Never in a million years did I think I’d ever write the headline or article that I am right now.
Before I get too ahead of myself, allow me to bring everyone up to speed. Long story short, it was revealed this week that Legends of Tomorrow star Brandon Routh will indeed feature in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event – but as Superman. Yes, that’s right, he’ll be suiting up as Big Blue for the first time since 2006’s Superman Returns.
What’s doubly intriguing is that Supergirl‘s Tyler Hoechlin will also drop by as his own version of the Man of Steel, making this the first time two iterations of the timeless icon will participate in a live action story arc. That said, we can now put to bed any suspicions of which incarnation Routh is playing – and it’s not the one we came to know from Superman Returns.
Believe it or not, he’s playing Kingdom Come Superman, which is derived from, well, the beloved Kingdom Come miniseries written by Mark Waid and painted by Alex Ross. Basically, he’s an older version of the superhero we know and love, only he’s really been put through the wringer. Needless to say, this is what made me have a nerdgasm.
From the sound of it, this was largely Routh’s idea, as executive producer Marc Guggenheim confessed the following at San Diego Comic-Con:
“Well, I spoke to WB, we actually discovered this last year on last year’s crossover: Every time they have a costume, they basically put it in their archives. And they don’t like to let it out. So we won’t be able to use your original costume. We’re still figuring it out. We’ll dress you in something, obviously. If you have any ideas, we’re all ears.”
Soon afterward, Routh shouted “I have an idea!” and revealed the unmistakable Kingdom Come Superman shirt under his button-down attire. Unsurprisingly, Guggenheim met that with “I think we’re going to do that!”
Routh told the following to Entertainment Weekly with great sentiment:
“It’s an opportunity for me to kind of say hello and goodbye to the character in a way I didn’t get to the first time. Being a young individual of 24, 25, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this for years and make multiple movies.’ And that, of course, didn’t happen. I’m just very honored to be able to do this one last time.”
As always, you’re advised to keep watching this space as more develops. Right now, “Crisis on Infinite Earths” has the potential to be one of the Arrowverse’s greatest achievements, and we can’t wait to see where it all goes.
