Superman is a superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 published by DC Comics.

The character, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, and video games. As an alien living on Earth, sent here from his dying planet, Superman possesses powers far beyond those of mortal beings. He resolves to use them to help others, aided in this quest by a host of companions including Supergirl (his cousin), Batman, and Wonder Woman.

In 2001, the Jim Henson Company optioned the rights for a film screenplay called Only Human in which "an earthling baby is sent to live on Superman's home planet, Krypton."

“I've always been interested in comic books as an art form, and when I was younger I was addicted to them. I read Superman and Superboy, but Captain Marvel was probably my favorite of the super-heroes. The comic I loved best, though, was Pogo. After all, Kermit's beginnings were in a swamp, too.”
—Jim Henson^[1]

Appearances

• Beginning in the first season, Superman appeared on Sesame Street in animated inserts, produced by Filmation, the studio which had produced The New Adventures of Superman and its related spinoffs (1966-1969). In his first appearance, as seen in the first test pilot (included in Old School: Volume 2), Superman battles a giant ape, in recycled footage from the New Adventures episode "The Chimp Who Made it Big," and a rapid transition results in the Man of Steel briefly announcing the letter D. In the archive footage, Superman's voice is that of Clayton "Bud" Collyer, who played the role on radio and on the Filmation series.

• Superman's second appearance on Sesame Street featured a more substantial amount of new footage, and a new voice actor (Lennie Weinrib), as he explains why S is his favorite letter. Both segments featured music taken from the Filmation series, composed by John Gart, who had performed the organ score on the Superman radio series. (First: Episode 0136) (Old School: Volume 1) (YouTube)

References

Early Muppets

• A 1966 presentation reel prepared for La Choy is introduced using narration taken from the opening of The Adventures of Superman radio serial (1940-1951) and used in several subsequent versions. "Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. More spectacular than a rocket launch. Wilder than science fiction. Sexier than Playboy. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

• The February 18, 1966 broadcast of The Jimmy Dean Show features Rowlf the Dog fighting crime as "Batdog" in a direct spoof of the Batman TV series. Jimmy Dean plays the villain who distracts Batdog by pointing to the sky and telling him Superman is coming to his rescue. Rowlf replies, "Where? I don't see my old pal Supey. I don't see Superman anywhere."

• In a sketch from The Ed Sullivan Show, a group of Reindeer attempt to make it snow. When they see the first snowflake, they make an announcement similar to the ones made by people who see Superman enter the scene: "It's a storm!" "It's a blizzard!" "Well, it's a beginning."

• The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970) references the same opening when Fred the Elf is taken prisoner and claims that he is not merely a "mild-mannered" toy builder, but "Super Elf, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

• In The Perry Como Winter Show (1972), The Country Trio perform "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," which includes the lyric "You don't tug on Superman's cape."

Sesame Street

• Super Grover is a long-running spoof of Superman. His secret identity is Grover Kent. It is also said that Super Grover is "smarter than a speeding bullet" during the introductions to his segments, and whenever Super Grover is arriving on the scene, whoever is in distress would say "It's a bird! It's a plane!" only to say, "It's Super Grover," in a disappointed voice upon Grover's crash landing. In some sketches, Super Grover works out of Metro City (a reference to Superman's Metropolis).

• A Sesame Street segment featuring kids painting on a glass surface in front of a camera includes a boy who paints a bird which the kids in voiceover narrate using a variation of the Superman radio introduction: "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's superbird!" (First: Episode 0008) (YouTube)

• When Ernie promises to clean up the apartment in a 1969 sketch, he tells Bert he's so fast that he's a regular white tornado. Bert tells him if he can clean up before lunchtime, he's Superman. To prove him wrong, he replies, "Here goes old Ernie, faster than a speeding bullet."

• In Episode 0113, Big Bird exclaims, "Look, up there in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!" as he watches Alphabet Bates fly above.

• In Episode 0128, as Gordon and the kids observe some flying squirrels, one kid wonders if they fly like Superman.

