 Whereas some stories thrive by having a multitude of heroes and villains, others exist just as well with only a few and, in some cases, two. Evident by the fact that it has successfully existed for decades upon decades, Superman is one of those stories.
The Archenemies Weigh-in
Of all the characters throughout the continuity that is the Superman saga, none so much come close to the magnitude of that other dynamic duo of DC, Superman and Clark Kent. Over the years, a slew of different characters have portrayed these roles, ranging from the more comical side of the superhero spectrum, all the way over to the more sinister section where only the most maniacal ever dared to venture. As far as Superman Returns is concerned, the portrayals were clearly pieced together as part of the latter.
 
SUPERMAN
Choosing an actor to play the new Superman is like choosing an astronaut: we’d like him to be representative, to live up to the title American-Hero. So how does Brandon Routh, the new Boy of Steel, weigh in? First, gone are the days when superheroes were smiley. Where Reeve was comfortable, being interviewed by Lois Lane, joking, Routh appears younger, slicker, and brooding. In a lot of the shots he almost has a scowl. In a time when superheroes have come to represent “other,” and when the temptation to tack minority group agendas onto them is overwhelming, Routh’s CGI-looking body/stylish new costume combo pull of a metro-while-also-tough-and-dark presence: he is the Harrowed Boy of Steel.
LEX LUTHER
Comic book villains are, classically speaking, a bit on the campy side. They use all manner of gamma rays and other types of rays for evil fun (see: Action Comics #13; the Dr. Xavier-looking villain called “Ultra-Humanite,” says to Superman: “So we meet at last, eh? It was inevitable that we should clash!”) Gene Hackman, playing Lex Luther in the original Superman movies, was just this sort of veritable champ-of-camp. He brought the goofy and bumbling tone of comic book villains to the originals, and kept the movies from taking themselves too seriously, helping us remember that there was a guy flying in a cape with wires. Kevin Spacey, (or, his true identity, Keyser Soze), as the anti-Hackman Lex Luther, has been passed over almost in silence; and it’s probably because we totally trust him. He is the calm-voiced, almost disabled-looking megalomaniac that we all want to be. Lex Luther will finally be a no-joke bad guy.
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