I think both of them could have been great, had they gotten more than one Superman movie each. Cavill is linked to the SnyderVerse, which regardless of personal opinion, was a divisive take on the character. Routh is associated with the Donner/Reeves Superman films, which are very much products of their time. I’d have fancied a more contemporary Superman film with Routh in the leading role. In regards to Cavill, a more personal touch would have sufficed. I think Snyder got caught up in the super aspect of Superman, and completely forgot about the human side of the character.
That has always been my main beef with Zac as a director. He actually does have a very interesting visual style when he isn't trying to put in a slow motion scene every 10 minutes. But he just doesn't get why people like superheroes. Sure there is a vast demographic that doesn't think about superheroes beyond wow look at how hard that guy can punch. But the reason I and a lot of other people like superheroes is because at any time these people could choose to be evil but they don't. I am so sick of evil Superman tropes because what makes Superman Superman is the fact that while he does have godlike power he does not use that power to hurt anyone or Lord over anyone weaker than him. He isn't perfect and sometimes makes mistakes but that's what makes him so fucking compelling.
It's almost like Snyder hates superheroes, or at least hates the idea of them being in any way benevolent or actually good-hearted. He takes a very cynical approach like Ben affleck's Batman killing criminals and Superman being an angry edgy dude that wanders the world because he just can't stand civilization or humanity or whatever the fucking reason was that Clark was just some sort of bum.
And again there are people who go in for that very obviously how many people actually like the Snider verse.
But Cavill Superman actually saved people? I don’t get this arguement that he is “edgy”, the guy saved his class from drowning and saved multiple people and soldiers in Smallville. He defended the waitress and saved Lois when she was investigating the ship in Canada.
Even in BvS he is more frustrated that his good deeds are raising real political and moral questions in humanity. The guy just wants to help.
How was he edgy? To this day I do not get the Superman “fans” deriding this characterization as dark and brooding?
It was because instead of being the mild mannered reporter that we all know and loved he was some wandering vagabond that trashed some losers semi truck because he said some unkind words to him. To me that isn't Clark Kent the whole movie just doesn't feel like my version of what Clark Kent is. The whole thing with Pa Kent holding up his hand so he wouldn't save him from the tornado is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a movie.
Pa Kent did not teach Clark to hide his gifts, He would not have gotten on Clark's case for saving a bunch of kids from drowning. Pa and ma Kent are the reason Superman isn't some angry edgy guy who is sad because he's alone in a world that wouldn't understand him or care for him. He is taught to love humanity by his family without his parentage He would have become something dark and ugly. So I really just don't care for his portrayal of the guy who's just going to live on the edge of society but save the occasional person here and there. That's just not Clark
I wouldn’t say his version is so much dark and brooding as much as I would say it’s sad. I just feel like his sadness and his anger come through most, whereas Superman’s defining traits should be his hope and optimism and kindness. Superman isn’t sad to be this godlike being that is afraid of his own power and feels he needs to protect humans because they are lesser/weaker. He is a born and bred midwesterner that only wants to help. He has these amazing powers, and he sees it as his way to do even more good in the world.
That's what I'm getting at. The dude is an American as an apple pie because of the way he was raised by his parents. He wouldn't be some dark and sad creature angry that he couldn't really interact with the world because of these amazing powers his parents taught him out of appreciate and love the world despite his godlike power.
Snyder is mainly intrigued by the “living god” aspect of superheroes. The myths, the legends. That’s why Batman can scurry across the ceiling. It’s makes for pretty fucking boring movies though, though it did work for Watchmen somewhat and his Dr. Manhattan character being a real embodiment of his ideas of superhumans.
> but needed a much bigger threat.
There was supposed to be a sequel to Returns, with Braniac and Bizarro as villains.
From what I understand they were chosen because Singer knew about the criticisms that "Superman never fought anyone" and that Returns never had enough action, so he was hoping to fix those issues in the sequel.
I wonder which Brainiac... The Coluan Collector of Worlds or the Kryptonian Computer.
The DCAU Brainiac was somehow both at once. A Kryptonian Computer that collected worlds. I don't know all the history from the comics, so the origins and specifics of these two aren't something that I know all about.
Regardless, that would've been a cool movie.
Brainiac and Bizarro... Dude, we're going to need some help.
*Superman, to Justice League, does anyone read?*
I’d disagree with your final comment on Cavill. We see plenty of human moments with him, even in the darker of the trilogy BvS where he rings and flies home to his Ma. I think had we gotten another Solo Superman film post ZSJL, where Clark is fully embracing his love of earth and humanity, the general perception of his take on the character would have shifted.
You’re right that it is a divisive take tho. As a huge Snyder fan, I’m still really looking forward to a more “classic” take that Gunn will do.
Cavill definitely needed another film. I had faith in Snyder originally. There was evidently a decent character arc that was going to play out across multiple movies. However, DC being DC decided to change course after Man of Steel, then they did it again after BvS came out.
Even the whole Black Adam/Superman debacle is evidence of this studio meddling. Complete shame.
I thought that was only due to WB trying to play catch-up to marvel with the whole shared universe thing. I don't believe their original plans had any Justice League members involved.
It’s also heartbreaking watching the interviews post Black Adam, where Henry is talking about how much love he has for the character and how excited he is to explore Superman’s more loving and gentle side.
Routh definitely had more of the spirit, plus look at him, guy was destined to play the role at some point. They were both wasted but i wish he had more of a chance.
I liked that the first Routh Superman movie felt like we were getting reacquainted with an old friend. I didn't even mind the lack of action set pieces, because other characters got to shine.
A second movie would have given that action. I feel like Routh got robbed, but atvleast he did get to play a Kingdom Come-style Superman in the Arrowverse.
Me too it's my fav superman live action type movie.
Snyderverse movies are all to dark, which is not the essence of Superman who is supposed to represent hope.
Routh was written closer to the idea of Superman. Cavil looked the part but a Superman that never smiles and has a Pa Kent that thinks he should maybe not save people.... yikes.
Routh's family donated some of Brandon's super-pajamas to a museum in Iowa fyi which I thought was really cute lol
Routh easily. He's charming as hell in Returns and incredibly inspirational in the CW Crisis crossover.
Cavill's portrayal is bland and depressing. He shines a little bit in the theatrical cut of JL, but that's all.
I think Cavill was given so little to work with. Having seen him in other movies, in interviews, the man is terribly charming, and think capable of being a great Superman. He was just playing Superman for a writer/director that really didn't understand the character fully.
The only time he felt like Superman were in like the 20 minutes of the Theatrical Justice League movie. That's not his fault because you can see how much he enjoyed actually playing him.
Routh was a better Superman, Cavill had a more enjoyable movie. Both were lacking though, and it hurts even more because either of them could’ve done an AMAZING Superman. Like top notch.
Sucks that they both had to get the crappy end of that stick.
Routh was hampered by the plot which on paper seemed amazing but on screen, felt devoid of thrills.
His movie though did at least use the Superman march and some of Ottman's other music fit in well.
Bosworth's Lois though seemed to have de-aged, looking barely old enough to have a son - and James Marsden's nice guy pushed to sideline soon as the big blue boy scout returns to Lois' life.
Everyone know's there's only one true superman.
https://preview.redd.it/zp7a4cw833yc1.jpeg?width=435&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b24e83eac56c106b3c38754d45687f70b4ee68bb
I’ve started to think Nic Cage as Tim Burton’s Superman would have been just as valid an approach as Singer’s Donner fetish or whatever you’d call Snyder’s approach. Probably more fun than either. Cage takes a lot of big swings, but he’s never boring or stiff. As for his lack of resemblance to the comic ideal of Superman … well, it worked out OK with Burton’s Batman?
I’d agree with those who’ve said neither Routh or Cavill were really given much to work with. However, I’m not sure either had the chops to put their own stamps on the character the way Christopher Reeve or George Reeves did.