• After Mr. Hooper provides a customer with opaque cups of coffee in the script for Episode 0202, the Anything Muppet complains that he can't see their contents and responds, "I'm not Superman, you know."

• In Episode 0378, Big Bird asks the kids what they want to be when they grow up. One of the kids' answers is Superman.

• Tom appeared as Super-Duper Man in Episode 0394.

• In Episode 0439, Big Bird shows off how fast he can run, commenting that he's just like Superman.

• A 1975 Sesame Street cartoon (First: Episode 0798) animated by Bruce Cayard features a man imagining several characters his companion may have met today, one of which is a caricature of Superman.

• Action Comics #458 can be seen hanging on the door of Hooper's Store in several 1976 episodes, including Episode 0886 and Episode 0894.

• Pinocchio makes up crazy lies to demonstrate his nose growing longer in a 1976 News Flash. One of the lies is that he "can lick Superman."

• One of the Twiddlebugs in The Count's Coloring Book has a "B" emblem in parody of Superman's "S" emblem on its chest.

• A kid named Jessie wears a Superman shirt in Episode 0950.

• A kid wears a Superman shirt in Episode 1192.

• Oscar's niece Irving wears a shirt with an S in the style of Superman's emblem in Episode 1335.

• In Episode 1344, Georgie claims she's no mild-mannered kid, but actually "Superwoman." She tells Maria she was born on the alien planet Kryptonia and was then sent to Earth and raised by a couple in Nebraska. She also describes her abilities with the same ones used for Superman (faster than a speeding bullet, etc.).

• A kid is seen wearing a Superman shirt in the song "Sticky" (First: Episode 1352).

• A child in Episode 1438 wears a T-shirt with Superman's emblem on it.

• A kid playing basketball in the Alphabet Bates and closing scenes of Episode 1439 wears a Superman shirt.

• When Big Bird plays Superbird in Episode 1463, he claims that he's "faster than a speeding sparrow" and can leap small buildings in a single hop.

• A girl wears a Superman patch on her jeans in Episode 1541.

• When Othmar the Grouch lands on Sesame Street in Episode 1570, Oscar the Grouch notes the arrival of his ship by paraphrasing the popular Superman tagline: "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... trash can?"

• Big Bird, in one of his "superhero personae," announces his arrival in Episode 1596, "Look, there on the sidewalk! It's a bird, it's a plane... No, it's a bird — it's Helping Bird!"

• In Episode 1737, Biff is unable to tell which of his wrapped gifts are frisbees or a basketball. He remarks, "I can't see through the paper... I'm not your basic Clark Kent, my friend."

• David appears in a sketch wearing a Superman suit having just emerged from a telephone booth. A popular conception of the transformation from Clark Kent to Superman is that he changes in a telephone booth.

• Captain Vegetable's entrances during his season 15 appearances is accompanied by a spoof of John Williams' Superman main title theme from the '70s and '80s films.

• When Mommy Dodo looks for Big Bird at the airport in Follow That Bird, she says, "Is that a bird?" Daddy Dodo replies, "No, it's a plane."

• In an interview for Follow That Bird, Big Bird was asked "What about your relationship with the mysterious Mr. Spinney? Isn't it true that he controls your every move, every sound, every gesture?" The reply? "I don't know the man. Although I've heard of him, he's never around when I am. Honest, I've never seen him in my life. Some people say he is always around and that I'm suffering from Clark Kent syndrome. I wouldn't know about that."^[2]

• A 1989 Caveperson Days sketch finds Bert building a window in his cave to see the weather outside after explaining, "I'm not Superman. The walls of this cave are solid rock. I can't see through them."

• Miles uses "Superman" as a magic word in Episode 2623.

• In Imagine... Grover's Magic Carpet Ride, as Grover and Elmo ride the carpet through the city, onlookers ask "is it a bird?" and "is it a plane?"

• Co-production Plaza Sésamo has an animated character called Superkid; he uses the same color scheme and title card format as Superman.

