Everett Collection

James Gunn’s unveiling of David Corenswet as Superman in the upcoming 2025 film presents a fresh take on the iconic hero and his legendary costume. Hollywood has been portraying Superman in live-action for over 76 years, starting with Kirk Alyn’s portrayal in the 1948 serial “Superman.”

Since then, several actors have embodied the role of Superman in films and on television. Corenswet now joins this legacy, following in the footsteps of Christopher Reeve’s revered portrayal in the 1970s and Henry Cavill’s more intense version in Zack Snyder’s DC Universe. In 2019, Corenswet expressed to Entertainment Weekly his ultimate acting aspiration to play Superman.

He envisioned an upbeat, nostalgic interpretation of the character, contrasting with Cavill’s darker portrayal, hoping for a future rendition that’s bright and hopeful.

However, Corenswet’s first appearance in Gunn’s film, looking somber in a battle-worn Superman suit, suggests a continuation of the character’s recent darker edge. Gunn has stated to Variety that the actor playing Superman must embody both the character’s innate humanity and his extraterrestrial origins, possessing the kindness and compassion that make Superman the hero that people yearn to embrace.

Check out the evolution of Superman’s costume in film and television (and the actors who wore the cape) in the list below.

Kirk Alyn (‘Superman’)

Photo : Courtesy Everett Collection

Kirk Alyn is the first actor to play Superman in the live-action format, starring as the Man of Steel in the 1958 movie serial “Superman” and its 1950 sequel “Atom Man vs. Superman.” Both movies were released in 15 chapters.

George Reeves (‘Adventures of Superman’)

Photo : Courtesy Everett Collection

George Reeves made Superman an icon of 1950s television as the star of “Adventures of Superman,” the first television show to center on the Man of Steel. The series ran for six seasons and 104 episodes between 1952 and 1958.

Christopher Reeve (‘Superman,’ ‘Superman II,’ ‘Superman III’ and ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’)

Photo : ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

For many moviegoers, Christopher Reeve remains the definitive Superman on screen. He debuted as the Man of Steel in Richard Donner’s seminal 1978 classic and reprised the superhero in three sequels released between 1983 and 1987.

Dean Cain (‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’)

Photo : ©Lorimar Film Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection

Dean Cain brought Superman to life in the 1990s as the star of the ABC series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” which ran for four seasons and 88 episodes from 1993 to 1997. Starring opposite Cain was Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane.

Tom Welling (‘Smallville’)

Photo : ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Tom Welling played a teenage Clark Kent/Superman in the television series “Smallville,” which ran for 10 seasons and 217 episodes between 2001 and 2011. The series took the Superman story and reimagined it as a coming-of-age drama focused on Clark’s family life and high school life. Welling reprised his version of Superman on an episode of The CW series “Batwoman.”

Brandon Routh (‘Superman Returns’)

Photo : ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Brandon Routh played Superman in the 2006 comic book movie “Superman Returns,” which followed the Man of Steel as he returns to Earth after a prolonged absence and reconnects with Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) and faces off against Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). Although Routh earned acclaim for channeling Christopher Reeve, the film nosedived at the box office with just $391 million worldwide and did not lead to a new franchise for the actor. Routh reprised this iteration of Superman on episodes of The CW comic book series “The Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow” and “Batwoman.”

Henry Cavill (‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Justice League’)

Photo : ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Henry Cavill portrayed Superman in Zack Snyder’s DC Universe, beginning with the 2013 film “Man of Steel” and followed by “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016 and “Justice League” in 2017. He was set to continue the role after appearing as Superman in the post-credits scene of “Black Adam” in 2022, which hinted at a future confrontation with Dwayne Johnson’s character in the DC Universe.

However, a little over a month later, Warner Bros. and DC Studios named Gunn and Safran as the new heads of the studio. Charged with revamping the DC cinematic universe, their strategy involved casting a new actor for Superman to lead the revamped universe. This development was particularly hard-hitting for Cavill, who had left his lead role in Netflix’s “The Witcher,” likely in anticipation of participating in more Superman-related projects before Gunn and Safran took over.

Tyler Hoechlin (‘Superman & Lois’)

Photo : ©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

Tyler Hoechlin debuted as Superman on The CW’s “Supergirl,” starring in six episodes of the series before continuing with the character on “The Flash,” “Arrow” and “Batwoman.” Starting in 2021, Hoechlin got his own standalone series “Superman & Lois,” which co-stars Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane. The show has aired three seasons and will return for a fourth and final one.

Henry Cavill (‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’)

Photo : Warner Bros.

Henry Cavill’s hero dons a specialized black version of the iconic superhero’s suit in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” the four-hour version of the at-first maligned superhero team-up film that gave its filmmaker more creative control. The different suit is one of the most prominent differences between the final acts of the two versions of “Justice League.”

Nicolas Cage (‘The Flash’)

Photo : Warner Bros.

Nicolas Cage made a surprise cameo appearance as the Man of Steel in 2022’s “The Flash,” closing the loop on a role that he was supposed to play for director Tim Burton in a failed Superman movie that never got off the ground. The duo were supposed to make “Superman Lives” in 1998 from a script by Kevin Smith. The plot focused on Superman’s fight against Doomsday. Despite spending over $30 million on the film’s casting and pre-production, Warner Bros. pulled the plug on “Superman Lives” due to creative differences.

“If you really wanted to know what I was going do with that character, look at my performance in ‘City of Angels,’” Cage once told USA Today about what fans could’ve expected from his iteration of Superman. “I was supposed [to play] Clark Kent after that and I was already developing this alien otherness playing this angel. That is a perfect example of the tonality you would’ve gotten for Kal-El and for Clark Kent: Clark would’ve been a little more amusing but Kal-El had the sensitivity and the goodness and the vulnerability and all those feelings that were kind of angelic and also terrifying.”

David Corenswet (‘Superman’)

Photo : James Gunn/Threads/Jess Miglio

David Corenswet is making his debut as the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s 2025 tentpole “Superman,” previously titled “Superman: Legacy.” The movie is kicking off a brand new DC Universe that will span movies, television series and video games. Gunn is overseeing the DC Universe along with Peter Safran.

Corenswet is getting the big break of a lifetime as the star of “Superman,” which marks his first time leading a major Hollywood tentpole film. The 30-year-old actor is best known for his supporting roles in two Ryan Murphy-created Netflix series, “The Politician” and “Hollywood.” His most notable film role prior to “Superman” was in “Pearl,” the Ti West-directed horror movie starring Mia Goth.

“Superman” is set to open in theaters July 11, 2025, from Warner Bros.