If Christopher Reeve is the ultimate Superman, who is #2?

Last Updated on October 14, 2024

Ask a room full of Batman fans who the best onscreen version was and you’ll get a split vote. While some will take Christian Bale, others will go back a generation for Michael Keaton. At the same time, Robert Pattinson developed a fast following and Kevin Conroy reinvented the Caped Crusader for the small screen. But when you ask everyone’s favorite Superman, it’s always Christopher Reeve. Many have donned the tights and cape in the 25+ years since he last did, but he has been unchallenged by every one of them.

The next man to play Superman will be David Corenswet, who will have to be more powerful than a locomotive to bring DC Studios into a new, successful era. On this, Christopher Reeve’s son Will said he has very little involvement with James Gunn’s Superman, even though he did film a cameo. “We’ve got to pump the brakes on my involvement. I have no insight into the plot, and I have no idea what the movie is about other than Superman. Christopher Reeve is the definitive Superman. But to have this film and the relaunch of Superman coincide with one another is kismet. We didn’t necessarily calculate that; it just worked out conveniently.”

Christopher Reeve’s son isn’t saying anything groundbreaking when he calls his father’s go as Superman the “definitive one”. But who would take the #2 spot? While many men have played the character over the years, certainly not all of them were good or left a mark. But credit where it’s due, Henry Cavill did a strong job and brought some depth to Clark Kent/Superman, while Brandon Routh had potential but didn’t exactly fly (it didn’t help that he was the first Superman after Reeve’s 2004 death).

As Christopher Reeve never took to the small screen as Superman, that leaves the field wide open there. On this front, it’s tough to challenge Smallville’s Tom Welling and Tyler Hoechlin, who played the Man of Steel on Supergirl and Superman & Lois. And how can we not mention George Reeves?

Who do you think takes the #2 spot after Christopher Reeve in the list of best Superman actors? Give us your pick in the comments section below!