Superman in movies

Superman, a superhero created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics in June 1938, is one of the most iconic and enduring characters in movie history. He first appeared on screen in the 1948 animated shorts and has since been portrayed by various actors across multiple movies.

## Early movies 
### *Superman* (1948) 
Portrayed by Kirk Alyn in his first live-action adaptation, it depicts the origins of the Man of Steel, with Krypton's destruction and his journey to Earth as an infant. Raised as Clark Kent by a farm couple, he moves to Metropolis, becomes a reporter at the *Daily Planet*, and uses his superpowers to fight crime as Superman. His main villain is the Spider Lady, who plots to use a ray machine for her criminal ends, unaware that a fragment of Kryptonite is her most valuable tool for defeating Superman.

### *Atom Man vs. Superman* (1950) 
In the movie, the villain Lex Luthor is imprisoned but uses a teleportation device to secretly operate as the masked criminal "Atom Man". He creates various futuristic weapons and a synthetic kryptonite to defeat Superman (Alyn), who must battle Atom Man's schemes while also protecting his colleagues at the *Daily Planet*.

### *Superman and the Mole Men* (1951) 
Superman is portrayed by George Reeves. In the movie, the reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent go to Silsby to cover the inauguration of the world's deepest oil well. When the well's drill unexpectedly reaches the underground home of the Mole-Men, a race of small, furred, bald-headed beings, the creatures emerge at night, causing panic and fear in the town. An angry mob, led by Luke Benson, forms to kill the "monsters," forcing Superman to protect the Mole-Men from prejudice and violence.

### *Adventures of Superman* (1952-1958) 
The plot follows mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent / Superman (George Reeves) and his colleagues at the *Daily Planet*, editor Perry White and reporter Lois Lane, as they work together to solve crimes. The show features classic superhero elements like Superman's powers, his effort to maintain his secret identity, and his commitment to "truth, justice, and the American way".

## Salkind/Cannon movie series (1978–1987) 
### *Superman* (1978) 
It depicts the origin of Superman (Christopher Reeve), including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Marlon Brando), and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).

### *Superman II* (1980) 
The movie's plot features the arrival of General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his comrades on Earth, following their release from the Phantom Zone (a prison that had been made by the people of Krypton). Zod seeks revenge for imprisonment by pursuing the planet's last son, Kal-El, alias "Superman". As a result, Kal-El, who had unknowingly freed them, must now face threats from his long-dead home planet. Zod also allies with Lex Luthor, who still aspires to world domination. The hero also faces an internal conflict, torn between his duties as Earth's hero and his desire to live amongst them solely as Clark Kent, and especially with his love interest, Lois Lane.

### *Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut* (2006) 
This alternate cut was edited by Michael Thau and was overseen and completed by Donner himself. It features a significant amount of discarded footage, alternative takes, and story elements not featured in the theatrical version.

### *Superman III* (1983) 
In the movie, Superman battles Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), a corrupt businessman who has constructed a powerful supercomputer to kill him.

### *Supergirl* (1984) 
Reeve does not appear as Superman. In the movie, Kara Zor-El / Supergirl (Helen Slater), Superman's cousin from the surviving Kryptonian city of Argo City, follows a powerful artifact called the Omegahedron to Earth after it is lost. On Earth, she adopts the alias Linda Lee and must battle the evil witch Selena, who has found the Omegahedron and plans to use its power to take over the world. After being imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by Selena, Kara is helped by Zaltar, who sacrifices himself to free her, allowing her to regain her powers and defeat the witch.
### *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987) 
The last of the Reeve Superman movies, focusing on disarmament and peace.

## *Superman Returns* (2006) 
Starring Brandon Routh as Superman, it was directed by Bryan Singer and served as a homage to the original movies, picking up several years after *Superman II*.

Superman returns to Earth after a five-year search for his home planet, Krypton, which he doesn't find. He resumes his life as Clark Kent at the *Daily Planet*, but finds that Lois Lane has moved on with a husband and child. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor uses Kryptonian crystals to develop a new, devastating land-creating crystal, leading to a showdown with Superman.

## DC Extended Universe (2013-2023) 
### *Man of Steel* (2013) 
Set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it rebooted the franchise with Henry Cavill as Superman, directed by Zack Snyder. It depicted Superman’s origins and his first battles in a modern setting.

### *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* (2016) 
It featured Henry Cavill facing off against Batman, played by Ben Affleck, and introduced the Justice League.

### *Justice League* (2017) 
It focused on Superman teaming up with other superheroes in order to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

### *Shazam!* (2019) 
In the movie, it features a stand-in of Superman, resembling Henry Cavill's likeness.

### ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (2021) 
A director's cut of 2017's *Justice League*, focused on Superman teaming up with other superheroes in order to stop the extradimensional New God Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons from conquering Earth for his overlord, Darkseid.

### *Black Adam* (2022) 
In a post-credits scene, Cavill reprises his role of Superman for the last time.

### *The Flash* (2023) 
It features CGI versions of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill and Nicolas Cage as Superman, including a de-aged Helen Slater as Supergirl.

## DC Universe (2025-present) 
### *Superman* (2025) 
Starring David Corenswet as Superman, the movie is set in the DC Universe (DCU). It centers on Clark Kent's early days, featuring a significantly altered origin where his Kryptonian parents send him to Earth with a message suggesting he could "lord over" humanity if necessary. The movie includes a subplot where Lex Luthor views Superman as a threat, comparing him to an "AI" that was not earned through hard work, while Superman grapples with a monstrous threat, showing a noble, albeit potentially overreaching, sense of justice. A pivotal video message from his parents impacts public perception of him on Earth, and a version of the 1978 movie's score is used.

### *Supergirl* (2026) 
Starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, Corensweet is reportedly set to reprise his role as Superman in the movie.

### *Man of Tomorrow* (2027) 
In June 2025, Gunn said he had begun writing a follow-up to *Superman* that would not be a direct sequel, but would feature Superman in a major role. Corenswet and Brosnahan had options for a potential sequel, but following *Superman*'s release in July, a direct sequel was not expected to be imminently announced. In August, Zaslav confirmed that Gunn was writing and directing the next film in the "Super-Family", which Gunn said he had finished writing a script treatment for. He described it as the next story in the "Superman Saga" and hoped to begin production soon. In September, Gunn announced that the film was titled *Man of Tomorrow* and it was given a release date of July 9, 2027.

### Appearances in DCU media 
* Clark Kent / Superman and Kara Zor-El / Supergirl make non-speaking cameo appearances in the animated series *Creature Commandos*, where they are depicted in a vision for a potential future, having been killed alongside several other heroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Peacemaker, Vigilante, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Starfire, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, Robin, Flash, and Judomaster.
* Clark Kent / Superman and Kara Zor-El / Supergirl make non-speaking cameo appearances in the *Peacemaker* episode "The Ties That Grind", as silhouettes along with the Justice Gang, consisting of Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl. They were contacted by Amanda Waller to aid Peacemaker and the 11th Street Kids against the Butterfly invasion, only to arrive too late. Their scene is a reshoot of the climax of the episode "It's Cow or Never", which originally featured the DCEU's Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and The Flash).

## Recurring cast and characters 
#### List indicators 
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in multiple film series that featured Superman.

* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
* C indicates a cameo role.
* O indicates an older version of the character.
* P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
* S indicates an appearance through use of special effects.
* U indicates an uncredited appearance.
* V indicates a voice-only role.
* Y indicates a younger version of the character.

## Conclusion 
Superman continues to be a central figure in DC Comics adaptations, with upcoming projects and reboots expected to keep his legacy alive on screen.