• An early script for "Elmo's World: Families" originally featured Super Grover crashing with his mommy and his daddy, then asking, "How's things on Krypton?"^[3]

• After Oscar acquires Super Grover's old cape in Episode 4037, he dubs himself Super Grouch and dives into his trash can shouting, "Down, down, and away!"

• Slimey takes on the role of a caped superhero in Episode 4124 and uses a phone booth (the old-fashioned Superman kind, according to the script) to change into costume.

• The outreach video Here For You features Elmo and his cousin Chester playing superheroes. They announce their characters, Avocado Man and Turnip Boy, as "Faster than a mushy green vegetable. More powerful than a crash in the dirt." Yet another allusion to the classic Superman introduction.

• Elmo has a modified Superman plush doll on his bed in Kids' Favorite Country Songs. When his cousin Elmer comes over to play, he asks him if he wants to play superheroes.

• Super Pigeon and Rubber Duckie Man use phrases such as "wings of steel" and "squeak, squeak and away!" in the Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures episode "Superheroes."

• In Grover's 140-character speech for the 2010 Shorty Awards, his third one is Superman.

• A chapter title on the Iron Monster and Sesame Heroes DVD features a comic book cover of Slimey as a superhero spoofing Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman).

• Grover is asked in a 2011 interview with Jewcy if Super Grover and Superman ever encountered. Grover says they haven't, but if they did, "[they would] have a lot of super important, super-secret things to talk about."

• In Episode 4504, Sesame Street hosts the number-based convention "Numeric Con." One critical attendee is wearing a shirt based on Superman's emblem, using a number 2 instead of an S. The script for the episode identifies this as "Two-Per Man" merchandise.

• In the "Elmo the Musical" segment "Superhero the Musical" (2016), the cityscape features a skyscraper topped with a ringed globe similar to that of the Daily Planet.

• Sesame Street Episode 4629 features characters dressing up as superheroes. Cookie Monster ad-libs Superman ("Up, up, and tha-a-way we go!") and Prairie Dawn echoes an early Superman narration ("Super Butterfly... able to pollinate flowers in a single bound!").

• While promoting the 2025 Superman movie, David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) appeared in several social media videos with the Sesame Street Muppets referencing Clark Kent's glasses and Kryptonite, among other Superman lore.

The Muppet Show

• When Christopher Reeve (famous for playing Superman) is the guest on The Muppet Show episode 418, Miss Piggy's dressing room is all decked out in Superman memorabilia. Reeve is also seen hanging out backstage reading superhero comic books with a group of rats, one of which he refers to as Super Rat (identified later as Rizzo in The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter). Numerous jokes about Reeve being "The Man of Steel" are made throughout the episode.

• Promotional photos of Reeve as Superman can be seen on the corkboard behind Sam in the UK spot from episode 422.

• A poster of Superman from Superman: The Movie adorns the wall of Gabriel's bedroom in the "Honest Lullaby" number from episode 503.

• In episode 317, Wayne spends the majority of his "Dog Walk" commenting on things he passes by as he walks his dog. In reaction to the incessant pulling by his dog on leash, he exclaims that he's "not a Superman."

• In song, Annie Sue says that Pecos Bill "was the Western Superman to say the least" in episode 520.

Muppet Babies

• In the first episode, "Noisy Neighbors," Baby Gonzo enters the TV set and becomes "Super Gonzo." His alter ego is Cluck Kent; Baby Piggy appears as Piggy Lane.

• In "Eight Take-Away One Equals Panic," the song "Table for One" includes a brief lyric about Superman.

• Super Gonzo also appears in a third season episode, "Fozzie's Family Tree," which parodies Superman's backstory on Krypton.

• A scenario in "Scooter By Any Other Name" features Baby Scooter as Clark Scooter, ace reporter, who doubles as Super Scooter who is "more powerful than an industrial vacuum cleaner, [and] able to leap tall Chihuahuas in a single bound."

• Baby Scooter narrates a commercial about how special Nanny is in the episode "And Now a Word from Our Muppets." When a stock footage clip is shown of women stretching on the frame of a skyscraper being built, he says that Nanny can "leap tall buildings in a single bound."

