Ranking the Superman Actors

IGN Brasil é o maior site de games pra X-Box, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, WiiU, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, iPhone e Android, com reviews, noticias, previews e vídeos. The question of “What makes a great Man of Steel?” is a tough one, but the answer usually comes down to two broad categories: the actors themselves, and the story or adaptation they’re a part of. So, with that in mind, take our hand, and join us as we countdown from the actors we think missed the mark all the way to the definitive Superman. 9.

Dean Cain Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997) Superman has been played by a number of great performers, but we’d be lying if we said he was a hit every single time. Lois & Clark ran for four seasons in the early ‘90s, and while it combined romance and journalism with villains of the week, it was also entirely of its era: which is to say, the era of Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. On the surface, it has all the elements of a Superman story, but it seemed far more interested in creating a new ‘90s heart throb than a Man of Steel, down to the character’s hairstyle.

As Superman, Dean Cain has an unfortunately limited range, with occasionally stilted delivery. He says all the right things — “I like your costume”/“Thank you, my mother made it for me”/“Who are you?”/“A friend” — but whether or not he’s convincing is another matter. A defining trait of a good Superman performance is the distinction between Superman and Clark Kent, and while Cain technically has that, it’s not exactly a performance concerned with fidelity.

His Clark Kent is… fluida, and fast-talking, and occasionally charming, while his Superman is… straightforward, and stern, but without much depth or authority, and there’s something awkward about his stature, like he’s never quite comfortable in the suit, almost like the two personas are flipped. Cain’s version of Clark says he wants to fit in, but there’s really nothing stopping him from being a normal guy—at least by the standards of ‘90s TV dramas. In these moments of attempted emotion, the music tends to do the heavy lifting.

Lois & Clark isn’t a terrible show by any stretch—in fact, Terri Hatcher makes for an ambitious and accomplished Lois Lane—but when it comes to portraying the Man of Steel, it doesn’t really live up to what came before it, despite Cain claiming to have based his version of Clark on our next entry… 8. George Reeves Superman and the Mole Men (1951), Adventures of Superman (1952-1958) The most famous of the ear