@@sath2749 He was very close, and if we ever revise the ranking once we see Corenswet in action, that's likely where we'll end up putting him for good.
When you hear that Christopher Reeve thought that Tom Welling should have played Superman on the big screen tells a lot about what he thought about Smallville and Tom's performance. I really think Tom should be Good. Christopher Reeve showing up on Smallville was him passing the torch.
As you saw, he was very close to Good, even So Good. The performance was awesome, and he will probably get upgraded back to the Good category later. In the moment, because of the reasons shared, Not BS was where he landed.
@@JustBSingProductions I hear ya but…if you look at his transition from HS kid to adult he started being Superman much earlier than the last episode. His character fully developed into the mature man of steel that we see played in the movies sometime before that last season. And I think he did an excellent job of showing that growth from teenager to Superman during the series. Anyway…it’s all good.
@@mavrikmavrik3032 yeah, all good, all subjective, and all in good fun. We see that progression a little differently than you, but we certainly all share the same love of the show overall.
@@coachmikesfilmroom3111 Yeah, he was really charismatic, but there wasn't the depth of character. The Donner cut, where he's talking with his father about becoming human, whew, it's so good. His rage when Lois died, a whole other level. The look he gives Otis when Lex says to take his cape, ahhh Reeve just got it 100% perfect.
George Reeves was the first Superman I ever watched. When I was a kid in the 1970s, Channel 11 in NYC began airing a 90-minute block of three shows from 4 to 5:30 pm. Those shows were Superman with George Reeves, Batman with Adam West, and The Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore/John Hart. That block was clearly designed for kids to watch when they got home from school. That was what happened in my house, as my siblings and I watched those shows daily. However, Christopher Reeves was a better Superman, but my favorite Superman was/is Tyler Hoechlin. However, I would rank Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill right behind him.
Christopher Reeves will always be Superman. Seeing SM on the big screen as a kid was epic and SM 2 was even better. Have to add that Gene Hackman as Lex Luther really brought both films together.
@micjoseph6250 And it's It's Superman, not Syperman. Clearly a typo, as was Reeves instead of Reeve, so I wouldn't make an issue out of it, not that important. I know what you meant.
Yeah, agreed. Did a really good job emulating Reeve. Would also loved to have seen him in a performance not tied to the Reeve verse just to see how his portrayal might have been different. Got a little taste of that in the CW shows, but he was still kind of playing that same Reeve character.
I didn't watch Smallville during it's recently got into after it's inclusion on HULU which got me into Michael's Podcasts Talkville and IOY. I thought Welling was great in the role even he was just mainly CK and the Blur
Dean was a great Superman, but his Clark Kent was amazing! He was the one that truly made you believe that Lois would fall in love with him, once she not only let herself get over her fears of relationships and being hurt, but actually started to see his true character and goodness (and sexiness)!
@@easyalpha1 Oh I thought he had actually had a mental problem. He's just a Christian Conservative or whatever? Well I guess that's crazy to some people (I'm agnostic, so I have no stakes here)
@@apreviousseagle836 Politics was something you could separate from other parts of your life. But the woke side of US politics has infected every inch of American life and identity. Dean is one of the actors who was willing to stand up to the Woke political Hollywood machine that demanded strict obedience from entertainment folks.
Cavill’s ho-hum portrayal of Supes has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the material he was given, which is awful. The people at WB who helmed those projects simply did not understand the character at all, and tried to turn him into Batman using the following logic: “Everyone loves Batman. Let’s have every character be just like Batman.”
@Calabrin1 - This might start a fight, but the portion of Justice League after he became sane again was really, really top notch; his scenes with Cyborg were especially good (for both actors, really) and make me a bit sad for how much of his potential was wasted.
Felt like there was more emotion coming from Cavills version. Felt like they were moving towards doing an Injustice movie which seemed to fit with Cavills portrayal. Problem is only the gamers and hardcore comic fans would understand that dark version. Least that's my opinion. Regardless Christopher probably had the best costars and script of all of them, Brandon did great but poor storyline and Henry's first movie was good but portrayal of Lex flatlined it in the second.
I'm glad you put both George Reeves and Tyler Hoechlin in top tier along with Chris Reaves. Tyler actually does what each of the others are best at, which makes him the best Superman. George Reeves's best trick: making Clark seem like a real person and not just a nerd disguise. Chris Reaves's best trick: making Clark and Superman seem so dissimilar that you'd never suspect they were the same person. Tyler Hoechlin does both.
I can't blame you for putting George Reeves in so good. The man not only did a fantastic job as Superman, but also changed his personal life to match the ideals of Superman. He is not my favorite, but the man is a legend and will never be less than So Good in my opinion.
You touched on the key point. Playing Superman is playing two characters. I have to agree that Tyler did both very very well, while cavils Clark was weak, and Christopher reeves was just made to be clumsy and awkward
Hey, nothing wrong with Dean Cain at all. He's a legit good Superman, but for me personally, I wouldn't put him above Henry or Chris. Now, when it comes to Clark Kent, Dean Cain is the absolute best, in my opinion. He's only surpassed by the 90's Animated Series Version. But since this is only the live action rankings, Animated Supes or Clark Kent doesn't count.
Tyler Hoechlin is my #1 for live action Superman. I love his Clark and his Superman. I was never really a fan of Reeve's version of Clark because for Reeve's there really wasn't a Clark. Clark was a mask he used to hide. Tyler's Clark is just a sweet, small town nerd, who wants to help and his Superman is more of a persona he adopts to convey gravitas and confidence while still being Clark deep down.
which is why Reeves was perfect. that is LITERALLY how superman is supposed to be. you are not supposed to think clark is superman. clark is everything superman is not, clumssy, slouches, high pitched voice, not confidnet in speaking, wears bland colors, however, still is the same guy becasue like superman he is still kind, caring and sweet superman is who kal el is, clark is the mask. the oppoiste of every other superhero ever
@Johnadams20760 the issue with what you said Clark is who he's is, Superman is what he can do! Clark has 3 persona the Clark Lois his Parents and everyone who knows, then Clark the one that he uses to everyone Jimmy, Perry, people who don't know, and then Superman.
@@KonEl17 actaully what i said is correct. i guess it dpends on how you read it. Superman ias a hero wears no mask, and is who he is. lcark is the mask/disgue, tha tis what i am tlaking about
Glad to see you put George Reeves where you did. I was a little kid in the 1970s and that's when I first saw the Superman reruns. He was a tough guy you knew not to mess with. The fact that he wasn't battling supervillains but regular people made him seem much more realistic. I hate to offend the Christopher Reeve fans, because I loved watching the movies (at least the first two.) But everything that people use against Superman as a character, like saying he is Big Blue Boy Scout, is becuase of the way he was portrayed in those films. He looked the most like Curt Swan's Superman than anyone. But George Reeves was just in a class by himself.
Hey, on behalf of Christopher Reeve fans, no offense taken whatsoever. We all have different preferences and opinions, and that’s all good! And you’re 100% right about George Reeves. He did some great things with that character. I even loved his guest star spot on I Love Lucy. 😂
We collectively called it "Cringey Show" because of all the CW cringe, but after the ending of Superman and Lois, with Clark's "The second time I died" monologue, he went right up to the top for me.
Solid! I always appreciated the “Clark Kent is who I am, Superman is what I can do” approach the show took. In line with the John Byrne comic interpretation.
Christopher Reeve as #1 is just pure, simple fact. I’ll go with Tyler Hoechlin as #2 in my book, he really can capture the altruism of Superman. For my 3rd top in the So Good I’m breaking from your line of thinking and going with Tom Welling, though he only gets one finale scene, smudge, as Superman . . . I honestly consider him a 2000s take on Superboy, no suit, and think he is well deserving as So Good. Next is George Reeve as my classic version of Supes and Clark. While I’m one of those who was not thrilled with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, it is impossible to deny that Henry Cavill looks like Superman flew right out of the comic books . . . I really wish he got the opportunity to reprise Superman in one or two stand alone sequels under another Director instead of just being part of Snyder’s Trinity/Justice League ensemble. So, that’s my top 5 of the So Good category. Thanks for always putting out good and entertaining content!!! No BS’ing! 😉👍
Hoechlin and Routh both played Chris Reeve Superman. They didn't do anything to standout from his portrayal of Clark and Superman. Cain played Post-Crisis Clark perfectly, the former athlete that wasn't a pushover and his Superman was more of a role that Clark was playing. As he said, "Superman is what I can do, Clark is who I AM." Cavill played a form of Golden Age Superman mixed with Superman: Earth One and New52 so his Clark was more withdrawn but still had an edge to him and his Superman was very standoffish, like he didn't trust people, which given the events of Man of Steel, he couldn't. Hoechlin, Routh and Reeve all played Clark as a dorky wimp and Superman as stern yet friendly. I would have liked for Routh and Hoechlin to do their own take on Clark and Superman.
I think Dean Cain’s portrayal of Clark being confident helped make it seem like Clark and Superman were two different people. I would have put him in the so good category.
