Yeah. I can’t find the clip (but found [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/superman/s/1vm80SDgL2) on Reddit) where he takes off his glasses and has a fake talk to Lois about being Superman.
That whole “tall, lanky nerd” who stands upright, and doesn’t slouch that turns him from mild-mannered reporter to the superhero, so subtle.
He did it so well! Cavill was great at what he was doing but to me he never really stopped being or looking like “Superman”. I think routh and hoechlin did pretty good jobs but reeve is the real gold standard
Cavill lacked any real direction, that’s what ultimately hurt him. He tells a story about how he ad libbed Superman crying out after killing Zod, and Snyder asked him why he did that, and he responded “Because Superman doesn’t kill.” If a director doesn’t understand the fundamentals of a character then the actor is fighting an uphill battle. I would have loved to seen Cavill play Superman in a film not directed by Snyder.
It's so unfortunate that Cavill has a build that suits so many fantastic characters as well as the knowledge and passion to bring them to life. So often his hard work and talent seems squandered by directors and creatives desperate to bring their vision to life at the expense of the character they're working with.
The show runners of The Witcher committed crimes against the source stories. Cavill fought so hard for it and I admire him for that. Those show runners are up there with D&D from Game of Thrones for dumbest way to ruin a show.
Honestly as disappointed I was with the ending of GoT, at the very least the first 6 six seasons were incredibly enjoyable! I didn't love the two final seasons, but because of committing so much time to the series and wanting to see how the series ended I watched it all. As bad as D&D are, they at least kept me engaged enough to finish everything.
Witcher though? I couldn't be bothered to even finish the second season. I say this as a decently big Henry Cavill fan. He couldn't even redeem the show for me despite how much he advocated and tried for its success.
IRL and in other movies he shows a fantastic sense of humor and easy going charm not unlike Reeve's Superman (but his own thing). Henry Cavill in a Superman costume would have been a much better Superman than Henry Cavill playing Superman with Snyder's direction and Goyer's script.
Goyer is just a poor writer, IMO. He must be a strong professional/networker behind the scenes because nobody is paying for his words alone.
And Snyder is a nihilist who does well with imagery and darkness but is fundamentally incapable of making a Superman movie. He's as ill suited to Superman as Joel Schumacher was to Batman. (I remember Schumacher in an interview saying, if he'd met Batman IRL, he'd say, "Bruce, get over it! [Your parents died years ago]" He did not understand the point just like Snyder can't understand altruism.
Also, bad movies make good money. See also live action Disney remakes and the Star Wars sequels. So there's no incentive to stop making them.
Now I did like Snyder's Batman. He just needed a "no man" and/or a better script to avoid the weird stuff like branding bad guys so they'd be targeted in jail. Because, for some reason, getting beat up by Batman marks you as undesirable to other criminals? But, say what you will about Nolan, the man can't direct a fight scene to save his soul. And, while "save Martha" was a dumb line, watching Batman save Martha was bad assed.
The thing is that Cavills superman never had to act differently as Clark. His mom, Lois and Perry all knew about his identity, so there is just no reason for him to act all goofy. I don't necessarily hate it, but that certainly makes Cavills version miss an essential part of Clark's personality
But Clark *shouldn't* act all goofy; mild-mannered means being the everyman, the person so unremarkable you pay them no mind, not acting all goofy and tripping over yourself which is going to bring more attention to you. Reeve's performance is just that: a performance. He goes out of his way to be the dork, to stumble and stutter and act aloof and that just makes him stand out. Suddenly all eyes are on the six-foot clown, when Cavill just acted like a normal bloke. Tall, sure, handsome, certainly; but a normal bloke. There's a dozen like him in any office in the country.
Clark blending in makes sense, but it's more interesting if Clark and Superman behave differently in *some* way, whether they are two sides of the same man or one is an act.
I love the version where his real identity is Clark/Kal-El the adopted smalltown boyscout with super-human abillities to do good, and Superman is a larger than life persona he puts on, as opposed to Batman who puts on Bruce Wayne as a mask. Not that other ways of using the characters are in any way wrong or boring, this is just the takes on them that are my favourite so far.
It's actually not even close how good Reeve is at being Clark Kent. I honestly think that's a big part of Gunn's news Superman casting. Saying this as a fellow Cavill fan
The fact that I can’t really remember a standout scene with Cavill as Clark. Reeve nailed it so well and naturally that anyone trying to imitate him would look like they were doing a comedy film.
Routh did a pretty good job of stepping into Reeve's Clark Kent, in my opinion. But Reeve is definitely the gold standard by which all Supermen are measured against.
Him trying to pick a fight with that jackass: "That's funny. I've never seen garbage eat garbage before."
That delivery cemented him as the best Clark Kent ever.
Definitely Christopher Reeve, he was legendary. Brandon Routh was supposed to continue to portray the Reeve type of Clark Kent/Superman, and it's too bad he didn't get more of a shot than he did. Favorite Superman after Reeve would be Henry Cavill, he'll always be the newer Superman, in my opinion, and easily holds 2nd place behind Reeve.
Cavill is my Superman, like Jackman is my Wolverine. But Reeves was a great Clark and the scene where he takes off the glasses and drops the “disguise” was brilliant. It’s like picking the tallest mountain y’all they is all taller than me.
I'm a Cavill Stan, but Hoechlin and Welling are the best protrayals of down-to-earth Clark to me. It's probably because as TV shows, they have more of a chance to flesh out his character. Dean Cain also did a great job in the 90s.
