Top 10 Favorite Superman Designs

In April I discussed my favorite Batman designs, live action and/or animated. I didn’t do Superman because Superman has not had as many different designs. Except for crazy variations it’s pretty much the same. But just because he hasn’t had as many different designs as Batman doesn’t mean it’s not worth a look. With all the different performers, artists and animators after 80+ years we have a few choices out there for what we can consider the IDEAL version of the Man of Steel.

I’ve gone over the different looks but never put them in order, from lest favorite to most favorite. So let’s do it :So here are my favorite Superman designs, from movies, animated, and comic books. No variations or “Elseworld’s” designs.

#10.Superfriends

I led off the Batman article with this one, so figured I’d return the favor. While he has the look down it also looks a little, generic. In fact he and Aquaman almost look the same person! Just blonde instead of Dark hair.








#9.Brandon Routh

Thank you Legends of Tomorrow for making me realize this guy is not the worst. He’s a good actor and a fun guy. But of course he’s playing Ray Palmer on that show. In Superman Returns he was awful, right down to that idiotic costume they put on him. No let;s make the red “S” smaller, that makes sense!!








#8.Curt Swan

Swan has been referred to as the defining Superman artist of all time. Yeah, I guess he is. I just always felt his style was a little simplistic but maybe that worked in the 70’s. It’s fine just not a lot of personality.







#7.George Reeves

I have made it no secret I was never a fan of the old TV show. But I can’t deny just how well Reeves wore that iconic costume. A lot better than the serials that came before, Reeves was the first to truly portray Superman. It is clear to me anyway that this version of Superman inspired Swan’s version.







#6.Dan Jurgens

Curt Swan defined Superman in the 70’s. Byrne in the 80’s, and I think it was Jurgens in the 90’s. As awesome as the whole Death pf Superman arc was, it was the artwork which really stood out. Superman always had a problem standing out, and Jurgens was the first to fix that.







#5.Henry Cavill

Cavill surprised me with how good he was. The movies sucked, but that isn’t his fault. The costume wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t awful either. I wish he could have been in a movie with a strong script, he deserved it.






#4.Dean Cain

Not gonna lie, this show has not aged well, When you have the amazing stuff coming out of DC’s Tv universe and then go back to Lois & Clark you realize that this should could have been so much more. But I always loved Cain’s costume, and he did a much better job at being the character. I had my doubts when the show premiered.








4.Animated Series

So many of these artists and/or performers seem to miss that Superman is supposed to be built like a linebacker. The animated series is one the few that gets it right.







#2.Christoper Reeve

I said I liked Cain’s costume and I did, even over this one. The costume Reeve wore looks silly today, like spandex pajama’s from the Batman TV show era. So, why is he #2 then? Well the costume may be a tad dated but the man who played the character was perfect. No one has matched, or will ever match, what Reeve did in those movies. He not only rocked Superman but was the first to make Clark Kent believable.







#1.John Byrne

I’ve gone on and on about Byrne so wont get into to much detail here. Suffice to say, this is is the Superman I loved reading as a kid and the Superman that made me really love the character. Even Reeve’s can’t say that (I have issues with the movie, but that’s a different subject)

Tons and tons of names not on this list from George Perez to EdGuiness to Frank Quitely to Gil Kane to, well, I guess Frank Miller too. The Fleischer cartoons deserve a mention since there design inspired so many. You may have noticed that Smallville didn’t get a nod. I have nothing against Tom Welling but he never truly played “Superman”, and if I did a Clark Kent list he’s be on there. And I totally forgot Tyler Hoechlin from Supergirl, who deserves at least a mention. So let me know what is your favorite version of The Man of Steel.