List of characters in the Superman film series

The following is a fairly detailed overview of the characters depicted in the live-action Superman films.

Clark Kent/Superman
In 1978, the first of four Superman films was made in which Clark Kent and Superman were portrayed by Christopher Reeve. This was followed nearly 2 decades later by a fifth film called Superman Returns with Brandon Routh giving a performance very similar to Reeve's. In contrast to George Reeves' intellectual Clark Kent, Reeve's version is much more of an awkward bumbler, although Reeve is also an especially athletic, dashing and debonair Superman. Clark Kent's hair is always absolutely flat, while Superman's hair has a slight wave and is parted on the opposite side as Kent's. These films leave the impression that Clark Kent is really a secret identity that is used to enable Superman to serve humanity better, rather than just a role to help him assimilate into the human community.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on his origins on the planet Krypton with exotic crystalline sets designed by John Barry, effectively giving Superman a third persona as Kal-El. The first film is in three sections, Kal-El's infancy on Krypton (shot in London on the 007 stage), Clark Kent's teen years in Smallville, and Kent/Superman's adult life in Metropolis (shot in New York City). In earlier sections of the film, we see Reeve's Kent interacting with both his earthly parents and the spirit of his Kryptonian father through a special crystal, in a way we never saw George Reeves. The film has a fair amount of quasi-Biblical imagery suggestive of Superman as a sort of Christ-figure sent by Jor-El to show humans the way. (See also Superman (film)). In Superman II Reeve's Superman has to sacrifice his powers (effectively becoming just Clark Kent) in order to have a love relationship with Lois Lane, a choice he eventually abrogates to protect the world.

The relationship between Superman and Kent came to actual physical blows in Superman III. Superman is given a piece of manufactured Kryptonite but instead of weakening or killing him it drives him crazy, depressed, angry, and casually destructive, committing crimes which range from petty acts of vandalism to environmental disasters, like causing an oil spillage in order to bed a lusty woman in league with the villains. Driven alcoholic, Superman, his outfit dirty and neglected, eventually goes to a car wrecking yard where Kent, in a proper business suit and glasses, suddenly emerges from within him. A fight ensues in which the "evil" Superman tries to dispose of the "good" Kent, but the latter fights back, "kills" the evil side to his nature and, reclaiming the Superman mantle, sets off to repair the damage and capture the villains.

The indirect "Christianization" of Superman in the Reeve films (admitted by film producer Pierre Spengler) has provoked comment on the Jewish origins of Superman. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein's book  Up Up and Oy Vey : How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero says that Superman is both a pillar of society and one whose cape conceals a "nebbish", saying "He's a bumbling, nebbish Jewish stereotype. He's Woody Allen." Ironically, it is also in the Reeve films that Clark Kent's persons has the greatest resemblance to Woody Allen, though his conscious model was Cary Grant's character in Bringing up Baby. This same theme is pursued about '40s superheroes generally in "Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero" by Danny Fingeroth.

Jor-El
Marlon Brando played Jor-El in the 1978 Superman film, which Alexander Salkind, his son Ilya Salkind, and their business partner Pierre Spengler produced and which Richard Donner directed. In the movie, Jor-El is shown wearing the Superman "S"-shield symbol as the family crest of the House of El. In the current comics, the shield is the Kryptonian symbol for "hope," and not only is it worn by Jor-El in a similar manner to Brando of the first feature film, but it adorns all manner of Kryptonian flags, clothing, spaceships, and equipment. However, the film version is one in which the shield is unique to members of the House of El, with other Kryptonians wearing their own individualized family crests.

When the teenage Clark Kent finds the green crystal his birth father placed in his ship, it leads him to the North Pole, where the green crystal creates the Fortress of Solitude, and brings Clark into contact with an interactive hologram of Jor-El, who instructs his son on how to use his powers and informs him that the people of Earth "can be a great people, Kal-El, if they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all...their capacity for good...I have sent them you, my only son." Later, Jor-El is shown advising Superman on why he must maintain his secret identity to protect himself and his loved ones.