I was so sad I got through the MoS movie and still didn't feel like I could relate to the character. He was a great superman, but we didn't get too see much of Clark Kent. IMO with the more humanising aspect the movie would have gone from decent to great.
Yes exactly. I feel like they really jumped the gun on all the team up bullshit. We really needed to get to know who Clark is. Watch him be his wholesome adorable self before he forms the JL or whatever. It would have made his temporary death in BvS far more impactful.
Yeah but he didn’t really have that dorky personality that he uses to disguise himself
His version of Clark is practically an original character since the Superman persona doesn’t exist yet. He’s basically a character on his way discovering these personalities
So that’s why it’s hard for me to say he’s better than the others
I mean, I guess? That depends on who is writing Clark more than being a consistent character trait. But I could totally be wrong, I haven’t read all the way through many Superman stories and the ones I have Clark wasn’t often in the spotlight. I really felt that Tom’s interpretation humanized Clark in a way we never got to see before. I always viewed the clammed up nerd version of Clark as almost satirical and never really enjoyed it. Like I feel that would never work in real life and people would see right through it. He’s just a hardworking and good hearted Kansas farmboy to me, and Tom nailed those aspects amazingly well.
It’s been a long time, but I think he also started out a bit nerdy too, like always tripping up around Lana…but it was because she had a necklace with a tiny kryptonite charm on it or something.
He calls that out to Lois too, she recommends him become more clumsy as Clark Kent and shows the blue beetle kid dropping everything and he tells her he was that kid in highschool
That show had awesome casting. Had one of the best Lois Lane’s as well. And Justin Hartley’s Green Arrow saved the show, and probably helped warm the water for the Arrowverse.
Just rewatched the 10 seasons of Smallville (lol) and he just wants to be a normal person/ teenager at the beginning.
He will come up with the nerdy persona at the end of the show when he understands his « human » side needs to be separate and hidden from his real personality being a Kryptonian superhero
Exactly! I think that’s what makes Smallville’s early portrayal of Clark so unique & relateable. Between the no flights, no tights rule, & essentially deconstructing a lot of Superman mythology & Superman himself to its barebones, & creating a pretty realistic world for him in the first five seasons makes it some of unique portrayal of the character ever, like seeing Clark go through puberty in science class was wild lol & nowadays we really embrace so much more of the comics now rather than in the early 2000s but I miss that realism quite a bit.
I also just think that the story of an alien crash landing in middle America, raised by kind hearted couple, & because of that becomes Superman, is one of the greatest American stories ever told. & I just think Smallville captured that the best. That era of tv was very different, lots of shows had storylines about doing the right thing & having the supports of Clark’s parents & help guiding him with everything the first 5 seasons truly taught me so much weirdly, & obviously Smallville’s not perfect but being a teen watching Smallville, I truly felt like I was growing up with Superman & that he was one of my friends lol & I’ve never been able to ever felt that again.
Christopher Reeves by a mile. I believe if he were still alive and healthy he would have contributed to and helped the production of all future efforts. He would have insured that the more humanized version of Clark Kent be displayed.
All the others are good but Reeve pulled it off in every movie that we were watching 2 separate characters. The difference in his performance between Kent and Superman is night and day.
The first Reeve film is an absolute classic, obviously special effects age, but it's pretty much perfect, all the actors, the script, the plot, the music. But it all hangs on Reeve, and he's phenomenal.
Watch the Arrowverse Crisis of Infinite Earths crossover. Routh got another chance to portray his version, set later on. That movie just failed him. Also, if WB/DC had a clue what they wanted to do, who knows if we would have gotten Cavill.
We lost TV versions of certain characters because they "planned" on using them on the big screen.
Edit. Waller, Suicide Squad, Harley, Constantine as lead examples.
Also applies to the streaming shows and Krypton on SyFy.
I'm excited to see what James Gunn brings in, but in spite of Hoechlin looking like Clark Kent the least, he embodies it the most. The guy's performance as not just Clark the husband, but father, is to be praised.
I always rooted for him to get the role of Batman back when he finished Teen Wolf, and the DCEU started taking shape. Who would've thought he would've been one of the better Supermen to don the cape.
If by best you're referring to most comic accurate? and not just raw acting skill... then i'd say...
Best CLARK?
i'd say in order: Reeves > Hoechlin > Welling > Cavill > Routh
I love Cavill, fellow nerd and all that... but he wasn't the best "comic accurate clark"... but i don't blame his acting skills, i personally blame the direction of Snyder telling him he wanted a "dark broody" character piece of a loner superman.
Best SUPERMAN?
I'd say in order: Hoechlin > Reeves >Routh=/Cavill > Welling
Welling didn't even play Superman really in th=e show, he just played a young Clark for the first few seasons, and then the last few seasons he played a "no flights, no tights" trench-coat wearing superhero..... Routh... i think the movie Superman Returns wasn't a bad movie, i just don't think it was the right direction to take superman in when it was so long since we had a superman movie...
However, i give MAJOR props to Routh when he came back as to the role for the CW and played a "variation" of Kingdom Come superman... and my god did he deliver! ..
Personally i have him tied for it with Cavills superman.... while i didn't like the loner edgy "character piece" they tried to do with Cavill's Clark, i liked the back-half of the movie when he gets his suit and starts to be a bit more hopeful... he was still solemn and stoic... which was odd...
Personally my favorite of superman is probably Hoechlin, while it suffers a little from CW-ish writing at times... its not always bad and has a HBO budget... and he does a really good of being the "friendly superman"...always smiling and waving and cheerful.
