Meet Superman superstars

IS it a bird, is it a plane... no it’s Superman - and he's flying back into cinemas this Friday.

- JAMES MOORE

The new blockbuster stars American David Corenswet, making his debut as the “Man of Steel” who tries to reconcile his alien heritage with his adoptive human family. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, with Nicholas Hoult as villain Lex Luthor. Even Krypto the Superdog appears.

JAMES MOORE looks back at those who have donned the iconic costume down the years...

KIRK ALYN: The muscly US actor brought Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent, to life in two movie serials from 1948. He once said: “I picked up that girl and ran up that flight of stairs like it was nothing.” Sadly, the roles dried up, although he had a cameo in the 1978 movie Superman. A divorced dad-of-three, he died in 1999, aged 88.