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A new Superman is flying onto the big screen. In 2025, David Corenswet will make his debut as the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s Superman. Corenswet is joining a proud legacy of Superman movie stars, which includes talented actors like Brandon Routh.

Routh played Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns. While a sequel was initially planned, the film’s tepid reception caused Warner Bros. to cancel it. However, Routh would get another chance to play the Man of Steel when he was cast as the Kingdom Come Superman for the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths television event.

This is a long way to say that Routh knows a thing or two about being Superman.

During a spotlight panel at ACE Superhero Comic Con 2024, former Superman actor Brandon Routh was asked what advice he would give Corenswet. Pulling from his experiences, Routh gave a heartfelt answer.

“I think the biggest thing for me about Superman is always recognizing the non-physical superpowers that he has. It can be cheesy to relate it to the ‘teach a man to fish’ story, but quite literially that is how I see it, and it’s very apropos to being the thing. If you save people all the time, everywhere, maybe they never learn how to save themselves. That doesn’t mean that you don’t save them, but it just means that the teaching, the personality, the aspect, the human communication, the understanding Superman can give us of inclusion.”

“To me Superman is pure love, he doesn’t judge," Routh continues. "He has to make some hard choices and stop people from doing bad things, but my goal for Superman is that he’s the guy that everyone can be in their person…maybe without all the flying and all the other stuff. But he’s an example, the best of humanity, and he could teach us to do it, not just by his actions, but by calling out the truth.”

David Corenswet's Superman debuts July 11, 2025.

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.