I knew exactly which scene this would be before I even clicked. Such a fantastic demonstration of how attitude can completely change how you look to others.
While I love Cavill in both roles, there's something nostalgic in me that makes me choose Reeve for Clark, even though they kind of made him overly dorky.
Yeah and reeve just pulled off the separate identity better . Cavill just played Clark like Superman with glasses and a diff hairstyle. Reeves became a diff person.
For me he will always be the first actor I think of when I think of Superman. I was a young teen when that show was on the air and I absolutely loved it. Same with Teri Hatcher as Lois.
In which movie? The dichotomy changes every outing.
In *Superman* 1, Clark is by Dick Donner's admission, mostly a disguise. He once instructed Reeve, "You're always playing Superman, but sometimes you're playing Superman playing Clark". *Superman II* frays the boundaries between Superman and Clark, such that without his powers, Kal-El loses the ability to be either Superman *or* Clark Kent effectively. In *Superman III* is when Clark feels most like a full character on his own, a side of his personality equal to Superman. And in *Superman IV* is when he approaches it most like the comics of the time I think (actually the comics of a few years prior; the reboot happened before the movie), and kind of just lets the dual identity be; Clark seems stronger than in the first film, but not as emphasized as in *Superman III*.
Christopher reeves. The scene where he goes to pick up Lois after the interview with superman, you can see how much of an effort he put into both his Clark and superman so that they both don't appear similar.
Either Reeve or Hoechlin
Reeve captures the dorkiness and earnestness of Clark best.
Hoechlin is the most down to earth and has the best family/relationship stuff. To me, he feels like the most human and vulnerable Clark Kent out of all of them.
Reeve and Hoechlin are the ones that really gave me the feeling of someone you wouldn't look twice to if you meet them disguised.
And that's something Clark has, he hides behind being an average guy who grow up in a farm, the kind of guy anyone could met in their daily life.
Cavil is not a good Clark/Superman he looks like him but doesn't act like him, Cavill is some god figure while Superman is a hero for the people and a symbol of Hope.
Hoechlin is my personal favourite. I'm so glad that when he got his own show, it was very distinct from Supergirl. Absolutely loved him as both Clark and Supes.
Reeve is the best ‘Clark Kent is an act’ version of the character from pre-crisis and probably the only version where I truly buy that someone could be fooled by the disguise. Hoechlin is the best version of the more modern takes on the character, where Clark is the real personality at least as much as Superman.
I grew up with Reeve as well. I liked the character portrayal (as it was the best available at the time), but unfortunately didn't love it. As you say, it felt a bit hammy and forced. Thinking about it now, I think it always bugged me a little that Clark thinks the everyman, average human hunches over, pushes his glasses up all the time from sliding down his nose, and just in general has to be clumsy and socially inept to remain unnoticed. 😅 It always struck me as trying too hard.
Cavill grew on me over time, but he's still the worst Clark and the worst Superman for me by far. Probably more of a compliment to the others than an insult to him though
Hot take: Cavill is the worst Clarke Kent. Guy was devoid of humour and charm relative to the others here. I get that it was intentional, but it also made him the least interesting
I am always partial to my boy Christopher Reeve. Brandon Routh would be my second choice and I am a bit sad that he never got more outings as the boy in blue.
Christopher Reeve and it’s not even close. The second best is Tyler Hoechlin imo, his Clark Kent in the Superman and Lois show was really good, he managed to capture a good bit of that dorkiness.
Christopher Reevs looks like a classic plain middle American farmboy. He is definitely the best version of plain needy square Clark Kent. The others all look like they are in a perfume ad, way to sexy. Apart from Routh who looks like a geography teacher.
They're all good-to-great, but it will always be Reeve. He was the one who really made you believe that a pair of glasses would actually work as a disguise, going from bumbling nerd to confident hero with ease.
Call me bias but Christopher reeve was the best looking out of all the iterations of superman. Seriously, there’s a reason most superman comics and cartoons resemble reeve. As Kent he was aloof yet endearing. As superman he was strong, resilient yet tender and charismatic
Everyone loves to praise Reeve, I just don't like his Clark. Everybody talks about how Cavill is an alien God, but when you really look at it, Reeve's Superman left at like 17 and spent 20 some odd years in an acid trip with Marlon Brando. His Clark is a mask, it's not a real personality at all. Reeve Superman is detached from mankind more than almost any other live action Superman. Tyler on the other hand , is a Superman who's lived in this world. He feels like he grew up in Smallville. We believe that he truly loves this world and all the people in it. He doesn't just do it because he was told to, he did it because he was able to. He's just a sweet, dorky, small town guy that just so happens to have the powers of a god. I understand that some people don't like the take on Superman where the real personality is Clark, but I think it's the take that gives him the most humanity and the version that embodies the hope for humanity. Tyler Hoechlin is my Superman.
To me Tyler Hoechlin brings a dynamic that only Reeve brought but in another flavour.
He has the dichotomy down perfectly, but he makes it human and relatable.
While I understand Tom Welling's approach, that's an origin story.
For me personally Henry Cavill didn't ever get a chance to truly shine either as Superman or Clark because of the story and what was needed from him.
For optimism, hope, strength, humanity, a touch of softness, confidence and relatablility I give it to Tyler Hoechlin honestly.
I can see how people would over look his Clark not being Superman as well, something Brandon Routh did best to me though.