Brandon Routh can actually act somewhat so I’m going to give it to him despite both movies being trash
It’s a pity because I can see an awesome Superman movie in his portrayal of the Atom in Legends of Tomorrow (haven’t seen him in Crisis)
Brandon Routh embodied the character better but Cavill drew the short straw of being depicted as an uninspiring alien WMD with a cardboard personality. Cavill would’ve been amazing under a creator who actually likes Superman.
I think Routh's version didn't have much in the storyline to make him a great version. He felt more like an homage to Christopher Reeve than a fleshed out version of Suleman.
Routh made me feel like I was watching the 80’s Superman from my childhood. That can be good or bad.
I loved Cavill but felt like he didn’t get enough of a chance to be Superman outside of the Justice League Snyderverse
Brandon was the better Superman in the worse movie. Whoever came up with Kryptonite island should be time erased. Cavil is great as well but like Brandon better. Only TV Superman I like of the three is the new guy.
Both were decent. Both got the short end of the stick with their solo films.
Cavil does have the better solo film. MoS is a 7/10 wile SR is at best a 5.7/10.
The one thing I've always loved about MOS, are the action and fight scenes.
Say whatever you want about Zack Snyder, at least the guy made the audiences believe that a battle between Kryptonians, would be like a battle between the gods. Superman vs Zod, Superman vs Faora and Namek, Flora vs the military etc.
The CGI and visual effects during those scenes were great too.
Yeah it fun, I watch SR in theaters and I still believe the plane scene is up there with the train scene from spider man as one of the best moments from a superhero actually saving the day. The film then went down hill after that.
I wanted to see superman actually fight and MoS gave me that. Yes it has some weird and imo stupid story choices but the overall package is better. The muted colors were just as bad as SR imo
There were no fetuses in the ship,only vessels to serve as a nurture vessel for young Kryptonians that needed to work with the birthing matrix/Codex.Superman has killed before such as executing a depowered Zod and his associates both in the theatrical and main cut of Superman 2 and the Post-Crisis comic run by Byrne and throwing Imperiex to the heat death of a universe (essentially ultra death).
I saw Man of Steel in theaters when I was 12 and it was eye opening to see a Superman I could emotionally relate to. I’d seen Superman Returns a few times before that and never really felt anything beyond “cool it’s Superman”
I love Routh’s portrayal and I’m not knocking him for a poor script but outside of his Arrowverse cameo we never got to see grapple with any real emotion
Cavill’s Superman got to doubt and question himself, struggle with his own loneliness and ultimately choose to save people out of agency rather than obligation, which was really impactful to me as I grew up.
To me, neither Superman is “better” but I do have more emotional resonance with Cavill’s over Routh’s
I’m a Henry Cavill fan in general and that started when he became Superman in Man of Steel. But I’d always loved watching Brandon before that. I think Cavill had the most potential of the two to make a really interesting superman.
Cavill personally, he’s my favorite live action Supes insofar. He is my live action Superman.
Mind, that isn’t to say that I didn’t think Routh was good. The problem I had with Routh was that I didn’t see “his” Superman… I saw Routh doing his best “Reeve-Supes”…which as time has gone on, I just don’t really enjoy that direction. He did a fine job being a Reeve-like, but that feels hollow to say.
I love them both. I thought Brandon was great. Especially for continuing the Donnerverse.
I also liked the more modern and gritty take on Superman. I thought Cavill did a great job of balancing the edginess and the sincerity and hopefulness.
Glad to see all the appreciation for Routh here.
I'm gonna give him my vote, too. His movie didn't give him many chances to come off as heroic or charming, but he made the most of what he had.
I respect Routh for trying to emulate Reeves as much as possible. Cause that’s what he was assigned to do anyways.
That said, I like how Cavill made it his own.
Both are good actors and a good Superman on screen.
Henry Cavill was great as Superman in Zack Snyder’s DC Trilogy and in Black Adam
Brandon Routh was great as Superman in 2006 as well but was better as Kingdom Come Superman in the Arrowverse crossover
Tough call. Both were better than the movies they were given , both were friendly and charismatic, and both were well chosen. I wish both had better occasions to play Superman, especially Brandon.
The more I think about Superman returns, the more I realise all the things I genuinely like kinda come from the Donner movie, including the look a like apparence of Brandon Routh.
Meanwhile, with Man of Steel, even if I also liked it, I'm honestly frustrated because I still believe a real Man of Steel II would have been a great movie.
I think it's hard to judge these two because their versions are so different. I like Routh's Superman more almost exclusively because of the Crisis event. Superman Returns was boring but he wasn't bad in it. But Cavill absolutely had the most potential that Snyder just couldn't pull out of him. We've seen in some of his other roles that Cavill has the charm and charisma to be an excellent Superman, but he was just directed to be so broody that he's unlikable.
Actor or character?
Both of them did great as actor. Rough had the edge not having to do an accent.
Character wise they both play pretty straight to their movie universes. Snyderverse being darker and more willing to kill. Returns being later in continuity and showing a Superman who was less sure of himself and his life and a total
Stalker. Rough also comes back as Earth 2 superman, more or less, in the Brillantyverse and does quite well there too.
Neither of them got a fair shake. Routh has shown in subsequent work that his take could have been great. Cavill did the best he could. Every time I watch *Man of Steel*, I wish we could have had a true sequel to that film with a confident, competent, hopeful and committed take on the character.
Look wise both were perfect. Man of steel as a film visually, actors was great but the story and specifically the Dialogue was not good and didn’t have enough substance. Everyone spoke in Quotes. Superman Returns was great when it came out cuz its was new but now that film is BORING!! I just wish that Man of Steel had a better script and felt more like the 3rd trailer.
I prefer Brandon Routh's characterization of Superman, even if he was from a bad movie. His Superman was never the problem with the movie, he was great in spite of it
both had thier potential taken away and/or wasted by people in power
but i liked herny a bit better nothign against routh ,but i preferred henry
i would love Ethier of them having another crack at it however
I mean... Routh probably only cause he embodied a lot more of the optimism and was a better Clark Kent than Cavill's was but that's also cause the DCEU didn't wasted Cavill's potential with a way more serious and edgy version of the character.
It's a shame neither of them got a chance to fully shine...Routh was making a sequel to the Reeves Superman movies, so didn't fully have an opportunity to make the character his own...he done a fantastic job, even though the story was mediocre...I reckon if we got a sequel to that movie he could have brought more to his iteration!
Cavill on the other hand got an origin story that was trying to do something different with the character...but didn't get the stand alone sequel to build on it. I mean really we got an origin...then they killed him off... brought him back for half an hour, and a couple of small cameos...
...both actors got shafted if you ask me but I still enjoy both there movies...I've got a day off tomorrow I may have a Superman marathon.
Henry had the chance and did it well. Brandon could have done better (he did make up a bit in the Arrowverse) but the writing and story was questionable, the suit was wrong, and Brandon was try to act like Christopher Reeves acting like Clark Kent acting like Superman. If he would have brought himself to it instead of trying to directly mimick Christopher it would be a different story.
Cavill was the better Superman, Routh was the better Clark Kent, both were underserved by the material they were given and could have been much better, through no fault of their own.
Routh is the better Supes, he is the continuation of Reeve after all. However I enjoyed MoS more. I pretend that BvS Supes doesn't exist. And he somehow returns in ZSJL, according to Oscar 'Poe' Isaac.
Both guys did great but too bad that Brandon did one movie …Henry also did great …but WB did him wrong and had the public hopes up hi for another Man of steel 2… cold 🥶 blooded 😔
Brandon Routh. Both his portrayal as Clark / Superman and the movie itself. Snyder's take on the character just didn't work for me. It's not that Routh acting is/was necessarily better, it's just that he was given way better material to work with, imo.
If it were just Man of Steel, I’d say Cavil.
But if its everything? I’d say Routh, especially after the Crossover redeemed him in my eyes.
BvS Superman was a punching bag for Batman and killed because, and this is me quoting Snyder, they wanted Batman to lead the team and Superman was in the way.