Some great Superman’s. Christopher Reeve is the best. Tyler I hated him in Supergirl, in that show he was so weak. They dumped on him non-stop and used to infuriate me. But his standalone show, he is great. Tom Welling is the best Clark Kent ever - hands down! He didn’t play Superman long enough, so respect your ratings on that. Great episode you guys put on!
Definitely agree with you about Tyler Hoechlin's Superman!! He does an amazing job.. Definitely in my top 3 Supermen.. I didn't like Brandon Routh's Superman though, it felt both forced and underwhelming, but that's probably just because at the time Tom Welling was doing a superb job on Smallville, and I wanted him to be Superman.. Would love to see a Tier list of Lois Lanes if you haven't done it already
Christopher Reeve topping the list should be an objective thing. 😂 I'm guessing that you'll be making a tier-list ranking for the animated Supermen. Love to see where you'll put Tim Daly, George Newbern, Jack Quaid, or even the HISHE Superman for laughs. 😆
We'd planned to do that, but decided against it for Supestember. We have some great unboxings we thought would be more fun. But we may give a shout out to our favorite animated Supermen in a future vid for sure!
If you're going to talk about animated versions of Superman, and who voiced him the best!! No one, not now, not ever will ever come close to the Legendary Superman voice actor Bud Collyer , He was the Original voice of Superman first, on the radio and then cartoons!!! , He created the Two Different voices of Superman and Clark Kent!! He made Clark Kent's voice Higher and Superman's voice was Lower and a very strong Baritone!!! That's the way Everyone that has come After has Imitated and portrayed the Two characters!!! and a lot of other things we now know as part of Superman's legacy !! . There was so much of the mythos of Superman that was created when he was the voice of Superman!! Go watch the original cartoons of Superman or the 60s Superman cartoons, and you'll see exactly what I mean. Or should I say you'll hear exactly what I mean!!! Everybody else is a pale imitation in comparison!!
@@01timegone I've watched the Fleischer cartoons before. Specifically the first and second one with the mad scientist and mechanical robots. I don't know if he's the same guy you're talking about but I do love how he seamlessly switches from Clark to Superman whenever he says, "This looks like a job for Superman." He is definitely high up there. So is the one who voiced him in the Super Friends cartoons. Those were my childhood. But for personal preference, I grew up watching the 90s animated series and the Justice League series more so it's their voices that I hear when I read Superman in the comics. 😊 I mainly use the old, deep-voiced Superman when I read the Earth-2 Superman-at least that's what he sounds like to me whenever I'm reading Crisis on Infinite Earths. 😂 Thank you for letting me know though. 😁
Appreciated! We know it’s all subjective, so we aren’t upset at those who feel differently, but he was just really good and should have been able to show it more.
i was going to say something simlar. there shoudl be one more category called super super good, above so good, and reeves is in that list. Tyler is the only other person i could see on that list
Love the list and of course, we're gonna have opinions, so here it goes. 😁 I was so happy you almost put Brandon at the top. His portrayal was strong enough to be there, IMO. Now, Tom Welling. Sure he only "wore the suit in the final episode", but if you're having Superboy on here, then you could consider his years on Smallville as his years as Superboy, just without the suit. After all, Tom performed more super feats as Clark Kent than probably most of these actors combined, so at the very least, I think he deserves to be on the good tier. After all, this is a character tier not a costume tier. Also, since you are counting anyone who dressed up and played Superman, including Bill Murray, you may want to add Superman from the Sandy Collora Fan Film, World's Finest with Michael O'Hearn as Superman. He was amazing! Anyhoo, great job guys. I'll definitely go do my tier.
Murray was more for us bc that sketch was so ingrained in our memory, we both mentioned it at nearly the same time while putting the list together. Technically, we should have added The Rock and Hugh Jackman also for their SNL portrayals lol. We didn’t include the fan films because there are numerous ones floating around, including the one you mentioned. But they never actually aired on TV or in cinema, so we didn’t want to add multiple names that wouldn’t really be as widely known, if that makes sense. Totally hear you on Tom. It was less so the time in suit than the time to get to the suit…10+ years and a lot of delay. As you said, he was doing all the Superman things, except flying, and had already even faced some of Superman’s greatest enemies (including an early Doomsday) and yet, there was reluctance to go “full Superman” or even “full Superboy.” They didn’t go all in until the last few minutes (and yes, I know there was a no tights/no flights rule, but at least for a full season, we think that should have been broken and Tom should have agreed to having a suit for himself). That’s kinda where our heads were at in that brief little exchange you actually see and what led us to a very high Not BS. That said, we have agreed, we should move Tom back into Good, and that will be reflected on any future updates we do. Thanks for recognizing opinions differ and being so respectful in the discussion, and most of all, thanks for watching and sharing your opinion with us, as well!
Yep, a couple others pointed that out. We had no idea about that unaired pilot and had never seen it or heard the name before, so we appreciate everyone who has let us know! Checked out some clips. We’ll do an amended list at some point.
@JustBSingProductions it was a nostalgia convention. Mostly cowboy stars back when many were still alive. Lash Larue was a real character. A late night drunken college brawl broke our at his hotel as an older guy so he brought out the bullwhip and cleared out the place. It could cut to the bone. Not a man to mess with. Wrangler Jane from F troop was there also and still pretty.
Tom Welling portrayed Superman better than any other live action Superman we got. It doesn't matter what you want to label him. Clark Kent, The Blur, Kal-El. Tom Welling played Superman for the entire duration of the show. Superman isn't the costume, it's the individual. And Tom Welling was Superman all the way back in Season 1 saving people every episode.
@@sandman_says_runrunner4701 He's a perfectly capable actor, and he looks like he was ripped from the pages of a comic book. Seems like a decent fella to boot.
It's great that you guys included almost all the live action Superman actors; most channels only do tier list starting at Chris Reeve. Just one insignificant nitppick, though. There was the 20+ minute, unaired 1961 Superboy pilot starring Johnny Rockwell. Not sure if you guys saw him, but it's floating on RUclips somewhere. Instead of Murray though, would like to see him ranked next time you do the revised ranking. Cool video, though 👍🏾
Have not seen that! Thanks for sharing. We will definitely take a look. We also realized after recording that if we included Bill, we probably should have included Hugh Jackman and The Rock for their portrayals on SNL too, so we have a few updates to do for next time!
Sorry fellas! I thought the full 1961 pilot was still uploaded on this website, but I looked and it appears that it's been taken down, and there are just a few various shortclips of Rockwell in action. Hopefully somebody will upload it in full again (I really would if I had it). Still great that you gave highlights to the other obscure actors (Wilson; Newton; Cage)🦸🏾♂️ @@JustBSingProductions
Honestly, my only argument would be Tom Welling's placement, until I listened to your rationale. So, I'll give you that one. Glad you like Tyler Hoechlin's take on Superman. I always wondered it casting saw the same resemblance to Kirk Alyn. Great video guys.
Thanks! And to make you feel even better, we agreed we underrated Tom in the moment, so he’s back to Good tier. We even argued with ourselves on that one! Lol
There's no arguing against Christopher Reeve. George Reeves was a great performance, not sure the show quality was there. John Haymes Newton was a much better performance than the replacement on Superboy, can't believe his name is escaping me, but the last 2 seasons just got weird and were better shows than the first season with JHN. Cavill is really good, but again it's not the best quality of the character, too many differences from the comic character. Dean Cain was honestly a soap opera Superman and I enjoyed the show. Unfortunately, he's become pretty much the opposite of what the character is and I just can't make myself watch his performance now. Kirk Allyn was really good and would be in the good range. Routh and Welling were both great and I would put them in So good. Welling should be considered the same as the Superboy portrayals, if you include them you have to include Welling. Cage is just a terrible actor who was completely wrong for the part and everything I heard about the film was awful, especially having to get a solar powered suit to fight in the sewers and he would deserve worse than total bs...
Christopher definitely at the top! I would knock down Henry Cavill to Not BS, I think his acting is good but I really don’t even consider Snyderverse as real DC movies with how most of the characters were portrayed (except Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman). Now we need to see best live action portrayal of Lex Luthor list.
Think Michael Rosenbaum did a great job. Also liked Jon Cryer’s portrayal in Supergirl. Michael Cudlitz did a good job so far in Superman and Lois, looking forward to seeing more of him in the final season 😔.
Best Luthor ? Jon Cryer and Michael Rosenbaum in my opinion-they projected an edge of danger. Who knew Jon Cryer could do that, from watching Hot Shots.
I mostly agree with your rankings. I hope the new Corenswet Superman does well. I doubt he will beat Reeve Superman, I am biased, but I am hopeful for that movie.
Yeah, another viewer already mentioned that! Hadn’t ever seen that, so that was cool. We’ll have to do an update sometime! Where would he rank for you?
It is my understanding that the reason that John Newton did not continue the role of Superboy was because he was unwilling to play Clark Kent as a kind of bumbling nerd. On a similar note, Kirk Alyn was not credited as being Superman. He played Clark Kent, and according to the credits, Superman played himself. Interestingly, Clark Kent was portrayed as a normal human, as though the costume somehow made him Superman. Clark was getting beaten up by bad guys all the time. I love this content! Great job! I can't disagree with your list!