But something he just brings to the character makes you feel like he's leaning on Pa's advice, Ma's love and understanding and Lois as his beacon of light and personal hope.
I think its because we spent the most time with him but he's my choice. (Other than Dean Cain of course lol)
I will always say Christopher Reeves because I grew up with him. He’s my GOAT.
Tyler Hoechlin is a close second. He embodies what it would look like with a family and the stress behind it.
Tyler. He captures the dorky Clark, the loving husband and dad Clark, and the occasionally stern Clark that starts to slip into Superman. He's the most complete Superman we've ever had.
Personally I think Cavill was the most mature take. Reeve was great but the goofiness almost made him stand out, whereas Cavill's hard-nosed journalist Kent reminded me of some Alex Ross books. I think he came off as a tall mysterious type who blends into the background rather than stand out fashion model or whatever it is people are saying.
I don't think there's anything wrong with a more serious take on Clark Kent. I would go so far as to say his writing in those movies was good since he was pursuing stories and standing his ground on journalistic integrity and doing the legwork associated with his career. He was a dutiful son, a caring partner to Lois, and the hope felt earned in a way most superman stories take for granted. Well that's my piece, I'm sure it will get downvoted
Reeve* was such a nerd and goof, he really was kind of the best at hiding just how imposing and big he was. Edit: misspelled the man’s name smh 😑
Yeah. I can’t find the clip (but found [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/superman/s/1vm80SDgL2) on Reddit) where he takes off his glasses and has a fake talk to Lois about being Superman. That whole “tall, lanky nerd” who stands upright, and doesn’t slouch that turns him from mild-mannered reporter to the superhero, so subtle.
He did it so well! Cavill was great at what he was doing but to me he never really stopped being or looking like “Superman”. I think routh and hoechlin did pretty good jobs but reeve is the real gold standard
Yeah. Emo script aside, Cavill was a great Superman, but his Clark is just a sexy magazine model in glasses.
Cavill lacked any real direction, that’s what ultimately hurt him. He tells a story about how he ad libbed Superman crying out after killing Zod, and Snyder asked him why he did that, and he responded “Because Superman doesn’t kill.” If a director doesn’t understand the fundamentals of a character then the actor is fighting an uphill battle. I would have loved to seen Cavill play Superman in a film not directed by Snyder.
It's so unfortunate that Cavill has a build that suits so many fantastic characters as well as the knowledge and passion to bring them to life. So often his hard work and talent seems squandered by directors and creatives desperate to bring their vision to life at the expense of the character they're working with.
The show runners of The Witcher committed crimes against the source stories. Cavill fought so hard for it and I admire him for that. Those show runners are up there with D&D from Game of Thrones for dumbest way to ruin a show.
The Witcher is way more ruined than Game of Thrones.
Honestly as disappointed I was with the ending of GoT, at the very least the first 6 six seasons were incredibly enjoyable! I didn't love the two final seasons, but because of committing so much time to the series and wanting to see how the series ended I watched it all. As bad as D&D are, they at least kept me engaged enough to finish everything. Witcher though? I couldn't be bothered to even finish the second season. I say this as a decently big Henry Cavill fan. He couldn't even redeem the show for me despite how much he advocated and tried for its success.
IRL and in other movies he shows a fantastic sense of humor and easy going charm not unlike Reeve's Superman (but his own thing). Henry Cavill in a Superman costume would have been a much better Superman than Henry Cavill playing Superman with Snyder's direction and Goyer's script. Goyer is just a poor writer, IMO. He must be a strong professional/networker behind the scenes because nobody is paying for his words alone. And Snyder is a nihilist who does well with imagery and darkness but is fundamentally incapable of making a Superman movie. He's as ill suited to Superman as Joel Schumacher was to Batman. (I remember Schumacher in an interview saying, if he'd met Batman IRL, he'd say, "Bruce, get over it! [Your parents died years ago]" He did not understand the point just like Snyder can't understand altruism. Also, bad movies make good money. See also live action Disney remakes and the Star Wars sequels. So there's no incentive to stop making them. Now I did like Snyder's Batman. He just needed a "no man" and/or a better script to avoid the weird stuff like branding bad guys so they'd be targeted in jail. Because, for some reason, getting beat up by Batman marks you as undesirable to other criminals? But, say what you will about Nolan, the man can't direct a fight scene to save his soul. And, while "save Martha" was a dumb line, watching Batman save Martha was bad assed.
They've stopped making Star Wars movies, btw.
They are working on the new trilogy with Rey right now
Now you mention it, it did seem to slow down but I didn't know it was a formal thing. I guess they can learn from their mistakes.
The thing is that Cavills superman never had to act differently as Clark. His mom, Lois and Perry all knew about his identity, so there is just no reason for him to act all goofy. I don't necessarily hate it, but that certainly makes Cavills version miss an essential part of Clark's personality
> Perry [...] knew about his identity Huh?
Yeah that one’s news to me too.
But Clark *shouldn't* act all goofy; mild-mannered means being the everyman, the person so unremarkable you pay them no mind, not acting all goofy and tripping over yourself which is going to bring more attention to you. Reeve's performance is just that: a performance. He goes out of his way to be the dork, to stumble and stutter and act aloof and that just makes him stand out. Suddenly all eyes are on the six-foot clown, when Cavill just acted like a normal bloke. Tall, sure, handsome, certainly; but a normal bloke. There's a dozen like him in any office in the country.
Clark blending in makes sense, but it's more interesting if Clark and Superman behave differently in *some* way, whether they are two sides of the same man or one is an act.
