Top 5 Non-Comic Superman Projects (That Actually Mean Something to Me)
Superman’s been around for damn near a century—and in that time, he’s been everything from a radio drama heartthrob to a CW dad with teenagers. But not all Supes are created equal. Some versions soar, some stumble, and a few? A few punch you right in the soul and remind you why this alien in blue tights still matters. So here it is—my very personal, very opinionated ranking of the best Superman projects outside of comics. No panels. No speech bubbles. Just pure, unapologetic love for the Man of Tomorrow across screens big and small.
Honorable Mention: Superman & Lois
Look, I wanted to love this show. Tyler Hoechlin is a great Superman, Elizabeth Tulloch nails Lois, and the family dynamic? Surprisingly refreshing. But by the time this show rolled around, I was deep in CW fatigue. After a decade of watching every hero in tight leather cry in the rain while a sad indie cover played in the background… I was cooked. It’s not bad—it just came out too late for me to fully care. Respect it, just don’t revisit it.
#5: Superman Returns (2006)
Ah, the “quiet kid” of Superman movies. No punchy punchy. No supervillain smackdowns. Just a lot of brooding, flying, and existential dread. And you know what? I was into it.
Brandon Routh was like a warm hug from the Reeve era. Charming, soft-spoken, and weirdly majestic. Kevin Spacey? Deliciously weird as Lex. The plane rescue sequence still slaps.
Yeah, the lack of action was a bummer—and yeah, the “Superman had a kid” plot raised a few eyebrows—but at that point in my life, I was soaking up every bit of Superman I could get. I wanted a sequel. I deserved a sequel. Instead, we got nothing and Bryan Singer ran off to ruin the X-Men timeline….. Just kidding.
#4: Smallville (2001–2011)
I was late to this party. Four seasons deep before I finally gave it a shot. Why? Because “No Tights, No Flight” sounded like the dumbest rule ever. Also, it was pitched like a Kryptonian Dawson’s Creek and I wasn’t about that life.
But then I watched a few episodes... and boom. Hooked.
Clark and Lex’s twisted friendship? Gold. Clark and Lana’s “will they/won’t they” drama? Soap opera fuel, but I still ate it up. And Chloe? Forever underrated.
Sure, it got cheesy. Sure, the budget tried to do Avengers-level storytelling with $7 and a bag of Skittles. But when they started introducing more DC characters—Lois, Oliver, Bart—it got fun. Smallville wasn’t perfect, but it never needed to be. It had heart. And sometimes that’s enough.
#3: Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000)
Tim Daly’s Superman is my Saturday morning childhood.
This show followed the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, so yeah, the bar was high—but it cleared it. Easily.
The art was sleek. The stories were smart. And this version of Superman was the first one I really connected with as a character, not just a symbol. I knew who Superman was before this show—but now I got him.
Plus, this show gave us Brainiac, Darkseid, and the setup for Justice League. It was the backbone of a DC animated empire. And it still holds up today.
#2: Superman: The Movie (1978)
Let’s get something straight: you cannot talk about Superman—hell, you cannot talk about superheroes—without mentioning this film.
1977 gave us Star Wars. One year later, Superman dropped and told the world, “You will believe a man can fly.” And guess what? We did.
Christopher Reeve wasn’t just playing Superman—he was Superman. The charm. The sincerity. The ability to make glasses an actual disguise.
Sure, the effects are dated. Sure, the pacing’s a little slow. But the impact? Massive. This movie made people believe in good. That’s rare.
If it’s ever on? I’m watching. No questions asked.
#1: Man of Steel (2013)
Oh yes. The Big One. The Crown Jewel. The Movie That Still Starts Fights on the Internet.
Man of Steel is everything I wanted Superman to be in a modern world. It ditched the 1978 nostalgia trip and gave us something bold, emotional, and yes—very sci-fi.
Henry Cavill didn’t just wear the cape—he earned it. He brought that quiet strength, that internal conflict, that “I want to help, but I don’t know how yet” vibe. He was a Superman we could actually relate to.
And don’t even get me started on the Jesus parallels—yeah, they’ve been done, but this movie actually used them to explore the burden of being Superman. The sacrifice. The weight. The hope.
This film gave us a Superman with soul. And after five years of Marvel quips and punchline pacing, this movie hit like a freight train of feels. It was the Superman movie we needed, even if people weren’t ready for it.
Final Thoughts:
Superman isn’t just a cape and a logo. He’s an idea. A challenge. A symbol.
These projects? They each captured a piece of that idea—some more flawed than others—but all of them made me feel something. And at the end of the day, that’s why Superman still matters.
