Superman: All 10 Clark Kent actors ranked from worst to best

4, Brandon Routh

Appeared in: Superman Returns, Crisis On Infinite Earths

If we had to pick the most underrated Superman of them all, we’d have to give it to Brandon Routh. He played the character in 2006’s Superman Returns, and although it was moderately successful both critically and financially, it never really made the splash that the studio wanted it to. As a result, Routh’s performance is often overlooked, and it really shouldn’t be.

He had the tall task of having to follow Christopher Reeve’s iconic performance as the character, and that was made that much more difficult by the fact that he was meant to be playing the same version of the Man of Steel (Superman Returns was positioned as a legacy sequel). Nevertheless, he did a great job as the hero, producing a convincing performance under the pressure. His greatest strength, however, lay in his performance as Clark Kent, of which he had only scratched the surface with in Returns. And that’s why it was a shame that we never saw a direct sequel to the movie.

Seeing Routh reprise the role in the Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths was easily one the  crossover’s most fulfilling moments. He was once again brilliant as Clark Kent, channelling the character’s delightful dorkiness while also managing to infuse it with a grounded element of sadness due to the loss that this version of the character had suffered – something that set the stage for his Kingdom Come-esque version of the Man of Steel to achieve his long-awaited redemption.

Routh had so much offer in such a short amount of time and we wish we got to see more of his Clark Kent in action. He is a natural in the role.