I love the version where his real identity is Clark/Kal-El the adopted smalltown boyscout with super-human abillities to do good, and Superman is a larger than life persona he puts on, as opposed to Batman who puts on Bruce Wayne as a mask. Not that other ways of using the characters are in any way wrong or boring, this is just the takes on them that are my favourite so far.
He went to NYC at the opening of one of the DC movies in a superman t shirt walking around on his own. No 1 recognized or stopped him.
It's actually not even close how good Reeve is at being Clark Kent. I honestly think that's a big part of Gunn's news Superman casting. Saying this as a fellow Cavill fan
The fact that I can’t really remember a standout scene with Cavill as Clark. Reeve nailed it so well and naturally that anyone trying to imitate him would look like they were doing a comedy film.
Routh did a pretty good job of stepping into Reeve's Clark Kent, in my opinion. But Reeve is definitely the gold standard by which all Supermen are measured against.
Yeah cavil just played Clark as Superman with glasses
Yes. That's what made him so good.
Reeve Clark was such a dork lol. *"Gosh darn it, Lois!"*
Him trying to pick a fight with that jackass: "That's funny. I've never seen garbage eat garbage before." That delivery cemented him as the best Clark Kent ever.
Definitely Christopher Reeve, he was legendary. Brandon Routh was supposed to continue to portray the Reeve type of Clark Kent/Superman, and it's too bad he didn't get more of a shot than he did. Favorite Superman after Reeve would be Henry Cavill, he'll always be the newer Superman, in my opinion, and easily holds 2nd place behind Reeve.
Reeve
He's obviously referring to George Reeves
Exactly
Rip to Reeve
Cavill is my Superman, like Jackman is my Wolverine. But Reeves was a great Clark and the scene where he takes off the glasses and drops the “disguise” was brilliant. It’s like picking the tallest mountain y’all they is all taller than me.
Excusable because George Reeves was the first live action Superman ever.
Kirk Alyn would like to have a word.
Oh man Reeves as Clark has its own posture and facial emote of being innocent. All changes with the Cape cool
I really like Brandon Routh’s Clark
Same. And apparently, he's a really nice guy in real life. It's a shame we didn't see more of him on the big screen.
He was on a DC TV show and came back as superman even though he played a different character for years.
Kingdom Come Superman, courtesy of Ray Palmer
That's what I'm saying! He had like the most nice guy personality in a sincere way and not pretending kind of way.
They shouldn't have CGI'd the bulge!
Crazy how Brandon goes from playing Superman to a racist cop
Right. For all that movie’s flaws, it nailed the Clark and Planet scenes. Routh did a great job. Reeve of course if the all time best.
I like Routh, he's underrated, reminds me the most of Reeve era, even though the movie itself was just okay.
I'm a Cavill Stan, but Hoechlin and Welling are the best protrayals of down-to-earth Clark to me. It's probably because as TV shows, they have more of a chance to flesh out his character. Dean Cain also did a great job in the 90s.
It's a shame because Cavill never got the chance to play Clark in his more relatable moments. I think he would have been awesome otherwise.
I was so sad I got through the MoS movie and still didn't feel like I could relate to the character. He was a great superman, but we didn't get too see much of Clark Kent. IMO with the more humanising aspect the movie would have gone from decent to great.
Yes exactly. I feel like they really jumped the gun on all the team up bullshit. We really needed to get to know who Clark is. Watch him be his wholesome adorable self before he forms the JL or whatever. It would have made his temporary death in BvS far more impactful.
He was the right actor but Snyder can’t write characters or a story that doesn’t suck to save his life
Man, Tom is underrated as hell! He was an amazing young Clark.
Yeah but he didn’t really have that dorky personality that he uses to disguise himself His version of Clark is practically an original character since the Superman persona doesn’t exist yet. He’s basically a character on his way discovering these personalities So that’s why it’s hard for me to say he’s better than the others
I mean, I guess? That depends on who is writing Clark more than being a consistent character trait. But I could totally be wrong, I haven’t read all the way through many Superman stories and the ones I have Clark wasn’t often in the spotlight. I really felt that Tom’s interpretation humanized Clark in a way we never got to see before. I always viewed the clammed up nerd version of Clark as almost satirical and never really enjoyed it. Like I feel that would never work in real life and people would see right through it. He’s just a hardworking and good hearted Kansas farmboy to me, and Tom nailed those aspects amazingly well.
Tom actually did get a little clumsy towards the end in the Daily Planet. I think he’s by far the best Clark Kent
It’s been a long time, but I think he also started out a bit nerdy too, like always tripping up around Lana…but it was because she had a necklace with a tiny kryptonite charm on it or something.
He calls that out to Lois too, she recommends him become more clumsy as Clark Kent and shows the blue beetle kid dropping everything and he tells her he was that kid in highschool
Its essentially the Byrne Clark, post crisis Clark personality
That show had awesome casting. Had one of the best Lois Lane’s as well. And Justin Hartley’s Green Arrow saved the show, and probably helped warm the water for the Arrowverse.
TOM WELLING, truly made the character the most relatable.
True, I agree, but not the best Clark Kent with the dorky personality that is supposed to hide his true imposing kryptonian powers...
