Rank the Best Multi-Acted CBM Character Rendition (DC Edition)

Rank the Best Multi-Acted CBM Character Rendition (DC Edition)

Have you ever wanted to tell someone why you think Brandon Routh is better than Christopher Reeve?
Come on in and rank them, and rank all the other DC interpretations while you're at it!

Editorial Opinion
By PietroJaximoff - Jun 07, 2017 06:06 PM EST
Filed Under: DC Comics

Rank the Best Multi-Acted CBM Character Rendition (DC Edition)

 

I hope the title didn’t confuse you! What I’m asking here is for you to rank the adaptations of the CBM characters that have been played by multiple actors.

 

The system is pretty simple. I’ll provide the character and the actors whom have portrayed said character. All you have to do is rank each iteration (1 being the best and so on).

 

Example:

 

What I’ll provide in the article

 

Superman/Clark Kent

 

Christopher Reeve

Brandon Routh

Henry Cavill

 

What you provide in your comment

 

  1. Christopher Reeve
  2. Henry Cavill
  3. Brandon Routh

 

That’s it. Make sure to put all of your rankings in one comment.

 

Now, let’s lay a few ground rules (some are for me, so don’t think I’m being a dick).

  • I’m going to put the characters in chronological order of their first film appearance, so don’t think I’m ranking them in the article. I’ll vote myself once the countdown is up. I'll give everyone 2 weeks, then I'll post my rankings, then I'll provide the results shortly after.
  • No ties. I don’t care if you like Reeve and Cavill the same, rank one higher.
  • I will NOT include live-action TV adaptations. This leads to one too many rankings, and I also don’t want to have to go through every TV show interpretation ever.
  • I will NOT include anyone before 1989’s Batman except for Adam West and Christopher Reeve. If you feel there is someone I should include, tag me. We’ll figure it out.
  • I am NOT including off-the-wall, animated, low budget, parody, or straight-to-DVD movies.
  • We are ranking the character as an entire interpretation. Consider alter-egos as part of the whole and vote accordingly.
  • I am only including important characters with notable roles. This classification could be argued, but I probably won’t change this. I really can’t scan every cast and feature every single character.
  • The overall scoring system is pretty simple in that the actor-character combo with the lowest score among its counterparts after all votes are tallied will be ranked #1 and the most points will be ranked last, and I hope you can fill yourself in on the middle. So, if 5 people vote Christopher Reeve as the #1 Superman and Brandon Routh as #3, Reeve will have 5 points and Routh will have 15, thus making Reeve the #1.
  • If you rank one interpretation but leave another of the same character off, the one you left off will be tallied as a 0. If you understand the math behind the tallying, that would put them higher even than if you had placed them first, so be aware.
  • Your vote is based completely on your opinion. If you put Routh as #1 because you really love the one scene where he stalks Lois and invades her personal privacy, that’s up to you. 
  • You can provide reasoning as to why you voted the way you did, but you don’t have to.
  • Remember, you are basing your vote on the actor’s portrayal, not the quality of the film(s) as a whole.
  • I have no issues with discussions due to disagreeing with someone else’s rankings, but I’ll report anyone getting too unfriendly about this. I want it to be fun, and I hope you do, too.

 

A week from now, I’ll be doing the second edition, so keep an eye out!
 

 

Alright. Without further ado, here are the characters and the actors you will be ranking.

 

Superman

  • Christopher Reeve
  • Brandon Routh
  • Henry Cavill

 

Lois Lane

  • Margot Kidder
  • Kate Bosworth
  • Amy Adams

 

Jor-El

  • Marlon Brando
  • Russell Crowe

 

Lex Luthor

  • Gene Hackman
  • Kevin Spacey
  • Jesse Eisenberg

 

General Zod

  • Terrance Stamp
  • Michael Shannon

 

Batman

  • Adam West
  • Michael Keaton
  • Val Kilmer
  • George Clooney
  • Christian Bale
  • Ben Affleck

 

Rachel Dawes

  • Katie Holmes
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal

 

Robin

  • Burt Ward
  • Chris O’Donnell
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt

 

Alfred

  • Alan Napier
  • Michael Gough
  • Michael Caine
  • Jeremy Irons

 

Joker

  • Cesar Romero
  • Jack Nicholson
  • Heath Ledger
  • Jared Leto

 

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

  • Billy Dee Williams
  • Tommy Lee Jones
  • Aaron Eckhart

 

Penguin

  • Burgess Meredith
  • Danny DeVito

 

Catwoman

  • Lee Meriweather
  • Michelle Pfeiffer
  • Halle Berry
  • Anne Hathaway

 

Riddler

  • Frank Gorshin
  • Jim Carrey

 

Bane

  • Jeep Swenson
  • Tom Hardy

 

Thanks for playing!

