Superman (franchise)

The American comic book character Superman, created in 1938, has appeared in many types of media since the 1940s. Superman has appeared in radio, television, movies, and video games each on multiple occasions, and his name, symbol, and image have appeared on products and merchandise.

Superman
Actors who have portrayed Superman:
(top) Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, John Haymes Newton, Gerard Christopher
(bottom) Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, and Tyler Hoechlin
Created by
Original workAction Comics #1
Owner
Years1938–present
Films and television
Film(s)
Television series
Animated series
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Radio program(s)
Original musicIt's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman (1966)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)

Portrayals

Among the actors who have played Superman/Superboy (and/or his alter ego, Clark Kent) are:

Portrayed by

Voice only

Radio and audio

Film
Main article: Superman in film

Animated film

Live-action film

Television

Adventures of Superman
Main article: Adventures of Superman (TV series)

The series premiered September 19, 1952 in black & white on the television network Syndication and ended April 28, 1958. George Reeves portrays Clark Kent / Superman with Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson.

Superboy
Main article: Superboy (TV series)

The series premiered October 8, 1988 on the television network Syndication and ended on May 17, 1992. John Haymes Newton, and later Gerard Christopher, portrays Clark Kent / Superboy with Stacy Haiduk as Lana Lang, Jim Calvert as T.J. White, Scott James Wells as Lex Luthor, Stuart Whitman and Salome Jens as Jonathan and Martha Kent.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Main article: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

The series premiered September 12, 1993 on ABC and ended June 14, 1997. Dean Cain stars as Clark Kent / Superman alongside Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane.

Smallville
Main article: Smallville

The series premiered October 16, 2001 on The WB and ended May 13, 2011. Tom Welling stars as Clark Kent and depicts the early days of Superman as Clark, before becoming the Man of Steel.

Supergirl
Main article: Supergirl (TV series)

The series premiered October 26, 2015 on The CW and ended November 9, 2021. Tyler Hoechlin guest stars as Clark Kent / Superman alongside Bitsie Tulloch as Lois Lane. They later appeared in annual Arrowverse crossovers such as Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Krypton
Main article: Krypton (TV series)

The series premiered March 21, 2018 on Syfy and ended August 14, 2019. It primarily focuses on Superman's grandfather.

Superman & Lois
Main article: Superman & Lois

The series premiered February 23, 2021 on The CW. Clark Kent / Superman and Lois Lane are the main characters in television series set in the Arrowverse, with Hoechlin and Tulloch reprising their roles.

Peacemaker
Main article: Peacemaker (TV series)

Superman made an appearance in the Peacemaker season finale episode "It's Cow or Never" portrayed by a stand-in.

Untitled Superman series

It was announced by Collider that Michael B. Jordan will be developing, producing and starring as Val-Zod in a limited series for HBO Max.[11][12]

Animated television

DC Animated Universe

Superman is a major character in the DC Animated Universe, under the portrayal of various different actors. Although still a very difficult character to beat, he is portrayed as being considerably weaker than he is in the comics. He also has a specific set of stylized sound effects whenever his powers are used. Additionally, his personality is very similar to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's original comics, the same one used by John Byrne in the reboot of the DC Universe from 1986: somewhat rough and aggressive, although remaining the personification of moral excellence.

