All 12 Superman actors ranked from worst to best

6. Brandon Routh

Appeared in: Superman Returns, Crisis On Infinite Earths (Arrowverse crossover)

Brandon Routh got his big career break when he was cast as the title character in 2006’s Superman Returns. The movie was technically a sequel to the Christopher Reeve film series, but also a reboot of sorts that was supposed to launch its own chapter within the franchise. And from that sentence alone, it’s clear that were was a lot of pressure on it to succeed.

History hasn’t been kind to the movie, but we shouldn’t overlook Routh’s performance as the Man of Steel. It’s a tough task to play any role that once belonged to someone else (let alone one so beloved) but he did a great job, giving us a Kal-El that felt young and seasoned at the same time. While the stars just didn’t align as much as we hoped they would for Superman Returns, the fault did not lie with Routh as much as it did with its solid-but-not-particularly-great script.

He would get the chance to prove that years later when he reprised the role in the Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event, playing a veteran version of Clark inspired by the Kingdom Come iteration of Superman from the comics. From the incredible outfit (that he pulled off to perfection), to the gritty performance he delivered, it was Routh’s moment to shine with stronger material, and he excelled at it; proving just how exceptional of a Superman he could truly be.