SDCC ’19: Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh bring two Supermen to the CW

CW’s Arrowverse will be home to two Supermen this fall: Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh. The reveal comes from a Deadline exclusive on Friday, along with details on the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover. Hoechlin and Routh are no strangers to the Arrowverse — or the red cape and tights. With that shared experience, they’ll bring the Man of Steel to life in their own separate ways.

Hoechlin appears in a recurring role as Supes on Supergirl while Routh has a slightly messier past. He was introduced the CW’s Ray Palmer, A.K.A. The Atom, appearing for the first time in Arrow and now a regular on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. His Clark Kent connection, meanwhile, has roots in the recent past: Routh portrayed the lead character in Bryan Singer‘s Superman Returns. Routh will be double billed in upcoming episodes as both The Atom and his revised Superman.

It’s an announcement that potentially means big things for the future of TV-movie crossover events. Whereas Marvel has widely refused to bring its Netflix-verse into the MCU or vice versa (other than some brief incorporation of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in its initial seasons), DC, with a shrug, simply says to give the fans what they want, uniting some of its most well-regarded on-screen properties.

Though Deadline predicts we’ll see more information later on during an SDCC panel, all we know at this point about the CW and its two Supermen plan is that Hoechlin and Routh will “portray him in different time frames.” Hoechlin’s and Routh’s appearances present a tricky knot that can almost only be untangled by the equally complicated crossover, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

Iterating the famous DC arc that rewrote continuity, the CW’s upcoming TV event will mark one of the Arrowverse’s largest to date, bringing together Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the upcoming Batwoman, starring Ruby Rose. “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” seemingly more and more highly-anticipated by the day, will take place over five episodes: three in December and two in January. It’s just far enough away that you can binge every relevant show in time to catch both CW Supermen.