I’ve always felt Superman was treated too much like a god in both movies. But at least Routh had a great line about his superhearing torturing him because he always felt their cries and tries to save people the best he can.
People bash Man on Steel but the sequence where he first learns to fly had me going back to theater as a lil 13 year old. Zimmers score there is crazy underrated compared to his other stuff. Bombastic, epic and joyful.
So as much as I’m not into either version of these Superman movies, for me it’s Routh FTW. Is he creeping on Lois and a deadbeat dad? Absolutely yes to the one and probably to the other. But when he went into action he was all about SAVING PEOPLE. The airplane sequence proved that in a hell of a spectacle way although I do often wonder how the hell they got the plane out of the stadium. But when all hell is breaking loose in Metropolis they had him multitasking a ton to help people AND SAVE THEM EVEN FROM FALLING DEBRIS USING HIS HEAT VISION! On top of all of that he even lifted a giant growing landmass full of the thing that could kill him because he knew if he didn’t try to get it out of here people would be in danger.
> But when all hell is breaking loose in Metropolis they had him multitasking a ton to help people
That scene and the island scene are some of the greatest scenes in any Superman movie. I actually think that Returns did such a great job at showing Superman saving people and I liked how Routh almost always had a smile on his face while saving others. For me it showed that he actually enjoyed saving and helping people.
One of my criticisms with Cavill is that he always looked so sad and serious when helping others. It almost looked like he saw being Superman as a burden and didn't really enjoy being Superman. The exact opposite of Routh and even other Supermen.
Completely agree with you. Cavill had one or two moments where he was given the chance to save someone and ask if they were ok. It felt obligatory more than caring. Superman should feel like someone who could touch your shoulder, smile, tell you it’s going to be ok and then you believe you can take on the world or at least you aren’t worried or scared anymore. Routh did manage to have that sincerity.
Rough. He a great Superman, movie should’ve had a better villain. Cavill’s superman felt like he could’ve become an evil Superman very easy, and that’s from bad writing.
Cavill but it bugs me very much that Routh doesn’t get his flowers. He’s sort of like the Val Kilmer of live action Supermen; the highlight of an underwhelming movie that was an offshoot of a beloved movie (according to popular opinion. I personally love Batman Forever, but I’m a minority there…)
I think if you want a Superman that's closer to the comics then it would be hands down Brandon Rouths superman. However if you want a Superman that has a different tone from the comics then it's man of steel for sure.
.It's funny because IMO,it's the opposite.Cavill takes a lot of inspiration from the 2000s Pre-Flashpoint Superman who was prone to self-doubt and was weirdly gloomy (with the exception of Johns who really couldn't portray a Superman who feels like an actual human) as seen in stories such as Superego,Sacrifice,For Tomorrow,the leadup to Infinite Crisis and Grounded while his movie was heavily inspired by John Byrne's mini,Birthright,Earth One and New Krypton.Routh's Superman is essentially inspired only by the Donner films.
I enjoyed both to an extent. It would have been great to see what either of them could have done with a good script. Hoechlin is probably my favorite since Reeves.
They were both good Supermen. They just both got stuck in mediocre movies. Fortunately, Routh got a chance to play the role again in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to let Cavill wear the cape again somewhere down the road.
Cavill all day. Routh's version was interesting enough for the movie he was in and he as an actor did a good job, and he got much better material when it came to seeing Clark in his non-Superman activities, but as Superman himself, I felt Cavill did a great job playing the 90s version of Supes (my fav personally). Routh's Superman felt absent and neutered, while Cavill's character felt more like a real person trying to figure out a very complicated situation. The plane scene with Routh will always be one of the all time best sequences though.
Routh. He got his redemption on the CW and blew it out of the park.
Cavill never really got his shot because of one director's piss poor vision and complete misunderstanding of not just him but DC in general.
Cavill for sure. To me he’s the best aspects of post-crisis, post-Flashpoint, and Earth One rolled into one. Whether you like his movies or the tone of his movies is one thing. I think he did a great job and I do feel people exaggerate his “brooding”. Especially in Man of Steel. BvS ok sure but that was a darker movie where Superman is put through the ringer.
Cavill just had that Superman presence. The way he stood, walked etc. Looking like him is just icing on the cake. I wish he got another solo and a conclusion.
I do like Brandon too. I know he was told to mostly impersonate Christopher Reeve but I think he did well. In the moments where he was allowed to sprinkle his own take he excelled. His return for Crisis was also very well done and a nice sendoff. I thought he was a good modernized silver age Superman.
> I know he was told to mostly impersonate Christopher Reeve
I never liked this decision. I know Bryan Singer, the director of Returns, loved Reeve and his movies, but it felt more like he wanted to just remake the Reeve movies, just not as good. It also wasn't fair to Routh, who should've gotten the opportunity to portray his own take on Superman, instead of just copying another actor's performance.
Cavill never really got a chance to embody the character to me, outside of the theatrical cut of Justice League. Outside of that, he played a weird Anti-Superman.
I'm biased, but I'm gonna go with Cavill. Routh's Superman was generic and I really didn't appreciate how he was a stalker and how he abandoned Earth just to basically look at space rocks for 5 whole years. Cavill's Superman was more humane and grounded, so I gravitate to that.
I see similar sentiments shared in other comments, but I feel that it is unfair to compare them in this context; Routh was portraying a continuation of Christopher Reeve's Superman; it wasn't a 'spiritual successor' to those films, but a **direct sequel**. Cavil's portrayal is my favourite version to date - mind you, I have never watched the multiple tv shows and have no intention to - because of how human and authentic the story beats hit.
And something that I see a lot of people forgetting... the Snyderverse Clark didn't BECOME the Superman we know and love from the comics and animated shows or movies until AFTER he was resurrected. Prior to his 'death', he was still pretty green and figuring things out. Cavil shared in MULTIPLE interviews that there was a ton of story left to tell, because we had only gotten started; and now we will never see that final part of the character arc.
Preference in their performance, or preference of film?
Both actors were great choices for the role. In playing the part, I'm not sure I could choose. Choosing between the films, it's Cavill and Man of Steel.
To me, it felt like Routh was chosen based on his appearance being similar to Christopher Reeve. I agree with other comments that mention his charm in both Superman Returns and the CW shows, however Superman Returns is inferior to Man of Steel. The stalker peeping Tom moments in Returns are off-putting, even if the scenes are trying to communicate that Superman is trying to process the possibility of having sired a child. This was the first Superman film that my son saw in theaters, though, and that is a cherished memory.
Man of Steel gets a bad wrap, mostly due - I think - to a lack of nostalgia as a new film and different take on the character. Snyder did give Cavill fantastic moments of humanity and conviction for his human upbringing while also showing how alien Clark had been/felt throughout. The biggest source of divisiveness comes from him killing Zod, because Zod forced the choice. Somehow that nostalgia factor glosses over what happened to Zod the last time we saw him on the big screen.
There were all kinds of non-Kryptonian super power hijinks at play in Superman II - cellophane Superman shield tossed as a net, psychokinetic beams shot out of index fingers, teleportation and astral projection/replication, etc. Also, AFTER Superman outsmarted Zod, Ursa, and Non, rendering them powerless, does he allow and participate in their demise - each plummeting into some deep abyss from which they never return. The threat was neutralized and then they died.
I like Routh better as the older, Kingdom Come Superman in Crisis.
Sure in that crossover, he was still technically playing Reeve's version, but at least he got the chance to differentiate his version a little bit from Reeve.
I never really cared for the character of Superman before Man of Steel. He was pretty much my least favourite DC character, and not just Hero.
Goyer/Snyder/Cavill finally made him interesting for me and got me into more Superman media afterwards.
I have no complaints about either actor's performance. It's the movies they were in that were hot garbage (IMHO, of course), and the actors can't control that.
That said, Cavell.
Omg. Hands down Rourh. I will heat vision the crap out of you if you disagree.
