Defending Dean Cain (sigh)
Note: First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Brandon Routh for taking off the heat off of Dean Cain and the general Superman fan community’s gripe with Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Without you, the burden of having been known as the “worst Superman ever” has now been lifted. Is it fair? Of course not, and its not really your fault. But I appreciate your sacrifice none the less.
Anyway, moving on…
The two common (and highly annoying and redundant) complaints here I’d like to speak on in defense of Dean Cain as Superman.
1. He’s too ‘ethnic’ looking. He doesn’t look like Superman.
2. He plays Clark and Superman the same. He can’t act.
1. I’ve heard it all. Dean Cain can pass for many things apparently. You guys, he is not Chinese, Latino, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian, Cuban or every non Anglo Saxon ethnicity under the sun I’ve heard people thought he was thus far. The man is Welsh, Irish, French and yes *shock* Japanese. Yes he is darker than all the other Superman actors by far, no he doesn’t have blue eyes (and their slightly slanted!! ZOMG!) but brown, and maybe he’s a couple of inches too short (ZOMGGG Superman is 6′4 ft not 6′0 ft!!) but why does that matter?
Superman is an alien from another planet. Its odd enough that aliens already happen to look like human beings, but is it a necessity that they have to be Caucasian too? Are there really races on Krypton too? Actually, I think the stark contrast between Cain’s Clark amongst Martha and Johnathan Kent show a much more distinguished showcase that he is indeed, adopted.
2. Oh boy, not this again. Well first, let me point out that L&C:TNAOS is post-Crisis Superman. It is not a rehash recycled version of the Donner films that every thinks every Superman incarnation has to follow by. That is simply one version. Let it go. Get over it. It is not the end all and be all of Superman.
Here — It is Dean Cain who plays Clark Kent the person, the farmboy who grows up raised by the Kents. This is post-crisis Superman: “Clark is who I am, Superman is what I can do” is probably the line that sums up Clark Kent in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. George Reeves in its predecessor The Adventures of Superman was also similar to this (note, he did not play a bumbling Clark). However he was not able to convey the subtle appeal of the Smallville side of Clark Kent that Dean Cain (and hell, Tom Welling) accomplished.
Dean does play Clark and Superman differently. He doesn’t have to be over the top to show the distinct difference between the two. For me, Dean Cain will always be the best Clark Kent. I think for many, its Dean Cain as Superman is what is bashed. However, is that really fair? He only plays Superman for less than 5 minutes in each episode. Does that really give him time to be able to really play the character? No, so lets be fair. I too acknowledge that his Superman was very lackluster, but the bashing is not well deserving.
The essential problem with Cain’s Superman was his lack of presence and command in his voice*. He also has too much of a baby face for Superman (although by season 2 he looked a little more mature) which is why he worked as Clark, but not as Superman.
*If you’ve watched Out of Time (with Denzel Washington and Sanaa Lathan) or Smallville (Season 7 ‘Cure’) its noticeable that Dean has improved on his aspect. He is able to change his voice tone convincingly and effortlessly, and he now has the stature he didn’t have 15 years ago.
As much as people complain that Dean Cain “did not look like Superman” or that he was “too short”, I never once heard anyone complain about out of shape George Reeves and him looking like your grandpa as Superman. But I digress. Listen guys. Christopher Reeve will always be the Superman. But please, lets not overdue the praise here. And lets get this straight. He wasn’t Robert De Niro. He wasn’t Anthony Hopkins. He wasn’t Daniel Day-Lewis.
Dean Cain IS Clark Kent.
Ain’t his shirt ripping a thing of beauty??? Never cared for the way Chris Reeve did it, and Brandon Routh looked awkward).
where yo’ b0ss at?
&&&
Something so glaringly obvious but rarely if ever addressed anywhere dunng…
Superboy with Lana Lang in 1988
Smallville (aka Superboy 2001) with Lana Lang
And they complain about me being too Asian?!
Season 1 & 2 opening titles
Superman theme
Dean Cain is Superman
Yes, its true. Dean Cain from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman doesn’t look like Christopher Reeve, you’re right (he’s not the first, and he doesn’t have to look like him ANYWAY). He looks right out from the old school 1940s animation of Clark Kent; broad shoulders, darker skin, no blue eyes, nice framed glasses. Notice this version has the curl as Clark, so it is canon (unlike the complainers who claim he’s supposed to have it slicked back and be a klutz).
deAn cAin suckzz says:
he is the worst superman ever. the costume looked so cheap!!!!11111 he cted and looked exactly da same as clark and superman!!!11 he used so much gel in his hair back with no curl with christopher reeves!!
flo says:
but sis… Our good sis George (RIP) had the same style too!
deAn cAin suckzz says: who’s george reeves is so whatev. dean cain’s costume sucksszz
flo says:
where y0 boss at?!
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And they complain about Dean Cain’s costume?!
okay. do not be dissing on dean cain as superman. the point of the show was to give an UPDATED look at the relationship between LOIS LANE and CLARK KENT.
i really believe Dean Cain stayed true to the character of Clark Kent and Superman … He portrayed the inner struggles Superman faced beautifully i am just sad that the show was short lived. christopher reeves was a great superman for that time period. as was george reeves.. please don’t go dissing on poor Dean because you liked a particular movie or tv show. We aren’t in the 60’s or 70’s or 80’s even …. This was filmed in 1993! 1990’s…its time to get over yourself. and i do have to say the plot of superman returns was very poor… i feel kind of bad for brandon routh…he has to live with that on his resume’ for the rest of his career…Quit being mean to Dean. That’s all I have to say about that. Annomynously a Die Hard Superman Fan..
(pS) Who knows maybe i’ll write my own movie and star dean cain in it just to prove everyone wrong! He is my favorite Superman of the recent stuff done (sorry Tom welling you just don’t cut it)
lol…did you even read what I wrote?
My comment was to all the haters not u