With the news that Superman will be making an appearance on The CW’s Supergirl, there are some inevitable questions.
Will Kara be overshadowed in any way by the sheer enormity of such a looming and high profile character in the DC universe?
And will the casting decision made with regard to the character weigh in on that impression?
The answer to the first answer is probably determined on how the character of Superman is inevitably written, and there’s little doubt casting will impact how the two characters are viewed.
With that in mind, here are some actors from across the spectrum that would make interesting choices for The CW and DC to consider. In case they happen to be listening.
Brandon Routh
Oh, laugh all you like! Whether or not you liked Brandon Routh as the hero in Superman Returns, you cannot deny he is doing a great job as the geeky hero Ray Palmer aka Atom. Like our seasoned readers have already pointed out, Routh is very familiar with the tone of the DC series on The CW. The series across the board have already introduced doppelgangers thanks to The Flash, and The Flash has even visited Earth-3 (Kara’s earth, Supergirl’s earth, Superman’s earth) uniting them all in one way.
While Barry was shocked as all get out to learn nobody there had heard of any of his hero friends, he hadn’t heard of any of theirs, either. It would be an absolutely amazing nod to the Superman franchise and to Routh’s talent as an actor and his part in this universe to tap him to embody an Earth-3 doppelganger as Clark Kent aka Superman.
He’s our number one pick, and he looks absolutely lovely in the outfit. We have no doubt he’d still look fabulous in it today.
Tom Welling
He’s already done it. He was Clark Kent, and he’s been Superman. He’s a little older, and a little wiser, but so is The CW Superman. Kara’s cousin has had years to come to terms with his heroism and his lot on this…on that…Earth-3. From one DC property to another? Sure. Supergirl already had Superman and Supergirl as Kara’s step parents. This seems like a very easy choice to make, if not our first pick.
Henry Cavill
Hey, he’s the current Batman. Henry may be big time now, but it wasn’t too long ago he was playing second fiddle to Henry VIII on The Tudors. He’s no stranger to television, is the point.
DC needs to get a little unity going on here. We’re killing off characters on the TV universe to promote the same characters in a different body in the movie world. If there are no plans to make anything of Superman on TV, then why not bring Henry on to boost Supergirl into the stratosphere?
If Marvel movies characters can make appearances on Agents of SHIELD, then why are DC characters too good to make appearances on DC series? They aren’t. They just haven’t. Yet. Maybe now is the time.
Zachary Levi
Chuck!! Who is Superman? He’s the rather sedate, quiet and somewhat silly Clark Kent one minute and he’s an all out superhero with amazing capabilities the next. Remember Zachary Levi on Chuck? Of course you do!
And now Mr. Levi has grown into himself, so much so he was playing a bit of a villain on Heroes last season. He can kick some serious ass these days. He is very well suited for both sides of the Superman persona.
Levi’s also beyond thinking he has to be the star of the show. He gets his satisfaction from life from so many wonderful endeavors. His superman wouldn’t have to overtake the series for him to take the part. We’ll definitely take him.
James Wolk
Fetch me a tall drink of water!! James Wolk is another man who has proven both his nerd side and his heroic nature. Slap a pair of glasses onto the face of the never-forgotten Bob Benson of Mad Men and you have a perfect Clark Kent impression.
On Zoo this summer, he’ll no doubt be facing off against vicious animals and rescuing people in terrifying situtions. This guy can do it all, and look swell doing it.
Chris Wood
Chris Wood has proven himself on The CW both on The Vampire Diaries and now on Containment. On the latter, he has become the compassionate hero. Not only emotionally, but his physical stature changed in between projects. He was thin and somewhat lanky while terrorizing the residents of Mystic Falls, but when it was time to put on a badge in Atlanta? He took it to heart. Wood is ready to wear the Red and blue.
Steven R. McQueen
Another alum from The Vampire Diaries? Yep. McQueen was barely out of his teens when he began his run as Jeremy, but now he’s portraying a firefighter on Chicago Firefighter.
He’s always had it in him to be the hero, but he’s quite capable of being quiet and looking like he might not be able to pull it off. Clark Kent needs to look as unobtrusive as possible. It’s always been tough for Superman to look that way, but we have faith in Steven R. McQueen!
Daren Kagasoff
It’s been too long since Daren Kagasoff has had a good role. Do you remember how he stole our hearts as Ricky on Secret Life of an American Teenager? Everyone thought he was a tough guy, but he was kind and caring.
Check him out in the photo above from his Twitter stream. Virtually unrecognizable, which is a very good trait for Clark Kent. He looks great with his hair slicked back, too, which is a suitable Superman ‘do. Why has The CW family never scooped up this guy?
Torrance Coombs
Do we really want to lose Torrance Coombs from The CW family? I don’t think so. Bash is gone from Reign. At least he’s not dead. Coombs will be joining a new period drama on ABC from the world of Shondaland, so if he doesn’t get something that can keep him coming back to the fold, he may be gone forever.
Would he make a good Superman? Yes. Bash was always the one riding out of the castle to defend the keep. All on behalf of the King. If only he had worn a cape, it would have been so much easier.
Chris Messina
Superman could lighten up a little, right? Not that Chris Messina is always light. Have you seen him rock the detective role in Devil? Years later and I still can’t get enough of that movie. Well, now Messina is easing back on his Mindy Project duties, so he’ll have some free time. He looks smart in a suit and a touch of nerd, so he can pull of the Clark Kent side. He’d make a unique Superman. Are you up for that?
Ian Harding
Ian Harding looks a little bit like Tom Welling, now that I’m really staring at him. What do you think? He doesn’t have quite the physicality that I’d expect from Superman, but he’s got Clark Kent down. Harding is used to starring in a female-driven series, and that’s an important factor here. He wouldn’t expect to be SUPERMAN to Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl. He’d be Superman to her SUPERGIRL. That’s perfect.