Cavill and Cain are S tier. People put Reeve on a pedestal, probably because of the horrible accident, but rewatching those old movies.. They just weren't that good and WAY too many strange things like the plastic S and flying back in time and kiss of forgetfulness. And his horrible take on Clark Kent that he based off a Cary Grant character and not the comics. Honestly.. Reeve is B tier for me. I could be persueded on making him A tier, but no way S. Hoechlin and Welling I'd put in A tier. I don't like the focus on the children and Lois in Hoechlin's show, but his Superman stuff is good. Welling.. I mean great Clark Kent and we saw the growing pains so to speak.
I’m old enough to remember watching George Reeves on television reruns when I absolutely adored anything science fiction or fantasy or superhero on television so he was my first I have absolutely no complaints about him. He’s in God tier because he represents the deities from my early child. And of course, Christopher Reeve was the Superman that liberated comic book characters from their campy origins. I saw that one live and I was so stoked after having red comic books for a decade and collected comic books for two years to have a real superhero movie. Those are the only two I ultimately care about clearly man of steel is a better film, but it doesn’t matter. The heart knows what it wants
"So Good" should just be renamed to "Reeveresque", Chris was and is and always will be the Golden Standard of Superman. Hoechlin and Welling both belong in Good (with Hoechlin slightly outranking Welling within Good), but otherwise I thought the list was spot on!
Haha going forward, the category will be So Good with (Reeve) in parentheses on every ranking we do, even if it has nothing to do with Superman! Appreciate you watching and sharing the changes you’d make for your own ranking. Can’t argue with the picks!
@JustBSingProductions I am. I still remember wearing my Superman Tshirt to see his Superman movie when it debuted at the movie theater. And the Superman figure I was gifted. It had this string system so you could make it fly.
It's a great shirt! I've had it since '94, so your best bet is probably eBay. Unfortunately, it's pricey with an average of $150! I've always loved this shirt, and Doomsday on the back is just as awesome.
Wow! I didn't think there was so many that portrayed Superman/Superboy in live action shows and movies. I can only do a tier list of the ones I am familiar with. Out of these 14 you ranked, I only can rank 8 of these. Here is a list of the ones I'm familiar with: So good- Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavil, George Reeves, and Dean Cain Good- Brandon Routh, Tom Welling Not B.S.- Nicholas Cage Total B.S.-Bill Murray I would place Nicholas Cage more in the Not B.S. tier because he really never got to show us Tim Burton's full vision of what he could do as Superman. When I heard about him being Superman, I rejected it. I didn't think he could pull it off back then. Now, after seeing him as Superman on the Flash movie, I thought his scene with Supergirl fighting the giant spider was interesting. Tim Burton had me skeptical with Michael Keaton being cast as Batman in 1989. However, the movie became a hit because Michael Keaton did an excellent portrayal of Batman(and yes, Jack Nicholson was an excellent Joker). In retrospect, Nicholas Cage might've have fooled me and could have at least been bumped up to the Good tier anyways. Unfortunately, we'll never really know what could've been.
Good ranking! That’s a great point about Tim Burton and Cage. You wouldn’t expect Michael Keaton to have been one of the best Batman portrayals ever, but he sure was. Nicolas Cage might have surprised us!
I find it interesting that Superman has had way more live-action incarnations than Batman, but Superman has relatively rarely made it onto the big screen, while Batman's never got a true live-action television treatment.
Reeve to most will always be the GOAT Superman but my second fav personally up there was Welling. The development, character, size and power levels screamed Superman. Even Christopher said while working with Tom on Smallville "This is your next Superman" getting that kind of praise from the best Superman ever is saying something. Just saying. Lol . Also Welling was easily the most jacked, in crisis he got in shape and was just a tank next to Routh and especially next to Tyler. Welling should be in really good, he portrayed what Superman is all about. A shame he had to turn down the role in a movie due to scheduling conflicts on Smalllville. I like Cavill's Superman fitting for a darker more injustice Superman. I know he loves Superman and would do great as the classic, hopeful version but he did the more pessimistic yet hopeful well imo.
Agreed, and if he had been able to go “full Superman” either on the show or in a movie (so wanted that to happen), he’d almost certainly be on our So Good tier! That said, we did decided to move him back up into Good shortly after recording. That will be reflected in any future update videos!
@@JustBSingProductions Oh nice! Yeah, it was a show mostly about him becoming Superman but what's funny is he actually did fly quite a few times before the finale over the years haha and his feats are kind insane even better than Reeve's between pushing a freaking planet and the comic stuff. That's some ideas perhaps for you guys for a future video, rating feats/power levels of each Superman ;)
@@JustBSingProductions that was good but also could Reeve resist getting erased from reality from the bleed like SV Supes did on will alone? 🤔 That feat gives Tom the win! That story he literally resisted getting erased from reality lol 😆 None of the other versions ever did that. That's some comic plot armor haha
I'm so glad you guys gave Henry Cavill a So Good. Whether you like where Zack Snyder took his DCEU or not Henry did a great job l portraying Superman. Christopher Reeve will always epitomize Superman. But Henry Cavill is definitely the all time best looking and most modern portrayal.
16:40 I actually agree, I thought the suit got a big downgrade from Supergirl to Superman & Lois. I mainly just liked the cape, it reminded me of the Injustice look.
Yeah, Christopher and George are the best of all time. If you have not seen the cover Adam Hugh did, where Christopher is going in the turn entrance as Clark becoming Superman and George as Superman coming out as Clark, it's just amazing to see.
That’s correct. It’s more of an appeared “in suit” kind of thing and part of our reasoning for dropping him down some on the tier. That said, may have been a bit harsh in the moment, and we will probably pop him back into Good if we ever make a revised video once we see Corenswet in action.
Guys, what is this? Actors rank or Super power? Or Super most popular? You see, too many variables. You cannot do this, because SUPs power has CHANGED dramatically overtime. Having said that, the video and your enthusiasm is great, for real.
It’s a subjective ranking for fun based on who we personally like as Superman in live action. Opinions taking multiple factors into consideration based on our own ideals, comic history, etc. As we say multiple times, we don’t expect our rankings to match anyone else’s and encourage everyone to share their own opinions too. So yes, while not an objective and scientific ranking, it can absolutely be done. Appreciate the comment!
@@JustBSingProductions ok that makes sense I just watched this video 2 minutes ago I really enjoyed it. I’m definitely gonna check out more of your videos. Till next time up up and away
Tyler Hoechlin played a great Superman imo. I wouldn’t say best, but I hate that we won’t get to see it continue. I like your tier ranking though. I think it’s pretty spot on.
@ 100% agreed on Christopher Reeve was the best. I was a kid when those were out. I loved the 1st and 2nd movies so much I could even look past the part where Superman reversed the earths spin to go back in time.
Tyler Hoechlin is currently favorite television Superman. George Reeve is my first TV favorite. While I'm looking forward to David Corenswett's version, Christopher Reeves's Superman will always be my favorite, over all other versions! 🦸👍
Totally agree! As we said, he would be Good/So Good on THIS ranking if only he’d portrayed an in costume version for even a little longer. Smallville as a show and Welling as Clark and an actor outside of this particular ranking would be Good/So Good any day.
While it’s true that he didn’t wear the suit, it was because the producers promised “No Tights, No Flights.” It was the promise they made and no one wanted to go to the trouble of actually making a suit for Tom in the finale. They used Brandon Routh’s Suit from Returns. The two actors are not the same build. So it really didn’t fit Tom Welling.
You list is fine. Just one thing They only made two Superman Serials and Kirk Alyn starred in both. He is the first. Fun fact: Noel Neil played Lois Lane in the serials making her the first live action Lois Lane.
@@JustBSingProductions She also made a cameo in the same episode of Lois and Clark that Jack Larson did. At the very end of the episode when Lois and Clark are dancing in front of a mirror in their brownstone. Watch the reflection the old Lois in the mirror is Noel Neil.
@@JustBSingProductions Kirk Alyn is also in Superman: The movie. He is in the same scene Noel is in. She plays a young Lois’ mother and he is her father.
Hey guys, thanks for the rankings. I found myself in agreement with most of your assessments To add to this list, as one SUPER-nerd to another, Let's not forget Bob Holiday, who played Superman on Broadway, the predecessor to the 70s TV broadcast which it inspired. I was probably 10 or 11 when my mother took me and my best friend to see tis on Broadway. Although purposely campy, it was so much fun to see a real live action Superman, and great music to boot!
That's so cool you got to see him in action! We almost included him, but since the play was never aired on television, and his appearance on To Tell The Truth was mostly for promotion, we ultimately decided to leave him off. Can't deny his place in history though! He'd probably fall in above David Patrick Wilson based on his look alone.
