Superman has been an icon to the world since his debut in 1938. It's hard to believe that this fantastic hero that has mesmerized us for decades came from the mere imagination of high school students Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster in 1933. Little did these two talents know that their creation would grow as big as he has.
Since his creation Superman has gone through many incarnations, played by different actors, each one better than the last. Well, almost. For the first time I watched the original Superman films starring Christopher Reeve so I invite you to take a journey with me through time as I give my thoughts on each portrayal and storyline. (*Note: For the ladies there is much eye candy to take in here as we know that Superman is also quite the looker.)
Bud Collyer was the first to bring the man of steel to life in the radio series
The Adventures of Superman in 1940 but eight years later in 1948, fans would see the man of steel in he LIVE action movie serial,
Superman. In his LIVE action debut, Superman is brought to life by Kirk Alyn.
The first movie serial (which would be the equivalent to what we know as miniseries) consisted of 15 episodes. Alyn would also go on to star in the sequel entitled
Atom Man vs. Superman. The serial is a mixture of LIVE action and animation. Alyn set the foundation for the Supermans that followed.
George Reeves the most notable Superman of the small screen. George starred in the popular television series
Adventures of Superman. Toward the end of his run, he made a guest appearance on the beloved sitcom
I Love Lucy where he shows up for Little Ricky's birthday. Sadly, George took his own life ending his stint as Superman and ending a promising career. Though there are many conspiracy theories surrounding his death, I think that his tragic death tends to overshadow his role in Superman's legacy.
The next incarnation of Superman came in the form of Christopher Reeve. Christopher was the first to bring the man of steel to the big screen. He brought about a comical but moral essence to Superman. The world found their Superman in Christopher Reeve. He was intelligent, witty and quick. Those that came after him would have big boots to fill and a big cape. Despite the two before him, Christopher Reeve became
the Superman. He displayed his "Superman" qualities when he survived a tragic accident on his horse, leaving him paralyzed. Nothing could stop him and thus in our hearts we will always hold Christopher Reeve forever.
The height of the '80s early 90s incarnations found itself focusing on a younger Superman, so young in fact that we get a look at the famous man of steel as a boy...Superboy. The series Superboy focused on a Pre-Daily Planet, Pre-Metropolis, and Pre-Lois Lane era. Instead we see Clark as a young man, in love with a special lady named Lana Lang.
The first actor to wear the cape in this series was an actor named John Haymes Newton. John's run lasted only one season before passing the famous cape on to his replacement.
Gerard Christopher took over the role of Superboy for its second season. Superboy would continue for another two seasons before ending in 1992.
Dean Cain's career took off once he put the famous cape on. He played Superman for the series
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Dean Cain became a, if not the, popular Superman of the '90s.
Tom Welling didn't necessarily portray Superman in the same way his predecessors had but that's because his portrayal was not meant for that period. Tom played a teenage-adult Clark Kent in The CW's hit
Smallville. The series was based on Clark's pre-Superman days. It also added a few twists to the story we were used to seeing. For instance, Lex Luthor portrayed by Michael Rosenbaum, was friends with Clark early on only to grow apart, becoming enemies. Now let me state that I have not watched this series, however I've seen the occasional clip here and there but I feel that Tom made an excellent Clark Kent and it served as an interesting reinvention of the story.
The less received Superman, Brandon Routh. Brandon brought the man of steel back to life on the big screen in the failed
Superman Returns. Unfortunately it truly wasn't his fault nor do I think it was a fair shot for his run. This film lacked a powerful storyline that the previous Superman films possessed. I also feel that no one wanted to see Superman without his Lois. This film slightly made Superman the villian in the sense that it seems he just took off, leaving poor pregnant Lois to deal with her pregnancy on her own, in secret. There was also a disconnection between this and the original movies. If they were going to tie this into the originals then they should have stuck to the story. Martha Kent was dead by the 4th movie if I remember correctly. It may have been the 3rd but then she's magically alive again in this rendition. I don't think Brandon Routh was a bad Superman but I wasn't wowed either. Sorry Brandon.
I'm going to get a bit biased here because I absolutely love this man. I guess you can say I have a bit of a crush. Henry Cavill, our latest Superman incarnation. In my opinion, he is without a doubt tied with Christopher Reeve. Henry has become
the Superman. In
Man of Steel, the story of Superman has taken on a whole new life. While the foundation of the story is the same, there are some slight differences. What I loved about this retelling is seeing how Kal-El or rather Clark Kent, dealt with his powers, his differences from a child to an adult. The uncertainty made him more human which ironically makes him more powerful, more of a hero. What Christopher Reeve accomplished in four films, Henry Cavill told in one. I truly look forward to many more Superman films with Henry and let's face it, they find any excuse to make this man shirtless in the film which I am A-OK with! He's definitely my favorite Superman of all time. (With the exception of Christopher Reeve of course!)
Tyler Hoechlin is Henry Cavill's substitute in the epic
Supergirl television series starring Melissa Benoist. Superman's outfit is darker than most which I can suspect is to match the armor of Cavill's costume in the films. It was questionable how this would work but I feel that Tyler fills the role quite well. The series did a great job tying the man of steel in with his cousin. A great piece of trivia is that the original Supergirl, Helen Slater, portrays Melissa's Supergirl's mother. Ironic how they keep the actors in the franchise in their reincarnations.
Comments
Post a Comment