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
A feature film adaptation Supergirl was released in 1984, starring Helen Slater in her first motion picture role. Supergirl was a spin-off from the popular 1978 film Superman, and Marc McClure reprises his role of Jimmy Olsen. The movie performed poorly at the box office and failed to impress critics or audiences; Peter O'Toole received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor for his performance, while Faye Dunaway received a Worst Actress nomination for hers. Prior to its release, Supergirl was expected to be the first film of a series, and Helen Slater had a contract for three films, but Supergirl's failure at the box office cancelled plans for a Supergirl II.

Supergirl was originally planned for Superman III, in a treatment written by Ilya Salkind. In a bizarre twist from the comics, Supergirl was to be the surrogate daughter of Brainiac who falls in love with Superman, who until then had been portrayed as her cousin.

Zor-El
In the 1984 Supergirl movie, Zor-El was played by Simon Ward.

Superman II
Marlon Brando filmed additional footage for the sequel, Superman II, before differences behind the scenes caused his footage to end up on the cutting room floor. It has been restored for the 2006 revised version, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. In the Richard Donner Cut, Jor-El appears again as in the first as a person to guide and inform Kal-El. Jor-El's historical crystals reveal to Lex Luthor the existence of the three Phantom Zone criminals General Zod, Ursa and Non, which makes Luthor realize just who and what they are (and that it was Superman who caused their release).

Jor-El is asked by Clark if he can live a life as a human with Lois Lane. Jor-El tries to persuade Clark not to wish so, but Clark is firm with his will. Jor-El then reveals the crystal chamber with the rays of Krypton's red sun which will make Clark human forever. Later, Clark returns to find all the crystals and information regarding Krypton destroyed, but finds the original crystal and is able to bring back Jor-El. Jor-El sacrifices his remaining life-force to restore his son's powers so that Superman can save Earth from Zod. Superman later destroys the Fortress after it has been breached by Luthor and the Phantom Zone criminals, but then goes back in time, where it remains normal.

Alura In-Zee
In the 1984 Supergirl movie, Alura was played by Mia Farrow.

Ma and Pa Kent
Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter portray Jonathan and Martha in 1978's Superman. In the movie, Jonathan dies of a heart attack on the farm as young Clark approaches manhood. In 1983's Superman III, it is mentioned by Lana Lang that Martha has died.

Lois Lane
Actress Margot Kidder played Lois Lane against Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent in the 1970s and 1980s films Superman, Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Her role in Superman III was greatly reduced, however, due to a conflict with the producers of the film. Kidder also appeared briefly in two episodes of the television program Smallville as Dr. Bridgette Crosby, an emissary of Dr. Swann (played by Christopher Reeve), but declined to make a third appearance after Reeve's death because she felt it would be doing his memory a disservice.

Sam Lane
Sam Lane makes a brief cameo appearance in Superman: The Movie from 1978. Kirk Alyn, the first actor to portray Superman in live-action (in two low-budget serials from the 1940s) is seen witnessing young Clark Kent racing the train he and his wife (portrayed by his serial co-star, Noel Neill) are riding on.

Lucy Lane
Lucy Lane appears in the 1984 movie Supergirl as a friend and schoolmate of Supergirl's alter-ego Linda Lee. Fame actress Maureen Teefy portrayed her here as a peppy teen-ager with a burgeoning relationship with Jimmy Olsen (mimicking their relationship in the comics).

Lana Lang
In Richard Donner's Superman in 1978, Lana Lang had a brief appearance in a scene at Smallville High. She was shown to be a cheerleader at the school with a fairly obvious crush on Clark, even though her current boyfriend was a football player named Brad. She was portrayed by Diane Sherry.

In the 1983 movie Superman III, Lana was played by Annette O'Toole. In an interview for the documentary Look Up In The Sky: The The Amazing Story of Superman, O'Toole states that the producers of Smallville (where she plays Clark's own adoptive mother, Martha Kent) were not aware that she had appeared in Superman III until after she was cast in the TV series. In Superman III, Lana is a divorcee with a son named Ricky. Lana's former boyfriend Brad, a former jock and Clark's childhood bully, is now a security guard and is still vying for her attention.

