Long before Henry Cavill kickstarted the DCEU and became the iconic superhero, Superman, loved by millions of fans, there were other actors who portrayed Superman in movies and on TV. The most notable names include George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Brandon Routh.
Each iteration brought something new or at least slightly different to the characters and it's difficult to decide whether the pre-DCEU Superman was better than the current version or not. There are some things the older movies did better and some aspects in which they failed. Let's take a look at 5 things from Superman's pre-DCEU movies that need to come back and 5 that should be left in the past.
Need To Come Back: More Pleasant Superman
For character known for his optimism and kindness, Henry Cavill's Superman was very dark and gloomy, almost as much as his opponent Batman in the film Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Yes, Superman went through a lot of ugly things in Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman, but the core of the character is that he's a beacon of hope and he should never lose it, not even when he faces the greatest of dangers or personal losses.
Should Be Left In The Past: Worse Special Effects
To be fair to the original Christopher Reeve Superman movies, it's not really his or the filmmakers' fault that the special effect looks worse than the DCEU films.
After all, filming technologies have progressed greatly since the late 1970s, let alone computers, so nowadays, it's possible to create special effects that look as convincing as real life, or even better (and sometimes worse - like Superman's CGI lip in the Justice League). Still, where special effects are concerned, DCEU did a better job overall.
Need To Come Back: More Optimistic Tone In General
Speaking of the tone of the movies, Superman's character isn't the only change in tone that the DCEU films did. Superman aside, the entire film was much darker than it could have been.
Especially when one compares it to Christopher Reeves films, which managed to combine both more dramatic and funny moments without any of them feeling lessened or less effective by the other. And some other DCEU films, such as Wonder Woman, also managed to include both optimism and sadness, so why not Superman?
Should Be Left In The Past: Making Superman Kid Friendly
Making Superman too gloomy and dark is one thing, but there's also an opposite side to this - and turning him into a version for children isn't good either. Superman works well for children in animated TV shows but showing a simplified version of the iconic superhero in live-action movies or TV shows would most likely aggravate Superman's fans.
While George Reeves' Superman wasn't all bad, the show was focused primarily on kids, which also meant that Reeves' Superman sometimes felt more like a caricature of himself.
Need To Come Back: Jimmy Olsen
While the characterization of Jimmy Olsen may have been overly simplified in the Christopher Reeve movies, Jimmy is still an important part of the Superman lore and he shouldn't be ignored by filmmakers.
Some fans weren't at all happy that when the DCEU did include Jimmy, it completely changed who he was and killed him off almost immediately. Perhaps there could be a way to find a balance between these two approaches and bring Jimmy back because the dynamic between him and Superman and their friendship would be nice to see.
Should Be Left In The Past: Superman's Origin Story
Just like Spider-Man or Batman, Superman is one of the most famous superheroes of all time, and as such, even people who don't read the comics often know his origin story. It's a well-known fact that Superman was sent to Earth from the dying planet Krypton, the Kent family adopted him, and he discovered his powers when he was older, etc.
The first Christopher Reeve film took more than forty minutes to show Superman as an actual hero and the DCEU films also felt the need to remind everyone of where Superman came from, even though everybody knows.
Need To Come Back: Lex Luthor
Whatever you might think about Gene Hackman's portrayal of Superman's archnemesis Lex Luthor from the Christopher Reeve films, it was still much better than the DCEU version.
Reeve's Lex Luthor was a maniacal genius whose evil plan actually succeeded, or at least it would if Superman didn't turn back time (more on that below). The DCEU Luthor, on the other hand, felt lacking in comparison, mostly because he looked more childish than brilliant.
Should Be Left In The Past: Silly Plot Twists
Again, even 21st-century movies are often guilty of offering plot points or solutions that feel overly simplified and sometimes downright silly (such as the now infamous 'Save Martha!' scene). But Christopher Reeve's Superman series included more than one.
For example, remember how Superman turned back time to save Lois Lane's life even though there was no indication he had such power before? Even sillier was when Lois learned about Superman's true identity and he erased the knowledge by kissing her.
Need To Come Back: Brandon Routh's Kingdom Come Superman
Let's step away from Henry Cavill and Christopher Reeve for a moment and focus on Brandon Routh instead. Routh got a lot of hate for his portrayal of Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns. To be fair to Routh, he was actually a great choice for the part of Superman, but the script didn't give him a lot of material to work with.
Routh proved once and for all that, his casting as Superman wasn't a mistake when he reprised the role of Superman in the Arrowverse crossover. His older Superman was one of the highlights of the crossover and many fans would like to see Routh play the Kingdom Come version of Superman again.
Should Be Left In The Past: Lois Lane's Characterization
While Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve had great chemistry as Lois Lane and Superman, it's hard to overlook that the characterization of Lois Lane left a lot to be desired. Lois Lane is supposed to be a brilliant reporter but Kidder's version was much more naive, and sometimes almost silly.
One has to wonder how could she have gotten so far in her career if she didn't know how a lot of words were spelled. Amy Adams' portrayal felt much more real, ambitious, and an equal partner to Superman than Kidder's Lois did.