Christopher Reeve was the first actor to portraying Superman for a film. The then 24-year-old, went through an intense two-month training regimen with former British weightlifting champion David Prowse to get into the physique of the character. Christopher made his debut in and as ‘Superman’ in 1978 and won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. The film series was followed by ‘Superman II’ in 1980, ‘Superman III’ in 1983 and finally ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ in 1987. Margot Kidder played Lois Lane to his Superman.
Dean Cain (1993 – 1997)
In 1993, Dean Cain took on his biggest role to date as Superman in the television series, ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ with Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The series ran for four seasons. Cain later made his first return to the Superman franchise with a special guest role in a season 7 of ‘Smallville’ as the immortal Dr Curtis Knox, a character based upon the DC Comics villain Vandal Savage. Cain returned to the Superman universe again between 2015 and 2017, in a role in ‘Supergirl’, as the title character’s foster father, Jeremiah Danvers.
Tom Welling (2001–2011)
Tom Welling was cast as Clark Kent in the superhero drama ‘Smallville’, which focuses on the origin story of the superhero. Welling was named one of People magazine’s ‘Breakthrough Stars of 2001’, and also won the Teen Choice Award as ‘Choice Breakout Star (Male)’ in 2002 for his role as Clark Kent. In 2019, Welling reprised his role as Clark Kent in the Batwoman episode of Arrowverse crossover event ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’, along with his ‘Smallville’ co-star Erica Durance as Lois Lane.
Brandon Routh (2006)
In 2006, Brandon Routh was cast as Superman in ‘Superman Returns’, for his physical resemblance to Christopher Reeve, who had previously portrayed Superman in a film series. The film was a box office disappointment, he was signed on to appear in two potential sequels, but those films never materialized. At the 2006 Spike TV Awards, Routh won the award of Best Superhero as Superman in ‘Superman Returns’. He went on to reprise his role as Clark Kent / Superman in the 2019–2020 Arrowverse crossover ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’. Kate Bosworth plays the role of Lois Lane.
Henry Cavill (2013-2023)
One of the most beloved Superman by the fans, Henry Cavill made his debut as Superman in 2013 with ‘Man of Steel’ as a reboot of the film series with Amy Adams as Lois Lane. A sequel, ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ in 2016, featured Superman alongside Batman and Wonder Woman, making it the first theatrical film in which Superman appeared alongside other superheroes from the DC Universe. Cavill reprised his role in ‘Justice League’ in 2017 and its director’s cut in 2021.
David Corenswet (2025)
In June 2023, David Corenswet was cast as Superman in the upcoming superhero film ‘Superman’ from director James Gunn. It is set to be the first live action film in the DC Universe (DCU) and will release in July 2025. The 30-year-old actor is paired with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The film will explore Clark Kent / Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his adoptive human family in Smallville, Kansas. This will also be the first live action film to star Clark’s superpowered dog Krypto, and the robot Kelex.