• The title of "Faster than a Speeding Weirdo" is a reference to the "faster than a speeding bullet" radio narration, but the rest of the episode is not related to Superman.

• Baby Kermit appeared in Superman dress on the cover of issue #11 of the Muppet Babies comic book in 1987.

• Although Baby Kermit's recurring superhero alter ego "The Froginizer" in the 2018 reboot of Muppet Babies doesn't bear any resemblance to Superman, he does reside in the Fortress of Frog-I-Tude in "Rise of the Pickler" as a reference to Superman's Fortress of Solitude (despite the fact that the structure is more of a visual spoof of the Hall of Justice as seen in the 1970s Super Friends cartoon).

• Baby Animal shouts "Up, up, and away!" after his airship launches into the sky in "Lone Eagle."

• On a 1985 Muppet Babies lunchbox by Thermos, the top panel shows Baby Gonzo as Superman confronting an angry King Kong on The Empire State Building.

Muppets Tonight

• In episode 108 of Muppets Tonight, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew mistakes Hercule Poirot for Superman (skipping over everyone else's confusion that he is Hercules) and asks if he will fly around the Earth backwards to go back in time, as Superman did in Superman: The Movie.

• The "Fairyland PD" sketch in episode 203 features dialogue between Bobo and Clifford about Bobo's wearing glasses on the job as a disguise. Clifford thinks it's ridiculous, but Bobo defends that it works for Clark Kent. After some pondering, Clifford comes to realize that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same.

Muppet Magazine

• Beaker appears as Super Beaker in the Christopher Reeve issue, idolizing Reeve's famous role. A shot from this article was reused in the 1993 Muppet Trading Cards set.

• The Siskel and Ebert Muppets trade jokes about various film classics in the Summer 1988 issue: "What's the Swedish Chef's favorite movie? Souper-man."

• The "Mondo Muppet" section of the Fall 1988 issue features several jokes about the sport of bowling: "What did Superman call the bowling alley he opened? Lois Lanes."

The Muppet Show Comic Book

• The variant cover to issue #7 of the Family Reunion story arc features Animal dressed as Superman.

Merchandise

• A movie poster in J. P. Grosse's office as seen in Muppet Diary 1980 features Kermit as "Superfrog" and references the 1978 film's tagline as "You'll Believe A Frog Can Fly."

• The 1978 Sesame Street book The Exciting Adventures of Super Grover parodies Superman's traditional introduction as Super Grover being "smarter than a speeding bullet, furrier than a powerful locomotive, and able to leap tall sandwiches in a single bound." Additionally, the "It's a bird, it's a plane" phrase is parodied as "It's an eggplant! It's a meatball!"

• A French poster for The Muppet Movie features Kermit as Superman, spoofing a French poster for the release of Superman: The Movie. Statler and Waldorf appear in the bottom corner positions occupied by Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando, respectively.

• Kermit and Piggy appear together as Lois Lane and Superman in the 1982 Miss Piggy Calendar.

• The same image was later used on the cover of Kermit magazine, a 1989 German publication.

• Transformed by one of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's chemical mixtures, Beaker is seen again in his superhero alter ego, in the comic "Disco Frog" from the 1979 UK Muppet Show Annual. This time his secret identity sports Superman's signature hair curl and shirt-bursting chest emblem.

• A button by Loungefly features Gonzo with the caption, "It's a bird, it's a plane ...what is it?"

• Ernie has appeared on Sesamstrasse merchandise as a superhero with a secret identity wearing Clark Kent-like glasses, on glassware and postcards.

• Animal appears as "Superanimal" in a 1997 coloring book, representing one of the Great Muppets in American History, referencing Superman's status as an American icon.

• The packaging of the Super Scooter action figure was decorated with a mock DC Comics comic book. The text on the cover advertised the content of the book as follows: "You'll Believe A Muppet Will Fly!" The phrase is a take on the original marketing tagline of Superman: The Movie, which boasted of its technical achievements attempting to convince an audience that "You'll Believe A Man Can Fly."

