Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls Who is your favorite in the role?

God like super heroes make me itch, so I perfer Dean's less strident interpretation of the Man of Steel.His Superman seemed like some one who in deed wanted to " help", rather than impose. I dont have a problem with Dean's height. The average American male is about 5'9 to about 6'. For Clark to "fit in " and for the Kent persona to work, he was just right.Also loved how Dean wore the cape.
Oh yeah, Teri's Lois was good too.

Well it’s kind of leading question on a L&C fanboard..

For me, Lois and Clark takes every role with the possibly exceptions of Smallvilles Luthor but I haven’t seen much of that show but I liked the added depths, then again I really enjoy Shea as the megalomanic Luthor, talking to his dog about how great he is. Luthor in the movies did nothing for me. They are just angry and evil just because. (Just as Superman is nice and good just because).

Now many doesn’t like Dean Cain’s Superman. They think he is silly compared to Reeves august portrayal of him. The thing is though that they play different supermen.
Reeves classical superman can juggle worlds, turn back time, has the entire science of Krypton accessible and has an IQ that makes Einstein look mentally handicapped. He is Superman perfectly content with protecting a species immensely inferior to him in every imaginable way, for some reason with a fetish for the American way.

Now the L&C Superman doesn’t enjoy being separated from humanity, because he has struggled his entire life to be one. He doesn’t want to be treated differently yet he is forced to become Superman because can’t just sit and watch when he so easily can alleviate the suffering of this world. He is the reluctant hero, afraid of power and alienation, that’s why he plays with children, acts goofy and doesn’t care to project an aura of majesty, he doesn’t want humanity see him as an alien or a god. While the classical superman is a Kryptonian first and foremost and has no problem with detachment and being different.(Making Clark Kent a meaningless shell.)
This is also what makes the Superman Lois love story work, if he is a content product of a immensly superior civilization with a towering intellect what possible interest could he have in Lois Lane?
It's like a human male interested in a female monkey.

So therefore it's a matter of which Superman you prefer. I prefer Byrnes because it gives Superman enormously more depth. The latter also explains the suit much better since it’s silly not majestic, a statement that Superman despite his godlike powers are not to be feared.
Like in the exchange with Vixen:
When it comes physique I also prefer Caine. Many complains about his length and he has been called midgetman, sure he is isn’t towering over people (then again I never felt that he was short either), but he has supermans proportions. If you see the comics Superman has the mass of a refrigator taller then most, and just as broad, a Schwarzenegger, Mr Universe like build if you will, this Reeves and Routh lacked, they look like maypoles. To me it’s make them look wimpy. Coupled with their beauty even effeminate.
Caine OTOH moves like a wrestler or footballer a man that carries a serious frame. That is more Superman to me then simply towering height.

Caine is also the only one that been allowed to play Clark Kent instead of a bumbling caricature so it’s just impossible to compare that role.

And of course Terry Hatcher simply nailed the role as Lois Lane. She is the benchmark. None else have ever come close IMO.

That's a good take on Superman and Clark Kent, Arawn. You explain very well why you prefer Cain's Superman over Reeve's and Routh's. And while I liked Chris Reeve's majestic Superman, I have to agree with you here: if Superman was for real, I'd prefer that he was like Dean Cain's version of him rather than like Chris Reeve's.

Ann

Yes, Arawn you explained it well. I could never figure out why I preferred Dean's Superman to others but you nailed it. For me even as a kid George R was too old for me in the Superman role. And I always felt that everyone's view on Chris R as the best Superman seemed to stem from his tragic horse accident not really his performance. I had never heard anyone voice how great a Superman he was until that happend.

I also feel that Dean's "average" man's height works better in try to hide his being Superman. Both Chris and Brandon's greater height for me would work as a disadvantage. I'm not quite
5 ft 4 inches so a man who is more than about
6 ft makes me feel uncomfortable. My father and brothers we either 6 ft or 6' 1" and while I always felt short around them I noticed that someone taller than them made we feel dwarfed. It all plays back into that Godlike feeling and I want my hero to struggle with life and to feel equal to me not above me.

In the Superman movies where he has to give up his powers and "become" one of us to be with Lois points to the "Godlike" status of Superman in the movies.

Though I have enjoyed the Superman movies I will always prefer LnC.

I have to say, coming from a 6'7" standpoint, 6' or 6'1" just doesn't seem tall to me. The line starts at about 6'4". That's why I can only view Chris Reeves as being tall. That said, I completely understand Arawn's analysis of the debate. Personally, I think Superman should set himself up as a semi-idol, because that's what most humanity is comfortable with. He is an idol because of his abilities, but only while he uses his abilities. While he uses none, he is no more than any other person of his personality.

It is hoped this semi-idoldom does not demand virgin sacrifice.

Definitely not. What I mean by idol is kind of like
Michael Jordan. Was he a god? No. But his abilities gave him great fame, as do many athletes, and they try to use that fame to encourage others.