Lara Lor-Van
Lara was played by Susannah York in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980)and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) (voice only). After Marlon Brando (Jor-El) was removed from Superman II, Lara took on the role as Superman's mentor, in both Superman II and IV. She was later replaced by Brando's Jor-El in the new 2006 edit of II.

Jimmy Olsen
In the four motion pictures starring Christopher Reeve beginning with Superman, Jimmy Olsen was portrayed by Marc McClure. Marc McClure reprised his role as Jimmy Olsen in the 1984 spin-off movie Supergirl, making McClure the only actor and Olsen the only character to appear in all five Superman films of the 1978-87 era.

Perry White
In Superman: The Movie, Jackie Cooper played Perry as a tough character, who never let his reporters forget he had worked for the Planet nearly all his life. The "don't call me 'chief'" line was worked into a gag about ordering coffee, and became "don't call me 'sugar'!" (when he orders a coffee with sugar, and Jimmy Olsen calls him chief and he tells him not to call him "sugar"). Cooper's Perry was also fond of aphorisms such as "A good reporter doesn't get great stories — a good reporter makes them great." In the commentary track for Superman, director Richard Donner reveals that Cooper got the role because he had a passport, and thus was able to be on set in a few hours, after Keenan Wynn, who was originally cast, suffered a heart attack.

Evil Superman
Evil Superman (portrayed by Christopher Reeve) is a fictional supervillain utilized in Superman III. He is the original Superman turned evil when computer expert Gus Gorman gives him synthetic kryptonite. The formula he received to make synthetic kryptonite included known elements; however, 0.57% of the formula was unknown. He replaced this with tar, which made the synthetic crystal behave like red and black kryptonite, slowly turning Superman evil. The idea of an evil Superman came up when Pierre Spengler wanted to add a serious edge to the film's comic tone. Unfortunately, fans weren't impressed, and he ended up "touching a wrong nerve".

Evil Superman has a similar appearance to the original Superman, except that his expression projects either bullying arrogance or a sullen scowl. He is unshaven and his hair appears greasy and unkempt. Evil Superman's cape has darker colors than the original Superman's suit. According to some reviewers, it resembles the costume worn in Superman Returns. The S symbol also has a dirtier yellow background.

Gus Gorman
Gus Gorman is a fictional character from Superman III. He is a computer hacker and employee to the film's villain, Ross Webster, and is portrayed by famous actor/comedian Richard Pryor.

In the original version of Superman III, Gus Gorman was to be a disguise for the supervillain Brainiac in which he could live among humans. Under his Gus persona, Brainiac would then set about his evil deeds using the supercomputer which appears at the end of the film. The filmakers rejected this idea, instead using the Gus Gorman character for comic relief.

A talented computer hacker, August "Gus" Gorman is unemployed and down on his luck. Finally landing a job at Webscoe Industries by happenstance, he balks at the figure of his first paycheck, which is $143.80½. But, once he'd learned that all of the other ½ cents are left floating around inside the megacorporation's database, Gorman hacked into the company's computer system and funneled them all into his next check, accruing the amount of $85,789.90. (This form of hacking is known as salami slicing.)

Having gained the attention of Webscoe's owner Ross Webster (by driving a red sportscar to work one morning), Gorman is given the choice of either going to jail or helping Webster gain economic control over the world, starting with the coffee industry.

Lenny Luthor
Lenny Luthor, played by Jon Cryer, is the teenaged nephew of criminal genius Lex Luthor, who appears in the film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Like his uncle's previous criminal associates (i.e. Otis), Lenny is considerably less than intelligent, and in fact he's a bungling imbecile according to Lex, who considers him "the Dutch Elm disease of my family tree."

Lex Luthor
Actor Gene Hackman played the role of Lex Luthor in the 1978 movie Superman and in two of its three sequels (Superman II and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace). Hackman's portrayal is a notable departure from Luthor's comic book incarnations. In the films, Luthor is portrayed as Superman's comedic foil, or as comic book critic Peter Sanderson puts it, "a used car salesman wielding nuclear missiles."

