is thoroughly underappreciated
Movies: “Man of Steel,” “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Justice League”
Henry Cavill fit the stereotypical mold of the Man of Steel, but people didn’t appreciate the acting chops he brought to the character. In scenes with Kevin Costner, who portrayed Pa Kent in “Man of Steel,” he is downright vulnerable as Clark Kent. When he watches his adoptive father die in a twister while trying to save others (while knowing he could have easily committed that act of heroism), the anguish on his face induces tears. It sends him seeking his place in life. He doesn’t leave the family farm with any sense of confidence. He leaves seeking a way to belong and even when he finds it as Superman, he’s reticent, unsure.
Snyder may have made some missteps with his version of the DC Universe, but fans should be grateful for the emotional journey he took the character on across three films — especially in “Man of Steel.”
Tom Welling goes from teen to Man of Steel in ‘Smallville’
Show: “Smallville” on the CW
“Smallville” ran for 10 years on a B-list television network and still managed to find an audience. It featured Tom Welling mostly as Clark Kent. He wouldn’t don the cape until the series’ final episodes, and it grew to be schmaltzy in the end. But still there’s no denying Welling took the character on an emotional journey in that span as he was able to explore Clark Kent in far greater detail and the role that his parents Ma and Pa Kent, Annette O’Toole and John Schneider, respectively, played in his life.
While the show leaned into teen angst maybe too much for its own good, there’s little denying that Welling’s performance, especially when paired with Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, was compelling.
George Reeves was the forefather of the modern Superman
Show: “Adventures of Superman”
Yes, the show “Adventures of Superman” was cheesy by today’s standards. But it was indeed a product of its time.
Filmed mostly in black-and-white, there weren’t many arch villains. It leaned into jingoism of the time, but it kept children in front of the television for 30 minutes on Saturday mornings from 1952-58 for 102 episodes, much of that credit is due to the fact Reeves had fun with the character. He was charismatic, playful while being thoroughly earnest in the role.
The show also made for satisfying viewing weekdays after school in the 1970s when it was in syndication.
Tim Daly elevates the Man of Steel in ‘Superman: The Animated Series’
Show: “Superman: The Animated Series”
Tim Daly may be a surprise entry on this list, but he deserves it.
Yes, I’m a geek and I normally check all of this stuff out, but this animated series, which aired on Kids’ WB from 1996-2000, made me want to get up on Saturday mornings to watch it.
I was 31 at the time, married with a 2-year-old.
Part of the reason why I wanted to tune in was Daly’s authoritative portrayal of Superman. He brought humor and emotional depth to the character that lacked in other animated portrayals that preceded his. Yes, I’m talking about those stilted overdone voices in 1970s eras cartoons like “Superfriends.” Sorry, not sorry “Superfriends” fans.
Daly was an easy choice for this list.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Best of the best: Ranking the Top 5 ‘Superman’ performances across film, TV and animation
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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