Miscellaneous

• Eileen Prose sang "Can You Read My Mind" — the love theme from Superman: The Movie by John Williams and Leslie Bricusse — to Oscar the Grouch during a 1980 appearance on Eileen & Friends.

• The 1981 Muppet Meeting Film "Ideal Sales Rep" features Leo using Grump as an example of what an ideal sales representative can be. Using a magic wand, he transforms Grump into a gorilla and ultimately, "Super Salesman" with a shield on his chest shaped like Superman's with two Ss.

• A feature by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew in The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter volume 3 number 4 includes a fan submitted drawing of an invention for Muppet Labs headlined, "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a ????"

• During a pre-taped appearance for an award at the 1985 Montreux Golden Rose Television Festival, Miss Piggy refuses to deliver an acceptance speech in French and demands that Kermit get Jim Henson to do it instead. When Kermit nervously stumbles through Henson's unavailability, Piggy asks, "Why is it that every time I see Henson I don't see you? And whenever you're here I don't see Henson? Is this like with Superman and Clark Kent?"

• Wonder-Dog, from the Dog City episode "Ya Gotta Have Hart," is introduced as "Faster than a speeding Bulldog, more powerful than a pack of pumped-up pups, able to leap tall fences in a single bound."

• In the CD-ROM game Muppets Inside, when the tomato item is picked up, the Databus screen reads "Tomatoes are a comedian's nemesis. To Fozzie, a ripe tomato in the hands of a heckler is like Kryptonite in the hands of Lex Luthor." Also, in one of the ending scenes for the "Death-Defying Acts of Culture" mini-game, Statler and Waldorf exclaim "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Super-Geek!" when Gonzo crashes into their box.

• In the Muppet Treasure Island CD-ROM game, the player is given a wardrobe to dress their character in. One of them is a superhero costume modeled after Superman's. The reflection of the player is shown in a mirror, flexing and flying out of frame.

• In the Aliens in the Family episode "Meet the Brodys," Spit mistakes Newt Gingrich on television for "the evil Krog" who he recalls being sent to the Phantom Zone, a parallel-dimensional prison introduced in the Superman comics.

• Episode 27 of Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony features an insert with a Muppet Superman (Victor Yerrid) trying to return a DVD to the rental store. When he learns that he's going to have to pay a late fee, and the clerk won't believe that he was out saving the world, Superman reverses the rotation of the Earth in order to turn back time (much like the plot element from Superman: The Movie). Clark Kent's cousin, Craig Kent, also appears in this episode with an editorial commentary wherein he laments being overshadowed by his cousin Clark.

• In "Return of the King," the first issue of the Farscape comic book, John Crichton tells Aeryn, "We've made the universe safe for truth, justice, and the Leviathan way, and we deserve a break today," alluding to Superman's mantra of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way."

• In the Farscape comic book issue "The Binds that Tie," Grunchlk begins to congratulate Crichton on saving the universe from the Whaela'an virus, but Crichton, eager to learn if his baby is healthy, tells him, "Cut the crap, Grunchlk. We already know that we stopped the bad guy, saved the universe, and kept the world from knowing that Clark Kent is secretly Superman."

• In a deleted scene from The Muppets, Rob Corddry plays a Hollywood Walk of Fame "Superman" who works in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre taking pictures with tourists. Gary can't believe he got his pictures taken with Superman, but Mary doesn't think he's the real Superman.

• In Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet: The Good, the Bad, and the Fuzzy, Danvers' superhero outfit features a "D" on his shirt, similar to the "S" that Superman has on his outfit.

• Fozzie Bear was asked who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman during an @midnight Q&A on Facebook live in 2016. He wonders why the two would be fighting at all and proposes taking them out to brunch for the purposes of resolving their differences.