Superman
In the 1978 Superman film, Lex Luthor serves as the primary antagonist. He is purely motivated by money, as well as the desire to swindle as tremendous a fortune as possible to prove his genius. Although he is bald, he wears a variety of wigs throughout the film to conceal it. He resides in a secret lair fashioned out of the remains of an abandoned railway terminal, a high-tech hideout that hearkens back to his "Golden Age" comic counterpart. Luthor's schemes are offset by a tendency to surround himself with unsatisfactory help; He is burdened by his bumbling henchman Otis, as well as his conscience-stricken girlfriend Eve Teschmacher. Luthor plots to divert a nuclear missile into hitting the San Andreas fault, causing California to sink into the ocean, thereby turning its neighboring states into prime beach front property. Although Luthor nearly kills Superman using kryptonite, Superman escapes with the help of Eve and sends him to prison.

Superman II
Luthor's role in Superman II is relegated to a supporting villain, beginning with a jailbreak organized with the help of Miss Teschmacher. After journeying to the Fortress of Solitude, Luthor learns of the existence of General Zod and the other Kryptonian criminals. Hoping to rule his own continent once the evil Kryptonians take over Earth, Luthor allies himself with Zod. However, when Superman confronts Zod and his cronies at the Fortress of Solitude at the film's climax, Luthor tricks Superman into revealing that there is a chamber in the Fortress which would rob a Kryptonian's powers due to Red Sun imitation, which turns a Kryptonian, such as Superman, Zod and his followers, Non and Ursa, into humans. Fortunately, expecting Luthor's betrayal, Superman reversed the effects of the chamber so that when he was forced inside by Zod, the Red Sun beams were transported into the Fortress while Superman was safe inside the chamber and Zod and his followers were defeated easily because of the loss of their powers. Luthor, meanwhile, is sent back to prison.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Luthor reappears in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, escaping from prison once more, this time with the aid of his nephew Lenny. Once again, Lex allies himself with other villains, in this instance a cadre of war profiteers and arms dealers who are worried about what Superman's efforts toward nuclear disarmament will do to their business. Lex uses his own DNA, combined with strand of Superman's hair that is stolen from a museum, to create a hybrid clone which he dubs "Nuclear Man." The radioactive villain possesses abilities similar to Superman, but receives his power from direct sunlight, whereas Superman can still operate in darkness. Superman exploits this weakness eventually, destroying Nuclear Man and returning Lex to prison.

Non
Non is portrayed in the films Superman: The Movie and Superman II by Jack O'Halloran. At the beginning of Superman, Non is one of the three Kryptonian criminals, along with General Zod and Ursa, on trial for their attempted coup against the Kryptonian government. With Jor-El as their prosecutor, the three are found guilty and sentenced to be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. They are cast into the Phantom Zone portal shortly before the planet Krypton is destroyed. Non, lacking the ability to speak, communicates only through occasional whines and moans as well as his penchant for wanton violence. Non's name is not spoken at any time during the film; Jor-El's only reference to him is to proclaim that he is "as without thought as [he is] without voice".

Nuclear Man
Nuclear Man' (portrayed by Mark Pillow but voiced by Gene Hackman) is the supervillain from the film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. He was created by Lex Luthor with the DNA of Superman. Despite his name, he is actually solar powered. He and Bizarro succeeded Evil Superman as the evil movie clone of Superman.

Superman IV was approximately 134 minutes long in an earlier form. Around 45 minutes of footage was deleted prior to the theatrical release. Deleted scenes from the film show Lex Luthor creating a prototype Nuclear Man (played by British actor Clive Mantle), who was quickly defeated by Superman. This Nuclear Man also seemed to resemble the comic book character Bizarro in his speech and mannerisms. He is very tall, wears black clothing, and has spiky black hair. This Nuclear Man was created in Lex Luthor's laboratory. While Clark Kent and Lacy Warfield were dancing at the Metro Club in Metropolis, the first Nuclear Man entered the club with the intention of killing Superman. Before he could get to Superman, a woman began to flirt with him. She unbuttoned his shirt and touched his chest, but was burned by the intense heat his body gives off. She screamed, getting Clark's attention. Clark emerged as Superman from the back door of club, finding the Nuclear Man. The two battled using cars, garbage cans, and other objects against each other. Ultimately, Superman kicked the Nuclear Man into a power transformer which destroyed him. Lex Luthor's nephew, Lenny, collected the remains of the first Nuclear Man and returned them to Luthor's lair.