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CaptDeadpool
CaptDeadpool - 6/7/2017, 7:27 PM
Superman
Christopher Reeve 3
Brandon Routh 2
Henry Cavill 1

Lois Lane
Margot Kidder 2
Kate Bosworth 3
Amy Adams 1

Jor-El
Marlon Brando 1
Russell Crowe 2

Lex Luthor
Gene Hackman 1
Kevin Spacey 2
Jesse Eisenberg 3

General Zod
Terrance Stamp 2
Michael Shannon 1

Batman
Adam West 2
Michael Keaton 4
Val Kilmer 3
George Clooney 6
Christian Bale 5
Ben Affleck 1

Rachel Dawes
Katie Holmes 2
Maggie Gyllenhaal 1

Robin
Burt Ward 2
Chris O’Donnell 3
Joseph Gordon-Levitt 1

Alfred
Alan Napier 2
Michael Gough 3
Michael Caine 1

Joker
Cesar Romero 4
Jack Nicholson 3
Heath Ledger 2
Jared Leto 1

Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Billy Dee Williams 2
Tommy Lee Jones 3
Aaron Eckhart 1

Penguin
Burgess Meredith 2
Danny DeVito 1

Catwoman
Lee Meriweather 2
Michelle Pfeiffer 1
Halle Berry 4
Anne Hathaway 3

Riddler
Frank Gorshin 2
Jim Carrey 1

Bane
Jeep Swenson 2
Tom Hardy 1
Menks123
Menks123 - 6/7/2017, 7:55 PM
Superman

Christopher Reeve
Henry Cavill
Brandon Routh

Lois Lane

Margot Kidder
Amy Adams
Kate Bosworth

Jor-El

Marlon Brando
Russell Crowe

Lex Luthor

Gene Hackman
Kevin Spacey
Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod

Michael Shannon
Terrance Stamp

Batman

Christian Bale
Ben Affleck
Michael Keaton
Adam West
Val Kilmer
George Clooney

Rachel Dawes

Katie Holmes
Maggie Gyllenhaal

Robin

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Burt Ward
Chris O'Donnell

Alfred

Michael Caine
Jeremy Irons
Michael Gough
Alan Napier

Joker

Heath Ledger
Jack Nicholson
Jared Leto
Cesar Romero

Harvey Dent/Two-Face
Aaron Eckhart
Tommy Lee Jones (For the lols)
Billy Dee Williams

Penguin

Danny DeVito
Burgess Meredith

Catwoman

Michelle Pfeiffer
Lee Meriweather
Anne Hathaway
Halle Berry

Riddler

Frank Gorshin
Jim Carrey (Perfect casting, but HORRIBLY written obviously)

Bane

Tom Hardy
Jeep Sampson
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/7/2017, 8:02 PM
Superman
2. Christopher Reeve
3. Brandon Routh
1. Henry Cavill

Lois Lane
3. Margot Kidder
2. Kate Bosworth
1. Amy Adams

Jor-El
2. Marlon Brando
1. Russell Crowe

Lex Luthor
2. Gene Hackman
1. Kevin Spacey
3. Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod
2. Terrance Stamp
1. Michael Shannon

Batman
5. Adam West
3. Michael Keaton
1. Val Kilmer
4. George Clooney
2. Christian Bale
1. Ben Affleck

Rachel Dawes
2. Katie Holmes
1. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Robin
3. Burt Ward
2. Chris O’Donnell
1. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Alfred
3. Alan Napier
2. Michael Gough
1. Michael Caine

Joker
3. Cesar Romero
2. Jack Nicholson
1. Heath Ledger
4. Jared Leto

Harvey Dent/Two-Face
2. Billy Dee Williams
3. Tommy Lee Jones
1. Aaron Eckhart

Penguin
2. Burgess Meredith
1. Danny DeVito

Catwoman
3. Lee Meriweather
1. Michelle Pfeiffer
4. Halle Berry
2. Anne Hathaway

Riddler
2. Frank Gorshin
1. Jim Carrey

Bane
2. Jeep Swenson
1. Tom Hardy
ELAYEM
ELAYEM - 6/7/2017, 9:17 PM
Good idea!

