Every Live-Action Superman Actor, Ranked

Arguably the most iconic superhero in the world is Superman, the flagship character of DC Comics created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938. A smash success with readers upon his debut, the Man of Steel was immediately adapted into other mediums, from radio and movie serials and among the earliest superhero television series. With that in mind, there have been a lot of actors to play Superman in live-action, beyond small cameos and one-off appearances. And just like the many live-action Batman actors, everyone has their own favorite who played the legendary superhero.

From the franchise's black-and-white days on film and television to its big-budget Hollywood blockbuster era, the coming of a live-action Superman still feels like an event. But as beloved as many of these interpretations of the classic characters are, some just clearly stand as superior compared to their counterparts. Without further ado, here is every live-action Superman actor ranked, each bringing their own distinct take on the Last Son of Krypton.

1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" is rightfully often one of the worst ranked "Superman" movies of all time, ending the franchise's silver screen run. Meanwhile, the original movie's producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind then produced the television series "Superboy," which premiered the following year. Chronicling the adventures of a young Clark Kent in his earliest days as a superhero, the show's first season starred John Haymes Newton as the Boy of Steel. For a significant portion of this season, Superboy faced street-level criminals, with the franchise's usual comic book supervillains introduced towards the latter half of the season.

Newton's portrayal of Clark Kent is a bit more aggressive than audiences had seen at the time from his live-action predecessors. While the show itself was well-received and renewed for three additional seasons, it really found its voice after Newton's recasting. This isn't to necessarily diminish Newton helping the series get off the ground, but his more grounded approach to the character never quite gelled. A footnote in Superman's live-action history, Newton proved there was interest in the hero beyond the cinema, but it would reach greater television heights without him.

Replacing John Haymes Newton for the final three seasons of "Superboy" was Gerard Christopher playing a Clark Kent still learning the superhero ropes. The change in leads also saw a shift in the show's direction, with more classic comic book supervillains introduced to take on Superboy. As the series progressed, its tone grew darker and more mature as Clark finished college and began interning at a government agency overseeing paranormal activity around the world. This added to the level of intrigue and moral complexity that Christopher's Superboy often found himself embroiled in, adding to his superhero pressures.

Christopher's portrayal of Superboy is marginally better than Newton's, in no small part because he had more seasons to grow into the character. It's Christopher's performance that helps keep the show consistent, even with its weird tonal changes in its final two seasons. That said, Christopher's depiction of Superman is another interpretation that didn't leave a particularly deep impact on the mythos. With "Superboy" falling into obscurity after it went off the air in 1992, largely due to years of legal issues regarding its licensing, Gerard Christopher is the overlooked live-action Superman.

The first actor to play Superman in live-action on-screen was Kirk Alyn (who initially went uncredited for his performance). Alyn starred as the Man of Tomorrow in a 15-part movie serial, simply titled "Superman," that ran in theaters in 1948, chronicling Clark Kent's origins as Superman. This was followed by 1950 movie serial sequel "Atom Man vs. Superman," revolving around a confrontation between the superhero and Lex Luthor (Lyle Talbot). The serials also introduced Noel Neill as Lois Lane, a role that she would reprise in the '50s television series "Adventures of Superman."

Alyn was an actor that rose above the low-budget production that he found himself starring in, including flying sequences that were animated to save on special effects. Less of physical presence on-screen than his successors, Alyn still made do with the material that he was given ushering the classic superhero into live-action for the first time. And in the campier "Atom Man vs. Superman," it's Alyn's performance that continues to ground the proceedings. Overlooked and underrated, Kirk Alyn brought a wild-eyed energy to Superman as the mythos was still gelling, yet helped introduce the character to viewers nationwide.

By the '50s, Superman had taken on a paternal role in his depictions in the comic books and other media, often providing civic-minded advice to young, impressionable fans. No actor better embodied these father figure qualities of the Man of Steel on-screen than George Reeves, who really excelled at playing the character as an overt role model. Reeves debuted as the character in 1951's "Superman and the Mole Men," the first feature-length movie starring the superhero, before starring in "Adventures of Superman," which premiered the following year. Reeves not only brought Superman to live-action television, but also in color, with the final three seasons of the show filmed in the format.

Reeves' early years playing Superman brought a moodier and more serious take on the character befitting the black-and-white cinematography. As "Adventures of Superman" continued and grew more successful, the show became goofier and geared more towards younger audiences. Through it all, Reeves' performance stayed relatively consistent, even as the stories he found himself in grew more outlandish. A pitch-perfect archetype of the '50s version of Superman, Reeves' superhero was a father figure for the first generation of television audiences.

After a nearly 20-year hiatus from the big screen, the Man of Steel returned to cinemas with 2006's "Superman Returns" starring Brandon Routh as the titular superhero. A loose continuation to the previous film series starring Christopher Reeve, the movie has Superman return to Earth after a five-year gap searching for Krypton. Superman is shocked to discover the world has moved on without him, with Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) engaged and raising a young son while Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) roams free. As Luthor enacts his latest scheme, endangering the lives of billions, Superman flies back in action, reminding everyone of the power of hope.

Brandon Routh really had a thankless and daunting task in reinvigorating the cinematic Superman franchise with "Superman Returns." Routh had to evoke Reeve's iconic portrayal of Superman and reposition him for modern audiences, all while also enduring difficulties with filmmaker Bryan Singer on set. What Routh brings is a more understated and meditative performance as the superhero, something that was under-appreciated by contemporary audiences. Years later, Routh got closure playing "Kingdom Come" Superman in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" television crossover, cementing his place in the superhero's legacy.