The stolen DNA (or, in the original cut, the remains of the first Nuclear Man) were placed into a small box along with a computer and some material which would be made into clothing. Following assembly, Lex Luthor put the case onto the side of a nuclear missile which Superman threw into the sun. The second Nuclear Man was born. Immediately, the Nuclear Man made his way to Lex Luthor's building, where he showed that he had the power to generate heat and electricity by touch, had heat vision hotter than Superman's, could levitate objects using hand beams, could shoot fire and heat flares, and had even greater super strength than Superman. His only weakness was that he had to remain in direct sunlight to function. His appearance is that of a 6-ft-3 muscleman, who wears black gauntlets, a sleeveless black costume with yellow-goldish-orange stripes, a "N" for nuclear logo on the back of his long black cape, long silver nails/talons, and long, blonde, mullet-like hair.

Otis
Otis, played by Ned Beatty, is the short henchman of Lex Luthor who appears in the 1978 film Superman and its sequel, Superman II. Lacking any real intelligence or physical strength, Otis is used by Luthor primarily as a gofer. He was inspired by Houseroy, a bumbling servant of another DC Comics supervillain Funky Flashman.

According to producer Pierre Spengler in the DVD commentary for Superman II, before Beatty got the part, Peter Boyle tested for and was offered the role.

Ursa
Ursa is a fictional villain that appears as an enemy of Superman in the film Superman II. She was a co-conspirator and accomplice of General Zod. Ursa was played by actress Sarah Douglas. The character also made a brief appearance at the beginning of Superman.

In the first Superman film, Ursa appears alongside General Zod and Non as they are being sentenced to the Phantom Zone by Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El. Jor-El describes her as "the woman Ursa, whose perversions and unreasoning hatred of all mankind has threatened even the children of the planet Krypton." She, Zod, and Non are imprisoned in the Phantom Zone where they should remain for all eternity and are not heard from again in the first film. She desperately screams in the Phantom Zone "Forgive ME!" repeatedly.

Ursa is depicted in both films as a hater of any member of the male gender anywhere. The only exceptions to this prejudice appear to be Non and General Zod. In the first film, this aspect of her character is emphasized by Jor-El in his speech as he sentences them to the Phantom Zone. In the second film, as directed by Richard Lester, Ursa's male hating tendencies survive, but the reprise of Jor-El's speech emphasizes a different aspect of her character. In Lester's Superman II, Jor-El says "Ursa, the only feeling you showed was for your vicious general. Your only wish, to rule at his side." Lester altered the character slightly, making her softer, and at least to a degree, in love with General Zod. In Superman II footage shot by Richard Donner, Ursa is more vicious and expresses her desire to kill as many men as she can in one scene from an extended TV version. In Donner's footage, Ursa does not necessarily appear to be in love with General Zod, but is with him because they share common goals.

Ross Webster
Ross Webster is the main villain played by Robert Vaughn in the 1983 film Superman III, written similar in tone to Lex Luthor in the first two Superman movies.

Published on June 17, 1983, Jane Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "This wealthy villain, played nattily by Robert Vaughn, is so rich he's never worn the same socks twice. He even has his own rooftop ski slope right in the middle of downtown Metropolis, which makes for one of the film's more inspired sight gags."

General Zod
General Zod appears in Superman and Superman II, portrayed by actor Terence Stamp as a pathologically arrogant and pompous aristocrat, almost bored with his incredible powers and disappointed with the ease of overtaking Earth. Zod's line "Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" has become part of pop culture. Terence Stamp's portrayal has led to Zod becoming one of Superman's best-known villains, and fans have come to view his portrayal as the definitive version of the character. The movie version of General Zod is rated #58 on Wizard magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list.