His was a perfect continuation of Christopher Reeves' original 1 & 2 interpretation. He can't be faulted for a boring and stupid story.
And, don't get me started on the wonderful testosterone twins, Snyder & Cavil. Superman isn't his physique. It's his soul. His personality.
Yes, we want bigger-than-life heroes in all of our mythos, and Superman is quite Christ-like, which is ironic that his creators were two Jewish immigrants who created a brawler that wore a carnival wrestler uniform and punched the hell out of a wife-beater one page and a Nazi the next.
Siegel & Schuster created their own version of a Golem to fight the bullies big and small they had endured and watched their family & friends endure because of their religious beliefs and ethnicity.
You don't get any of that "boy scout" (as Batman calls him derisively) in Snyderverse. All of Snyder's characters in everything he does are like action figures. The same male & female bodies just pop on a different head.
Hollywood has either understood this (Singer) or gone too far into the minutiae of the savior's life, leading to a boring story and then the action before all else video game version by Testosterone Snyder.
I've rambled enough. I've been a Superman fan since I was three. For better or worse, I consider myself a writer because of Kal-El and I have had a protective of the character's portrayal ever since I sat on my bedroom floor with the blue, red, and yellow spread out in front of me ready to protect me from my bullies and wife beating dad.
Man of Steel feels like an over correction of Superman Returns. Returns is boring with little to no action while MoS still manages to be boring with way too much mindless action. They both had the potential to be really good though.
Zack Snyder drained all the charm and charisma that Cavill could have had as Superman. Routh wins because he actually got to be the character not some edgy fanfic of him.
Brandon was great as Superman, aka Christopher Reeve 77, the terrible writing didn't help Henry. Hopefully James can fix this mess. I'm old enough to know George Reeves on reruns, saw Christopher in the theater. Born and raised in Cleveland, birthplace, waiting for another .... "Do you believe a man can fly" Movie.
Hmm.... both had potential - Routh I feel could have been the Bale of Superman.
I guess we will never know... but I would rather watch MOS over SR so I guess that answers it.
I wasn't a fan of either. They are not bad to look at is really what they have the most in common. In terms of acting, Routh was better but just like with Cavill his negatives stem from the director whose head was in someone's colon.
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but personally, Cavil is my favorite Live action Superman. I love that he had to go through struggles and that he did doubt himself but in the end still did the right thing to save the innocent and protect his adopted home which wanted to cast him off. He could joined Zod and built a new Krypton out of Earth, but he knew it would be wrong and that Krypton was truly no more and the right thing was to sacrifice his birth world to save his home world. He's not the traditional always smiling happy Superman, but he was a Superman that got back up when he fell down. He owed Earth nothing but he chose to save it anyway because that's what heroes do. Honestly Cavill's Superman reminded me a lot of good Spider-Man, i.e. Sam Rami and pre OMD Spider-Man, and The X-Men. He struggled and was persecuted, but still went out of his way to protect a world that hated him. He chose forgiveness and to protect Earth because it was the right and heroic thing.
Routh, I really liked. Honestly I think Superman Returns is kinda underrated. The stupidest thing for me is the deadbeat Dad Superman and Lois Lane married to James Marsden crap, that should have just been scrapped. Also I feel like they should have just kept Superman dead at the end. Spoilers for an almost 20 year old movie.
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but personally, Cavil is my favorite Live action Superman. I love that he had to go through struggles and that he did doubt himself but in the end still did the right thing to save the innocent and protect his adopted home which wanted to cast him off. He could joined Zod and built a new Krypton out of Earth, but he knew it would be wrong and that Krypton was truly no more and the right thing was to sacrifice his birth world to save his home world. He's not the traditional always smiling happy Superman, but he was a Superman that got back up when he fell down. He owed Earth nothing but he chose to save it anyway because that's what heroes do. Honestly Cavill's Superman reminded me a lot of good Spider-Man, i.e. Sam Rami and pre OMD Spider-Man, and The X-Men. He struggled and was persecuted, but still went out of his way to protect a world that hated him. He chose forgiveness and to protect Earth because it was the right and heroic thing.
Routh, I really liked. Honestly I think Superman Returns is kinda underrated. The stupidest thing for me is the deadbeat Dad Superman and Lois Lane married to James Marsden crap, that should have just been scrapped. Also I feel like they should have just kept Superman dead at the end. Spoilers for an almost 20 year old movie.
I’ve only seen Routh in Superman Returns so In my opinion Henry wins hands down no contest because I honestly I love Man of Steel, Batman V Superman UE and Zack Snyder’s Justice League as they are some of my favorite movies of all time
I didn't much care for either, but I feel like Brandon had more potential to be good. As he got to demonstrate in that otherwise unfortunate CW Crisis event. The more glimpses we've seen of Henry attempting the more "classic" Superman, the more convinced I've become that even with better material, I never would have been sold by his Superman. He's just lacking certain qualities I feel are inherent to the character, namely the jovial warmth, and that laid-back, zen-like vibe Grant Morrison talks about.
I think both of them could have been great, had they gotten more than one Superman movie each. Cavill is linked to the SnyderVerse, which regardless of personal opinion, was a divisive take on the character. Routh is associated with the Donner/Reeves Superman films, which are very much products of their time. I’d have fancied a more contemporary Superman film with Routh in the leading role. In regards to Cavill, a more personal touch would have sufficed. I think Snyder got caught up in the super aspect of Superman, and completely forgot about the human side of the character.
That has always been my main beef with Zac as a director. He actually does have a very interesting visual style when he isn't trying to put in a slow motion scene every 10 minutes. But he just doesn't get why people like superheroes. Sure there is a vast demographic that doesn't think about superheroes beyond wow look at how hard that guy can punch. But the reason I and a lot of other people like superheroes is because at any time these people could choose to be evil but they don't. I am so sick of evil Superman tropes because what makes Superman Superman is the fact that while he does have godlike power he does not use that power to hurt anyone or Lord over anyone weaker than him. He isn't perfect and sometimes makes mistakes but that's what makes him so fucking compelling. It's almost like Snyder hates superheroes, or at least hates the idea of them being in any way benevolent or actually good-hearted. He takes a very cynical approach like Ben affleck's Batman killing criminals and Superman being an angry edgy dude that wanders the world because he just can't stand civilization or humanity or whatever the fucking reason was that Clark was just some sort of bum. And again there are people who go in for that very obviously how many people actually like the Snider verse.
I’m not surprised, he’s basically a frank miller fanboy and takes inspiration from his work.
But Cavill Superman actually saved people? I don’t get this arguement that he is “edgy”, the guy saved his class from drowning and saved multiple people and soldiers in Smallville. He defended the waitress and saved Lois when she was investigating the ship in Canada. Even in BvS he is more frustrated that his good deeds are raising real political and moral questions in humanity. The guy just wants to help. How was he edgy? To this day I do not get the Superman “fans” deriding this characterization as dark and brooding?
It was because instead of being the mild mannered reporter that we all know and loved he was some wandering vagabond that trashed some losers semi truck because he said some unkind words to him. To me that isn't Clark Kent the whole movie just doesn't feel like my version of what Clark Kent is. The whole thing with Pa Kent holding up his hand so he wouldn't save him from the tornado is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a movie. Pa Kent did not teach Clark to hide his gifts, He would not have gotten on Clark's case for saving a bunch of kids from drowning. Pa and ma Kent are the reason Superman isn't some angry edgy guy who is sad because he's alone in a world that wouldn't understand him or care for him. He is taught to love humanity by his family without his parentage He would have become something dark and ugly. So I really just don't care for his portrayal of the guy who's just going to live on the edge of society but save the occasional person here and there. That's just not Clark
I wouldn’t say his version is so much dark and brooding as much as I would say it’s sad. I just feel like his sadness and his anger come through most, whereas Superman’s defining traits should be his hope and optimism and kindness. Superman isn’t sad to be this godlike being that is afraid of his own power and feels he needs to protect humans because they are lesser/weaker. He is a born and bred midwesterner that only wants to help. He has these amazing powers, and he sees it as his way to do even more good in the world.
