Clancy Brown Playing Superman In The Animated Series Would've Caused A Casting Problem For The Show
"Superman: The Animated Series" can sometimes live in the shadow of "Batman: The Animated Series," but that doesn't make it any lesser than the series it spawned from. In fact, many qualities that make the "Batman: TAS" great can be found in "Superman: TAS." One such thing is the incredible voice work: Just as the legendary Kevin Conroy became synonymous with the caped crusader, so did Tim Daly's performance as Superman. Moreover, Superman had his arch-enemy brought to life by a highly talented voice actor. Clancy Brown lent his distinctive baritone to Lex Luthor, the evil genius who opposes the morally righteous Superman.
However, before Clancy Brown took on the role of Lex Luthor, he initially had a different character in mind. As he would reveal in a 25th-anniversary piece published on the DC Comics website, Brown had actually wanted the role of Superman himself, Clark Kent. Unfortunately, the production team felt that if Brown were cast as the Man of Steel, problems would arise with future roles that would need to be cast down the line. All that to say, Brown's intimidating voice would prove itself more suited to the role of Luthor than it was to the Man of Tomorrow.
The frustration of typecasting
In the previously mentioned DC interview, Brown shared his story of reading for the role of Superman and his slight annoyance at being asked to read for the villain of the series, Lex Luthor. At this point in Brown's career, the actor had begun to be typecast in antagonistic roles. As Brown explained the struggle of wanting to be on the show but also growing tired of playing the same kinds of characters:
"So I went in there and read for Superman. As I was packing up to leave, Andrea Romano asked if I minded reading for Lex Luthor. I kind of rolled my eyes, and she said, 'It's okay; you don't have to read for Lex. Thanks so much for coming in.' I told her I will definitely read for Lex. I was just frustrated because every time I try to be the good guy, I end up being the bad guy. I wanted to be in this show."
Voice director Andrea Romano would also recall a conversation with Bruce Timm about Brown's audition. Hearing the actor's deep and authoritative voice alarmed the director, as she posited that if he played Superman, it would be much harder to find voice actors to play villains that sound stronger than him. Romano would say: "If we hired Clancy Brown for Superman, how would we ever cast Lex Luthor to be a tougher guy?"
A nuanced take on a classic villain
Romano made an excellent argument against Brown playing the titular hero. Even Brown would admit in the same interview that Daly was perfect for the role and that "they totally cast the right guy as Superman." Whether it was the actor's frustration with typecasting or the excellent writing of the series (or maybe a combination of both), Brown's performance as Luthor would be much more nuanced than the typical comic book villain. As Romano stated: "He's fantastic at that character. He's so subtle. He doesn't play him like a typical melodrama villain. He adds lots of color to that character, and I just think he did a wonderful job."
As it turns out, Brown's role as Lex Luthor would carry over into other series in the DC Animated Universe, such as "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited." Even more fascinating is that "Unlimited" would end with one last showdown between the Justice League and Darkseid's forces as they invade the Earth. In an unexpectedly poignant way to end the series, Luthor saves Superman in the climactic battle by offering Darkseid the anti-life equation, taking the villain away to the unknown. Clancy Brown may have been frustrated by not being able to play Superman. Still, the actor did portray a legendary character that ended up being the one that saved the day through unconventional means.