WEIRDO Ranks: Every Live-Action Superman Actor 🦸🏻‍♂️ (Part 3 of 5)
It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s SUPERMAN!
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!
3. Christopher Reeve (Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
“I’m here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.”
I should start by mentioning that the Christopher Reeve Superman movies are in no way shape or form my favorite films to watch. If I was only able to see one movie before I died and my only choices were Superman Returns or Superman: The Movie, I would pick the former in a heartbeat. That being said, Reeve is globally revered as the best Superman to grace the big screen, and I understand why.
Inspired by the golden era of comic books, Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie was the first theatrically released Superman film that convinced audiences a man can fly. As the first big-budget superhero flick, Donner meticulously combed through dozens of A- and B-list actors to fill the title role until finally landing on Christopher Reeve after a breathtaking screen test. Initially only 188 pounds, Reeve was suggested to wear a bodysuit before deciding he’d rather pack on the weight naturally, gaining a whopping 30+ pounds before filming. That’s dedication.
Reeve set the bar high when it came to the regular-guy side of the role. Arguably the nerdiest version of Clark Kent, he clumsily stumbles through the streets of Metropolis and corridors of the Daily Planet to maintain his secret identity. At no point do I find myself questioning how no one knows about his alter ego — as notoriously laughable of a “mask” as glasses are — because the actor plays the innocence of it all with panache. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? I don’t know, but it can’t be Clark Kent.
Quirky antics and left-field powers aside, Christopher Reeve absolutely killed it in the first and second Superman movies (we’re going to pretend like III and IV never happened for argument sake). Even his short cameo in an episode of Smallville as Dr. Virgil Swann proved that his legacy deserved to be honored in any way possible. Sadly, the legend passed away in 2004 after spending nearly a decade confined to a wheelchair due to a horrible horseback-riding accident.
It makes me wonder how different the current state of superhero movies would have looked had Reeve never taken such an iconic role. Would we have ever gotten anything like Superman II? Michael Keaton’s Batman? Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man? Obviously, we’ll never know, but it’s a question better left unanswered.