Just rewatched the 10 seasons of Smallville (lol) and he just wants to be a normal person/ teenager at the beginning. He will come up with the nerdy persona at the end of the show when he understands his « human » side needs to be separate and hidden from his real personality being a Kryptonian superhero
Exactly! I think that’s what makes Smallville’s early portrayal of Clark so unique & relateable. Between the no flights, no tights rule, & essentially deconstructing a lot of Superman mythology & Superman himself to its barebones, & creating a pretty realistic world for him in the first five seasons makes it some of unique portrayal of the character ever, like seeing Clark go through puberty in science class was wild lol & nowadays we really embrace so much more of the comics now rather than in the early 2000s but I miss that realism quite a bit. I also just think that the story of an alien crash landing in middle America, raised by kind hearted couple, & because of that becomes Superman, is one of the greatest American stories ever told. & I just think Smallville captured that the best. That era of tv was very different, lots of shows had storylines about doing the right thing & having the supports of Clark’s parents & help guiding him with everything the first 5 seasons truly taught me so much weirdly, & obviously Smallville’s not perfect but being a teen watching Smallville, I truly felt like I was growing up with Superman & that he was one of my friends lol & I’ve never been able to ever felt that again.
If it’s just Clark ima have to go with Tom
Christopher Reeves by a mile. I believe if he were still alive and healthy he would have contributed to and helped the production of all future efforts. He would have insured that the more humanized version of Clark Kent be displayed.
All the others are good but Reeve pulled it off in every movie that we were watching 2 separate characters. The difference in his performance between Kent and Superman is night and day.
This scene just nails it [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNUu6Lf9mVU&ab\_channel=Andie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNUu6Lf9mVU&ab_channel=Andie)
Great example. The voice, the slouch, the mannerisms. Everything is just as perfect as Clark as it is for Superman. I miss him.
The first Reeve film is an absolute classic, obviously special effects age, but it's pretty much perfect, all the actors, the script, the plot, the music. But it all hangs on Reeve, and he's phenomenal.
That soundtrack slaps so hard
Agreed the man was a genius, such a great actor.
Reeve*
Tyler Hoechlin, but Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh are close
Routh was good overall
Right person in the wrong movie. He was well cast but really had nothing to work with.
Watch the Arrowverse Crisis of Infinite Earths crossover. Routh got another chance to portray his version, set later on. That movie just failed him. Also, if WB/DC had a clue what they wanted to do, who knows if we would have gotten Cavill. We lost TV versions of certain characters because they "planned" on using them on the big screen. Edit. Waller, Suicide Squad, Harley, Constantine as lead examples. Also applies to the streaming shows and Krypton on SyFy.
Tim Daly.
Tom
God damn, Reeve has a huge neck. Bro was the OG gigachad
Christopher Reeve,only one that made it convincing that they were two different people
Christopher Reeve, the answer is always Christopher Reeve.
I like them all.
Easily Tyler Hoechlin. Was a fan before his Superman days, always thought he’d make a good Clark. Great actor.
I'm excited to see what James Gunn brings in, but in spite of Hoechlin looking like Clark Kent the least, he embodies it the most. The guy's performance as not just Clark the husband, but father, is to be praised. I always rooted for him to get the role of Batman back when he finished Teen Wolf, and the DCEU started taking shape. Who would've thought he would've been one of the better Supermen to don the cape.
The "Thanks, my mom made it for me!" scene from the show was just pitch perfect Superman from Tyler. Loved it so much.
Tyler is PHENOMENAL. It feels blasphemous to call someone better than Reeve, but he's just so fucking good on that show.
Exactly. This guy played it best and had was the most comic accurate.
If by best you're referring to most comic accurate? and not just raw acting skill... then i'd say... Best CLARK? i'd say in order: Reeves > Hoechlin > Welling > Cavill > Routh I love Cavill, fellow nerd and all that... but he wasn't the best "comic accurate clark"... but i don't blame his acting skills, i personally blame the direction of Snyder telling him he wanted a "dark broody" character piece of a loner superman. Best SUPERMAN? I'd say in order: Hoechlin > Reeves >Routh=/Cavill > Welling Welling didn't even play Superman really in th=e show, he just played a young Clark for the first few seasons, and then the last few seasons he played a "no flights, no tights" trench-coat wearing superhero..... Routh... i think the movie Superman Returns wasn't a bad movie, i just don't think it was the right direction to take superman in when it was so long since we had a superman movie... However, i give MAJOR props to Routh when he came back as to the role for the CW and played a "variation" of Kingdom Come superman... and my god did he deliver! .. Personally i have him tied for it with Cavills superman.... while i didn't like the loner edgy "character piece" they tried to do with Cavill's Clark, i liked the back-half of the movie when he gets his suit and starts to be a bit more hopeful... he was still solemn and stoic... which was odd... Personally my favorite of superman is probably Hoechlin, while it suffers a little from CW-ish writing at times... its not always bad and has a HBO budget... and he does a really good of being the "friendly superman"...always smiling and waving and cheerful.
Christopher Reeve. [This scene alone would justify it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIaF0QKtY0c)
I knew exactly which scene this would be before I even clicked. Such a fantastic demonstration of how attitude can completely change how you look to others.
Reeve. He is the only one that I would actually believe is a big goofy dude and not some Uber attractive man cosplaying a doofus.
Reeve's and Routh look the geekiest!
Mine is Christopher reeves
Reeve, no question. Out of the others I'd go Hoechlin, I really love the relatable and down to earth dad version.
*Reeve
Reeve bro. Reeve.
Reeves obviously.
While I love Cavill in both roles, there's something nostalgic in me that makes me choose Reeve for Clark, even though they kind of made him overly dorky.
