32 greatest Arrowverse superheroes, ranked

The Flash -- "Enter Zoom" -- Image FLA206A_0234b.jpg -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as The Flash -- Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Flash -- "Enter Zoom" -- Image FLA206A_0234b.jpg -- Pictured: Grant Gustin as The Flash -- Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved. /
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Superman, Superman and Lois, Tyler Hoechlin, Arrowverse
Superman & Lois — “Of Sound Mind” — Image Number: SML306a_0489r — Pictured: Tyler Hoechlin as Superman — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. /

4. Superman

For the longest time, Superman was off-limits to Greg Berlanti’s TV universe. However, things changed during Supergirli’s second season and, just like that, Kara Zor-El’s iconic cousin made his Arrowverse debut, appearing in the first two episodes, portrayed by Tyler Hoechlin.

We all know Superman’s story, which is great, because The CW didn’t get much time to tell it on Supergirl. However, from what we could see, this version of Clark Kent was virtually identical to the legendary comic book iteration, and this traditional approach helped differentiate him from Henry Cavill’s darker big-screen interpretation.

He didn’t really shine, though, until he was spun-off into his own series, along with co-star Elizabeth Tulloch, with Superman and Lois quickly becoming one of the greatest TV shows in its genre. With writing that served the character better than some of the later material he was given on previous crossovers, the Arrowverse’s Man of Steel finally became the larger-than-life hero his comic book counterpart is, and Hoechlin was nothing short of spectacular with the grittier material.

What sets this Superman apart from his predecessors, however, is the gentle family man he is portrayed as – not because we haven’t seen it before, but because that’s every bit as important to Superman and Lois as the heroics. And that highlights just how incredible a performer Hoechlin is, as he shifts between Kal-El and Clark Kent with ease, nailing every nuance in between.

Perhaps the greatest live-action Superman of all time, he gets better every single time he’s on-screen.