WEIRDO Ranks: Every Live-Action Superman Actor 🦸🏻‍♂️ (Part 1 of 5)

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s SUPERMAN!

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Numerous actors have donned the Man of Steel’s iconic red and blue tights in the 70+ years since Kirk Alyn first portrayed the character in the 1948 movie serial titled Superman. Every on-screen iteration of the Last Son of Krypton has provided something unique to the mythos. However, though every actor has done the character justice in their own way, it’s time to see who should come out on top.

This series seeks to provide my personal ranking of each live-action interpretation of the all-time most iconic superhero! I hope you all enjoy, and remember to hit that clap button as well as comment where you would rank each Superman actor on your personal list.

Disclaimer: There are three live-action outings that I either haven’t seen whatsoever or haven’t finished, and those are the Superman movie serials, Superman TV series/movie, and the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV series in 1948, 1957, and 1993, respectively. Therefore, I have chosen to leave each respective Superman actor out of this particular ranking. Oh, and if you haven’t seen any of these projects, there could be minor spoilers ahead!

5. Tom Welling (Smallville, CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths)

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“Kal-El can fly. Clark Kent is still earthbound.”

“SOMEBODY SAAAVE MEEE!” That theme song is just so damn catchy, isn’t it? Tom Welling first appeared as the youthful Clark Kent in 2001’s Smallville on the silver screen. Acting as a prequel, the series sought to provide audiences with Superman’s humble origins before he ever donned the cape.

Though the show was largely criticized for its corny plotlines and pre-Superman shoehorning of heroes and villains alike, it remains till this day the longest running superhero series in existence. With ten seasons to boot, Tom Welling was able to complete his arc from unassuming Kryptonian out of water to full-blown savior of the planet.

As Clark Kent, Welling is humble, compassionate, stoic, and downright determined, though he can be a bit reckless at times. All his Clark yearns to do is protect people, especially his loved ones who often become entangled in his dangerous ventures. His complicated relationships with Lex Luthor and Lana Lang imbue the staple CW drama the network is known for, but it never seems to bog his character down.

Image by CW

Outfitting himself with multiple versions of Superman-like attire, the closest we ever really got to seeing Welling in the actual suit was during the very last episode as a red and blue blur. The closing shot of the series saw Welling perform the iconic run into the camera while revealing the ‘S’ symbol underneath his shirt. Unfortunately, this is the only real reason why the actor falls to the bottom of my list — he wasn’t exactly Superman until the very end.

Nevertheless, his powerless appearance in the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover was one for the books as he had joined fatherhood while married to Erica Durance’s Lois Lane. Plus, it was a joyous moment to see him clock Jon Cryer’s scheming Lex Luthor in the jaw. Fans have been pining for a Smallville revival even in a limited series, but for now they’ll have to make do with reruns of the iconic show on Hulu.

Part 2: Ranking #4