Every Superman Actor Ranked By Comic Book Authenticity

Superman has long been an American icon, first appearing in 1938's "Action Comics" #1. As the character gained popularity, he established many of the tropes associated with superheroes, including wearing skin-tight costumes and rocking a cape. As time passed, Superman evolved, transitioning from leaping over tall buildings in a single bound to flying through the sky and, eventually, outer space.

While many of those changes were added gradually, one thing that happened quickly was Superman's representation in other mediums. The first was radio in 1940, which was followed by television and feature films. More than a dozen talented actors have portrayed Superman, and each one put their own unique spin on the Man of Steel.

But comic book accuracy is still important, thanks to the massive fanbase surrounding the character. If an actor alters the character too much, they won't resonate with the fans. The actors here all played Superman in their own way, and their adherence to comic book accuracy depends on what was happening with the character in the comics at the time of their initial performance. These actors are ranked by how closely their version of Superman sticks to the comics.

The original "Superboy" television series from 1988 featured characters like Lana Lang, Perry White, Lex Luthor, and the Kents from the comics. The series focused on Superboy during his college years in Florida, which, at the time, was a new concept. Superboy had been absent from live-action until this series, although the character was all over the comics, having debuted in "Superboy" #1 in 1949.

Despite this, the series has entirely new, non-comic-inspired storylines. Additionally, DC Comics erased Superboy from its continuity the year prior via John Byrne's "Man of Steel" reboot, so "Superboy" stood on its own.

Because of this, John Newton's take on the Boy of Steel doesn't mesh well with the comics at the time he donned the cape. "Superboy" would have had to air back in the '50s to come close. Still, even with so much of the character failing to match up with its contemporary comic book counterpart, Newton's Superboy does plenty to ground it in the franchise. His costume is reminiscent of the one worn by the Man of Steel in "Superman: The Movie," and Newton certainly looks the part. Unfortunately, Newton didn't remain on the series for long.

In 1966, the story of Superman was adapted into a musical called "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman!" It only ran for less than four months, despite modest critic approval. It was Broadway's biggest flop to date, but CBS adapted it into a TV special in 1975 anyway. If you think adapting a flop into another medium is risky, you're not wrong.

Unfortunately, several of its best songs were cut for TV, and the resulting special is ... well, it's nothing special. David Wilson took on the role of Superman and Clark Kent for the show, and there's not much that works or aligns with the comics. The "Superman" books in 1975 featured a pre-Crisis Man of Steel who was significantly overpowered, serious in tone, and, despite his ability to fly, somewhat grounded in realism.

The TV special is anything but serious and attempts to mimic the campy nature of the "Batman" series from the 1960s. The sets were made to look like comic book panels, which were aesthetically pleasing but too different from the comics to work. That said, Wilson's costume is a good representation, though his lack of muscle definition begs the question, 'Why didn't he wear a muscle suit?'

Long before superheroes were represented in massive feature films, many popped up in serials. Kirk Alyn starred as Clark Kent in the very first "Superman" serial, released in 1948 in 15 parts. The serial's length is 244 minutes, so Alyn's "Superman" movie is 40 minutes longer than "Superman: The Movie."

When "Superman" was released, the Man of Steel had been published for a decade, so there was plenty of source material to adapt. Alyn's Superman and Clark Kent aligned fairly well with the comics regarding his costume and backstory. In an odd take on promoting the film, Alyn wasn't credited: He was billed as Superman, making it seem like the Man of Steel himself was taking some time off from punching bad guys to shoot a movie.

Alyn made it work, and the serial offers a great retelling of Superman's origin story, beginning on Krypton, landing in Kansas, and fighting crime in Metropolis. The only problem with the first "Superman" movie was the budget, which was clearly lacking. This is never more apparent than during Superman's flying scenes. Alyn moves to soar into the sky and is immediately replaced with an animated version of the character, who is replaced by Alyn when he lands. It's bizarre, but it works.

[Featured image by Columbia Pictures via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Henry Cavill brought Superman to life in 2013's "The Man of Steel," launching the DC Extended Universe. Cavill's performance reflected director Zack Snyder's darker tone, taking some cues from Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. The film retells Superman's origin story but adds details absent from previous adaptations and comic books. It opens with Jor-El taking the genetics codex of Krypton and infusing it with his infant son before sending him to Earth.

This establishes the conflict that unfolds decades later with the arrival of General Zod, but it also upends decades of Superman origin tropes. This leads to incredible fight sequences unlike any that appeared in any of the live-action "Superman" adaptations that came before. It added a lot to the franchise in terms of visual storytelling on the big screen, but several aspects of Cavill's take on Superman don't mesh well with the comics — and it doesn't have to do with the costume, despite lacking the iconic red pants.

Superman is all about inspiring hope — that's who and what the character has been for nearly a century, but that's not Cavill's DCEU Superman. Instead, he's forced to kill Zod, and in doing so, he sacrifices his moral core. It works within the movie's narrative but separates Cavill's Superman from his peers by depicting him in a much darker tone that doesn't exactly fit Superman in the comics in the 2010s.

Tyler Hoechlin landed the role of Superman in "Supergirl," and he fit the character so well that it wasn't long before he landed his own series, "Superman & Lois." Hoechlin didn't even have to audition for the role — the producer, Greg Berlanti, hand-picked him for the part. He met with the producers on a Monday, and that Friday, he was offered the job. Hoechlin's Superman continues the Cavill-esque choice of ditching the iconic red pants, but in Hoechlin's case, the costume is comic-book accurate.

That's because Hoechlin's Man of Steel is based on Superman as he is depicted in "Superman: Rebirth." The "Rebirth" storyline takes place after "Flashpoint," so it's a reboot of the character. That's not uncommon for DC Comics, which has been rebooting and retooling the continuity of its comics for decades, with Superman often at the center of it all. In "Rebirth," Superman's focus is on raising his son, Jonathan Kent, and "Superman & Lois" covers this storyline well.

If you take a look at the "Rebirth" storyline and the television show, you'll see much of it lines up. DC Comics published a companion tie-in series, "Earth-Prime," to focus on its superhero TV show, with the second issue covering Hoechlin's version of Superman. The story, costume, plot elements, characters, and Superman's interactions with his cousin in "Supergirl" are comparable to the comics in ways Hoechlin's TV predecessors failed to match in a meaningful way.

For many fans, Christopher Reeve is the ultimate incarnation of Superman, despite appearing 40 years after the character's introduction. "Superman: The Movie" introduced a new generation to Clark Kent, with a thoughtful and sensitive portrayal. The film covers the character's origin and rise to prominence as a superhero in Metropolis. The film was released in 1978, and Superman's costume is identical to what was present in the comics at the time.

Additionally, Reeve conveys a sense of hopefulness that is core to the character, and many consider his portrayal of the Man of Steel to be the best of them all. The first film did an excellent job of matching Superman to the comics, but the second strayed a bit. In the final fight between Superman, Zod, and his goons, Superman shows off some incredibly weird powers that weren't part of the comics at all. This separates his performance from the source somewhat.

Of course, Superman develops some strange superpowers over the years, including hypnosis, firing little versions of himself out of his fingers, and more. Still, he never threw his chest emblem at someone and watched it grow in size and envelop them. Regardless, it's a minor deviation for a portrayal that easily reaches the penultimate position as one of the most comic book accurate Supermen in film.