Brandon Routh played Clark Kent in Superman Returns, the Man of Steel's return to the big screen after 19 years. Since childhood, the actor had dreamed of playing this DC Comics character, which was presented as a unique opportunity to fulfil his life's dream and become a new rising star in Hollywood. But nothing went according to plan.
Superman Returns failed at the box office, prompting Brandon Routh to criticize the film's lack of charisma. The actor could not cope with this stumbling block, being automatically transferred from great Hollywood productions to minor films and B-series movies. Brandon Routh admitted to having fallen into a depression in interviews such as those offered on the Inside of You podcast in 2020, which led him to seek refuge in video games such as World of Warcraft.
The actor thus joined the black legend of the character of Superman in the cinema, since, with exceptions, such as Henry Cavill, all the actors who have played the character in the cinema have suffered from a tragic or declining future. So it was the case of George Reeves, who starred in the Adventures of Superman in the 50s; Christopher Reeve, who suffered a horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed; or even Lee Quigley, who played Superman as a baby in the 1978 film and lost his life to intoxication. But Routh didn't give up. And his work was rewarded.
Brandon Routh managed to gain a foothold in television, being chosen to participate in the DC television universe of the CW Network. Beyond working on series like Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow or The Flash, playing the character of Ray Palmer, he redeemed himself and re-wear the Superman cape in "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the crossover between the various fictions and DC television characters.