  • Superman first appears in his eponymous series. As with the comics, he is the sole survivor of Krypton's demise, caused by Brainiac in this continuity. He is portrayed with the same powers and weaknesses, but like average people of Earth cannot breathe in space and thus requires a space suit. He also wears a special lead suit for protection against kryptonite. Superman's reputation becomes jeopardized in the two-parter finale Legacy, where he gets brainwashed by Darkseid and set upon Earth, losing the trust of many, including Professor Hamilton who begins working against him from then on by joining Project Cadmus and giving Lex Luthor an advantage. His baby age, who only appears in The Last Son of Krypton, the first episode, is voiced by Jesse Batten. His teenaged self, who only appears in The Last Son of Krypton, as well as the episode New Kids in Town, is voiced by Jason Marsden. Tim Daly voices the adult character.
  • Superman next appears in the Batman Beyond two-parter The Call. He wears a different suit of black and silver, but is shown to have aged slower than anyone on Earth, due to his Kryptonian DNA, appearing as a man in his 50s instead of his actual age as Bruce Wayne jokes about. He is first shown disguised as a bystander that is taken hostage by Inque, but he quickly reveals himself and takes her out. He then shows up at the Batcave to recruit Terry McGinnis, Bruce's successor as the new Batman, into the Justice League, apparently in order to help him find a traitor within the league. Bruce and Terry both discover the traitor to be Superman himself, and Bruce gives Terry a piece of kryptonite, referring to the events of Legacy. However, it is then discovered that Superman had been under the control of a starfish-like alien (Starro) many years after Justice League Unlimited ended, that he had saved a long time ago during his and Lobo's captivity under the Preserver as depicted in the Superman: The Animated Series two-parter episode The Main Man. Terry frees Superman, and the two help the rest of the league send the aliens back, he then offers Terry membership in the League only for it to be turned down, later remarking that Terry has a lot more in common with Bruce than he actually thinks, hinting that he may know of Terry's biological relationship with Bruce. Although Tim Daly was available the producers chose to go with Christopher McDonald, the voice of Jor-El in the DCAU as Superman's voice, due to an idea that Superman sounds more like his father as he ages.
  • Superman next appears in Justice League, now voiced by George Newbern. Daly was supposed to return, and had even done initial recordings, but was ultimately under contract to star in the TV series The Fugitive and had to be replaced. Superman, having already got back his reputation that Darkseid had put at stake in the interim between the end of his show and the start of this one, forms the league, along with Batman. He begins to wonder about what might happen to him after the events of the Justice Lords, what with his counterpart giving into the urge and killing Luthor. Superman was originally designed with a shine in his hair, along with wrinkles and squintier eyes in order to make him look more detailed, but was redesigned again with his look from Superman from the second season onwards after it was not well received. Superman's powers were also significantly toned down to the point where he was depicted as unnaturally weak in the first season, far weaker than his depiction in his own show and Batman Beyond, a running gag being him constantly and easily taken down by foes who are supposed to be a match for him, with Bruce Timm and company admitting they overdid it while toning down his powers, this was also corrected from the second season onwards, restoring his power level to what it was in his series.
  • Newbern returns to the role of Superman in Static Shock in the episode "Toys in the Hood", where he visits Dakota and helps the title character battle against Toyman, whom he had been tracking down. In this series, Superman is given full eyes with blue irises, compared to his other appearances within the DCAU.
  • Superman is again voiced by Newbern in Justice League Unlimited. In this series, he nearly gives into the urge to become like his Justice Lord counterpart, attempting to lobotomize Doomsday, who he instead finally banished into the Phantom Zone, much to the questioning of Batman and the general public. His doubts about not being like his Justice Lord counterpart are fleshed out in Divided We Fall, where a mechanical duplicate of his counterpart points out about his trust from the public and his power. Superman insists that he is not like his counterpart at all. Most noteworthy is after Flash apparently died defeating the Lex Luthor/ Braniac hybrid, he brought Luthor to eye level and said: "I'm not the man that killed President Luthor. Right now, I wish to heaven that I were, but I'm not." It was because of this, Superman considered shutting down the Justice League, only to be talked out of it by Green Arrow. During the series finale, Destroyer, Superman briefly gets the upper hand on a resurrected Darkseid. He explains "I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard.", saying that he thus is always taking care of not to attack too hard or he might kill someone. With Darkseid, however, he says "But you can take it, can't you big man. What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose, and show you just how powerful I really am." and punches Darkseid hard into the sky, through several buildings, and knocks him back into the ground, creating a huge crater. Darkseid then stuns Superman using the Agony Matrix, which causes him to feel extreme pain in every part of his body, and is about to kill him with a kryptonite knife when he is saved by Luthor, whom had agreed with Superman to stop Darkseid, or in his case, get revenge on him for taking a piece of Brainiac from him.