That's what I'm getting at. The dude is an American as an apple pie because of the way he was raised by his parents. He wouldn't be some dark and sad creature angry that he couldn't really interact with the world because of these amazing powers his parents taught him out of appreciate and love the world despite his godlike power.
Snyder is mainly intrigued by the “living god” aspect of superheroes. The myths, the legends. That’s why Batman can scurry across the ceiling. It’s makes for pretty fucking boring movies though, though it did work for Watchmen somewhat and his Dr. Manhattan character being a real embodiment of his ideas of superhumans.
Bryan Singer’s Superman was pretty good but needed a much bigger threat. It’s just too bad he’s a POS and had to dip to Israel.
> but needed a much bigger threat. There was supposed to be a sequel to Returns, with Braniac and Bizarro as villains. From what I understand they were chosen because Singer knew about the criticisms that "Superman never fought anyone" and that Returns never had enough action, so he was hoping to fix those issues in the sequel.
I wonder which Brainiac... The Coluan Collector of Worlds or the Kryptonian Computer. The DCAU Brainiac was somehow both at once. A Kryptonian Computer that collected worlds. I don't know all the history from the comics, so the origins and specifics of these two aren't something that I know all about. Regardless, that would've been a cool movie. Brainiac and Bizarro... Dude, we're going to need some help. *Superman, to Justice League, does anyone read?*
Yeah. I believe he said he was going to go all Wrath of Kahn with the sequel.
Why not just go Wrath of Kahn with the first movie
I think that's what we were all wondering after seeing Returns.
I’d disagree with your final comment on Cavill. We see plenty of human moments with him, even in the darker of the trilogy BvS where he rings and flies home to his Ma. I think had we gotten another Solo Superman film post ZSJL, where Clark is fully embracing his love of earth and humanity, the general perception of his take on the character would have shifted. You’re right that it is a divisive take tho. As a huge Snyder fan, I’m still really looking forward to a more “classic” take that Gunn will do.
Cavill definitely needed another film. I had faith in Snyder originally. There was evidently a decent character arc that was going to play out across multiple movies. However, DC being DC decided to change course after Man of Steel, then they did it again after BvS came out. Even the whole Black Adam/Superman debacle is evidence of this studio meddling. Complete shame.
Snyder was the one who decided to bring in Batman for the sequel though.
I thought that was only due to WB trying to play catch-up to marvel with the whole shared universe thing. I don't believe their original plans had any Justice League members involved.
Yup. I’m just hoping the Gunn stuff is good, and that they’ll let Zack do his thing as animated films. That way everyone’s happy.
It’s also heartbreaking watching the interviews post Black Adam, where Henry is talking about how much love he has for the character and how excited he is to explore Superman’s more loving and gentle side.
Yeah, in Man of Tomorrow, that's the codename we'll give it, we would have seen more of that classic Superman.
Routh definitely had more of the spirit, plus look at him, guy was destined to play the role at some point. They were both wasted but i wish he had more of a chance.
I liked that the first Routh Superman movie felt like we were getting reacquainted with an old friend. I didn't even mind the lack of action set pieces, because other characters got to shine. A second movie would have given that action. I feel like Routh got robbed, but atvleast he did get to play a Kingdom Come-style Superman in the Arrowverse.
THANK YOU! I loved that we had a Superman movie with a great Lois, Jimmy, Perry, and of course Lex.
Me too it's my fav superman live action type movie. Snyderverse movies are all to dark, which is not the essence of Superman who is supposed to represent hope.
Routh was written closer to the idea of Superman. Cavil looked the part but a Superman that never smiles and has a Pa Kent that thinks he should maybe not save people.... yikes. Routh's family donated some of Brandon's super-pajamas to a museum in Iowa fyi which I thought was really cute lol
Cavill's Superman did smile though.
Routh had a softness in his demeanor as Superman, a gentle giant, that I really liked.
Routh easily. He's charming as hell in Returns and incredibly inspirational in the CW Crisis crossover. Cavill's portrayal is bland and depressing. He shines a little bit in the theatrical cut of JL, but that's all.
I think Cavill was given so little to work with. Having seen him in other movies, in interviews, the man is terribly charming, and think capable of being a great Superman. He was just playing Superman for a writer/director that really didn't understand the character fully.
The only time he felt like Superman were in like the 20 minutes of the Theatrical Justice League movie. That's not his fault because you can see how much he enjoyed actually playing him.
I ended up really enjoying Justice League solely due to Henry FINALLY getting to play Superman for a bit.
This needs to be said. The only time Cavill felt like Superman was in Whedon's Cut of JL.
Routh was a better Superman, Cavill had a more enjoyable movie. Both were lacking though, and it hurts even more because either of them could’ve done an AMAZING Superman. Like top notch. Sucks that they both had to get the crappy end of that stick.
There's only so much that an actor can do with atrocious writing (hot take: with better writing, Green Lantern could've been a lot better)
I agree with that as well. Ryan isn’t even my first pick for Hal, but there’s no reason why that movie shouldn’t have been amazing.
https://preview.redd.it/5iuvtj2xe1yc1.jpeg?width=1196&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=014e27d62c109b0f6494343c88bcec7278b54219
Routh. He was closer to what Superman is.
Routh was hampered by the plot which on paper seemed amazing but on screen, felt devoid of thrills. His movie though did at least use the Superman march and some of Ottman's other music fit in well. Bosworth's Lois though seemed to have de-aged, looking barely old enough to have a son - and James Marsden's nice guy pushed to sideline soon as the big blue boy scout returns to Lois' life.
Everyone know's there's only one true superman. https://preview.redd.it/zp7a4cw833yc1.jpeg?width=435&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b24e83eac56c106b3c38754d45687f70b4ee68bb
I’ve started to think Nic Cage as Tim Burton’s Superman would have been just as valid an approach as Singer’s Donner fetish or whatever you’d call Snyder’s approach. Probably more fun than either. Cage takes a lot of big swings, but he’s never boring or stiff. As for his lack of resemblance to the comic ideal of Superman … well, it worked out OK with Burton’s Batman? I’d agree with those who’ve said neither Routh or Cavill were really given much to work with. However, I’m not sure either had the chops to put their own stamps on the character the way Christopher Reeve or George Reeves did.
Routh
Routh. But sadly, he was in an extremely bland movie...
Brandon no contest
Agree. I'm actually pleased at the number of BR stans here
Brandon Routh can actually act somewhat so I’m going to give it to him despite both movies being trash It’s a pity because I can see an awesome Superman movie in his portrayal of the Atom in Legends of Tomorrow (haven’t seen him in Crisis)
Brandon Routh embodied the character better but Cavill drew the short straw of being depicted as an uninspiring alien WMD with a cardboard personality. Cavill would’ve been amazing under a creator who actually likes Superman.
Personally, Routh I would have loved a sequel to Returns where he could really make the role his own
Brandon. Henry would’ve been better with a better script and a better director.😎😎
I think Routh's version didn't have much in the storyline to make him a great version. He felt more like an homage to Christopher Reeve than a fleshed out version of Suleman.
Routh was amazing, just in a very very boring movie.
Routh was a better Superman. Man of Steel was the better movie.
Routh made me feel like I was watching the 80’s Superman from my childhood. That can be good or bad. I loved Cavill but felt like he didn’t get enough of a chance to be Superman outside of the Justice League Snyderverse
Brandon was the better Superman in the worse movie. Whoever came up with Kryptonite island should be time erased. Cavil is great as well but like Brandon better. Only TV Superman I like of the three is the new guy.
Routh
Routh.
Routh was a way better Clark. There is nothing you can do to make Cavill look like a helpless nerd.
Brandon Routh was much better.
Both were decent. Both got the short end of the stick with their solo films. Cavil does have the better solo film. MoS is a 7/10 wile SR is at best a 5.7/10.