Well, in our local Toys 'R' Us store, there used to stand a Superman-statuette (plastic,true color) modeled after Brandon Routh. With only one little difference: This statuette was a little less than life-sized, and as a consequence, he looked rather wimpy. No bulk, no great arms, no charisma - jsut a plain comic figure. Whenever I passed that thing, I was hard pressed to suppress a giggle because he looked so un-super to me. That's how I found out that there's more to Superman than just plain dumb height.

We did this one before a long time ago -- or was it on another board? Anyway, my votes are:

Superman -- Chris Reeve. With the sole exception of the hair (needed a bigger forelock), he really nailed the physical look of the Man of Steel -- and he could act, too! Special mention goes to Bud Collyer; in many ways, his voice work defined a lot of what Superman came to be, and the famous change in voice pitch between Clark and Superman as he changes identities is iconic. I still love those 60s cartoons; anyone wanting to make a Superman series or film should be forced to watch them until they know what Superman (as distinct from Clark) is all about.

Clark -- Dean Cain (big surprise, I know :p ). Dean was helped by being able to play Clark as the real person rather than Reeve's klutz, and also by having the opportunity to expand on Clark's character over the course of the show's run, but he still gave a great performance. All the little aspects of Clark's character that he showed in various episodes make up a delightfully complex person who made a great hero.

Lois -- Teri (another big surprise!). Again, she was helped by the show giving her the time and the opportunity to develop Lois' character, but she still did it so very well. Margot Kidder comes in second, and again she made good use of the little time she had onscreen to develop her version of Lois, as did Dana Delany. All the other Loises have usually been restricted to the damsel-in-distress role, and their work has necessarily suffered for it.

Luthor -- none of the above. To give credit where it's due, John Shea and Clancy Brown did very good post-Crisis Luthors, but I have said many times that the modern Luthor is a moron and an utter wimp compared to the pre-Crisis version, and there has never been a decent dramatic version of the real Luthor. Hackman was played too much for laughs, even though he did menacing very well; but his ego was too obvious, perhaps foreshadowing the modern version, who is 99.9% ego! The other Luthors have basically been characterless villains; the Superboy version may not have been, but I can't comment on him, courtesy of the fools at ITV...

Phil

This is my first post here, yay for me!

I think in addition to picking my favorites I'm going to offer my opinions of several of the other actors as well.

I should preface this by saying I'm definitely not a Superman expert, though I wish I were. The first film I saw was Superman II, then Superman Returns, and Superman. I have not seen III or IV and have been advised not to even bother with IV, haha. I've seen a few of the Original Superman series with George Reeves and only discovered L&C last weekend and am now obsessed with it! I watched Smallville during it's first season but it failed to keep my interest.

There, now that that's out of the way, here's what I have to say.

Superman: As far as this character goes it's really hard for me to pick. I think for me it's Chris Reeve. Dean is adorable, no doubt but as several other people have mentioned he seemed a bit awkward or tense in the spandex. There's definitely a special place in my heart for Brandon Routh, he's what drew me to Superman in the first place and I like that he's drawing new and younger fans to the character, such as I. There's something about George Reeves as Superman though that I find appealing. The idea of Superman may still be an American hero but they seemed to have moved away from the idea that he's "Mr. All-American", fighting for the "American way". I think for the time, George Reeves was a perfect Mr. All-American and did a great job portraying the then-ideals of Superman.

Clark Kent: Dean definitely wins this one. George Reeves was way too suave a Clark for me and Chris was not so much mild mannered but... dorky, lol. I think Brandon did a better job of playing Clark than Chris did, but Dean was the only one who was able to give any depth to the role. I hate Tom Welling as Clark.

Lois: I really didn't hate Kate Bosworth as Lois. When I found out she was in the film I cringed, thinking she was going to ruin the movie for me as Katie Holmes did to the newest installment of Batman movies. But I was pleasantly surprised. I think she captures the look of Lois better than anyone else, but she fell a bit short on portraying her personality. I think my pick is a tie between Margot and Teri. I first saw Teri on Desperate Housewives and only recently started watching L&C so it's hard for me to grasp her in the role of Lois just yet but she does make me laugh a lot.

Lex: While it's interesting to see how Luthor evolved into what he is, as Rosenbaum has portrayed, he's on the bottom half of my list, mostly because I just don't like Smallville. John Shea is a good villain but it really really bothers me that he isn't bald, lol. I'm only halfway through the first season so perhaps that will rectify itself in time. Gene Hackman as Lex is a great criminal mastermind, while Kevin Spacey best embodies the insanity of the Luthor character.


That's my take. I apologize for being so long winded!

Trinity

Can there really be any doubt that Chris Reeve was the best Superman? He was born for that suit. Incidentally, I hate Brandon Routh in that role. I don't think he's good looking at all, and that "new and improved" suit of his -DON'T get me started.

I have absolutely no idea what the hype is about Gene Hackman. He was the most comical Lex Luthor I've ever seen! Spacey did a better job, but still comical. Shea WAS Lex Luthor - suave and frightening. You could see how he was the complete anti-thesis of Superman - truly amoral and psychotic. The others (including Smallville's Rosenbaum) tend to play it more as type of skewed Prometheus - simply making misguided efforts to steal fire from the gods, with a lethal arrogance and over-confidence in their own abilities in dealing with the fallout of such a venture. Sort of accidental villains.

