Brandon Routh Suits Up As Kingdom Come Superman In First “Crisis” Photo

With this year’s Arrowverse crossover, “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” about to go into production, some of the first images are finally making their way to the internet. And with that in mind, the official Superman Twitter account shared the first image of Brandon Routh as a Superman based on the one in the classic Kingdom Come miniseries.

Look, up in the sky … it’s @BrandonJRouth as Superman! Take flight in the #DCTV Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, starting December on @TheCWSupergirl, @CWBatwoman, @CW_TheFlash, @CW_Arrow and @TheCW_Legends. pic.twitter.com/KsTFLDvgdY

— Superman (@DCSuperman) September 27, 2019

The design echoes the Superman look artist Alex Ross gave the character for a story of the DC superheroes in their twilight days. In the tale, writer Mark Waid recast Superman as an aged recluse who turned his back on the world when the violent superheroes of the 1990s ran rampant.
Some the tweaks — particularly the texture on the blue elements — recall Routh’s brief time as the Superman of the big screen in Superman Returns. He was perfect for the part even if disgraced director Bryan Singer made an overly-long and overly-reverential quasi-remake of Superman and Superman II. Having sat down to lunch with Routh when he was still under contract to play Superman in a sequel which never materialized, it was easy to see why he got the part. In addition to the physicality, his voice and persona just echoed the Man of Tomorrow.
Besides playing the Kingdom Come Superman, Routh will also play his regular Legends of Tomorrow character — Ray Palmer — in the five part crossover which will feature nods and echoes to DC TV history and, it seems, a least a couple of films based on Justice League members.
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” begins December 8th on The CW.