My Adventures with Superman

An animated series titled My Adventures with Superman was announced in May 2021, and will feature Jack Quaid and Alice Lee leading the voice cast as Clark Kent and Lois Lane. It is said to follow a modern, relatable Clark Kent alongside a fearless, whip smart Lois Lane who are navigating the small tasks of both becoming adults and trying to save the world.[13][14] The series will premiere in mid-2023 on Adult Swim, with an encore run to follow on its Toonami programming block.[15][16]

Video games
Main article: List of Superman video games

Theatre and live performances

Literature and printed media

Newspaper
Main article: Superman (comic strip)

Superman was a daily newspaper comic strip which began on January 16, 1939, and a separate Sunday strip was added on November 5, 1939. These strips ran continuously until May 1966. In 1941, the McClure Syndicate had placed the strip in hundreds of newspapers. At its peak, the strip, featuring Superman, was in over 300 daily newspapers and 90 Sunday papers, with a readership of over 20 million.

Attractions and theme park rides
Superman Escape at Warner Bros. Movie World

Art

Parodies
Superman depicted as stricken by AIDS, in an awareness campaign
  • The cartoon Underdog in which Shoeshine Boy becomes "Underdog" with the help of an energy pill.
  • The cartoon series Groovy Goolies featured dimwitted Frankie as "Super Ghoul".
  • Walt Disney's Goofy did a parody of Superman with the help of "super goobers" {Peanuts} in which Goofy became "Super Goof" clothed in red underwear with "SG" and a blue cape and endowed with super ears, super sight, super strength, super voice and super flying. Goofy's crime fighting always interrupted his date with Clarabelle Cow.[21]
  • Warner Brothers' Daffy Duck did a parody of Superman as Stupor Duck.
  • The 2019 superhero horror film Brightburn is a dark deconstruction of the Superman character.
  • Superman's image was used in an AIDS awareness campaign by French organization AIDES. Superman was depicted as emaciated and breathing from an oxygen tank, demonstrating that no-one is beyond the reach of the disease, and it can destroy the lives of everyone.[22]

Merchandising
  • Sunnyland Refining Co., in 1981, marketed jars of creamy and crunchy peanut butter using the familiar image of Superman. In the 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great, it was noted that this was DC's first licensing deal for a brand of food. Soon he had his own hot cocoa mix in 1983.[23]
  • A Superman pinball machine was produced by Atari in 1979.[24]
  • Superman is part of the DC Deckbuilding Game by Cryptozoic Entertainment.

Recurring cast

Many live-action actors have made appearances across multiple works in the franchise. V indicates a voice-only role.

Actor Serial films
(1948–1950)		 Superman and the Mole Men
(1951)		 The Adventures of Superman
(1952–1958)		 Salkind series
(1978–1987)		 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
(1994–1998)		 DC Animated Universe Smallville
(2001–2011)		 Superman Returns
(2006)		 Superman: Doomsday
(2007)		 DC Extended Universe
(2013)		 Arrowverse
(2018)		 DC Super Hero Girls
(2016)
Kirk Alyn Superman Sam Lane
Noel Neill Lois Lane Gertrude Vanderworth
George Reeves Superman
Phyllis Coates Lois Lane Ella Lane
Jack Larson Jimmy Olsen Bo the bartender
Marlon Brando Jor-El Jor-El
Christopher Reeve Superman Dr. Virgil Swann
Margot Kidder Lois Lane Bridgette Crosby
Marc McClure Jimmy Olsen Dax-Ur Officer Ben Sadowsky
Officer Jerry
Terrence Stamp General Zod Jor-El
Sarah Douglas Ursa Jinda Kol Rozz
Annette O'Toole Lana Lang Martha Kent
Helen Slater Supergirl Talia al GhulV Lara-El Eliza Danvers Martha KentV
Jon Cryer Lenny Luthor Lex Luthor
Kevin Conroy BatmanV Batman (Earth-99)
Adam West Jerry Retchen Gray GhostV
Dean Cain Superman Dr. Curtis Knox Jeremiah Danvers Johnathan KentV
Teri Hatcher Lois Lane Ella Lane Rhea
Clancy Brown Lex LuthorV General Wade Eiling
Michael Ironside DarkseidV Sam Lane
Michael Rosenbaum Lex Luthor
Carl Lumbly J'onn J'onzzV M'yrnn J'onzz
JK Simmons General Wade EilingV Commissioner Gordon
Tom Welling Clark Kent Clark Kent
Erica Durance Lois Lane Lois Lane
Alura Zor-El
James Marsters Brainiac Lex LuthorV
Laura Vandervoort Supergirl Brainiac 8
Amy Adams Jodi Melville Lois Lane
Linda Carter Moira Sullivan Asteria Olivia Marsdin
Peyton List Lucy Lane Golden Glider
Brandon Routh Superman Ray Palmer
Superman

