Former Superman Actor Demoted to Arrow Season 3

Brandon Routh, the high flying Kryptonian from Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, has been cast in Arrow’s Season 3 as B-list superhero the Atom. A bold move by the grand fabricators of DC’s Television Universe, for sure. Fearing cross contamination and brand confusion (hey, isn’t that Superman?), I would never deign to cast Routh in another DC comics production. I know the dude’s got a massive geek following, as he’s starred (and shined) in quite a few fan favorited properties over the past few years, but returning to the DC universe… that’s just crazy.

He was Superman. Superman! It’s not like casting Chris Evans as Captain America. Even though the actor portrayed another Marvel hero in the form of the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch, he wasn’t exactly the go-to brand ambassador for Marvel (like Spidey or Iron Man). Brandon Routh portrayed the most popular characters on the face of the planet in one of the most anticipated sequels/reboots ever. How can an actor of such high visibility return to the same universe as a B-list superhero?

In any case, I do love me some Routh. I’d be more than happy if he was cast in Agent Carter, as he’d be an incredible 50’s spy. I’m sure he’ll portray a great televised Atom, but my woes remain the same: Superman demoted to B-list hero. However awesome Arrow might be, everytime I watch Routh shrink-grow on the small screen, my disbelief might not suspend.