Though I was born in ‘98, I grew up watching Christopher Reeve as Superman because of my parents. So he’s definitely in the “So Good” category for me. Me and my dad watched the first couple of seasons of Smallville together when I was growing up, so he’s also in the “So Good” category. Brandon Routh’s portrayal was just supposed to be a continuation of Christopher Reeve’s, so he automatically goes to “So Good” even if his movie was boring 😂. I was 15 when Henry Cavill dawned the cape, and though his movie wasn’t all that great, I liked his suit, so he goes into good. Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal piqued my interest when he debuted in Supergirl, but when he got his own show, he became my all time favorite version of the character
Ron Ely played him in one of the future-set episodes of Superboy, and Johnny Rockwell played him in the 1961 Adventures of Superboy pilot. One-off appearances, but each had more screen time than Cage or Murray, lol. When Superman (2025) comes out, would love to see an updated tier list evaluating Corenswet's performance and including those guys
Yeah completely forgot about Ely’s retired Superman episodes. He will be added for sure. To be honest, neither of us knew about Rockwell until several folks like you mentioned him. Much appreciated. Not sure if we’d include him for the simple fact the pilot never aired, but it was fun to learn something new (which is embarrassing to admit not knowing since I own sets where Rockwell is mentioned and just never noticed lol)!
@JustBSingProductions for some reason I thought it aired but just wasn't picked up, but it looks like I was mixing that up with something else. I know it's unofficially available on home media, I've been meaning to pick up a copy myself but just haven't done it yet. I've just seen clips on RUclips lol
I haven't seen every live action Superman but my ranking is: Christopher Reeve Henry Cavill George Reeves David Corenswet I've only seen clips, not full episodes, of Lois & Clark, Smallville, Superman & Lois so I cannot give a full opinion on them as of now Really loved the Super/man documentary! Should've been longer
Super great Superman live action actors tier list and it's spot on for me my Top 5 are 1. Christopher Reeve , 2. Tyler Hoechlin , Tom Welling (as Clark Kent) , 4. Brandon Routh and 5. George Reeves. Henry Cavill liked in the role but the writing made his Superman a little one note for me but not a knock against Henry. The rest Dean Cain so so and the Superboys good but did not see that series a ton growing up. I'm super excited to also see the next Superman for the DCU David Corenswet !!!
I rank Chris Reeve as #1, Dean Cain as #2, Tom Welling as #3, #George Reeves as #4. The rest were all fine but not iconic imo. Looking forward to seeing the new guy.
I would have loved to see the Cage Superman. That was supposed to be based on "The Death of Superman" comics I believe. Plus, Cage was a huge comics fan and before he ran into money trouble and had to sell them, had a valuable comics collection. He gets extra credit for naming his son Kal-El. He would have really been into the character and with a good script and story might have been one of the best. If only....
He for sure would have had a lot of respect for the source material. I would actually have liked to see him as Lex (and I believe he said in the past he’d have been interested in playing that part).
I think that Tom Welling deserves to be in the good list at least, because he was playing a young Clark Kent in becoming the superhero we all come to know. We often see Superman as an adult with all of his powers, but little we know how he got where he is. Also, I heard that the first actor who played Superman was someone in the Macy's parade. You might want to look into it. Dean Cain's portrayal of Clark Kent is one of my favorite because he is not clumsy or awkward like Chris Reeve. After seeing season 4 of Lois and Superman, Tyler Hoechlin deserves to be in the so good section.
Agreed! We moved Tom back into the Good category after recording and talking more. The person in the parade was Ray Middleton. He was not included because his performance was simply a public portrayal, not for a recorded broadcast.
Hoechlin was not only a great Superman but he was the best Clark by far. Most actors just think that they need to trip over their desk, adjust their glasses, and ask for a slice of Martha's apple pie and that's it. Hoechlin showed us that Clark and Superman were two different individuals.
It's a real shame that they didn't give him a superman movie because the way he did smallville for 10 long years plus his height looks and build he deserved a shot at a superman movie
Agreed. Unfortunately, that was mostly his own call. I believe he’s said in the past he didn’t want to be the full blown Superman character. I think he’s changed his tune in more recent years, but at the time, he didn’t want the role.
Let us know how all the Superman actors rank for you!
ruclips.net/video/qziJbGGdba4/видео.htmlsi=tNrWJRi5wQVPi9Cq
@@johnbailey8409thanks for sharing!
I am ok with your list except Tom Welling is Good.
@@sath2749 He was very close, and if we ever revise the ranking once we see Corenswet in action, that's likely where we'll end up putting him for good.
I agree with your post with the exception of Tom Welling , seriously guys not BS ? Anything less than good for him is an insult .
When you hear that Christopher Reeve thought that Tom Welling should have played Superman on the big screen tells a lot about what he thought about Smallville and Tom's performance. I really think Tom should be Good. Christopher Reeve showing up on Smallville was him passing the torch.
As you saw, he was very close to Good, even So Good. The performance was awesome, and he will probably get upgraded back to the Good category later. In the moment, because of the reasons shared, Not BS was where he landed.
I agree and thought it was a wasted opportunity. He would have made a great Superman in a few movies.
@@mavrikmavrik3032 or even just have made the call to go full Superman in season 10, not just the last few minutes, that would have been amazing.
@@JustBSingProductions I hear ya but…if you look at his transition from HS kid to adult he started being Superman much earlier than the last episode. His character fully developed into the mature man of steel that we see played in the movies sometime before that last season. And I think he did an excellent job of showing that growth from teenager to Superman during the series. Anyway…it’s all good.
@@mavrikmavrik3032 yeah, all good, all subjective, and all in good fun. We see that progression a little differently than you, but we certainly all share the same love of the show overall.
I remember seeing the George Reeves Superman on TV as a kid, and really liking him. But Christopher Reeve IS Superman, he really is.
Truly. Are you planning to see the documentary?
@@JustBSingProductions Yes, and I'm gonna cry.
George was fun to watch, but yes Christopher IS Superman
@@coachmikesfilmroom3111 Yeah, he was really charismatic, but there wasn't the depth of character. The Donner cut, where he's talking with his father about becoming human, whew, it's so good.
His rage when Lois died, a whole other level. The look he gives Otis when Lex says to take his cape, ahhh Reeve just got it 100% perfect.
George Reeves was the first Superman I ever watched. When I was a kid in the 1970s, Channel 11 in NYC began airing a 90-minute block of three shows from 4 to 5:30 pm. Those shows were Superman with George Reeves, Batman with Adam West, and The Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore/John Hart. That block was clearly designed for kids to watch when they got home from school. That was what happened in my house, as my siblings and I watched those shows daily. However, Christopher Reeves was a better Superman, but my favorite Superman was/is Tyler Hoechlin. However, I would rank Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill right behind him.
Christopher Reeves will always be Superman. Seeing SM on the big screen as a kid was epic and SM 2 was even better. Have to add that Gene Hackman as Lex Luther really brought both films together.
Agreed!
There is no s at the end of his name
@@TheEdorizo exactly that's the 50s Syperman George Reeves
@micjoseph6250 And it's It's Superman, not Syperman. Clearly a typo, as was Reeves instead of Reeve, so I wouldn't make an issue out of it, not that important. I know what you meant.
Reeve
Brandon Routh did a great job -- really channeled and got the essence of Christopher Reeve
Yeah, agreed. Did a really good job emulating Reeve. Would also loved to have seen him in a performance not tied to the Reeve verse just to see how his portrayal might have been different. Got a little taste of that in the CW shows, but he was still kind of playing that same Reeve character.
Routh was really good as Superman in the CW crossover.
I put both Dean Cain and Tom Welling in the So Good Category, I've met both actors in person and loved the experience and got their autographs too
That’s awesome! Welling especially seems like such a good dude. Have you listened to his podcast with Michael Rosenbaum?
@@JustBSingProductions Yes sir, I love The Talkville Podcast, watch each video since the beginning
Same. The banter is fantastic. I really hope they’re able to get an animated continuation of Smallville off the ground!
@@JustBSingProductions tha would be awesome
I didn't watch Smallville during it's recently got into after it's inclusion on HULU which got me into Michael's Podcasts Talkville and IOY. I thought Welling was great in the role even he was just mainly CK and the Blur
Dean was a great Superman, but his Clark Kent was amazing! He was the one that truly made you believe that Lois would fall in love with him, once she not only let herself get over her fears of relationships and being hurt, but actually started to see his true character and goodness (and sexiness)!
Dean basically made Superman more down to earth...only Superman that flew while relaxing on his back..😂
I'm sad Dean Cain went crazy recently.
@@Visqo1 depends on which politics you like..😂
@@easyalpha1 Oh I thought he had actually had a mental problem. He's just a Christian Conservative or whatever? Well I guess that's crazy to some people (I'm agnostic, so I have no stakes here)
@@apreviousseagle836 Politics was something you could separate from other parts of your life. But the woke side of US politics has infected every inch of American life and identity. Dean is one of the actors who was willing to stand up to the Woke political Hollywood machine that demanded strict obedience from entertainment folks.
Cavill’s ho-hum portrayal of Supes has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the material he was given, which is awful. The people at WB who helmed those projects simply did not understand the character at all, and tried to turn him into Batman using the following logic: “Everyone loves Batman. Let’s have every character be just like Batman.”
Completely agree. Cavill is a really good actor. Snyder is a hack though.
because he's batman.
@Calabrin1 - This might start a fight, but the portion of Justice League after he became sane again was really, really top notch; his scenes with Cyborg were especially good (for both actors, really) and make me a bit sad for how much of his potential was wasted.
