Brandon Routh as Kingdom Come Superman revealed

[rpmaluki]

Tom Welling finally answered a question I always had about the 1950s Superboy/Superman. Now I see that a teen so thin could become a man so massive.

He was so gangly looking when the show began. He filled out nicely towards the end but now he's even larger, very Supermanly

[adkal]

I wish Gerard Christopher and John (Haymes) Newton were a part of all this, too.

(and the animated versions)

(and that it was a 12 parter (at least))

I don't ask for much...

[David Walton]

He just isn't buff enough or big enough. Come on, superman should be a big dude. Cavill is also of similar height. But, he pulls it off more.

It's funny, because years ago some fans were saying Routh didn't have the right build for Superman. He did great and Hoechlin has too.

Honestly, I'm not that concerned with whether Superman is or isn't buff. Some artists draw him large, others emphasize a more sleek look.

If they want an in universe explanation as to why an older Superman is larger, it's right there in KC. Years of exposure to yellow sunlight have changed him. But the most important thing IMO is the actors conveying Superman's warmth and optimism.

[hellacre]

Errrr...I see Superman on the Right. I am so sorry this is a "swansong" for Routh. He really looks amazing in that Kingdom Come suit.

[manwhohaseverything]

It's funny, because years ago some fans were saying Routh didn't have the right build for Superman. He did great and Hoechlin has too.

Honestly, I'm not that concerned with whether Superman is or isn't buff. Some artists draw him large, others emphasize a more sleek look.

If they want an in universe explanation as to why an older Superman is larger, it's right there in KC. Years of exposure to yellow sunlight have changed him. But the most important thing IMO is the actors conveying Superman's warmth and optimism.

Superman is supposed to be inspired by strongmen. I think, i would want him to be big. As for routh, i also thought the same. But, that might be because of the suit.i didn't care for the superman suit in Returns. But, this kingdom come suit is great.

[stargazer01]

I think Superman should look Super not average. Chris Reeve trained hard to look like Superman. It's part of the job.

Tyler is fit but Routh is just bigger. The costume also can help or not.

Maybe Tyler doesn't need to be massive because he isn't the star, Kara is.. and Melissa doesn't even have to worry about looking big just fit...

[Frontier]

Tyler looks like CW Superman. That's not meant as a knock against him at all, but I think that's an accurate way of describing him.

[DochaDocha]

Superman is supposed to be inspired by strongmen. I think, i would want him to be big. As for routh, i also thought the same. But, that might be because of the suit.i didn't care for the superman suit in Returns. But, this kingdom come suit is great.

I have a similar suspicion about that awful Superman Returns suit. The suit might've been padded in a weird way to make his proportions seem a bit off. I remember when Routh was on Chuck (hope that's not Superman vs. Captain Marvel foreshadowing...), he seemed like a really huge guy. Maybe it's because Zachary Levi was so thin then (before the unsuspicious mass gain). Or maybe today Routh is just a bigger fellow than he was 14 years ago. Either way, the KC suit looks good on him, and the Returns suit might not look good on anyone.

[adkal]

When I saw him at the London premiere of Superman Returns, Routh was clearly a big guy (I've generally likened him to my younger brother, who's around 6'3 and broad). The swimsuit-esque material used for the suit compressed Routh's musculature (and if you look at the training videos of him getting ready for the role you can see he's big) and didn't do him any favours.

[Osiris-Rex]

Hoechlin, according to a Google search, is 6'. Routh looked huge on screen, but he also spent a lot of time standing next to Kate Bosworth (5'5") and Kevin Spacey (5'10") so I thought he looked taller than his listed height (6'2"). Of course, listed height is pretty unreliable; Zachary Levi is supposed to be 6'3" but he looked shorter than Routh on Chuck (who knows if they gave Routh lifts). I guess the difference for me is more that Routh seems to have broader shoulders, so he looks more the part of Superman than Hoechlin, and something about his costume doesn't really accentuate or inform a large frame.

And with Melissa Benoist being 5'8" she looks almost as tall as Hoechlin's Superman. (With the padding in the suit almost as muscular) It is a little more believable this Supergirl could beat up Superman.

SPG202a_0171b_87e0c1d8_57f858643c2286.49255071.jpg

[manwhohaseverything]

Pardon me, if i am being annoying. But, i hate that the Superman creatives and even fans think so little of the strongman aspect of the character. If i had my way with superman. I would have him be wrestler or something just for proving my point. Sheesh! People want the trunks, but don't care if he is an actual strongman or not?
i mean, the only reason the trunks was there is because clark was a strong man.that is some next level cognitive dissonance if you ask me.

[DochaDocha]

Pardon me, if i am being annoying. But, i hate that the Superman creatives and even fans think so little of the strongman aspect of the character. If i had my way with superman. I would have him be wrestler or something just for proving my point. Sheesh! People want the trunks, but don't care if he is an actual strongman or not?
i mean, the only reason the trunks was there is because clark was a strong man.that is some next level cognitive dissonance if you ask me.

Good point about the desire for trunks w/out having it filled by a guy with a strongman body.

I'm willing to cut live-action shows a little slack because barrel-chested guys are of limited supply in Hollywood. There are only so many qualified actors who can feasibly achieve the strongman look, and some of those who do are the result of pharmacology. Guys like Terry Crews or Carl Weathers before him aren't easy to find.

[Jim Kelly]

[Castling]

I read a debate as to whether Routh is playing his character from Superman Returns or whether he's the CW's version of Kingdom Come Superman.
What do you guys think?

[Mago dos Gatos]

I read a debate as to whether Routh is playing his character from Superman Returns or whether he's the CW's version of Kingdom Come Superman.
What do you guys think?

Probably his Superman Returns self.They can get a lot of mileage of using a pre-established version of Superman.