Superman:
1. Reeve
2. Cavill
3. Routh

Lois:
Been too long since I saw some of these, I cant vote on Lois

Jor-El:
Been too long since I saw some of these, I cant vote on Jor-El

Lex:
1. Kevin Spacey
2. Gene Hackman
3. Jesse Eisenberg

Zod:
1. Shannon
2. Stamp

Batman:
1. Bale
2. Affleck
3. Kilmer
4. Keaton
5. Clooney
6. West

Rachel:
1. Maggie G
2. Katie H

Robin:
1. JGL
2. Chris O'Donnell
3. Burt Ward

Alfred:
1. Michael Caine
2. Michael Gough
3. Alan Napier
*Not sure why Irons isn't here. He would be #2 and the others would be shifted down for me.

Joker:
1. Heath Ledger
2. Jack Nicholson
3. Jared Leto
4. Cesar Romero

Two-Face:
1. Eckhart
2. Tommy Lee Jones
3. Billy Dee (Does he even count? Did he ever do anything?)

Penguin:
1. DeVito
2. Burgess

Catwoman:
Been too long since I saw some of these, I cant vote on Catwoman

Riddler:
Been too long since I saw some of these, I cant vote on Riddler

Bane:
1. Hardy
2. Swenson
ThouBear8
ThouBear8 - 6/7/2017, 9:27 PM
Superman

1.Christopher Reeve
2.Henry Cavill
3.Brandon Routh (he did a good job tho)

Lois Lane

1.Margot Kidder (pretty distant 1st)
2.Amy Adams
3.Kate Bosworth

Jor-El

1.Russell Crowe
2.Marlon Brando (both pretty good tho)

Lex Luthor

1.Kevin Spacey (best one yet, but the writing let down what could have been phenomenal casting; yet to see a definitive Lex on film)
2.Gene Hackman
3.Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod

1.Michael Shannon (close call here)
2.Terrance Stamp

Batman

1.Ben Affleck (first actor to play a good Bruce & Batman; when it's all said & done, I think he'll be considered #1 by most)
2.Michael Keaton
3.Christian Bale
4.Val Kilmer
5.Adam West
6.George Clooney

Rachel Dawes

1.Maggie Gyllenhaal (easily, but honestly, who cares)
2.Katie Holmes

Robin

1.Chris O’Donnell
1.Joseph Gordon-Levitt (would probably be #1 if he actually was Robin)
3.Burt Ward

Alfred

1.Jeremy Irons (this is more a prediction as I love him as an actor, & expect him to become the best one by the end of the DCEU)
2.Michael Gough
3.Michael Caine
4.Alan Napier

Joker

1.Heath Ledger
2.Jack Nicholson
3.Cesar Romero
4.Jared Leto (has potential to move up the list)

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

1.Aaron Eckhart (by far the #1 choice for me)
2.Billy Dee Williams
3.Tommy Lee Jones


Penguin

1.Danny DeVito
2.Burgess Meredith (pretty great, I just prefer DeVito)

Catwoman

1.Michelle Pfeiffer
2.Anne Hathaway
3.Lee Meriweather
4.Halle Berry (distant, distant, 4th place)

Riddler

1.Jim Carrey (underrated in my opinion)
2.Frank Gorshin

Bane

1.Tom Hardy (pretty easy choice)
2.Jeep Swenson

Commissioner Gordon

1. Gary Oldman
2. Pat Hingle
3. Neil Hamilton
(Can't wait to see what J.K. Simmons brings to the role, I'm sure he'll be at least 2nd on the list, if not 1st)
nightwin6
nightwin6 - 6/7/2017, 9:58 PM
Superman

1. Christopher Reeve
2. Henry Cavill
3. Brandon Routh

Reeve is the definitive version of the character to me. Cavill is decent, I just need to see him doing more than just acting emo all the time. Routh just doing a far inferior impression of Reeve.
 

Lois Lane

1. Margot Kidder
2. Amy Adams
3. Kate Bosworth

Neither of these are particularly my favourite versions of the character. I frankly think that both Teri Hatcher and Erica Durance played Lois better on the small screen than any of these actresses on the big screen.
 

Jor-El

1. Marlon Brando
2. Russell Crowe

Both were great, but I think Brando edges out Crowe for bringing greater gravitas to the role.