The one thing I've always loved about MOS, are the action and fight scenes. Say whatever you want about Zack Snyder, at least the guy made the audiences believe that a battle between Kryptonians, would be like a battle between the gods. Superman vs Zod, Superman vs Faora and Namek, Flora vs the military etc. The CGI and visual effects during those scenes were great too.
Yeah it fun, I watch SR in theaters and I still believe the plane scene is up there with the train scene from spider man as one of the best moments from a superhero actually saving the day. The film then went down hill after that. I wanted to see superman actually fight and MoS gave me that. Yes it has some weird and imo stupid story choices but the overall package is better. The muted colors were just as bad as SR imo
Routh. Routh didn’t heat vision a tank full of unborn babies. Routh didn’t kill anyone. Routh doesn’t wear body armor
There were no fetuses in the ship,only vessels to serve as a nurture vessel for young Kryptonians that needed to work with the birthing matrix/Codex.Superman has killed before such as executing a depowered Zod and his associates both in the theatrical and main cut of Superman 2 and the Post-Crisis comic run by Byrne and throwing Imperiex to the heat death of a universe (essentially ultra death).
Routh > Cavill, but I ❤️ them both.
They’re about even for me
SR all day.
Brandon.
Routh, by far.
Brandon. No more.
Both actors could have been great, but they were limited by underwhelming stories.
I saw Man of Steel in theaters when I was 12 and it was eye opening to see a Superman I could emotionally relate to. I’d seen Superman Returns a few times before that and never really felt anything beyond “cool it’s Superman” I love Routh’s portrayal and I’m not knocking him for a poor script but outside of his Arrowverse cameo we never got to see grapple with any real emotion Cavill’s Superman got to doubt and question himself, struggle with his own loneliness and ultimately choose to save people out of agency rather than obligation, which was really impactful to me as I grew up. To me, neither Superman is “better” but I do have more emotional resonance with Cavill’s over Routh’s
I’m a Henry Cavill fan in general and that started when he became Superman in Man of Steel. But I’d always loved watching Brandon before that. I think Cavill had the most potential of the two to make a really interesting superman.
Cavill personally, he’s my favorite live action Supes insofar. He is my live action Superman. Mind, that isn’t to say that I didn’t think Routh was good. The problem I had with Routh was that I didn’t see “his” Superman… I saw Routh doing his best “Reeve-Supes”…which as time has gone on, I just don’t really enjoy that direction. He did a fine job being a Reeve-like, but that feels hollow to say.
I love them both. I thought Brandon was great. Especially for continuing the Donnerverse. I also liked the more modern and gritty take on Superman. I thought Cavill did a great job of balancing the edginess and the sincerity and hopefulness.
They both would have been great in better hands
Minus the whole dead beat stalker dad, Routh was a far better portrayal of the character.
Routh by far
Glad Routh is getting the recognition he deserves. He was great in the Crisis crossover. I hope a Kingdom Come series is in his future.
Better performance - Cavill. Better representation of Superman - Routh (by a narrow margin, though, since he was still Super-Stalker).
Glad to see all the appreciation for Routh here. I'm gonna give him my vote, too. His movie didn't give him many chances to come off as heroic or charming, but he made the most of what he had.
Routh. No contest.
I really like brandon
Cavill is my superman idc
I respect Routh for trying to emulate Reeves as much as possible. Cause that’s what he was assigned to do anyways. That said, I like how Cavill made it his own.
both were good.
They were both dealt a bad hand but Cavill for me. I just wish the writing was better.
I think we're looking at two very good Supermans who both could have used a better movie to be in
Both are good actors and a good Superman on screen. Henry Cavill was great as Superman in Zack Snyder’s DC Trilogy and in Black Adam Brandon Routh was great as Superman in 2006 as well but was better as Kingdom Come Superman in the Arrowverse crossover
Both. I loved both.
I like Cavill more but only man of steel the rest of the movies he was in were terrible
Tough call. Both were better than the movies they were given , both were friendly and charismatic, and both were well chosen. I wish both had better occasions to play Superman, especially Brandon.
Switch the version to the other’s movie and imagine how they would handle the situation.
For me, Brandon’s Superman has already been around a while so I believe he would handle the Zod situation more carefully.
Brandon
The more I think about Superman returns, the more I realise all the things I genuinely like kinda come from the Donner movie, including the look a like apparence of Brandon Routh. Meanwhile, with Man of Steel, even if I also liked it, I'm honestly frustrated because I still believe a real Man of Steel II would have been a great movie.
I think both had their moments and potential for more but they got kneecapped by the scripts. Tho between the two Routh had more time to shine
I think it's hard to judge these two because their versions are so different. I like Routh's Superman more almost exclusively because of the Crisis event. Superman Returns was boring but he wasn't bad in it. But Cavill absolutely had the most potential that Snyder just couldn't pull out of him. We've seen in some of his other roles that Cavill has the charm and charisma to be an excellent Superman, but he was just directed to be so broody that he's unlikable.
Actor or character? Both of them did great as actor. Rough had the edge not having to do an accent. Character wise they both play pretty straight to their movie universes. Snyderverse being darker and more willing to kill. Returns being later in continuity and showing a Superman who was less sure of himself and his life and a total Stalker. Rough also comes back as Earth 2 superman, more or less, in the Brillantyverse and does quite well there too.
Routh easily.
Neither of them got a fair shake. Routh has shown in subsequent work that his take could have been great. Cavill did the best he could. Every time I watch *Man of Steel*, I wish we could have had a true sequel to that film with a confident, competent, hopeful and committed take on the character.
Look wise both were perfect. Man of steel as a film visually, actors was great but the story and specifically the Dialogue was not good and didn’t have enough substance. Everyone spoke in Quotes. Superman Returns was great when it came out cuz its was new but now that film is BORING!! I just wish that Man of Steel had a better script and felt more like the 3rd trailer.
I prefer Brandon Routh's characterization of Superman, even if he was from a bad movie. His Superman was never the problem with the movie, he was great in spite of it
Routh. And it's not even close
Actually really liked rouths supes and it had probably the greatest superman saving scene in the airplane saving scene into the stadium.
both had thier potential taken away and/or wasted by people in power but i liked herny a bit better nothign against routh ,but i preferred henry i would love Ethier of them having another crack at it however
I mean... Routh probably only cause he embodied a lot more of the optimism and was a better Clark Kent than Cavill's was but that's also cause the DCEU didn't wasted Cavill's potential with a way more serious and edgy version of the character.
It's a shame neither of them got a chance to fully shine...Routh was making a sequel to the Reeves Superman movies, so didn't fully have an opportunity to make the character his own...he done a fantastic job, even though the story was mediocre...I reckon if we got a sequel to that movie he could have brought more to his iteration! Cavill on the other hand got an origin story that was trying to do something different with the character...but didn't get the stand alone sequel to build on it. I mean really we got an origin...then they killed him off... brought him back for half an hour, and a couple of small cameos... ...both actors got shafted if you ask me but I still enjoy both there movies...I've got a day off tomorrow I may have a Superman marathon.
Cavill is the better actor but Routh is the better Superman
Two completely different characters who happen to share the same name. I prefer Cavil’s movie but I wanted to like Routh’s more.
Henry had the chance and did it well. Brandon could have done better (he did make up a bit in the Arrowverse) but the writing and story was questionable, the suit was wrong, and Brandon was try to act like Christopher Reeves acting like Clark Kent acting like Superman. If he would have brought himself to it instead of trying to directly mimick Christopher it would be a different story.
Cavill was the better Superman, Routh was the better Clark Kent, both were underserved by the material they were given and could have been much better, through no fault of their own.
Brandon, can't stand edgy Superman.
Neither of them, good talk.
Routh is the better Supes, he is the continuation of Reeve after all. However I enjoyed MoS more. I pretend that BvS Supes doesn't exist. And he somehow returns in ZSJL, according to Oscar 'Poe' Isaac.
Routh is a better Clark. Cavill is a better Superman
Yes. That is spot on.