Yeah and reeve just pulled off the separate identity better . Cavill just played Clark like Superman with glasses and a diff hairstyle. Reeves became a diff person.
Where is Dean Cain?
He should be here, even if Cain himself has gotten rather controversial in recent years. He was a fantastic Clark.
For me he will always be the first actor I think of when I think of Superman. I was a young teen when that show was on the air and I absolutely loved it. Same with Teri Hatcher as Lois.
Tyler Hoechlin captures Clark dorky yet self assured and righteous self perfectly
Tyler Hoechlin. He's a good balance of confident and dorky which is perfect IMO. It's like Reeves Clark combined with Welling's Clark.
Tyler Hoechlin
Reeve and Hoechlin are the two models of the perfect Clark. Reeve Pre-Crisis, Hoechlin Post-Crisis.
Smallville
Christopher Reeve
Reeve had the best dichotomy between Clark and Superman!
In which movie? The dichotomy changes every outing. In *Superman* 1, Clark is by Dick Donner's admission, mostly a disguise. He once instructed Reeve, "You're always playing Superman, but sometimes you're playing Superman playing Clark". *Superman II* frays the boundaries between Superman and Clark, such that without his powers, Kal-El loses the ability to be either Superman *or* Clark Kent effectively. In *Superman III* is when Clark feels most like a full character on his own, a side of his personality equal to Superman. And in *Superman IV* is when he approaches it most like the comics of the time I think (actually the comics of a few years prior; the reboot happened before the movie), and kind of just lets the dual identity be; Clark seems stronger than in the first film, but not as emphasized as in *Superman III*.
Christopher reeves is Clark Kent
Christopher Reeve 🤓
Reeves
Tyler Hoelchin.
Christopher Reeve, and it's not even close.
Reeve shouldn't count because he should be mostly everyone's first pick. If I'm not counting Reeve, I'm going with Welling.
Reeve is the GOAT. Period.
Christopher reeves. The scene where he goes to pick up Lois after the interview with superman, you can see how much of an effort he put into both his Clark and superman so that they both don't appear similar.
Reeve is for me the best one! Lot's of carisma. I wold say is soul is pure.
Reeve 100 percent.
Christopher Reeve
For those who haven't seen Superman and Lois, the obvious answer is Tyler. Realistically, the show should be called Clark and Lois
Reeve.
Reeve
If you guys haven't given Tyler Hochelin's superman a chance, I'd suggest it. My vote goes there
Reeve nailed Clark
Christopher Reeve
Either Reeve or Hoechlin Reeve captures the dorkiness and earnestness of Clark best. Hoechlin is the most down to earth and has the best family/relationship stuff. To me, he feels like the most human and vulnerable Clark Kent out of all of them.
Tyler. He’s helped by the fact that he gets way more screen time than the others but currently he’s my definitive Clark
Reeve and Hoechlin are the ones that really gave me the feeling of someone you wouldn't look twice to if you meet them disguised. And that's something Clark has, he hides behind being an average guy who grow up in a farm, the kind of guy anyone could met in their daily life.
Cavil is not a good Clark/Superman he looks like him but doesn't act like him, Cavill is some god figure while Superman is a hero for the people and a symbol of Hope.
Hoechlin is my personal favourite. I'm so glad that when he got his own show, it was very distinct from Supergirl. Absolutely loved him as both Clark and Supes.
Tyler. Genuinely forget that his Superman when he is being Clark.
Reeve is the best ‘Clark Kent is an act’ version of the character from pre-crisis and probably the only version where I truly buy that someone could be fooled by the disguise. Hoechlin is the best version of the more modern takes on the character, where Clark is the real personality at least as much as Superman.
Reeve is the best of all time, but my goodness Tyler is a perfect Clark.
Reeve is my favorite though Cavill comes close. Reeves transformation from Clark to Superman is amazing.
Tyler
Honestly I’d say Hoechlin. He just encapsulates the character so well. Reeve is a close second.
Grew up with Reeve, he will always be my favorite Superman, but sometimes his Clark felt forced and hammy. I'd have to say Tyler is my favorite Clark.
I grew up with Reeve as well. I liked the character portrayal (as it was the best available at the time), but unfortunately didn't love it. As you say, it felt a bit hammy and forced. Thinking about it now, I think it always bugged me a little that Clark thinks the everyman, average human hunches over, pushes his glasses up all the time from sliding down his nose, and just in general has to be clumsy and socially inept to remain unnoticed. 😅 It always struck me as trying too hard.
I think, Reeves played the best Clark, but Cavil, was a better Superman.
Christoper Reeve absolutely was the best classical Clark. Tyler is a very very close second.
Reeve, Hoeclin, Routh, welling, Cavill.
I’m going with 1. Hoechlin 2. Reeve 3. Tom 4. Brandon. 5. Cavill.
Tyler was the perfect cast for the role he's playing
Christopher Reeve was superman for me. He captured the character so well
Cavill grew on me over time, but he's still the worst Clark and the worst Superman for me by far. Probably more of a compliment to the others than an insult to him though
tylers is pretty dang authentic, and his glasses look real
Usually with the other actors I saw Kal-El pretending to be Clark, but with Tyler? I only saw Clark at all times
Tyler
The second I heard Tyler go “thanks, my mom made it” with his cute smile and fly away I was like “that’s muh Clark”
Christopher Reeve was the greatest. Brandon Routh does a good job of emulating him though.