Felt like there was more emotion coming from Cavills version. Felt like they were moving towards doing an Injustice movie which seemed to fit with Cavills portrayal. Problem is only the gamers and hardcore comic fans would understand that dark version. Least that's my opinion. Regardless Christopher probably had the best costars and script of all of them, Brandon did great but poor storyline and Henry's first movie was good but portrayal of Lex flatlined it in the second.
For me he is just "Flying Batzilla" .. guess that names says it all. He maybe looks like Superman, but he never played him.
I'm glad you put both George Reeves and Tyler Hoechlin in top tier along with Chris Reaves. Tyler actually does what each of the others are best at, which makes him the best Superman.
George Reeves's best trick: making Clark seem like a real person and not just a nerd disguise.
Chris Reaves's best trick: making Clark and Superman seem so dissimilar that you'd never suspect they were the same person.
Tyler Hoechlin does both.
Great way to describe the strengths each of them bring to their portrayals
CHRIS REEVE. REEVE.
Not a fan of super kuk myself.
Wdym @@apreviousseagle836
@@apreviousseagle836 Nobody cares.
I can't blame you for putting George Reeves in so good. The man not only did a fantastic job as Superman, but also changed his personal life to match the ideals of Superman. He is not my favorite, but the man is a legend and will never be less than So Good in my opinion.
Well said!
As much as i love Henry, Tyler is probably the best clark kent and superman combo weve had since reeve
He’s really been fantastic. Sad to see the show end so soon.
You touched on the key point. Playing Superman is playing two characters. I have to agree that Tyler did both very very well, while cavils Clark was weak, and Christopher reeves was just made to be clumsy and awkward
I’ll probably be in the minority, but my favorite is actually Dean Cain. Grew up on that show and loved it! Teri Hatcher is my favorite Lois too.
No shame in that! It was a fun show. Teri is an AMAZING Lois. She’d probably be near the top of our list too.
I grew up watching the show with my family and love it!
Hey, nothing wrong with Dean Cain at all. He's a legit good Superman, but for me personally, I wouldn't put him above Henry or Chris.
Now, when it comes to Clark Kent, Dean Cain is the absolute best, in my opinion. He's only surpassed by the 90's Animated Series Version.
But since this is only the live action rankings, Animated Supes or Clark Kent doesn't count.
My favorite ❤
Dean is my fave too...him saving people in the news office from normal day accidents so fast no one notices him.😂
Tyler Hoechlin is my #1 for live action Superman. I love his Clark and his Superman. I was never really a fan of Reeve's version of Clark because for Reeve's there really wasn't a Clark. Clark was a mask he used to hide. Tyler's Clark is just a sweet, small town nerd, who wants to help and his Superman is more of a persona he adopts to convey gravitas and confidence while still being Clark deep down.
Great observations! Tyler has surprised us with how good he is, to be honest!
which is why Reeves was perfect. that is LITERALLY how superman is supposed to be. you are not supposed to think clark is superman. clark is everything superman is not, clumssy, slouches, high pitched voice, not confidnet in speaking, wears bland colors, however, still is the same guy becasue like superman he is still kind, caring and sweet
superman is who kal el is, clark is the mask. the oppoiste of every other superhero ever
@Johnadams20760 the issue with what you said Clark is who he's is, Superman is what he can do! Clark has 3 persona the Clark Lois his Parents and everyone who knows, then Clark the one that he uses to everyone Jimmy, Perry, people who don't know, and then Superman.
@@KonEl17 actaully what i said is correct. i guess it dpends on how you read it. Superman ias a hero wears no mask, and is who he is. lcark is the mask/disgue, tha tis what i am tlaking about
Christopher Reeves is the classic Superman miss him R.IP.
He was truly a Superman!
REEVE. REEVE. REEVE.
Welling was stopped from being Superman because of the directors rule of “No flights No tights”
That was Welling's rule as well and the reason it was restricted to the finale.
Welling didn't want to wear the suit.
Glad to see you put George Reeves where you did. I was a little kid in the 1970s and that's when I first saw the Superman reruns. He was a tough guy you knew not to mess with. The fact that he wasn't battling supervillains but regular people made him seem much more realistic. I hate to offend the Christopher Reeve fans, because I loved watching the movies (at least the first two.) But everything that people use against Superman as a character, like saying he is Big Blue Boy Scout, is becuase of the way he was portrayed in those films. He looked the most like Curt Swan's Superman than anyone. But George Reeves was just in a class by himself.
Hey, on behalf of Christopher Reeve fans, no offense taken whatsoever. We all have different preferences and opinions, and that’s all good! And you’re 100% right about George Reeves. He did some great things with that character. I even loved his guest star spot on I Love Lucy. 😂
I loved Dean Cain's metallic blue costume as the best.
It was a pretty nice costume, especially for a 90s TV budget!
Maybe bit of an unfair rating to Tom Welling.
Maybe. Maybe not. He might be moved back to Good.
I agree.
We collectively called it "Cringey Show" because of all the CW cringe, but after the ending of Superman and Lois, with Clark's "The second time I died" monologue, he went right up to the top for me.
Dean Cain has always been The Very Best live action Clark Kent for me. That alone makes him a top tier Superman in my books.
Solid! I always appreciated the “Clark Kent is who I am, Superman is what I can do” approach the show took. In line with the John Byrne comic interpretation.
Christopher Reeve deserves to be placed above and beyond any other Superman. He IS and will always be Superman.
Amen!!!
Christopher Reeves, George Reeves and Tom Welling.
GEORGE REEVES, GEORGE REEVES, GEORGE REEVES, ONLY GEORGE REEVES
Born in '78. So Christopher Reeve was my Superman. Brandon was Christopher's style 👍 My wife loves Henry, of course.
A Superman for all seasons…and people!
Cavil is a very good looking guy, but Routh is no slouch.
Christopher Reeve as #1 is just pure, simple fact.
I’ll go with Tyler Hoechlin as #2 in my book, he really can capture the altruism of Superman.
For my 3rd top in the So Good I’m breaking from your line of thinking and going with Tom Welling, though he only gets one finale scene, smudge, as Superman . . . I honestly consider him a 2000s take on Superboy, no suit, and think he is well deserving as So Good.
Next is George Reeve as my classic version of Supes and Clark.
While I’m one of those who was not thrilled with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, it is impossible to deny that Henry Cavill looks like Superman flew right out of the comic books . . . I really wish he got the opportunity to reprise Superman in one or two stand alone sequels under another Director instead of just being part of Snyder’s Trinity/Justice League ensemble.
So, that’s my top 5 of the So Good category.
Thanks for always putting out good and entertaining content!!! No BS’ing! 😉👍
Love that list and your reasoning for all the So Goods! Thank you for continuing to tune in and for the kind words! We appreciate you!
Hoechlin and Routh both played Chris Reeve Superman. They didn't do anything to standout from his portrayal of Clark and Superman. Cain played Post-Crisis Clark perfectly, the former athlete that wasn't a pushover and his Superman was more of a role that Clark was playing. As he said, "Superman is what I can do, Clark is who I AM." Cavill played a form of Golden Age Superman mixed with Superman: Earth One and New52 so his Clark was more withdrawn but still had an edge to him and his Superman was very standoffish, like he didn't trust people, which given the events of Man of Steel, he couldn't. Hoechlin, Routh and Reeve all played Clark as a dorky wimp and Superman as stern yet friendly. I would have liked for Routh and Hoechlin to do their own take on Clark and Superman.
I think Dean Cain’s portrayal of Clark being confident helped make it seem like Clark and Superman were two different people. I would have put him in the so good category.
Sounds like a good place for him on your list! Who else is in your So Good tier with Dean?
@@JustBSingProductions Christopher Reeve (obviously), Henry Cavill (his portrayal was excellent, the writing, not so much), and Tyler Hoechlin.
Christopher Reeves and Cavill are my favorites. Everyone else should be under them.
Both great choices!
Same
REEVE. Jesus.
Christopher Reeve tops the list for me! But Bill Murray has to be a close second 😂
Oh for sure on both accounts! 😂
No . . . .😂
This video showed up randomly on my feed, and I've now subscribed. Nice vid!
Thanks so much! Welcome aboard!
Reeve will always be king and he had a better suit then what is out there today
💯 agreed
Some great Superman’s. Christopher Reeve is the best. Tyler I hated him in Supergirl, in that show he was so weak. They dumped on him non-stop and used to infuriate me. But his standalone show, he is great. Tom Welling is the best Clark Kent ever - hands down! He didn’t play Superman long enough, so respect your ratings on that. Great episode you guys put on!
Appreciate it! Happy New Year!
only thing i would change is put Welling up to Good
We might end up doing that! It was pretty close.
Definitely agree with you about Tyler Hoechlin's Superman!! He does an amazing job.. Definitely in my top 3 Supermen.. I didn't like Brandon Routh's Superman though, it felt both forced and underwhelming, but that's probably just because at the time Tom Welling was doing a superb job on Smallville, and I wanted him to be Superman.. Would love to see a Tier list of Lois Lanes if you haven't done it already
We’ve got some other tier lists in mind. Lois is on the list.
@@JustBSingProductions I was going to suggest the same thing!