    Notes
    1. Nobleman, Marc. ""By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family" explained". Noblemania. Blogger. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
    2. "Soaky Superman and Tennessee Tuxedo". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
    3. "Cartoon Records for the Kenner Talking Show Projector". Retrieved 2021-02-23.
    4. Sands, Rich (January 18, 2016). "Roll Call: Meet the Cast of Justice League vs. Teen Titans". TVInsider.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
    5. Perry, Spencer (July 26, 2016). "Justice League Dark Featurette Reveals Matt Ryan Returns as Constantine!". Superhero Hype.
    6. Vejvoda, Jim (November 15, 2016). "JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK: TRAILER DEBUT FOR R-RATED DC ANIMATED MOVIE".
    7. "サイト名". dc-taka.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
    8. +Brandon_Tenold. "Brandon Tenold: Turkish Superman". Channel Awesome.
    9. Marston, George (April 5, 2019). "SHAZAM! Director Talks Sequel Plans, DCEU Connections (SPOILERS)". Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via newsarama.com.
    10. Gajewski, Ryan (December 14, 2022). "Henry Cavill on Not Returning as Superman: "This News Isn't the Easiest"". The Hollywood Reporter.
    11. Sneider, Jeff (May 19, 2021). "Exclusive: Michael B. Jordan Developing His Own Black Superman Project for HBO Max". Collider. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
    12. @Collider (23 July 2021). "Update: Sources have since reached out to clarify that @MichaelB4Jordan's Black Superman project about Val-Zod is,…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    13. "MY ADVENTURES WITH SUPERMAN: Family-Friendly Animated Series Flies To HBO Max And Cartoon Network". May 20, 2021.
    14. Hibberd, James (May 19, 2021). "Batman Animated Series from J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves Coming to HBO Max". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
    15. "Official Trailer Released for Genndy Tartakovsky's Newest Animated Series, "Unicorn: Warriors Eternal"". Warner Bros. Discovery. 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
    16. Mitovich, Matt Webb (April 6, 2023). "My Adventures With Superman Eyes Summer Release Date — Watch Teaser Trailer for Animated Series". TVLine. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
    17. "Superman Day! – 1940". Superman Through the Ages. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
    18. "David Herbert:Biography", Saatchi Gallery. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
    19. Velasco, David. "Miami vices", Artforum, 8 December 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
    20. "The Hague Sculpture", denhaagsculptuur.com, 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
    21. Walt Disney Comics Digest #23, July 1970, "The Printing Park"
    22. DiPaolo, Marc (2011). War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda In Comics and Film. McFarland & Company. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7864-8579-6.
    23. Marx, Barry, Cavalieri, Joey and Hill, Thomas (w), Petruccio, Steven (a), Marx, Barry (ed). "Superman Peanut Butter Brand Licensing Pioneered" Fifty Who Made DC Great: 52 (1985), DC Comics
    24. "The Internet Pinball Machine Database". Ipdb.org. Retrieved 2011-03-12.

    References
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