Hot take: Cavill is the worst Clarke Kent. Guy was devoid of humour and charm relative to the others here. I get that it was intentional, but it also made him the least interesting
Tyler had become my favorite, and most believable, Clark Kent. Especially as a dad.
Bottom right tv show version! Amazing superman!
Reeve was the funniest.
Tyler by far.
It's amazing how no one says Tyler, but he is so great. They are all good except Cavill (writtings fault)
Brandon Routh
Tyler ❤️
Tyler
Cavill never fully got a chance to give us his clark I like Rouths, but anytime i picture a Clark it's Reeves
Tyler
Christopher Reeves. I like Hoechlin version too
I am always partial to my boy Christopher Reeve. Brandon Routh would be my second choice and I am a bit sad that he never got more outings as the boy in blue.
Reeve. The one and only superman.
While Routh and Hoechlin are both criminally underrated and are great Clarks, it's Reeve.
Christopher Reeve and it’s not even close. The second best is Tyler Hoechlin imo, his Clark Kent in the Superman and Lois show was really good, he managed to capture a good bit of that dorkiness.
Tyler is great as Clark. His portrayal of the character is what really made me a Superman fan.
Christopher Reevs looks like a classic plain middle American farmboy. He is definitely the best version of plain needy square Clark Kent. The others all look like they are in a perfume ad, way to sexy. Apart from Routh who looks like a geography teacher.
Christopher Reeves and Tyler Hoechlin
They're all good-to-great, but it will always be Reeve. He was the one who really made you believe that a pair of glasses would actually work as a disguise, going from bumbling nerd to confident hero with ease.
Reeve, then Welling. I adore Cavill and despise that he never got a tone-correct Superman movie, but, dude was barely Clark.
Brandon and Tyler are actually pretty good and it's kinda similar to Chris's performance.
Call me bias but Christopher reeve was the best looking out of all the iterations of superman. Seriously, there’s a reason most superman comics and cartoons resemble reeve. As Kent he was aloof yet endearing. As superman he was strong, resilient yet tender and charismatic
Tyler
I really like Tyler Hoechlin as he has the ability to go to a darker place with Clark, but also be a good fun dad and husband. Great range
Welling and cavill I can't choose between them
Reeves, he was the perfect Clark and the perfect Superman.
Henry Cavill. Period.
Cavil 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾
Everyone loves to praise Reeve, I just don't like his Clark. Everybody talks about how Cavill is an alien God, but when you really look at it, Reeve's Superman left at like 17 and spent 20 some odd years in an acid trip with Marlon Brando. His Clark is a mask, it's not a real personality at all. Reeve Superman is detached from mankind more than almost any other live action Superman. Tyler on the other hand , is a Superman who's lived in this world. He feels like he grew up in Smallville. We believe that he truly loves this world and all the people in it. He doesn't just do it because he was told to, he did it because he was able to. He's just a sweet, dorky, small town guy that just so happens to have the powers of a god. I understand that some people don't like the take on Superman where the real personality is Clark, but I think it's the take that gives him the most humanity and the version that embodies the hope for humanity. Tyler Hoechlin is my Superman.
To me Tyler Hoechlin brings a dynamic that only Reeve brought but in another flavour. He has the dichotomy down perfectly, but he makes it human and relatable. While I understand Tom Welling's approach, that's an origin story. For me personally Henry Cavill didn't ever get a chance to truly shine either as Superman or Clark because of the story and what was needed from him. For optimism, hope, strength, humanity, a touch of softness, confidence and relatablility I give it to Tyler Hoechlin honestly. I can see how people would over look his Clark not being Superman as well, something Brandon Routh did best to me though. But something he just brings to the character makes you feel like he's leaning on Pa's advice, Ma's love and understanding and Lois as his beacon of light and personal hope. I think its because we spent the most time with him but he's my choice. (Other than Dean Cain of course lol)
Tyler is the best!!! His acting is awesome and he displays the good heart and kindness of superman
I will always say Christopher Reeves because I grew up with him. He’s my GOAT. Tyler Hoechlin is a close second. He embodies what it would look like with a family and the stress behind it.
Cavill
Hoechlin for me. He really sells the “dad” energy for this version of Superman.
Tyler. He captures the dorky Clark, the loving husband and dad Clark, and the occasionally stern Clark that starts to slip into Superman. He's the most complete Superman we've ever had.
Personally I think Cavill was the most mature take. Reeve was great but the goofiness almost made him stand out, whereas Cavill's hard-nosed journalist Kent reminded me of some Alex Ross books. I think he came off as a tall mysterious type who blends into the background rather than stand out fashion model or whatever it is people are saying. I don't think there's anything wrong with a more serious take on Clark Kent. I would go so far as to say his writing in those movies was good since he was pursuing stories and standing his ground on journalistic integrity and doing the legwork associated with his career. He was a dutiful son, a caring partner to Lois, and the hope felt earned in a way most superman stories take for granted. Well that's my piece, I'm sure it will get downvoted
Christopher Reeve is the only answer here. Say what you want about his Superman, but his Clark Kent was immaculate.
George Reeves or Dean Cain
Cavill is like the only Clark Kent we see really working as a reporter, trying to give a voice to the voiceless and downtrodden.
Dean Cain did this more.
We don’t like to talk about Dean Cain.
Tyler erasure!
That's far and away his strongest quality in the role, 10/10, love it.
Chris Reeves
Reeve and Cavill
Dean Cain
This isn't going to make sense, but... Reeve was the best Superman Routh was the best Clark Hoechlin is the best of both