Christopher Reeve topping the list should be an objective thing. 😂
I'm guessing that you'll be making a tier-list ranking for the animated Supermen. Love to see where you'll put Tim Daly, George Newbern, Jack Quaid, or even the HISHE Superman for laughs. 😆
We'd planned to do that, but decided against it for Supestember. We have some great unboxings we thought would be more fun. But we may give a shout out to our favorite animated Supermen in a future vid for sure!
If you're going to talk about animated versions of Superman, and who voiced him the best!!
No one, not now, not ever will ever come close to the Legendary Superman voice actor Bud Collyer ,
He was the Original voice of Superman first, on the radio and then cartoons!!! ,
He created the Two Different voices of Superman and Clark Kent!!
He made Clark Kent's voice Higher and Superman's voice was Lower and a very strong Baritone!!!
That's the way Everyone that has come After has Imitated and portrayed the Two characters!!!
and a lot of other things we now know as part of Superman's legacy !! . There was so much of the mythos of Superman that was created when he was the voice of Superman!!
Go watch the original cartoons of Superman or the 60s Superman cartoons, and you'll see exactly what I mean. Or should I say you'll hear exactly what I mean!!!
Everybody else is a pale imitation in comparison!!
@@01timegone he’s definitely high up for us too!
@@01timegone I've watched the Fleischer cartoons before. Specifically the first and second one with the mad scientist and mechanical robots. I don't know if he's the same guy you're talking about but I do love how he seamlessly switches from Clark to Superman whenever he says, "This looks like a job for Superman." He is definitely high up there. So is the one who voiced him in the Super Friends cartoons. Those were my childhood.
But for personal preference, I grew up watching the 90s animated series and the Justice League series more so it's their voices that I hear when I read Superman in the comics. 😊 I mainly use the old, deep-voiced Superman when I read the Earth-2 Superman-at least that's what he sounds like to me whenever I'm reading Crisis on Infinite Earths. 😂
Thank you for letting me know though. 😁
#1-- Reeves, Reeve, Cavill
#2-- All the rest
You guys are awesome for giving Cavill a so good 👍
Appreciated! We know it’s all subjective, so we aren’t upset at those who feel differently, but he was just really good and should have been able to show it more.
All those men merely _played_ Superman.
Reeve _was_ Superman.
You had 5 categories but for me there are two categories: Reeve, and the rest.
Don’t really disagree there!
@@JustBSingProductions LOL
i was going to say something simlar. there shoudl be one more category called super super good, above so good, and reeves is in that list. Tyler is the only other person i could see on that list
Love the list and of course, we're gonna have opinions, so here it goes. 😁 I was so happy you almost put Brandon at the top. His portrayal was strong enough to be there, IMO. Now, Tom Welling. Sure he only "wore the suit in the final episode", but if you're having Superboy on here, then you could consider his years on Smallville as his years as Superboy, just without the suit. After all, Tom performed more super feats as Clark Kent than probably most of these actors combined, so at the very least, I think he deserves to be on the good tier. After all, this is a character tier not a costume tier. Also, since you are counting anyone who dressed up and played Superman, including Bill Murray, you may want to add Superman from the Sandy Collora Fan Film, World's Finest with Michael O'Hearn as Superman. He was amazing! Anyhoo, great job guys. I'll definitely go do my tier.
Murray was more for us bc that sketch was so ingrained in our memory, we both mentioned it at nearly the same time while putting the list together. Technically, we should have added The Rock and Hugh Jackman also for their SNL portrayals lol. We didn’t include the fan films because there are numerous ones floating around, including the one you mentioned. But they never actually aired on TV or in cinema, so we didn’t want to add multiple names that wouldn’t really be as widely known, if that makes sense. Totally hear you on Tom. It was less so the time in suit than the time to get to the suit…10+ years and a lot of delay. As you said, he was doing all the Superman things, except flying, and had already even faced some of Superman’s greatest enemies (including an early Doomsday) and yet, there was reluctance to go “full Superman” or even “full Superboy.” They didn’t go all in until the last few minutes (and yes, I know there was a no tights/no flights rule, but at least for a full season, we think that should have been broken and Tom should have agreed to having a suit for himself). That’s kinda where our heads were at in that brief little exchange you actually see and what led us to a very high Not BS. That said, we have agreed, we should move Tom back into Good, and that will be reflected on any future updates we do. Thanks for recognizing opinions differ and being so respectful in the discussion, and most of all, thanks for watching and sharing your opinion with us, as well!
You didn't include John Rockwell who played Superboy in the pilot for "The Adventures of Superboy" in 1961. It exists, I've seen it.
Yep, a couple others pointed that out. We had no idea about that unaired pilot and had never seen it or heard the name before, so we appreciate everyone who has let us know! Checked out some clips. We’ll do an amended list at some point.
Some I've never seen before nice one guys
I only met Kirk Alyn. The FIRST!
That’s so cool! Where did you meet him?
@JustBSingProductions it was a nostalgia convention. Mostly cowboy stars back when many were still alive. Lash Larue was a real character. A late night drunken college brawl broke our at his hotel as an older guy so he brought out the bullwhip and cleared out the place. It could cut to the bone. Not a man to mess with. Wrangler Jane from F troop was there also and still pretty.
Haha wow! I can imagine that was a funny experience with Lash. I loved watching F Troop on Nick at Nite! Very cool.
Tom Welling portrayed Superman better than any other live action Superman we got. It doesn't matter what you want to label him. Clark Kent, The Blur, Kal-El. Tom Welling played Superman for the entire duration of the show. Superman isn't the costume, it's the individual. And Tom Welling was Superman all the way back in Season 1 saving people every episode.
You are certainly welcome to that opinion, and we’re glad you love the show! He did a great job, and we’d have loved to see him go “full Superman.”
Doesn't matter...he was still BadAss if he only flew on the last episode!!
Cavill deserved a better shot at Superman.
Yep, they did him dirty; not only with the scripts he was given but in the end when they canned him.
@@sandman_says_runrunner4701 He's a perfectly capable actor, and he looks like he was ripped from the pages of a comic book. Seems like a decent fella to boot.
@@dinkalicious 100%
I cannot dispute this. Great list!
Thank you!
Henry Cavill will always be the best Superman.
What about John Hames Newton
He’s in the video
Christopher and Henry truly captured the role.
Agreed, in such different ways
Criss did it perfectly Kent and sups while cavil can’t really rate him only got one move but his version of Kent wasn’t great
God bless you guys !!! Henry Cavill is DEFINITELY SO GOOD as Superman. Perfect portrayal of the character.
It's great that you guys included almost all the live action Superman actors; most channels only do tier list starting at Chris Reeve. Just one insignificant nitppick, though. There was the 20+ minute, unaired 1961 Superboy pilot starring Johnny Rockwell. Not sure if you guys saw him, but it's floating on RUclips somewhere. Instead of Murray though, would like to see him ranked next time you do the revised ranking. Cool video, though 👍🏾
Have not seen that! Thanks for sharing. We will definitely take a look. We also realized after recording that if we included Bill, we probably should have included Hugh Jackman and The Rock for their portrayals on SNL too, so we have a few updates to do for next time!
Sorry fellas! I thought the full 1961 pilot was still uploaded on this website, but I looked and it appears that it's been taken down, and there are just a few various shortclips of Rockwell in action. Hopefully somebody will upload it in full again (I really would if I had it). Still great that you gave highlights to the other obscure actors (Wilson; Newton; Cage)🦸🏾♂️ @@JustBSingProductions
@@jbjones07 I’m sure we can track it down! The few clips I’ve already found look pretty good, to be honest.
Honestly, my only argument would be Tom Welling's placement, until I listened to your rationale. So, I'll give you that one. Glad you like Tyler Hoechlin's take on Superman. I always wondered it casting saw the same resemblance to Kirk Alyn. Great video guys.
Thanks! And to make you feel even better, we agreed we underrated Tom in the moment, so he’s back to Good tier. We even argued with ourselves on that one! Lol
Reeves defined superman
Live Action Batman/Batman Suit Tier List
There's no arguing against Christopher Reeve. George Reeves was a great performance, not sure the show quality was there. John Haymes Newton was a much better performance than the replacement on Superboy, can't believe his name is escaping me, but the last 2 seasons just got weird and were better shows than the first season with JHN. Cavill is really good, but again it's not the best quality of the character, too many differences from the comic character. Dean Cain was honestly a soap opera Superman and I enjoyed the show. Unfortunately, he's become pretty much the opposite of what the character is and I just can't make myself watch his performance now. Kirk Allyn was really good and would be in the good range. Routh and Welling were both great and I would put them in So good. Welling should be considered the same as the Superboy portrayals, if you include them you have to include Welling. Cage is just a terrible actor who was completely wrong for the part and everything I heard about the film was awful, especially having to get a solar powered suit to fight in the sewers and he would deserve worse than total bs...
Tell me how you REALLY feel about Nic Cage! 🤣
@@JustBSingProductions I definitely will 😂😂😂
My changes to your rankings.
George Reeve down to Good
Tyler Hoechlin down to Good
Dean Cain down to Not BS
Tom Welling up to Good
Solid! So only Reeve and Cavill in So Good for you?
