Which actor looks the most like Superman to you?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by JonnyQuest037, Sep 12, 2010.

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Who looks the most like Superman?

  1. Kirk Alyn (1940s movie serials)

    1 vote(s)
    1.2%
  2. George Reeves (The Adventures of Superman, 1952-1958)

    3 vote(s)
    3.6%
  3. Christopher Reeve (Superman movies, 1978-1987)

    65 vote(s)
    77.4%
  4. John Haymes Newton (Superboy, 1988-1989)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Gerard Christopher (Superboy, 1989-1992)

    2 vote(s)
    2.4%
  6. Dean Cain (Lois and Clark, 1993-1997)

    8 vote(s)
    9.5%
  7. Tom Welling (Smallville, 2001-Present)

    2 vote(s)
    2.4%
  8. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, 2006)

    3 vote(s)
    3.6%
  1. Samurai8472

    Samurai8472 Admiral Admiral

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    Just some nut

    George Reeves I think could pull off a great "All Star Superman"
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Lots of actors have played Superman, but Christopher Reeve embodied Superman. Looks aside, no one else has ever captured how Superman should behave and carry himself quite so perfectly. He may not have been a perfect fit for the definitive Curt Swan Superman look of that era, but he superseded it and became an influence on how Superman has been depicted ever since (starting with Byrne).

    Second place would be George Reeves, who was a very good fit to the stocky, square-jawed Superman of earlier decades.

    Welling occasionally looks a bit like Superman -- his face reminds me of Jeff East from Superman: The Movie, which I suspect may have been a factor in his casting -- but in his general bearing and performance and mumbly delivery, he's usually very far from being right for the part. He's been getting better lately, but not by much.

    As I've said before, Routh would get my vote for looking (and sounding) the least like Superman. Second-least would be Cain, who's just too soft-featured and high-voiced to resemble Superman that much. Cain also gets my vote for "worst job differentiating his two identities," aside from Welling, who's obviously out of the running in that category. Best job differentiating Clark and Superman is Reeve by a mile.
     
  3. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I think Tom Welling would nail it with the right haircut.
     
  4. mswood

    mswood Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Please, it really depends on what you identify Supes as. For the modern age (80's plus) Supes is portrayed as extremely well built. Chris Reeve while a good looking man, with a nice frame isn't defined to any real degree. He really doesn't look that much like the Superman of his day (body wise)

    While going back to the 30-50's Superman had a body shape that Reeve's doesn't even come close to, as its far more bulky (though not heavily defined at all). And George really came very close to that body shape.

    So I could never say Chris Reeve really fit the look of Superman for his time.
     
  5. mswood

    mswood Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    George Reeves actually is the closest (though I didn't like the material of the time to fit the body shape of the character of his time frame.

    Routh though more defined then any Superman, lacks strong enough lines on his face, to pull that visual element off.

    Now Reeves did really hit Clark portrayal of the 70's (I always hated clark of that period, really, really hated him). And if the question was who played the best Clark of his era, Chris Reeves would win my vote hands down.
     
  6. mswood

    mswood Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The one thing Routh did do better then any other actor was the physicality of the role, but. That is very likely due to the increase ability to mimic a persons actions with the fx environment. So thats more a production issue, probably then an actors.
     
  7. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Looks like he's on his way to doing just that, Greg. :) Reeve is definitely my choice, although I do picture George Reeves when I think of a "Golden Age" (or Earth-2) Superman.

    Sometimes I think Tom Welling could be a decent looking Superman, but he'd have to cut his hair, IMO. Superman should not ever have hair over his ears.

    For my money, Dean Cain looks the least like Superman. Superman should always have that all-American look to him, and Cain always looked too Hawaiian for me to buy him as the Man of Steel (Liked his Clark a lot, though!)
     
  8. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Honestly, I get much more of a Bruce Wayne vibe from him. When he was in his tux at the Emmys I thought he was a spitting image!
     
  9. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Dean Cain was born in Michigan and grew up in Malibu. His birth father was a half-Japanese man who served in the US Army. Otherwise, his ancestry is primarily Welsh, with some Irish and French Canadian thrown in.

    I didn't even find out Dean Cain was part-Japanese until after Lois & Clark ended, so I never noticed any ethnic distinction. I just didn't think he looked or sounded that much like Superman. Of course, the people who cast him were more interested in Clark than Superman; their original idea was never to show Superman at all but focus solely on Clark, Lois, and the Planet. That's why Cain beat out Kevin Sorbo for the role. Sorbo definitely would've had the look for Superman if he'd dyed his hair black, but Cain made a better Clark.
     
  10. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Everybody but the guy in the T shirt, who, ironically is sandwiched between the best Superman on his right, and the worst on his left.
     
  11. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Didn't mean to imply that he was actually Hawaiian, just saying that that was how he looked to me.
     
  12. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Well, literal-minded sort that I am, I'm confused how "all-American" doesn't include Hawaii (so long as it's post-1959). Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
     
  13. Jetfire

    Jetfire Guest

    I was making a joke at Shazam! From what he said in my "Casting Superman?" thread http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=4211856&postcount=3

    I actually don't think Jon Hamm looks like Supes.
     
  14. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    Superman had shaggy long hair in the comics from 1993 to, uh, I dunno when it stopped, around 1999?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Superman.jpg
    [​IMG]
     
  15. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Like I said...
     
  16. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Only if you're taking the term absolutely literally. All I meant was that Dean Cain's mixed heritage shows in his face. Consequently, he doesn't look like Superman to me.
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Or if you think of America as an entity defined by its mix of heritages, so that if anything people of mixed heritage are more "all-American" than those of a single heritage.


    Well, since Superman is, you know, from another planet, I don't think he should absolutely have to look Caucasian. Heck, it's enough of a stretch that he can even pass as human.

    Though like I said, I never noticed that Cain was "ethnic" in appearance; even now, knowing that he's a quarter Japanese, I can barely see it. That sort of thing just doesn't stand out for me the way it does for some people. In retrospect, though, I like the idea of Superman having a subtly exotic appearance, something that doesn't exactly match any single human ethnic group. It's more universal that way.
     
  18. JonnyQuest037

    JonnyQuest037 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'd be fine with Superman having a more exotic appearance if we didn't have 70+ years of comics showing the contrary.
     
  19. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'll be the first person to vote for Gerard Christopher (Superboy, 1989-1992) - never heard of the guy, but going strictly on looks, he's got a slightly exotic look that synchs well with the idea that Supes is, after all, an alien. Dean Cain and Tom Welling also come close.

    I think of Supes as looking clean-cut, not "all American" as a euphemism for Anglo. He's an alien!!!
    Comic characters are vague enough that we can all fill in the details we like. To me, Supes is an alien and he should look it, at least a little bit. Cain may look too exotic, Welling too little, so I went with Christopher.
     
  20. The Lensman

    The Lensman Commodore Commodore

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    Agreed. I was twelve when the first movie came out and I remember thinking then "this guy doesn't look ANYTHING like Superman!" I still feel that way today. In fact I will not buy any of the Superman comics where he looks like Reeves until the other 40 year old fanboys get off their annoying nostalgia trip and start drawing him right again.

    None of those guys look like Superman, and the only guy who might've come close for me would'a been Bruce Campell in his prime. Although his voice isn't very "superman" to me.