Lex Luthor

1. Gene Hackman
2. Kevin Spacey
3. Jesse Eisenberg

Hackman was the best, but I feel like Spacey could have been the best in the role if he was just playing a more comic friendly version of the character. (Eg. A more Frank Underwood type version)

General Zod

1. Terrance Stamp
2. Michael Shannon

I like Shannon, but Stamp's version had the immortal words that the character is now known for "kneel before Zod!"

Batman

1. Christian Bale
2. Michael Keaton
3. Ben Affleck
4. Adam West
5. Val Kilmer
6. George Clooney

The Top 3 are really close and I even like Adam West a lot, but it's a 3 horse race because I like the more serious version of Batman more than the campy version. Affleck could turn out being the best, but I just need to see more of him as Bruce Wayne and less of him obsessing about Superman. Michael Keaton is a great Batman, I just think his Bruce Wayne is lacking a little. Bale is a brilliant Bruce Wayne when he's playing the billionaire playboy or when he's in the batcave working. His voice as Batman is the real reason he doesn't runaway with this. Affleck can overtake him if he keeps playing the role.

Rachel Dawes

1. Maggie Gyllenhaal
2. Katie Holmes

I don't particularly like either version, but Katie brought down parts of Batman Begins while I was only indifferent to Maggie in the Dark Knight.
 
Robin

1. Burt Ward
2. Chris O’Donnell
3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Ward is the quintessential version of the classic Robin. O'Donnell is okay at best. Gorden-Levitt wasn't really Robin, but just a nod to him so that's why he goes last.

Alfred

1. Michael Caine
2. Michael Gough
3. Alan Napier

All 3 are great so this ranking just came from slight preferences.

Joker

1. Heath Ledger
2. Jack Nicholson
3. Cesar Romero
4. Jared Leto
 

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

1. Aaron Eckhart
2. Billy Dee Williams
Tommy Lee Jones


 

Penguin

Burgess MeredithDanny DeVito

 

Catwoman

Lee MeriweatherMichelle PfeifferHalle BerryAnne Hathaway

 

Riddler

Frank GorshinJim Carrey

 

Bane

Jeep SwensonTom Hardy
nightwin6
nightwin6 - 6/7/2017, 10:03 PM
@nightwin6 - Accidently pressed send before I finished. Here's the rest quickly:

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

1. Aaron Eckhart
2. Billy Dee Williams
3. Tommy Lee Jones

Penguin

1. Danny DeVito
2. Burgess Meredith

Catwoman

1. Michelle Pfeiffer
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Lee Meriweather
4. Halle Berry

Riddler

1. Frank Gorshin
2. Jim Carrey

Bane

1. Tom Hardy
2. Jeep Swenson
MUTO123
MUTO123 - 6/7/2017, 10:27 PM
Superman
1. Christopher Reeve
2. Henry Cavill
3. Brandon Routh

Lois Lane
1. Margot Kidder
2. Amy Adams
3. Kate Bosworth

Jor-El
1. Russell Crowe
2. Marlon Brando

Lex Luthor
1. Gene Hackman
2. Kevin Spacey
3. Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod
1. Michael Shannon
2. Terrance Stamp

Batman
1. Christian Bale
2. Michael Keaton
3. Ben Affleck
4. Adam West
5. Val Kilmer
6. George Clooney

Rachel Dawes
1. Maggie Gyllenhaal
2. Katie Holmes

Robin
1. Burt Ward
2. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
3. Chris O'Donnell

Alfred
1. Michael Caine
2. Michael Gough
3. Alan Napier

Joker
1. Heath Ledger
2. Jack Nicholson
3. Cesar Romero
4. Jared Leto

Harvey Dent/Two-Face
1. Aaron Eckhart
2. Billy Dee Williams
3. Tommy Lee Jones

Penguin
1. Danny DeVito
2. Burgess Meredith

Catwoman
1. Michelle Pfeiffer
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Lee Meriweather
4. Halle Berry

Riddler
1. Frank Gorshin
2. Jim Carrey

Bane
1. Tom Hardy
2. Jeep Swenson
DaLaBrAcK
DaLaBrAcK - 6/7/2017, 11:13 PM
Superman
1. Christopher Reeve
2. Brandon Routh
3. Henry Cavill