Muppet Mentions

• Action Comics #506 (1980) features a story about Jorlan, a sasquatch-like android from Krypton who is programmed to lure the children of Earth into outer space. As he descends upon an amusement park, TV reporter Lana Lang's production assistant remarks that he looks like "an escaped Muppet." Christopher Reeve can be seen reading this issue backstage with the rats on The Muppet Show.

• In the 2010 Smallville episode "Absolute Justice," Oliver Queen refers to Hawkman as Big Bird.

• Speaking with a child actor on the set of the 2025 Superman film, David Corenswet admits, "I did meet Cookie Monster when I was younger."^[4]

Connections

From Krypton to Metropolis 1982 book-and-tape set

• Produced and Directed by Christopher Cerf
• Narrated by Michael Kingsbury Frith
• Jim Thurman as Perry White and Director of the Orphanage
• Michael Kingsbury Frith as Tugboat Captain and Arresting Officer
• Frederick R. Newman as Grown-up Lex Luthor
• Christina Frith (Michael Frith's daughter) as Lois Lane
• Music by David Conner
• Engineering by Doug Epstein
• Cries and Whispers by: Sharon Lerner
• Special Thanks to Jonathan Frith

Other productions

• Amy Adams played Jodi Melville in the season one Smallville episode "Craving" (2001) and Lois Lane in Man of Steel (2013) and subsequent projects
• Edward Asner played Granny Goodness on Superman: The Animated Series (1998-1999)
• Reza Badiyi directed five episodes of Superboy (1988-1989)
• Dee Bradley Baker voiced The Atomic Skull in Superman Vs The Elite (2012).
• Justine Bateman played Sarah/Zara in four episodes of Lois & Clark (1996)
• Ned Beatty played Otis in Superman (1979) and Superman II (1980)
• Robert Beatty played a tanker captain in Superman III (1983) and the U.S. President in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
• Richard Belzer played Inspector Henderson in four season one episodes of Lois & Clark (1994)
• Sandra Bernhard played Gsptlsnz in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Mxyzpixilated" (1997)
• Ed Blainey did sound effects for The Adventures of Superman (radio, 1949-1951)
• Ian Bliss played a shuttle commander in Superman Returns (2006)
• John Bluthal played a Pisa vendor in Superman III (1983)
• Wayne Brady played John in the Superboy episode "The Sons of Icarus" (1990)
• Jim Broadbent played Jean Pierre Dubois in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
• Rachel Brosnahan played Lois Lane in Superman (2025)
• Downtown Julie Brown played Samantha in the Lois & Clark episode "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (1997)
• Dean Cain played Superman on Lois & Clark (1993-1997) and Dr. Curtis Knox on Smallville (2007)
• Drew Carey played Herbie Saxe in the season four Lois & Clark episode "Ghosts" (1996)
• Jason Carter played Calvin Dregg in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Whine, Whine, Whine" (1995)
• Lynda Carter played Moira Sullivan in the Smallville episode "Progeny" (2007)
• Rosalind Cash played Judge Angela Diggs in the season one Lois & Clark episode "The Man of Steel Bars" (1993)
• Alan Cassie was a draughtsman on Superman (1978)
• Henry Cavill played Clark Kent/Superman in Man of Steel and subsequent projects (2013-2023)
• Townsend Coleman played various roles in Superman: The Animated Series (1998-1999)
• David Corenswet played Clark Kent/Superman in Superman (2025)
• Dave Coulier played the real Anonymous in the Lois & Clark episode "Chip Off the Old Clark" (1995)
• Darren Criss voiced Superman in Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) and subsequent projects
• Sue Crosland performed stunts in Superman (1978), Superman II (1981), and Superman III (1983)
• Aria Noelle Curzon played Lucy Lane in the Superman the Animated Series episode "Monkey Fun" (1997)
• Mac Davis played Larry Smiley in the season three Lois & Clark episode "Just Say Noah" (1995)
• Barry Dennen played Dr. McClean in Superman III (1983)
• James Denton played Superman in All-Star Superman (2011)
• Juliana Donald played Ellen Jensen in the Superboy episode "Troubled Waters" (1988)
• Michael Dorn played John Henry Irons/Steel and Kalibak on Superman: The Animated Series (1998-1999)