Definitely definitely Christopher Reid Superman awesome.
The best!
Reid?
Are you dumb?
Glad you put reeve and cavil on top.
Respect 🔥
Both great for very different reasons!
Christopher definitely at the top! I would knock down Henry Cavill to Not BS, I think his acting is good but I really don’t even consider Snyderverse as real DC movies with how most of the characters were portrayed (except Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman). Now we need to see best live action portrayal of Lex Luthor list.
I’ll save us the recording time…Michael Rosenbaum is the best so far! Lol
Gene Hackman of course.
Think Michael Rosenbaum did a great job. Also liked Jon Cryer’s portrayal in Supergirl. Michael Cudlitz did a good job so far in Superman and Lois, looking forward to seeing more of him in the final season 😔.
Best Luthor ? Jon Cryer and Michael Rosenbaum in my opinion-they projected an edge of danger. Who knew Jon Cryer could do that, from watching Hot Shots.
And Two and a Half Men 😂
I mostly agree with your rankings. I hope the new Corenswet Superman does well. I doubt he will beat Reeve Superman, I am biased, but I am hopeful for that movie.
Yes, same. Hopeful!
Johnny Rockwell was another live action Superboy/Clark Kent from the sixties. A pilot episode that never aired but it's on youtube.
Yeah, another viewer already mentioned that! Hadn’t ever seen that, so that was cool. We’ll have to do an update sometime! Where would he rank for you?
It is my understanding that the reason that John Newton did not continue the role of Superboy was because he was unwilling to play Clark Kent as a kind of bumbling nerd.
On a similar note, Kirk Alyn was not credited as being Superman. He played Clark Kent, and according to the credits, Superman played himself. Interestingly, Clark Kent was portrayed as a normal human, as though the costume somehow made him Superman. Clark was getting beaten up by bad guys all the time.
I love this content! Great job! I can't disagree with your list!
Very cool added info! Thanks for sharing!
Cavill and Cain are S tier. People put Reeve on a pedestal, probably because of the horrible accident, but rewatching those old movies.. They just weren't that good and WAY too many strange things like the plastic S and flying back in time and kiss of forgetfulness. And his horrible take on Clark Kent that he based off a Cary Grant character and not the comics. Honestly.. Reeve is B tier for me. I could be persueded on making him A tier, but no way S. Hoechlin and Welling I'd put in A tier. I don't like the focus on the children and Lois in Hoechlin's show, but his Superman stuff is good. Welling.. I mean great Clark Kent and we saw the growing pains so to speak.
Hard “agree to disagree” on Reeve! But hey, these are all just opinions, and your tier is just right for you. No harm, no foul in that!
Watch the Donner Cut. It's soooo much better. It's honestly a whole different movie.
They weren’t rating them based on film making tech of the time or script writing…
I’m old enough to remember watching George Reeves on television reruns when I absolutely adored anything science fiction or fantasy or superhero on television so he was my first I have absolutely no complaints about him. He’s in God tier because he represents the deities from my early child. And of course, Christopher Reeve was the Superman that liberated comic book characters from their campy origins. I saw that one live and I was so stoked after having red comic books for a decade and collected comic books for two years to have a real superhero movie. Those are the only two I ultimately care about clearly man of steel is a better film, but it doesn’t matter. The heart knows what it wants
They really are two of the best and represent the best of so many childhoods.
"So Good" should just be renamed to "Reeveresque", Chris was and is and always will be the Golden Standard of Superman.
Hoechlin and Welling both belong in Good (with Hoechlin slightly outranking Welling within Good), but otherwise I thought the list was spot on!
Haha going forward, the category will be So Good with (Reeve) in parentheses on every ranking we do, even if it has nothing to do with Superman! Appreciate you watching and sharing the changes you’d make for your own ranking. Can’t argue with the picks!
Great rankings. I found myself agreeing with all of the picks.
Thanks so much! Are you planning to catch the Reeve doc when it comes out?
@JustBSingProductions I am. I still remember wearing my Superman Tshirt to see his Superman movie when it debuted at the movie theater. And the Superman figure I was gifted. It had this string system so you could make it fly.
@@cath5741 that's awesome! Jealous you got to see the first one in theaters. I bet that's an amazing memory.
You gotta tell me where I can find that white shirt with long hair Superman on it!
It's a great shirt! I've had it since '94, so your best bet is probably eBay. Unfortunately, it's pricey with an average of $150! I've always loved this shirt, and Doomsday on the back is just as awesome.
Pretty good ranking. I think I fully agree with your takes.
Hey thanks, appreciate that!
I like your list as is... no real complaints
Wow! I didn't think there was so many that portrayed Superman/Superboy in live action shows and movies. I can only do a tier list of the ones I am familiar with. Out of these 14 you ranked, I only can rank 8 of these. Here is a list of the ones I'm familiar with:
So good- Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavil, George Reeves, and Dean Cain
Good- Brandon Routh, Tom Welling
Not B.S.- Nicholas Cage
Total B.S.-Bill Murray
I would place Nicholas Cage more in the Not B.S. tier because he really never got to show us Tim Burton's full vision of what he could do as Superman. When I heard about him being Superman, I rejected it. I didn't think he could pull it off back then. Now, after seeing him as Superman on the Flash movie, I thought his scene with Supergirl fighting the giant spider was interesting. Tim Burton had me skeptical with Michael Keaton being cast as Batman in 1989. However, the movie became a hit because Michael Keaton did an excellent portrayal of Batman(and yes, Jack Nicholson was an excellent Joker). In retrospect, Nicholas Cage might've have fooled me and could have at least been bumped up to the Good tier anyways. Unfortunately, we'll never really know what could've been.
Good ranking! That’s a great point about Tim Burton and Cage. You wouldn’t expect Michael Keaton to have been one of the best Batman portrayals ever, but he sure was. Nicolas Cage might have surprised us!
Cool ranking, I agree with all your picks!
Thanks! Appreciate you watching.
I find it interesting that Superman has had way more live-action incarnations than Batman, but Superman has relatively rarely made it onto the big screen, while Batman's never got a true live-action television treatment.
Because Adam West can’t be topped! 😂
Reeve to most will always be the GOAT Superman but my second fav personally up there was Welling. The development, character, size and power levels screamed Superman. Even Christopher said while working with Tom on Smallville "This is your next Superman" getting that kind of praise from the best Superman ever is saying something. Just saying. Lol . Also Welling was easily the most jacked, in crisis he got in shape and was just a tank next to Routh and especially next to Tyler.
Welling should be in really good, he portrayed what Superman is all about.
A shame he had to turn down the role in a movie due to scheduling conflicts on Smalllville.
I like Cavill's Superman fitting for a darker more injustice Superman. I know he loves Superman and would do great as the classic, hopeful version but he did the more pessimistic yet hopeful well imo.
Agreed, and if he had been able to go “full Superman” either on the show or in a movie (so wanted that to happen), he’d almost certainly be on our So Good tier! That said, we did decided to move him back up into Good shortly after recording. That will be reflected in any future update videos!
@@JustBSingProductions Oh nice! Yeah, it was a show mostly about him becoming Superman but what's funny is he actually did fly quite a few times before the finale over the years haha and his feats are kind insane even better than Reeve's between pushing a freaking planet and the comic stuff. That's some ideas perhaps for you guys for a future video, rating feats/power levels of each Superman ;)
He may have pushed Apokolips, but could he kiss Lois so good she forgets who he is? Doubtful. Reeve wins!
@@JustBSingProductions that was good but also could Reeve resist getting erased from reality from the bleed like SV Supes did on will alone? 🤔 That feat gives Tom the win! That story he literally resisted getting erased from reality lol 😆 None of the other versions ever did that. That's some comic plot armor haha
I'm so glad you guys gave Henry Cavill a So Good. Whether you like where Zack Snyder took his DCEU or not Henry did a great job l portraying Superman. Christopher Reeve will always epitomize Superman. But Henry Cavill is definitely the all time best looking and most modern portrayal.
16:40 I actually agree, I thought the suit got a big downgrade from Supergirl to Superman & Lois. I mainly just liked the cape, it reminded me of the Injustice look.
Spot on guys, great job
Thanks so much!
Yeah, Christopher and George are the best of all time. If you have not seen the cover Adam Hugh did, where Christopher is going in the turn entrance as Clark becoming Superman and George as Superman coming out as Clark, it's just amazing to see.
Glorious!
Tom Welling , as far as I know, never wore the suit. I read they used a CGI model left over from Superman Returns.
That’s correct. It’s more of an appeared “in suit” kind of thing and part of our reasoning for dropping him down some on the tier. That said, may have been a bit harsh in the moment, and we will probably pop him back into Good if we ever make a revised video once we see Corenswet in action.
Guys, what is this? Actors rank or Super power? Or Super most popular? You see, too many variables. You cannot do this, because SUPs power has CHANGED dramatically overtime. Having said that, the video and your enthusiasm is great, for real.
It’s a subjective ranking for fun based on who we personally like as Superman in live action. Opinions taking multiple factors into consideration based on our own ideals, comic history, etc. As we say multiple times, we don’t expect our rankings to match anyone else’s and encourage everyone to share their own opinions too. So yes, while not an objective and scientific ranking, it can absolutely be done. Appreciate the comment!
