Kal-El, Man of Steel, Last Son of Krypton: Superman has many names, and also many faces when it comes to live-action takes on the hero. With the release of “Superman,” David Corenswet joins the society of actors who have played arguably the most famous of all superheroes. But Superman, more so than a lot of his superpowered peers, often serves more as a symbol than a fully drawn character. Below is a rundown of some of the most prominent depictions of Superman in the last few decades and what these actors brought to their embodiments of the Man of Tomorrow.

‘Superman’ I-IV (1978-87)

The Archetype

Christopher Reeve set the standard for a live-action Superman, creating a pop culture phenomenon on the big screen. Now the trend for those taking on the role is to find new angles on the hero, to modernize or subvert the character. Much of that can be attributed to Reeve’s portrayal, which was that of a quintessential comic book savior.

His Superman is confident, upstanding and authoritative, and between his powers and his unimpeachable sense of justice, he’s downright unstoppable — as when he reverses the Earth’s rotation to go back in time to save a life. Whether he’s posed with his arms crossed in judgment of a foe or standing fists on waist and arms akimbo at the end of a battle, there’s a machismo power in his bearing. And his disarming smile and self-assured voice, which occasionally offers calm but firm scoldings to wrongdoers, paint him as a hero of the people. These early Superman movies were less about developing the character and more about reinforcing fans’ love for the original figure.

‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ (1993-97)

Rom-Com Superman

In this playful, charming and often cheeky series, Superman is more defined by his life as Clark Kent, the new reporter at The Daily Planet, than as the caped hero. Dean Cain is the perfect ‘90s sitcom protagonist: His Clark is a wholesome, sometimes naive denim-shirt-wearing farm boy in the big city. He’s innocent, still a bit juvenile, with a Boy Scout-worthy sense of justice and an obsession with sugary snack foods.

The world of this series is purposely small, almost exclusively limited to Metropolis — specifically the Daily Planet office. And, as the show’s title suggests, Lois (played by Teri Hatcher) is as much a protagonist in this series as Clark Kent, whose superpowered secret often pales in comparison to plots around Lois’ dogged investigations of her subjects. Lois’ blunt and abrasive personality opposite Clark’s amiable one sets up the two as an entertaining odd couple. (For another strong Lois and Clark pairing, there’s also The CW’s “Superman & Lois,” which ran for four seasons and featured Tyler Hoechlin as a dedicated yet clueless Phil Dunphy-esque husband and dad.)

‘Smallville’ (2001-11)

The Superhero as a Young Man

He’s an awkward teenager — then, later, awkward adult — with powers, who also happens to like to wear a lot of red and blue. Tom Welling stars as Clark Kent in “Smallville,” which attempts to work as Superman’s bildungsroman, starting with Clark dealing with the normal challenges of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, along with the complications that being a superhero brings.

And yet “Smallville” doesn’t give the Superman story new depth as much as plug the Superman characters into the soapy YA formula that the WB network, and later The CW, was built on. So this Clark Kent is also granted the same dull attributes of every heartthrob good-guy protagonist: he’s pretty, a bit of an outsider, earnest and good, and typically in love with the closest attractive young woman in his vicinity.

‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ ‘Justice League’ (2013-17)

Superman of Few Words

For years the dominant take about movies from the DC Comics universe was how aesthetically and tonally dark they were, especially compared to the flashier, more buoyant Marvel films. This was a particularly surprising choice for Superman, who has traditionally served as a bright beacon of hope in the comic book world. Zack Snyder opted for not only a grittier, gloomier world for Henry Cavill’s Superman to inhabit but also a more blunt, less genial hero than past versions.

This Superman is at odds with the other heroes; he’s less a team player and more a surly, policing force. Onscreen, Cavill is a hulking mass of man-muscle who emotes bluntly through his gruff physicality more than anything else. His chief forms of communication are a scowl and furrowed brow, and even his costume is darkened to a deep, murky blue and red. For most of a scuffle with the Justice League, a confused, newly resurrected Superman silently and shirtlessly reigns fury down on his peers and flies pecs-first toward his next opponent before the arrival of Lois (Amy Adams) sedates him. Her presence doesn’t change his mood much, though — his brow remains wrinkled with consternation.

‘Superman Returns’ (2006)

Easy on the Eyes

One memorable scene in “Superman Returns” finds our hero hovering majestically over Earth, a cape beautifully billowing behind him. In another, a bullet shot at close range collapses against the sky-blue iris of Superman’s eye. Brandon Routh’s Superman, like the rest of this generally disregarded but often stunningly filmed homage-slash-sequel to the 1970s Superman movies, is more show than substance.

Here we have a Ken doll of a Superman. He’s handsome and action-ready. But neither the writing, the direction nor Routh’s hollow performance can bring this Superman to life as anything more than a flat Christopher Reeve imitation.

‘Superman’ (2025)

The Latest Model

Beyond his Grecian statue features and perfectly tousled hair, David Corenswet’s adorably dimpled Superman is burdened by the politics of his era and troubled by criticisms of his unilateral policing of international affairs. (Those anti-Superman hashtags from social media meanies hurt, too.) He’s the valiant white Übermensch, so the realization that he was actually meant to colonize and subjugate the human race gives him enough doubts to build the movie’s bare bones emotional arc and provide it with its superficial immigration motif.

This Superman is more beaten down by his circumstances (and, literally, beaten down more in battles), but James Gunn’s film also adds some of the lighthearted humor that Snyder made a point of eliminating. This Superman still lacks personality; instead he’s defined mostly by his good intentions, as the oblivious guy who doesn’t get why people won’t just let him be the hero. For character, his superpowered CGI dog, Krypto, offers more than this Man of Steel.