While Superman’s cinematic career might be stuck on the ground right now, the Man of Steel’s small-screen adventures are flying high thanks to the success of Superman & Lois. The Supergirl spinoff has wowed fans over its past one and a half seasons thanks to its blend of superhero action and family drama. What’s more, it offers up perhaps the most relatable depiction of Kal-El yet, with Tyler Hoechlin playing the hero like we’ve never seen him before — a dad struggling to raise two teenagers.
Hoechlin’s portrayal has won him a legion of fans, but one of his on-screen sons thinks he might just be the best Last Son of Krypton since Christopher Reeve. In conversation with Looper, Alex Garfin — who plays the superpowered Jordan Kent on The CW show — heaped on the praise for his superhero dad, noting that Hoechlin balances the two sides of the character better than anyone since Reeve.
“No, we really haven’t seen someone absolutely nail Clark and Superman since [Christopher] Reeve, and really, Tyler [Hoechlin], not watching people, he said that was his strategy, right?” Garfin said. “He said he never wanted to see any Superman. He doesn’t want to watch any Superman until this is all over. Then, he will watch it all to understand what everyone’s been talking about this whole time.
Garfin went on to add that he thinks what really makes Hoechlin’s take on the iconic part sing is the smaller moments he gets to do as Clark, rather than the grand Superman action scenes.
“He brings a new light to the role,” he continued. “He brings himself to the role, and he brings a volume of experience going all the way back to Road to Perdition when he was a kid. The magic of Tyler Hoechlin is not even in the crazy, deep emotional scenes, even though he absolutely is amazing at them. It’s always in the Clark stuff. It’s his ability to have fun on screen.”
Whatever your feelings on Henry Cavill’s iteration, everyone can agree that the DCEU has tended to cast him as a god-like messianic figure, whereas Hoechlin’s brings Clark back down to Earth. In that way, the Teen Wolf star is very much the successor to Reeve’s crown, as the beloved actor brought a warmth and humanity to the role better than anyone. Still, Garfin’s bold claim isn’t something every fan will agree with. Smallville devotees, for one, might still favor Tom Welling (who actually got to work with Reeve on the Superman prequel).
See Hoechlin’s hero in action once Superman & Lois season two returns from its hiatus on April 26.
