“Superman Returns” is the latest incarnation of the comic-book hero created in 1938. The hero with super strength and the ability to leap from tall buildings (he didn’t fly at first) has become a worldwide phenomenon. Here a few facts and figures about the many ways he has been portrayed.
8 Number of actors who have played Superman on TV or in film.
Kirk Alyn “Superman” two movies, 1948 and ’50.
George Reeves “Adventures of Superman” TV show, 1952-’58
Christopher Reeve four “Superman” films, 1978, ’80, ’83, ’87
John Haymes Newton “Superboy” TV show, 1988
Gerard Christopher “Superboy” TV show, 1989-’92
Dean Cain “Lois and Clark” TV show, 1993-’97
Tom Welling “Smallville” TV show, 2001 to present
Brandon Routh “Superman Returns,” 2006
$200+ MILLION
Estimated cost of “Superman Returns”
29 Superman’s age according to the comic books. Brandon Routh, who plays Superman in “Superman Returns,” is 26 years old. He is three years younger than Tom Welling, who plays the teenage Clark Kent on the TV series “Smallville.”
1992 The year DC Comics killed Superman in a battle with villain Doomsday. He was soon resurrected.
129 Number of performances of the 1966 Broadway musical “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman!” before it closed.
6,000 Number of people who live in the real Metropolis, in southern Illinois. In 1972, the Illinois Legislature named Metropolis “the hometown of Superman.” The town has a 15-foot statue (right), a museum and an annual Superman festival.