Interesting take and I agree with almost all. I would be interested in an evaluation of how each of these actors played and developed Clark Kent.
Potentially a good follow up video! We’ll add that idea to the list. Thanks for checking out the video and the suggestion!
What about superboy from titans
He’s a different character. Not Kal-El/Clark Kent.
@@JustBSingProductions ok that makes sense I just watched this video 2 minutes ago I really enjoyed it. I’m definitely gonna check out more of your videos. Till next time up up and away
Appreciate that! We HOPE🦸🏻 you stick around!
Fun fact: Kirk Alyn was in Chris Reeve's Superman movie along with Noel Neill (George Reeve's Lois Lane)
Yep! Young Lois’s parents on the train.
I just found out she was Kirk Alyn's Lois Lane as well
Noel Neill was also in Brandon Routh's "Superman Returns." She played the old dying women who Lex Luther swindles out of her estate.
Tyler Hoechlin played a great Superman imo. I wouldn’t say best, but I hate that we won’t get to see it continue.
I like your tier ranking though. I think it’s pretty spot on.
No, we wouldn’t say he’s the best either. That still goes to Reeve for us. But he was really, really good in his own portrayal!
@ 100% agreed on Christopher Reeve was the best. I was a kid when those were out. I loved the 1st and 2nd movies so much I could even look past the part where Superman reversed the earths spin to go back in time.
Spot on lads! Can't argue with that
Thanks!
All the top live action Supermen ranked:
1. Christopher Reeve
2. Tom Welling
3. Tyler Hoechlin
4. Henry Cavill
5. Brandon Routh
6. Dean Cain
Solid ranking!
Thanks
Tyler Hoechlin is currently favorite television Superman. George Reeve is my first TV favorite. While I'm looking forward to David Corenswett's version, Christopher Reeves's Superman will always be my favorite, over all other versions! 🦸👍
I think the majority seem to feel that way about Reeve!
Tom welling was good they would’ve put him in the suit earlier, but Tom never wanted to wear the suit so they had to work with what could do
Totally agree! As we said, he would be Good/So Good on THIS ranking if only he’d portrayed an in costume version for even a little longer. Smallville as a show and Welling as Clark and an actor outside of this particular ranking would be Good/So Good any day.
I think I remember the producer saying at one point. "No tights no flights"
While it’s true that he didn’t wear the suit, it was because the producers promised “No Tights, No Flights.” It was the promise they made and no one wanted to go to the trouble of actually making a suit for Tom in the finale. They used Brandon Routh’s Suit from Returns. The two actors are not the same build. So it really didn’t fit Tom Welling.
It was animated when Kirk Alyn flew......Now we've gone back to being usually animated when he flies....
You list is fine. Just one thing They only made two Superman Serials and Kirk Alyn starred in both. He is the first. Fun fact: Noel Neil played Lois Lane in the serials making her the first live action Lois Lane.
Yes! Love Noel Neill, and clearly the directors did too! So glad she got to appear in Superman: The Movie and Superman Returns.
@@JustBSingProductions She also made a cameo in the same episode of Lois and Clark that Jack Larson did. At the very end of the episode when Lois and Clark are dancing in front of a mirror in their brownstone. Watch the reflection the old Lois in the mirror is Noel Neil.
@@matthewrosenthal753 yep!
@@JustBSingProductions Kirk Alyn is also in Superman: The movie. He is in the same scene Noel is in. She plays a young Lois’ mother and he is her father.
Props for acknowledging Kirk Alyn & George Reeves.
Of course. Can’t exclude the originals!
Hey guys, thanks for the rankings. I found myself in agreement with most of your assessments To add to this list, as one SUPER-nerd to another, Let's not forget Bob Holiday, who played Superman on Broadway, the predecessor to the 70s TV broadcast which it inspired. I was probably 10 or 11 when my mother took me and my best friend to see tis on Broadway. Although purposely campy, it was so much fun to see a real live action Superman, and great music to boot!
That's so cool you got to see him in action! We almost included him, but since the play was never aired on television, and his appearance on To Tell The Truth was mostly for promotion, we ultimately decided to leave him off. Can't deny his place in history though! He'd probably fall in above David Patrick Wilson based on his look alone.
Though I was born in ‘98, I grew up watching Christopher Reeve as Superman because of my parents. So he’s definitely in the “So Good” category for me. Me and my dad watched the first couple of seasons of Smallville together when I was growing up, so he’s also in the “So Good” category. Brandon Routh’s portrayal was just supposed to be a continuation of Christopher Reeve’s, so he automatically goes to “So Good” even if his movie was boring 😂. I was 15 when Henry Cavill dawned the cape, and though his movie wasn’t all that great, I liked his suit, so he goes into good. Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal piqued my interest when he debuted in Supergirl, but when he got his own show, he became my all time favorite version of the character
That’s awesome. Solid line up!
Solid Ranking
Ron Ely played him in one of the future-set episodes of Superboy, and Johnny Rockwell played him in the 1961 Adventures of Superboy pilot. One-off appearances, but each had more screen time than Cage or Murray, lol. When Superman (2025) comes out, would love to see an updated tier list evaluating Corenswet's performance and including those guys
Yeah completely forgot about Ely’s retired Superman episodes. He will be added for sure. To be honest, neither of us knew about Rockwell until several folks like you mentioned him. Much appreciated. Not sure if we’d include him for the simple fact the pilot never aired, but it was fun to learn something new (which is embarrassing to admit not knowing since I own sets where Rockwell is mentioned and just never noticed lol)!
@JustBSingProductions for some reason I thought it aired but just wasn't picked up, but it looks like I was mixing that up with something else. I know it's unofficially available on home media, I've been meaning to pick up a copy myself but just haven't done it yet. I've just seen clips on RUclips lol
@ going by the clips, I can see why it didn’t get picked up. Lol. But to be fair, a lot of pilots aren’t great and grow into good shows.
This was nice.
This comment is nice. Thank you.
I haven't seen every live action Superman but my ranking is:
Christopher Reeve
Henry Cavill
George Reeves
David Corenswet
I've only seen clips, not full episodes, of Lois & Clark, Smallville, Superman & Lois so I cannot give a full opinion on them as of now
Really loved the Super/man documentary! Should've been longer
Nice ranking! Hoping to catch the doc soon.
Super great Superman live action actors tier list and it's spot on for me my Top 5 are 1. Christopher Reeve , 2. Tyler Hoechlin , Tom Welling (as Clark Kent) , 4. Brandon Routh and 5. George Reeves. Henry Cavill liked in the role but the writing made his Superman a little one note for me but not a knock against Henry. The rest Dean Cain so so and the Superboys good but did not see that series a ton growing up. I'm super excited to also see the next Superman for the DCU David Corenswet !!!
Great top 5!
I rank Chris Reeve as #1, Dean Cain as #2, Tom Welling as #3, #George Reeves as #4. The rest were all fine but not iconic imo. Looking forward to seeing the new guy.
Solid line up! Yeah, we’ll be checking out that trailer tomorrow for sure.
What about Superboy in Titans?
Different character. Not Kal-El/Clark Kent. Fun show, though!
I would have loved to see the Cage Superman. That was supposed to be based on "The Death of Superman" comics I believe. Plus, Cage was a huge comics fan and before he ran into money trouble and had to sell them, had a valuable comics collection. He gets extra credit for naming his son Kal-El. He would have really been into the character and with a good script and story might have been one of the best. If only....
He for sure would have had a lot of respect for the source material. I would actually have liked to see him as Lex (and I believe he said in the past he’d have been interested in playing that part).
Reeve is the Face
Cavill is the Body
Routh is the Power
I think that Tom Welling deserves to be in the good list at least, because he was playing a young Clark Kent in becoming the superhero we all come to know. We often see Superman as an adult with all of his powers, but little we know how he got where he is. Also, I heard that the first actor who played Superman was someone in the Macy's parade. You might want to look into it. Dean Cain's portrayal of Clark Kent is one of my favorite because he is not clumsy or awkward like Chris Reeve. After seeing season 4 of Lois and Superman, Tyler Hoechlin deserves to be in the so good section.
Agreed! We moved Tom back into the Good category after recording and talking more. The person in the parade was Ray Middleton. He was not included because his performance was simply a public portrayal, not for a recorded broadcast.
You did not just put Smallville superman on Not BS. Greatest interpretation of superman we have.
We moved him back to Good after recording. Still give Reeve the best interpretation of Superman for us, though.
Hoechlin was not only a great Superman but he was the best Clark by far. Most actors just think that they need to trip over their desk, adjust their glasses, and ask for a slice of Martha's apple pie and that's it. Hoechlin showed us that Clark and Superman were two different individuals.
He did an amazing job! Especially on a CW budget.
It's a real shame that they didn't give him a superman movie because the way he did smallville for 10 long years plus his height looks and build he deserved a shot at a superman movie
Agreed. Unfortunately, that was mostly his own call. I believe he’s said in the past he didn’t want to be the full blown Superman character. I think he’s changed his tune in more recent years, but at the time, he didn’t want the role.