Having said that however, I have to confess that it's not really fair to compare Rosenbaum's Luthor to the others. Lois and Clark started the trend of humanizing the god-like protangonist that was Superman. It showed how divinity did not live separate from mundane humanity but rather was born through it. Similarly, Smallville humanizes the antagonist, by showing how evil is "not a light switch to be thrown, but a journey". Shea, despite his best efforts, was somewhat one-dimensional, as psychotic megalomaniacs necessarily are. Smallville's Lex Luthor catalogues the gradual amalgamation between man and devil. Therefore, the Lex of that series is a many faceted, deep and dynamic character - and Rosenbaum plays it to a tee. Plus, he looks fantastic bald! =D

So, it's a tie really. Shea and Rosenbaum, taken in two completely different contexts.

The first time I saw Teri Hatcher in LnC, I was ten years old and fell in love with her. (I didn't begin crushing on Dean till I turned thirteen and my hormones kicked in) She was the PERFECT Lois Lane - for two and half seasons, at least (She kept getting progressively sappier after that). Hard-as-nails, completely arrogant and driven and yet, completely compassionate and adorable. Why did she not win an award for this again?

I'd say my second choice is Phyllis Coates. I've never seen her in action of course, but from all I've read of her portrayal, I have to say I think she seems to have hit the nail right on the head. Plus, she had this Katherine-Hepburn-type beauty.

Third choice is, surprisingly, Erica Durance. I've said before that I don't like the Lois is Smallville - but then that's mainly the writers' fault. Erica simply doesn't present the softer, feminine side of Lois at all, but she certainly does capture the essential self-confidence and independence of Lois. Not to mention that she sure can kick butt! So I have to give her credit for that.

Margot Kidder and Noel Neil were sweet, but weak. I fail to see that "I'm-a-woman-hear-me-roar" quality in either of them. Kate Bosworth was quite possibly the loveliest Lois Lane, but the script of that movie was so weak that she seemed to do little other than look pretty.

Clark Kent - now here's another mine field. I think it's a close contest between Welling and Dean. Maybe "contest" isn't exactly the right word. Their portrayals are so essentially different contextually that it's hard to find a mutual criteria through which to compare them. Tom is supposed to be acting a teenager, with all the teen angst and immaturity implied therein, while Dean is a well-travelled and self-assured MAN. I think both of them carry their roles off very well (although Tom's lines really suck at times - if I hear the word "destiny" one more time...)

In all fairness though, Dean started out a lot greener than Tom. And before you come after me with pitchforks for that comment, kindly compare the first one and half seasons of SV and LnC. Or rather, just watch Dean. He had no idea what to do with his hands while talking! And he completely lacked subtlety. This is glaringly obvious esp next to Teri's immaculate performance. He only started blooming halfway into the second season, but to his credit, he was wonderful by the time the third season rolled around. He had struck just the right balance between the natural farmboy and worldly reporter.

In contrast, Tom's performance seems to be becoming regressive after the fourth season. Before that he was a delight to watch, with a myriad of moods and reactions. Now his acting seems to have degenerated into only four or five facial expressions. Why is that?

So what was my point with this? Just to make a point that you really can't compare SV and LnC off-hand. They operate in two completely different genres and contexts. In fact, I sometimes think that SV would stand a better stead if it were left out of Superman canon altogether, and compared against Superboy instead. Because isn't that what Smallville's about?

*Scurries off soap-box and runs for cover*

By the way, Trinity - welcome to FoLCdom! It's great to see new blood join in our insanity!

Hasini, your post helped me define why I consider Shea to be the best Luthor. Although Rosenbaum is rapidly getting there, Shea was different from the others in that although all were psychotic megalomaniacs, Shea's Luthor still had his sanity. While the others were clinically insane, Shea's portrayal shows only flashes of insanity, as if he's got his sanity in a chokehold but it manages to escape him every once in awhile.

It would have been interesting to see who'd have been picked (on this LnC board) with the LnC actors excluded, I'll grant you.

It was hard for me to choose between BR and CR for best Superman. Even if KA had been included, I'd not have picked him (though I preferred KA to GR). And I've not been impressed by DC's Superman. Just doesn't have the powerful presence to me, doesn't inspire awe. And he was just a mask. I eventually settled on CR, though that's on the basis of the first two movies and not III and IV. That, and that I sort of grew up with them, so there's an emotional element there.

Lex was another hard one for me. MR or KS? I chose MR, though I'm not sure that was the best choice, given season 6. GH wasn't scary and JS was handled so poorly with the resurrections and all.

Clark - totally DC. I adore him. I so much go for nice guys, and he's a great one.

Lois - completely TH. Love her Lois more than any other. I'd choose AM for second, if I could, but I can't. I don't remember NN or PC's depictions well enough to comment. So MK is probably next, despite a couple of annoying habits, with KB following (she's a totally good reporter and on the right story, but she's a bit bland), and ED way, way, way in the back (due to writing, not acting).