Lois Lane
1. Margot Kidder
2. Amy Adams
3. Kate Bosworth

Jor-El
1. Marlon Brando
2. Russell Crowe

Lex Luthor
1. Gene Hackman
2. Kevin Spacey
3. Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod
1. Terrance Stamp
2. Michael Shannon

Batman
1. Michael Keaton
2. Ben Affleck
3. Christian Bale
4. Val Kilmer
5. George Clooney
6. Adam West

Rachel Dawes
1. Maggie Gyllenhaal
2. Katie Holmes

Robin
1. Burt Ward
2. Chris O’Donnell
3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Alfred
1. Michael Gough
2. Michael Caine
3. Alan Napier

Joker
1. Heath Ledger
2. Jack Nicholson
3. Cesar Romero
4. Jared Leto

Harvey Dent/Two-Face
1. Aaron Eckhart
2. Tommy Lee Jones
3. Billy Dee Williams

Penguin
1. Danny DeVito
2. Burgess Meredith

Catwoman
1. Michelle Pfeiffer
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Lee Meriweather
4. Halle Berry

Riddler
1. Frank Gorshin
2. Jim Carrey

Bane
1. Tom Hardy
2. Jeep Swenson
RichardGrayson
RichardGrayson - 6/7/2017, 11:57 PM
Superman

Christopher Reeve
Brandon Routh
Henry Cavill



Lois Lane

Margot Kidder
Amy Adams
Kate Bosworth




Jor-El

Marlon Brando
Russell Crowe



Lex Luthor

Kevin Spacey
Gene Hackman
Jesse Eisenberg



General Zod

Terrance Stamp
Michael Shannon



Batman


Michael Keaton
Christian Bale
Ben Affleck
Val Kilmer
Adam West
George Clooney



Rachel Dawes

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Katie Holmes




Robin

Chris O’Donnell
Burt Ward
Joseph Gordon-Levitt



Alfred

Michael Caine
Michael Gough
Jeremy Irons
Alan Napier




Joker

Jack Nicholson
Heath Ledger
Cesar Romero
Jared Leto



Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Aaron Eckhart
Tommy Lee Jones
Billy Dee Williams





Penguin

Danny DeVito
Burgess Meredith




Catwoman

Michelle Pfeiffer
Lee Meriweather
Anne Hathaway
Halle Berry




Riddler

Jim Carrey
Frank Gorshin




Bane

Tom Hardy
Jeep Swenson

ager
ager - 6/8/2017, 4:11 AM
People should consider a few things: not just how well the actor acted, and how well the character was written but posters should consider how well the actor embodied the characters qualities AT THE TIME (keeping in mind that West portrayed a happy Batman and Cavill portrayed a super man during a time when a Boy Scout-type was going to go over well. Also, to be considered is how monumental was the portrayal in that did the actors portrayal radically change the way the character was written within the comics. Take for example (even though it's not on here according to the specified rules, the B:TAS rendition of Mr Freeze, who comic counterpart evolved to reflect the well crafted characterization.
JaredRWebb12
JaredRWebb12 - 6/8/2017, 5:51 AM
Superman
1)Christopher Reeve
2)Henry Cavill
3)Brandon Routh
 
Lois Lane
1)Margot Kidder
2)Amy Adams
3)Kate Bosworth
 
Jor-El
1)Russell Crowe
2)Marlon Brando
 
Lex Luthor
1)Gene Hackman
2)Kevin Spacey
3)Jesse Eisenberg

General Zod
1)Michael Shannon
2)Terrence Stamp
 
Batman
4)Adam West
3)Michael Keaton
5)Val Kilmer
6)George Clooney
1)Christian Bale
2)Ben Affleck
 
Rachel Dawes
1)Katie Holmes
2)Maggie Gyllenhaal

Robin
1)JGL
2)Burt Ward
3)Chris O'Donnell
 
Alfred
1)Michael Caine
2)Jeremy Irons(he's missing man, needs to be in this)
3)Michael Gough
4)Alan Napier
 
Joker
4)Cesar Romero
2)Jack Nicholson
1)Heath Ledger
3)Jared Leto

Harvey Dent / Two Face

1. Aaron Eckhart
2. Billy Dee Williams
3. Tommy Lee Jones

Penguin

1. Burgess Meredith
2. Danny DeVito

Catwoman

1. Michelle Pfeiffer
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Lee Meriweather
4. Halle Berry

Riddler

1. Frank Gorshin
2. Jim Carrey

Bane

1. Tom Hardy
2. Jeep Swenson
 



 

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