Classically, Superman is, of course, a comic book character. He’s arguably the most famous superhero in all of fiction and he’s been gracing the pages of DC Comics since his first appearance in 1938.
The character also known as Clark Kent and Kal-El is seen as a beacon of morality and, despite actually being from the distant planet of Krypton, a symbol of American patriotism at its very best.
He has fought alone, he has fought alongside heroic teams like the Justice League, but he always gives his best – and he’s incredibly popular as a result.
Consequently, he has spun off into other media and there are countless different versions of the character. These are the ten iconic non-comic versions of Superman that you most need to know about (in no particular order)…
Christopher Reeve Superman
The most iconic movie version of Superman to date is undoubtedly the late Christopher Reeve’s classic version of the character.
Reeve played the Kryptonian superhero in four theatrical movies between 1978 and 1987 – Superman, Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace – and he was fantastic in the role, having initially been a surprise choice for it, as he was very skinny and had only really acted on stage prior to landing the role.
Of course, the movies famously got poorer in quality as they went along, but Reeve’s performances couldn’t be blamed for that. He is still the most recognisable man to have ever played the Man of Steel and he will definitely be extremely hard to beat in that regard.
Brandon Routh Superman
Brandon Routh followed in the footsteps of Christopher Reeve as Superman on the big screen when he portrayed the Kryptonian superhero in 2006’s Superman Returns.
The movie was intended to be a loose reboot of the Superman franchise that actually also served as a sequel to the Reeve movies, with Superman returning to Earth – hence the title – having spent five years away from the planet to look into his origins where his destroyed home planet used to be.
The movie was critically reviewed fairly positively, but fans didn’t really take to it and, unfortunately, Routh wasn’t given the opportunity to reprise the role as Superman in the future – although there have been occasions when it was rumoured that he would be given that chance.
Henry Cavill Superman
Henry Cavill is the most recent – and of course the current – movie incarnation of Superman. The British actor first took on the role of the Kryptonian hero in 2013’s Man of Steel.
He is set to reprise the role this year in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice when, as the title would suggest, he will face off against Batman – played by Ben Affleck – before joining forces with the Dark Knight and other heroes to face a common foe and form the Justice League.
Cavill looks like being the cinematic Superman for years to come, as the people behind the DC Extended Universe have plans up to at least 2020. He will need to up his game after his first performance if he wants to become anywhere near as iconic as Christopher Reeve in the role, however.
Tom Welling Superman
Tom Welling portrayed Clark Kent for ten seasons of the American television show Smallville – but it wasn’t until the final season that the character finally made the transition to actually becoming Superman.
He had performed countless heroic deeds in the previous seasons, but he didn’t don the famous suit and learn to fly until the threat of Darkseid and his planet Apokolips came to Earth in season ten.
Welling’s performance as the young Kent was fantastic – he wouldn’t have lasted for ten seasons as the show’s star if it wasn’t – and he was even tipped to reprise the role in a movie at one stage. That never happened and he has been fairly inactive since the show came to an end in 2011.
Dean Cain Superman
Dean Cain portrayed Clark Kent AKA Superman in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (which was also known simply as Lois & Clark or The New Adventures of Superman in various countries).
The series ran from 1993 to 1997 and Cain appeared in eighty-seven of its eighty-eight episodes. He starred alongside Teri Hatcher, who played his colleague and occasional love interest Lois Lane.
His version of the character was very powerful and the depiction was a relatively serious one (with some comedic elements). As a result of his stint as Superman, like Christopher Reeve before him (who played Dr. Virgil Swan in two episodes), he guest-starred on the more recent Superman television series Smallville – in his case as Dr. Curtis Knox in a single episode.
George Reeves Superman
Most people think of Christopher Reeve as the first man to play Superman in a live action production, but that wasn’t the case at all. There were others, including the similarly-surnamed George Reeves, who actually portrayed the Man of Steel in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman.
The show ran from 1952 to 1958 and Reeves’ version of the character was very powerful, displaying all the usual Superman powers, as well as weird things like the ability to walk through walls.
Reeves actually died in 1959 – allegedly having committed suicide via gunshot, but some people believe it was either an accident or murder. It is unknown, therefore, whether he ever would have reprised his role as Superman. His version of the superhero is definitely worth a look, however.
Bud Collyer Superman
This entry represents the only radio version of Superman on this list – and he was played by the late Clayton “Bud” Collyer. Collyer was famous for being one of the first television game show personalities in America, but he was also famous in the roles of Clark Kent AKA Superman on radio and in animated shorts.
The role began in the 1940s on the radio show The Adventures of Superman and he reprised the role in some animated shows – including in 1966 on The New Adventures of Superman.
Collyer died in 1969, but he will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic and unique versions of the Man of Steel, given that it was the first to be depicted in audio only – and he did a damn good job of it.
Lego Superman
The Lego Movie was a 2014 computer-animated live-action adventure comedy film that featured a load of well-known fictional characters in Lego form – with one of those characters being Superman.
Popular actor Channing Tatum voiced this very unique version of the character – and it wasn’t really a big part – but it was a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the Kryptonian superhero.
In the movie, Superman was one of the characters known as Master Builders – people who are capable of building pretty much anything they can think of need without instruction manuals – and he has also appeared in various other Lego productions, such as animated movies and video games.
DCAU Superman
The DCAU – or DC Animated Universe – is the name for the collective universe comprised of various animated features starring characters from the pages of DC Comics. It is also sometimes known as the Timmverse, after producer Bruce Timm, who is considered to be its biggest influence.
The universe includes movies, television series, short films, web cartoons and even some spin-off comics based on the animated versions of said characters – of which Superman is, of course, one.
This version of Superman is very powerful and has been voiced by a few actors, including the likes of Tim Daly and George Newbern, and has appeared in shows like Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond. Pretty much all of the media in this continuity is of a good quality and definitely worth watching.
Super Friends Superman
Super Friends was an animated television series which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup. In the Super Friends continuity, Superman was Earth’s premiere hero.
Voiced by the late legendary voice artist Danny Dark, this version was probably the silliest and least serious version of the character to have ever existed – aside from parody versions in shows like Family Guy, that is – but he was still just as powerful as other versions, all things considered.
He had catchphrases like “Great Scott!” and, while he was very intelligent, he was also extremely campy and liable to get into sticky situations. He was very different to any modern depictions of the character and it’s well worth watching him for some entertainment!
What do you think? Are these the most iconic non-comic book versions of Superman? Had you heard of all of them? Can you think of any more? Have your say below!