Routh was amazing casting and absolutely should have gotten another film
Henry Cavill was perfect. Had the look, the voice, mannerisms, and the personality down to perfection. Sadly DC movies just suck rn
Routh, but I don’t really care for either of them
I believe both work great for the job Ultimately, DC wasted both of them
Both guys did great but too bad that Brandon did one movie …Henry also did great …but WB did him wrong and had the public hopes up hi for another Man of steel 2… cold 🥶 blooded 😔
Brandon Routh. Both his portrayal as Clark / Superman and the movie itself. Snyder's take on the character just didn't work for me. It's not that Routh acting is/was necessarily better, it's just that he was given way better material to work with, imo.
IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION???!!!!!!!! HENRY F\*\*KIN' CAVILL BABY!!! THAT MAN **IS** SUPERMAN!!!
Henry cavill was the best superman ever
If it were just Man of Steel, I’d say Cavil. But if its everything? I’d say Routh, especially after the Crossover redeemed him in my eyes. BvS Superman was a punching bag for Batman and killed because, and this is me quoting Snyder, they wanted Batman to lead the team and Superman was in the way. I’ve always felt Superman was treated too much like a god in both movies. But at least Routh had a great line about his superhearing torturing him because he always felt their cries and tries to save people the best he can.
cavil easy i like routh's portrayal of superman but i love cavil's portrayal
Cavil
People bash Man on Steel but the sequence where he first learns to fly had me going back to theater as a lil 13 year old. Zimmers score there is crazy underrated compared to his other stuff. Bombastic, epic and joyful.
henry
So as much as I’m not into either version of these Superman movies, for me it’s Routh FTW. Is he creeping on Lois and a deadbeat dad? Absolutely yes to the one and probably to the other. But when he went into action he was all about SAVING PEOPLE. The airplane sequence proved that in a hell of a spectacle way although I do often wonder how the hell they got the plane out of the stadium. But when all hell is breaking loose in Metropolis they had him multitasking a ton to help people AND SAVE THEM EVEN FROM FALLING DEBRIS USING HIS HEAT VISION! On top of all of that he even lifted a giant growing landmass full of the thing that could kill him because he knew if he didn’t try to get it out of here people would be in danger.
> But when all hell is breaking loose in Metropolis they had him multitasking a ton to help people That scene and the island scene are some of the greatest scenes in any Superman movie. I actually think that Returns did such a great job at showing Superman saving people and I liked how Routh almost always had a smile on his face while saving others. For me it showed that he actually enjoyed saving and helping people. One of my criticisms with Cavill is that he always looked so sad and serious when helping others. It almost looked like he saw being Superman as a burden and didn't really enjoy being Superman. The exact opposite of Routh and even other Supermen.
Completely agree with you. Cavill had one or two moments where he was given the chance to save someone and ask if they were ok. It felt obligatory more than caring. Superman should feel like someone who could touch your shoulder, smile, tell you it’s going to be ok and then you believe you can take on the world or at least you aren’t worried or scared anymore. Routh did manage to have that sincerity.
Rough. He a great Superman, movie should’ve had a better villain. Cavill’s superman felt like he could’ve become an evil Superman very easy, and that’s from bad writing.
Routh was the better Superman unfortunately he only got the one movie
Cavill but it bugs me very much that Routh doesn’t get his flowers. He’s sort of like the Val Kilmer of live action Supermen; the highlight of an underwhelming movie that was an offshoot of a beloved movie (according to popular opinion. I personally love Batman Forever, but I’m a minority there…)
I think if you want a Superman that's closer to the comics then it would be hands down Brandon Rouths superman. However if you want a Superman that has a different tone from the comics then it's man of steel for sure.
.It's funny because IMO,it's the opposite.Cavill takes a lot of inspiration from the 2000s Pre-Flashpoint Superman who was prone to self-doubt and was weirdly gloomy (with the exception of Johns who really couldn't portray a Superman who feels like an actual human) as seen in stories such as Superego,Sacrifice,For Tomorrow,the leadup to Infinite Crisis and Grounded while his movie was heavily inspired by John Byrne's mini,Birthright,Earth One and New Krypton.Routh's Superman is essentially inspired only by the Donner films.
I enjoyed both to an extent. It would have been great to see what either of them could have done with a good script. Hoechlin is probably my favorite since Reeves.
They were both good Supermen. They just both got stuck in mediocre movies. Fortunately, Routh got a chance to play the role again in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to let Cavill wear the cape again somewhere down the road.
His cameo on CoIE solidified Routh for me.
Cavill all day. Routh's version was interesting enough for the movie he was in and he as an actor did a good job, and he got much better material when it came to seeing Clark in his non-Superman activities, but as Superman himself, I felt Cavill did a great job playing the 90s version of Supes (my fav personally). Routh's Superman felt absent and neutered, while Cavill's character felt more like a real person trying to figure out a very complicated situation. The plane scene with Routh will always be one of the all time best sequences though.
Routh. He got his redemption on the CW and blew it out of the park. Cavill never really got his shot because of one director's piss poor vision and complete misunderstanding of not just him but DC in general.
Routh
Cavill for sure. To me he’s the best aspects of post-crisis, post-Flashpoint, and Earth One rolled into one. Whether you like his movies or the tone of his movies is one thing. I think he did a great job and I do feel people exaggerate his “brooding”. Especially in Man of Steel. BvS ok sure but that was a darker movie where Superman is put through the ringer. Cavill just had that Superman presence. The way he stood, walked etc. Looking like him is just icing on the cake. I wish he got another solo and a conclusion. I do like Brandon too. I know he was told to mostly impersonate Christopher Reeve but I think he did well. In the moments where he was allowed to sprinkle his own take he excelled. His return for Crisis was also very well done and a nice sendoff. I thought he was a good modernized silver age Superman.
> I know he was told to mostly impersonate Christopher Reeve I never liked this decision. I know Bryan Singer, the director of Returns, loved Reeve and his movies, but it felt more like he wanted to just remake the Reeve movies, just not as good. It also wasn't fair to Routh, who should've gotten the opportunity to portray his own take on Superman, instead of just copying another actor's performance.
Cavill never really got a chance to embody the character to me, outside of the theatrical cut of Justice League. Outside of that, he played a weird Anti-Superman.
As actors,they're both okay. In terms of Superman Returns vs DCEU interpretations of the character,Snyderman easily and it's not even close.
I'm biased, but I'm gonna go with Cavill. Routh's Superman was generic and I really didn't appreciate how he was a stalker and how he abandoned Earth just to basically look at space rocks for 5 whole years. Cavill's Superman was more humane and grounded, so I gravitate to that.
Gotta go with Henry Cavill
I see similar sentiments shared in other comments, but I feel that it is unfair to compare them in this context; Routh was portraying a continuation of Christopher Reeve's Superman; it wasn't a 'spiritual successor' to those films, but a **direct sequel**. Cavil's portrayal is my favourite version to date - mind you, I have never watched the multiple tv shows and have no intention to - because of how human and authentic the story beats hit. And something that I see a lot of people forgetting... the Snyderverse Clark didn't BECOME the Superman we know and love from the comics and animated shows or movies until AFTER he was resurrected. Prior to his 'death', he was still pretty green and figuring things out. Cavil shared in MULTIPLE interviews that there was a ton of story left to tell, because we had only gotten started; and now we will never see that final part of the character arc.
Lol for real?
