Who's The Best Superman?

It’s been a hell of a long time since I had an episode of Who’s The Best, a series of blog entries in which I compare the various versions of a certain character. So why not start his new series of entries with a comparison of the man of steel himself, Superman. Superman is one of the greatest superheroes of all time. He is strong, indestructible and not even a human. He’s from the world of Krypton. But either way, there are tons of Supermans out there, so I have decided to go with four. The Comic Book Superman, the 40s serials Superman, the Christopher Reeve Superman, and the Brandon Routh Superman.

1. Comic Book Superman



Superman is very much different from Batman. He is somewhat more jolly and outgoing, while Batman is more humble and griddy. Also, Superman has blood powers, while Batman gets all his abilities from gadgets. But Superman isn’t even a man at all, he is a resident of the planet Krypton. Send away to Earth by his father just before the destruction of Krypton, the young hero lands in the town of Smallville where he is founded by Mr. and Mrs. Kent. They raise the boy and call him Clark, and are amazed by his abilities. Soon after the death of his father, Clark sets out on an incredible journey to find out who he truly is, and in the process, becomes the hero we all know and love. The development of Superman is probably the best I have ever seen. Seeing him as the geeky Clark Kent, working for the Daily Planet, and seeing him as the strong, agile Superman, really convinces you that they are two very different people. It’s almost as if you don’t even know Superman’s secret identity. But as we all know, Superman has a weakness. Kryptonite, shattered pieces of Superman’s homeworld can easily defeat him. But he is Superman, so we all know, he will escape one way or another.




He also is known as the first cat in a tree saving hero, and one of the very few heroes that doesn’t wear a mask, but people don’t know who he is anyway. But no matter what problems are thrown at him, he always gets the girl in the end. Lois Lane and Superman have always had an off an on relationship and had many problems in the way, but they always get back together and fly around the city for the heck of it. But Superman had also been ridiculed. He went from court, to going on the run, and even getting killed in the most tragic comic book of all time, The Death of Superman. But Superman is still at his prime, even after 72 years, and will always be one of the best heroes ever to be created.

2. 1940s Serial Superman



In the early 1940s, a series of Superman serials were released, starring Kirk Alyn as the Man of Steel. For some reason, he was credited to be Superman himself, but he proves to be the first man ever to take on the red caped hero. Like most serials based on comic books, they seem to go off the comic book world on go out on their own. In this version of Superman’s backstory, both of Superman’s step parents die, and he is forced to fight a new villain, the Spider-Lady (know, she is not related to Spider-Man). And also like most serials of the time, the fighting is cheesy, awkward, and overly critical. Superman sometimes got his butt wiped clean, but always got back on his feet and continued to fight. Also, the stunts weren’t done by Alyn himself, it was done by a stunt double. Superman’s flight scenes were also animated, similar to the Fleischer Studios cartoons of Superman at the time.
But Alyn probably has the most suitable voice for the hero.  He doesn’t have a sarcastic, innocent voice like Spider-Man, he has a well mannered, lean pitched voice that really  fits the character he is playing. I’m sure he wouldn’t have been so successful if he had a thick James Earl Jones voice. But Kirk Alyn was excellent as Superman, also fit to the punch and ready to help when help is needed.

3. Christopher Reeve Superman




Christopher Reeve is probably best known for playing Superman. He had the texture, the body, the voice and the overall look of Superman. Even though the Superman films were cheesy and didn’t make a whole lot of sense, Christopher Reeve still could pull it of, cutting of smart remarks and great action scenes, and giving off the great touch of Superman we all love. If Reeve couldn’t pull it off, know one could. He is so much like Superman, it’s almost like he is Superman, and even after his tragic accident, he was still best known for his role as Superman. He even made an appearance on the hit show Smallville.


Sorry, I don’t watch Smallville. I have never really been a big fan of it and am not so fond of it.


But like the comic Superman, he was always there to do things that not many other people could do. He could spin around the world reversing time or stop 2 missiles from causing mass chaos. He even saved a punk from falling into the water in Superman 2. But as I said before, no one could pull it off like Reeve did. When you hear Superman, you think Christopher Reeve, and he could pull off being Superman anytime.

4. Brandon Routh Superman



Just because he looks like Christopher Reeve, doesn’t mean that he had to play Superman. Brandon Routh was okay as Superman, but gosh darn was he clumsy and weak. He got stabbed by Lex Luthor because he was too weak to defend himself. And he isn’t even the same age as when Reeve played Superman. He looks like a kid dressed up in a Superman suit as the Nostalgia Critic put it in his Top 11 Dumbest Superman moments. He was given bad dialogue, bad action sequences, and just doesn’t seem like Superman in some scenes. He would have been better off playing Spider-Man, but definitely not Superman. I wish that Bryan Singer would have made Superman's role a little more serious, because Brandon Routh just quite cut the chord.

And the winner is…..

Christopher Reeve Superman. He is a great guy. He is Superman, and no one could take his place. He was strong, agile and very good when it came to playing Superman. He could take down anyone in his way, and make sure the world is well taken care off. Christopher Reeve, the greatest Superman ever.
I hope everyone enjoyed Episode 3. I will be back with many more entries in the near future, so take it easy and good day.