Kirk Alyn (‘Superman’)
Kirk Alyn is the first actor to play Superman in the live-action format, starring as the Man of Steel in the 1958 movie serial “Superman” and its 1950 sequel “Atom Man vs. Superman.” Both movies were released in 15 chapters.
James Gunn’s first official look at David Corenswet in 2025’s “Superman” brings a new version of the Man of Steel and his iconic costume to the big screen. Hollywood has been depicting Superman in the live-action format for 76 years and counting, as the first actor to assume the superhero role onscreen was Kirk Alyn in the 1948 serial movie “Superman.”
Since then, a handful of actors have brought Superman to life at the movies and on television screens over the decades. Corenswet has a long legacy to live up to, from Christopher Reeve’s iconic turn in the 1970s to Henry Cavill’s grittier Man of Steel in Zack Snyder’s DC Universe. Back in 2019, Corenswet told Entertainment Weekly that his biggest acting goal was “definitely to play Superman.”
“I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman],” he said at the time. “I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”
Given that Corenswet appears sullen and wearing a dirtied-up Superman suit in the first look at James Gunn’s movie, it appears his Man of Steel might still retain some grittiness. Gunn previously told Variety that his Superman actor had “to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.”
Check out the evolution of Superman’s costume in film and television (and the actors who wore the cape) in the list below.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection -
George Reeves (‘Adventures of Superman’)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection George Reeves made Superman an icon of 1950s television as the star of “Adventures of Superman,” the first television show to center on the Man of Steel. The series ran for six seasons and 104 episodes between 1952 and 1958.
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Christopher Reeve (‘Superman,’ ‘Superman II,’ ‘Superman III’ and ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection For many moviegoers, Christopher Reeve remains the definitive Superman on screen. He debuted as the Man of Steel in Richard Donner’s seminal 1978 classic and reprised the superhero in three sequels released between 1983 and 1987.
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Dean Cain (‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’)
Image Credit: ©Lorimar Film Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Dean Cain brought Superman to life in the 1990s as the star of the ABC series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” which ran for four seasons and 88 episodes from 1993 to 1997. Starring opposite Cain was Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane.
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Tom Welling (‘Smallville’)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Tom Welling played a teenage Clark Kent/Superman in the television series “Smallville,” which ran for 10 seasons and 217 episodes between 2001 and 2011. The series took the Superman story and reimagined it as a coming-of-age drama focused on Clark’s family life and high school life. Welling reprised his version of Superman on an episode of The CW series “Batwoman.”
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Brandon Routh (‘Superman Returns’)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Brandon Routh played Superman in the 2006 comic book movie “Superman Returns,” which followed the Man of Steel as he returns to Earth after a prolonged absence and reconnects with Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) and faces off against Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). Although Routh earned acclaim for channeling Christopher Reeve, the film nosedived at the box office with just $391 million worldwide and did not lead to a new franchise for the actor. Routh reprised this iteration of Superman on episodes of The CW comic book series “The Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow” and “Batwoman.”
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Henry Cavill (‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Justice League’)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Henry Cavill played Superman in Zack Snyder’s DC Universe, starting with his own 2013 standalone movie “Man of Steel” and continuing with 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and 2017’s “Justice League.” He intended to return as the superhero after reprising Superman in the post-credits scene of 2022’s “Black Adam,” which set up a future in the DC Universe where he’d go toe-to-toe against Dwayne Johnson.
Just over a month later, Warner Bros. and DC Studios announced Gunn and Safran as the latter company’s new bosses. The duo were tasked with overhauling the DC Universe on the big screen, and their plan included bringing in a new Superman actor to anchor their universe. It was an especially tough blow for Cavill, who had exited his starring role on Netflix’s “The Witcher” presumably because his future appeared to include more Superman projects prior to Gunn and Safran’s hiring.
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Tyler Hoechlin (‘Superman & Lois’)
Image Credit: ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection Tyler Hoechlin debuted as Superman on The CW’s “Supergirl,” starring in six episodes of the series before continuing with the character on “The Flash,” “Arrow” and “Batwoman.” Starting in 2021, Hoechlin got his own standalone series “Superman & Lois,” which co-stars Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane. The show has aired three seasons and will return for a fourth and final one.
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Henry Cavill (‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Henry Cavill’s hero dons a specialized black version of the iconic superhero’s suit in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” the four-hour version of the at-first maligned superhero team-up film that gave its filmmaker more creative control. The different suit is one of the most prominent differences between the final acts of the two versions of “Justice League.”
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Nicolas Cage (‘The Flash’)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Nicolas Cage made a surprise cameo appearance as the Man of Steel in 2022’s “The Flash,” closing the loop on a role that he was supposed to play for director Tim Burton in a failed Superman movie that never got off the ground. The duo were supposed to make “Superman Lives” in 1998 from a script by Kevin Smith. The plot focused on Superman’s fight against Doomsday. Despite spending over $30 million on the film’s casting and pre-production, Warner Bros. pulled the plug on “Superman Lives” due to creative differences.
“If you really wanted to know what I was going do with that character, look at my performance in ‘City of Angels,’” Cage once told USA Today about what fans could’ve expected from his iteration of Superman. “I was supposed [to play] Clark Kent after that and I was already developing this alien otherness playing this angel. That is a perfect example of the tonality you would’ve gotten for Kal-El and for Clark Kent: Clark would’ve been a little more amusing but Kal-El had the sensitivity and the goodness and the vulnerability and all those feelings that were kind of angelic and also terrifying.”
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David Corenswet (‘Superman’)
Image Credit: James Gunn/Threads/Jess Miglio David Corenswet is making his debut as the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s 2025 tentpole “Superman,” previously titled “Superman: Legacy.” The movie is kicking off a brand new DC Universe that will span movies, television series and video games. Gunn is overseeing the DC Universe along with Peter Safran.
Corenswet is getting the big break of a lifetime as the star of “Superman,” which marks his first time leading a major Hollywood tentpole film. The 30-year-old actor is best known for his supporting roles in two Ryan Murphy-created Netflix series, “The Politician” and “Hollywood.” His most notable film role prior to “Superman” was in “Pearl,” the Ti West-directed horror movie starring Mia Goth.
“Superman” is set to open in theaters July 11, 2025, from Warner Bros.