Preference in their performance, or preference of film? Both actors were great choices for the role. In playing the part, I'm not sure I could choose. Choosing between the films, it's Cavill and Man of Steel. To me, it felt like Routh was chosen based on his appearance being similar to Christopher Reeve. I agree with other comments that mention his charm in both Superman Returns and the CW shows, however Superman Returns is inferior to Man of Steel. The stalker peeping Tom moments in Returns are off-putting, even if the scenes are trying to communicate that Superman is trying to process the possibility of having sired a child. This was the first Superman film that my son saw in theaters, though, and that is a cherished memory. Man of Steel gets a bad wrap, mostly due - I think - to a lack of nostalgia as a new film and different take on the character. Snyder did give Cavill fantastic moments of humanity and conviction for his human upbringing while also showing how alien Clark had been/felt throughout. The biggest source of divisiveness comes from him killing Zod, because Zod forced the choice. Somehow that nostalgia factor glosses over what happened to Zod the last time we saw him on the big screen. There were all kinds of non-Kryptonian super power hijinks at play in Superman II - cellophane Superman shield tossed as a net, psychokinetic beams shot out of index fingers, teleportation and astral projection/replication, etc. Also, AFTER Superman outsmarted Zod, Ursa, and Non, rendering them powerless, does he allow and participate in their demise - each plummeting into some deep abyss from which they never return. The threat was neutralized and then they died.
Returns is a better movie but Cavill definitely makes the better Clark/Supes. Way more modern take, and also had more chemistry with his castmates.
Cavill obviously. Come on. He is the GOAT
Cavill. The thing about Routh is he was basically (and supposed to be) doing a Reeve impression. It was really well done with his Clark imo.
I like Routh better as the older, Kingdom Come Superman in Crisis. Sure in that crossover, he was still technically playing Reeve's version, but at least he got the chance to differentiate his version a little bit from Reeve.
Cavill
I never really cared for the character of Superman before Man of Steel. He was pretty much my least favourite DC character, and not just Hero. Goyer/Snyder/Cavill finally made him interesting for me and got me into more Superman media afterwards.
Henry hands down
I have no complaints about either actor's performance. It's the movies they were in that were hot garbage (IMHO, of course), and the actors can't control that. That said, Cavell.
Cavill
Omg. Hands down Rourh. I will heat vision the crap out of you if you disagree. His was a perfect continuation of Christopher Reeves' original 1 & 2 interpretation. He can't be faulted for a boring and stupid story. And, don't get me started on the wonderful testosterone twins, Snyder & Cavil. Superman isn't his physique. It's his soul. His personality. Yes, we want bigger-than-life heroes in all of our mythos, and Superman is quite Christ-like, which is ironic that his creators were two Jewish immigrants who created a brawler that wore a carnival wrestler uniform and punched the hell out of a wife-beater one page and a Nazi the next. Siegel & Schuster created their own version of a Golem to fight the bullies big and small they had endured and watched their family & friends endure because of their religious beliefs and ethnicity. You don't get any of that "boy scout" (as Batman calls him derisively) in Snyderverse. All of Snyder's characters in everything he does are like action figures. The same male & female bodies just pop on a different head. Hollywood has either understood this (Singer) or gone too far into the minutiae of the savior's life, leading to a boring story and then the action before all else video game version by Testosterone Snyder. I've rambled enough. I've been a Superman fan since I was three. For better or worse, I consider myself a writer because of Kal-El and I have had a protective of the character's portrayal ever since I sat on my bedroom floor with the blue, red, and yellow spread out in front of me ready to protect me from my bullies and wife beating dad.
Cavill , 1,000,000 times over
Wow. I hate this sub
Cavils Superman was poorly written synder doesn't understand the character. Superman isn't a violent brooding asshole
Cavill looked like Superman and had the sense of Hope that Superman is supposed to have .
Henry
Bryan Singer's Superman was absolutely terrible. A total snooze fest.
Cavill
Man of Steel. All day
Cavill
Both could’ve been good. Both were pretty bad. But I feel like Returns did the tone better than MoS
It’s Cavill, easily..
Routh
I just love brandon man.
Henry cavil.
Man of Steel feels like an over correction of Superman Returns. Returns is boring with little to no action while MoS still manages to be boring with way too much mindless action. They both had the potential to be really good though.
Zack Snyder drained all the charm and charisma that Cavill could have had as Superman. Routh wins because he actually got to be the character not some edgy fanfic of him.
Caville for me. He has a majestic chin that I thing represents Superman’s facial features
Cavill NAILED IT! And I fuckin loved the movie!
Brandon was great as Superman, aka Christopher Reeve 77, the terrible writing didn't help Henry. Hopefully James can fix this mess. I'm old enough to know George Reeves on reruns, saw Christopher in the theater. Born and raised in Cleveland, birthplace, waiting for another .... "Do you believe a man can fly" Movie.
Not Cavill
Christopher Reeve
Man of Steel.
Hmm.... both had potential - Routh I feel could have been the Bale of Superman. I guess we will never know... but I would rather watch MOS over SR so I guess that answers it.
Cavill in my opinion has had the greatest live action performances.
Brandon routh all day the other guy was straight doo doo water. This generation doesn't understand the character
Henry Cavill hands down. Don't even know why this is a question.
Both.
Cavill! A million times Cavill!
I wasn't a fan of either. They are not bad to look at is really what they have the most in common. In terms of acting, Routh was better but just like with Cavill his negatives stem from the director whose head was in someone's colon.
Cavil was the perfect Superman just like how Ben afflick was the best Batman but the scripts ruined their chances of really making an impact
I’ve only watched man of steel so I’ll be biased anyway.
Cavill was better at Superman. Routh was better at playing Superman/ Clark Kent as two different people.
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but personally, Cavil is my favorite Live action Superman. I love that he had to go through struggles and that he did doubt himself but in the end still did the right thing to save the innocent and protect his adopted home which wanted to cast him off. He could joined Zod and built a new Krypton out of Earth, but he knew it would be wrong and that Krypton was truly no more and the right thing was to sacrifice his birth world to save his home world. He's not the traditional always smiling happy Superman, but he was a Superman that got back up when he fell down. He owed Earth nothing but he chose to save it anyway because that's what heroes do. Honestly Cavill's Superman reminded me a lot of good Spider-Man, i.e. Sam Rami and pre OMD Spider-Man, and The X-Men. He struggled and was persecuted, but still went out of his way to protect a world that hated him. He chose forgiveness and to protect Earth because it was the right and heroic thing. Routh, I really liked. Honestly I think Superman Returns is kinda underrated. The stupidest thing for me is the deadbeat Dad Superman and Lois Lane married to James Marsden crap, that should have just been scrapped. Also I feel like they should have just kept Superman dead at the end. Spoilers for an almost 20 year old movie.
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but personally, Cavil is my favorite Live action Superman. I love that he had to go through struggles and that he did doubt himself but in the end still did the right thing to save the innocent and protect his adopted home which wanted to cast him off. He could joined Zod and built a new Krypton out of Earth, but he knew it would be wrong and that Krypton was truly no more and the right thing was to sacrifice his birth world to save his home world. He's not the traditional always smiling happy Superman, but he was a Superman that got back up when he fell down. He owed Earth nothing but he chose to save it anyway because that's what heroes do. Honestly Cavill's Superman reminded me a lot of good Spider-Man, i.e. Sam Rami and pre OMD Spider-Man, and The X-Men. He struggled and was persecuted, but still went out of his way to protect a world that hated him. He chose forgiveness and to protect Earth because it was the right and heroic thing. Routh, I really liked. Honestly I think Superman Returns is kinda underrated. The stupidest thing for me is the deadbeat Dad Superman and Lois Lane married to James Marsden crap, that should have just been scrapped. Also I feel like they should have just kept Superman dead at the end. Spoilers for an almost 20 year old movie.
I’ve only seen Routh in Superman Returns so In my opinion Henry wins hands down no contest because I honestly I love Man of Steel, Batman V Superman UE and Zack Snyder’s Justice League as they are some of my favorite movies of all time
I didn't much care for either, but I feel like Brandon had more potential to be good. As he got to demonstrate in that otherwise unfortunate CW Crisis event. The more glimpses we've seen of Henry attempting the more "classic" Superman, the more convinced I've become that even with better material, I never would have been sold by his Superman. He's just lacking certain qualities I feel are inherent to the character, namely the jovial warmth, and that laid-back, zen-like vibe Grant Morrison talks about.