When James Gunn and Peter Safran became co-heads of DC Studios and wiped the slate clean with the DC Universe reboot, it meant finding yet another new actor to play Superman. David Corenswet got the gig, headlining Gunn’s Superman (the DCU’s first feature film) last summer. With Superman marking the start of a new era for on-screen DC adaptations, it — and, by extension, Corenswet — was under a fair amount of pressure to connect with audiences. Fortunately, Corenswet passed his first test with flying colors, wonderfully embodying the spirit of what makes Superman such a great character. One of the main takeaways after Superman was that fans wanted to see more of his Kal-El, and they’re going to get plenty of him.
The DCU is still in its early stages, meaning several notable characters (including Batman and Wonder Woman) have yet to be cast. While the shared universe is expanding with projects like Lanterns and Clayface later this year, the Super Family is currently serving as the franchise’s anchor — which means there should be several opportunities to feature Kal-El in various stories. Gunn is wasting no time to take advantage of those opportunities, and it sets Corenswet up to break an impressive Superman record.
David Corenswet Should Break Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill’s Superman Movie Appearances Record
Image Courtesy of DC Studios
After his debut last summer, Corenswet’s Superman is set to return to the big screen this summer. The recent Supergirl trailer confirmed the actor’s role; the preview begins with Kara Zor-El playing a video message from her cousin, who’s concerned about her wellbeing. Since Supergirl is an intergalactic adventure chronicling Kara’s quest to save a poisoned Krypto’s life, it’s unlikely Superman has a big part to play. But even if Corenswet is only in a scene or two, he will still have two DCU film appearances under his belt in as many years.
It’s already guaranteed that audiences will get to see Corenswet’s Superman next summer too. The actor stars in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, the Superman follow-up that opens in July 2027. This means Corenswet will have at least three appearances as Superman by next year (potentially more if he were to make a surprise cameo in Clayface), putting him well on track to eventually shatter a record that’s currently held by Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill.
When counting director’s cuts and cameos, both Reeve and Cavill racked up five appearances as Superman in movies during their respective tenures. Reeve starred in the four Superman movies released from 1978-1987, plus Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. Cavill had starring roles in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and he made a cameo at the end of Black Adam (setting up a triumphant return that unfortunately never came to be). By next July, Corenswet should be only two behind, and it feels like his time as Superman is only getting started.
As of this writing, DC Studios has not officially scheduled any feature films beyond 2027, but there’s no shortage of projects in various stages of development. It stands reason to believe Corenswet will appear in at least a few of those. Assuming Man of Tomorrow is successful, there will probably be interest in developing a third Superman solo movie. There’s always a chance Supergirl is a big enough hit to warrant a sequel, paving a path for a Kryptonian cousin team-up. And with the DCU set to add other notable heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman in the future, it seems inevitable there will be some kind of crossover with Superman — be it a Justice League film, World’s Finest, or just another cameo. It seems all but a given Corenswet will have six or more movie appearances by the time his run as Superman is over.
Will David Corenswet Break Christopher Reeve’s Solo Superman Movie Record?
Image Courtesy of DC Studios
Corenswet looks to be in great shape to eventually break the all-time Superman appearances record, but there’s one mark that might be out of his reach. All five of Reeve’s appearances (including the Donner cut) came in solo movies, an illustration of how different comic book adaptations were during that era. When Reeve was playing Kal-El, he didn’t have opportunities for shared universe crossovers and team-ups. All he had available were solo movies revolving around Superman. The wildly contrasting landscape Corenswet finds himself in gives Reeve a seemingly insurmountable advantage on the solo movie front.
Comic book adaptations have become much more prevalent since the turn of the century, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an actor who has headlined five solo superhero movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for nearly two decades, and yet Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is the only one of the Original Six Avengers to get four solo films. Tom Holland is the first of the three live-action Spider-Men to get a fourth solo outing. Christian Bale headlined a trilogy of Batman movies before he stepped away. It’s rare for an individual actor to get four or five projects, yet alone the six it would require for Corenswet to break Reeve’s record.
Again, this particular record is for solo superhero movies only. Robert Downey Jr. made 10 appearances as Tony Stark in the Infinity Saga, but only three of those were solo Iron Man movies. Prior to his return in Avengers: Doomsday, Chris Evans played Steve Rogers 11 times, and like Downey, only three of those were solo Captain America movies (and Civil War truly stretches the definition of “solo movie”). Hugh Jackman got three solo Wolverine movies in addition to all the X-Men team films. So, Corenswet’s Superman would really have to buck an established genre trend to get even close to breaking Reeve’s solo Superman movie record. Odds are, he’ll probably headline a trilogy, but anything beyond that is no guarantee.
Six solo movies is a lot to dedicate to a single character when there’s so much other ground the DCU wants to cover. It’s only a matter of time before characters like Batman and Wonder Woman get their solo movies, and there could be a limited number of available spots on the release calendar. Last year, reports indicated DC Studios was going to target 1-2 theatrical releases per year, so it would make the shared universe feel a bit small if Superman was leading a majority of those movies. In all likelihood, Corenswet will follow the Downey and Evans trajectory of three solo films and team-ups.
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