For much of the '90s, one of the most prominent adaptations of the Superman mythos was the ABC television series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." Taking its cues from a recent comic book reboot of the character, the show modernized Clark Kent's (Dean Cain) early days as a superhero shortly after he relocates to Metropolis. The emotional core of the series was the budding romantic relationship between Clark and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher), culminating in their marriage and adoption of a mysterious baby. After confronting Lex Luthor (John Shea) throughout the first season, Superman took on rotating villains as the series progressed for its four-season run.

In contrast to his predecessors, Dean Cain played Clark Kent as a much more confident and capable figure rather than a bumbling oddball. Clark is one of the more underappreciated personas in the comics and this approach makes him more interesting. This does make the differentiation between Superman and Clark Kent less apparent, but Cain's performance makes both personas at least likable. A more assertive Superman for the modern era, but no less compassionate, Dean Cain helped bring the character out of the shadow of Christopher Reeve.

The early days of Clark Kent discovering his powers and developing his superhero persona have been ripe for television stories for decades. The show that pulled off this origin story approach the best was 2001's "Smallville," which ran for 10 seasons and starred Tom Welling as the impressionable hero. Over the course of the series, Welling's Clark graduated from high school, attended college, relocated to Metropolis, and began his professional career, all while moonlighting as a superhero. Over its lengthy run, the show reimagined many classic elements of the Superman legacy, including popular villains and allies straight from the comics.

There is almost an unassuming reluctance that Welling brings to Superman, someone instantly ready to help others but unsure of the super-powered destiny before them. Given the sheer number of seasons, the actor had plenty of time to grow into the character and explore different facets of Clark over the years. Welling would briefly reprise the role for "Crisis on Infinite Earths," albeit with one strict caveat, offering an appropriately rustic coda to his time as the hero. More of a Clark Kent performance than a Superman one, without a detriment to the character overall, Tom Welling finds the man in the Man of Steel.

The cinematic face of Superman for nearly a decade and across the entire history of the DC Extended Universe was Henry Cavill. The actor made his debut as the hero in 2013's "Man of Steel," returning in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League," before ending his run in "Black Adam." The DCEU Superman was one that was not only more action-oriented but prone to in-universe controversy for his destructive potential. This initially positioned Cavill's Superman as one defending a world divided on whether they should fear him before his heroism was more widely accepted.

The fact of the matter is Henry Cavill was a great Superman who never got a great Superman movie during his nine-year tenure as the character. Cavill always brought a visible earnestness to his performances as Superman, but never quite got the material he deserved in playing the character. Under this direction, there was a bit of a tortured element to Cavill's Superman, a sterling shining figure in a world grown convoluted and dark. Often the best part of the movies he appeared in, Henry Cavill's Superman captures a franchise in transition.

There was a lot of anticipation surrounding David Corenswet's debut as Superman, not only in starring in the 2025 cinematic reboot but carrying the future of a new shared universe. Coming in after the vocally divisive DCEU, Corenswet's engaging performance, along with filmmaker James Gunn's sharp writing and direction, often succeeds. What's clear from his opening scene is that Corenswet is subverting the deified image of Superman, without throwing out the compassionate and inspirational qualities that are key to the character. This is a superhero that occasionally and decisively loses his fights and makes mistakes, more relatable while still very much the Man of Tomorrow.

That relatability is most evident in the more visibly emotional performance that Corenswet gives, balancing the sadness and hope inherent to the character. In breathing new life into the franchise, this is a take on Superman that takes some big creative swings, and fortunately the biggest risks pay off. And while the focus always remains on Superman, Corenswet also benefits from a strong ensemble cast around him, elevating his presence. Less meticulously sacred about the character, Corenswet retains what makes Superman work while reminding audiences that he's still a man, no matter the prefix.

Initially starting in a supporting role in "Supergirl," Tyler Hoechlin not only had a recurring role as the Arrowverse's Superman but starred as the hero in "Superman & Lois." The 2021 series looked outside the Arrowverse to find its inspiration, instead set in a world where the Man of Steel starts out as the world's only hero. The show also positioned Hoechlin's hero, along with Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), as the heads of a loving family, with both Clark and Lois's teenage sons developing their own powers. This gave a more domestic quality to Superman, though not without the world-saving heroics that constantly push the Man of Steel to the brink.

Easily the best live-action Superman on television to date, Hoechlin's version was a fully formed figure, balancing his humanity through his family with his superhero responsibilities. Even before taking center stage in "Superman & Lois," many of Hoechlin's qualities could clearly be seen, from his friendly approach to the character matched by moments of stark intensity. And in just four seasons, Hoechlin left his indelible mark on the mythos, with "Superman & Lois" doing things no Superman adaptation had ever done before. An emotional and humanist take on the Last Son of Krypton, Hoechlin's Superman tenure definitely deserves wider recognition.

While Christopher Reeve may seem like the perennially obvious choice, the strength of his performance continues to speak for itself decades later. Debuting as the character in 1978's "Superman," Reeve reprised the role in the movie's three sequels throughout the '80s. As the film series diminished in quality with each subsequent installment, Reeve still never phoned it in, even working with considerably weaker material. During his initial casting, Reeve faced stiff competition for the role of Superman, but in revisiting his movies, it's clear seeing why he ultimately won out.

Reeve feels like someone that could've grown up in a rural small town, bringing that rustic charm and innocence to his performance. As the bumbling Clark Kent, Reeve instantly transitions from the easygoing and reassuring confidence of Superman, to someone who just looks chronically timid and uncomfortable in their own skin. This dichotomy really elevates the scenes around Reeve, working best with the dream-like cinematography from the first three movies as the most vibrant element on-screen. Quietly powerful and idealistic without coming off as self-serious, Christopher Reeve remains the gold standard for superhero performances long since he first put on the costume.