• Charles Dougherty played Karl in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Individual Responsibility" (1995)
• Tony Dunsterville was a model maker on Superman (1978)
• Tracey Eddon performed stunts in Superman III (1983) and stunt doubled for the title role in Supergirl (1984)
• Lori Fetrick played Vixen in the season four Lois & Clark episode "Faster Than a Speeding Vixen" (1997)
• Nathan Fillion played Guy Gardner/Green Lantern in Superman (2025)
• Laurence Fishburne played Perry White in Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
• Charles Fleischer played Dr. Voyle Grumman in the season four Lois & Clark episode "Swear to God, This Time We're Not Kidding"
• Neil Flynn voiced Jonathon Kent in "Superman: Man of Tomorrow"
• James Frawley directed the first season Smallville episode "X-Ray" (2001)
• Ben Ryan Ganger provided voiceovers for the Ruby-Spears cartoon (1988)
• Brad Garrett played Reverend Bob in the season three Lois & Clark episode "I Now Pronounce You..." (1996), and Bibbo Bibowksi and Lobo on Superman: The Animated Series (1997-1999)
• John Glover played Lionel Luthor on Smallville (2001-2008)
• Gilbert Gottfried played Nick Knack in two episodes of Superboy (1990) and Mr. Mxyzptlk on Superman: The Animated Series (1997-1998)
• Elliott Gould played Vincent Winninger in the season one Lois & Clark episode "Witness" (1993)
• Harold Gould played Edwin Griffin in two second season episodes of Lois & Clark (1994-1995)
• Richard Griffiths played a terrorist in Superman II (1980)
• Mark Hamill played The Joker in several episodes of Superman: The Animated Series (1997-1998)
• Melissa Joan Hart played Irma Ardeen in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids in Town" (1998)
• Teri Hatcher played Lois Lane on Lois & Clark (1993-1997) and Ella Lane in Smallville
• Anne Heche voiced Lois Lane in Superman/Doomsday (2007)
• Sherman Hemsley played Winslow Schott in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Season's Greedings" (1994)
• Raelee Hill played a hospital nurse in Superman Returns (2006)
• William Hootkins played Harry Howler in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and Lex Luthor and the Narrator on BBC Radio (1990-1993)
• Bo Jackson played himself in the season one Lois & Clark episode "The Rival" (1994)
• Penn Jillette played Darrin Romick in the season one Lois & Clark episode "Illusions of Grandeur" (1994)
• James Earl Jones played Franklin W. Stern in the season one Lois & Clark episode "The House of Luthor" (1994)
• Tad Krzanowski made models for Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980)
• Frank Langella played Perry White in Superman Returns (2006)
• Linda Lavin played Sydney in the Broadway production of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966)
• Jim Lee has illustrated a number of Superman comics
• Kristanna Loken played Penny Barnes in the season four Lois & Clark episode "AKA Superman" (1997)
• Mac MacDonald played a marshal in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
• William H. Macy played the Director of the Paranormals Institute in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Where There's Smoke..." (1998)
• Christopher Malcolm played a miner in Superman III (1983)
• Howie Mandel played Mr. Mxyzptlk in the season four Lois & Clark episode "Twas the Night Before Mxymas" (1996)
• James Marsden played Richard White in Superman Returns (2006)
• Paula Marshall played Christina Riley in the Superboy episode "Werewolf" (1991)
• Andrea Martin played Mad Harriet on Superman: The Animated Series (1998-1999)
• Vincent Marzello played a Daily Planet copy boy in Superman (1978) and Jimmy Olsen on BBC Radio (1990-1993)
• Michael McKean played Dr. Fabian Leek in the season one Lois & Clark episode "Vatman" (1994) and Perry White in three episodes of Smallville (2003-2011)
• Christopher Meloni played Colonel Nathan Hardy in Man of Steel (2013)
• Isabela Merced played Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl in Superman (2025)
• Shanna Moakler played a pretty girl in the Lois & Clark episode "Big Girls Don't Fly" (1996)
• Laraine Newman played Toby Raynes on Superman: The Animated Series (1998)
• Gary Owens narrated the TV version of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975)
• Frank Oz made a cameo appearance as a brain surgeon just about to begin surgery when the city's power is cut in a scene removed from Superman III (1983). In addition, Oz supervised puppet sequences for the film, also cut from the final version.
• Dan Payne played a Lexcorp security guard in two episodes of Smallville (2003)
• Kal Penn played Stanford in Superman Returns (2006)
• Valerie Perrine played Eve Teschmacher in Superman (1979) and Superman II (1980)
• Patrick Pinney provided voiceovers for the Ruby-Spears cartoon (1988)
• Richard Portnow played Barry Barker in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Whine, Whine, Whine" (1995)
• Paula Poundstone voiced the computer in the season three Lois & Clark episode "Virtually Destroyed" (1995)
• Richard Pryor played Gus Gorman in Superman III (1983)
• Joe Raposo wrote music for John Byrne's 6-part "Man of Steel" Audio Theatre adaptation (1989)
• Hal Rayle provided voiceovers for the Ruby-Spears cartoon (1988)
• Alaina Reed played Nurse Berkey in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen" (1995)
• Will Reeve played a reporter in Superman (2025)
• Clive Revill played the Sorcerer in the season four Lois & Clark episode "Soul Mates" (1996)
• Denise Richards played Angela in the Lois & Clark episode "Season's Greedings" (1994)
• Al Roker played a weatherman in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Little Girl Lost: Part 1" (1998)
• Eddie Sauter orchestrated the Broadway production It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966)
• William Schallert played Al in the season two Lois & Clark episode "The Source" (1994)
• Richard Schiff played Dr. Emil Hamilton in Man of Steel (2013)
• Kerry Shale played an MSBC newscaster in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and Superboy and the Cyborg in Superman, Doomsday and Beyond (BBC Radio, 1993)
• Paul Shedlowich played news anchor #4 in Superman Returns (2006)
• Colin Skeaping played a pilot in Superman (1978) and stunts in Superman II (1981) and Superman III (1983)
• Helen Slater played Lara El in three episodes of Smallville (2007-2010)
• Cobie Smulders played Shannon Bell in the Smallville episode "Bound" (2004)
• Kevin Spacey played Lex Luthor in Superman Returns (2006)
• Ben Stein played a lawyer in the season two Lois & Clark episode "Whine, Whine, Whine" (1995)
• Alex Stevens was the New York stunt coordinator for Superman (1978)
• Cree Summer played Natasha and a psychic on Superman: The Animated Series (1998-1999), various characters in the Superman Returns video game (2006), and Mercy Graves in Superman/Doomsday (2007)
• Loretta Swit played Sydney Carlton in the TV version of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975)
• Shelley Thompson played Lois Lane in Superman on Trial (radio, 1988) and Lana Lang in The Adventures of Superman (1990)
• Ben Vereen played Dr. Andre Novack in the season one Lois & Clark episode "Illusions of Grandeur" (1994)
• Patrick Warburton voiced Superman in an American Express commercial with Jerry Seinfeld (1998) and two web commercials (2004)
• David Warner played Jor-El in the season one Lois & Clark episode "Foundling" (1994) and Ra's al Ghul on Superman: The Animated Series (1999)
• Lesley Ann Warren played Lois Lane in a TV version of the musical It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975)
• Frank Welker played several characters on Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000)
• Fred Willard played President Garner in three episodes of Lois & Clark (1997-1999)
• John Williams composed the music for Superman: The Movie (1978)
• Marv Wolfman wrote or edited many Superman comics beginning in 1980 with a significant run in 1985 and continuing on and off; created characters including Cat Grant, Professor Hamilton, Deathstroke the Terminator, and Bibbo; scripted Superman in media including three episodes of the 1988 Superman animated series, the video game Superman Returns (2006), and others

Sources

See also

• Superheroes
• Supergirl