Well, aside from the fact that I'm lurking more than anything else these days, there are a couple of problems that I have that make it difficult, if not impossible, for me to answer this. And this may apply to others as well.
1. You referred to creating the "ultimate cast". Which implies choosing the best/ideal person for each role. Now, I remain a big fan of the first 2 Superman movies, despite the fact that my distinct preference is for the non-dorky Clark Kent. In some ways I prefer Christopher's Superman to Dean's - perhaps because he is the "real" person, rather than the disguise. From the movies, I have no real quarrel with some of the other characters you mention, but for all of them I definitely prefer the L&C actors. So they're the ones I would want on my "best" list.
2. It's hard combining different shows/movies, because they represented different times. My understanding from the comics of the time of the movies is that Clark Kent was a dork, so Christopher's performance was certainly accurate.
But obviously that wouldn't have worked on L&C, on so many levels. If there hadn't been the revamp where Clark was the "real" person, there wouldn't have been an L&C.
I had no objections to a totally over-the-top Lex Luthor in the movies, but then having seen an urbane, sophisticated yet truly evil Lex on L&C, that definitely wins hands down for me. Would that style of portrayal have worked as well in the movie - perhaps, perhaps not...
3. And having knocked out the movies, I have nowhere else to go. I know that I saw reruns of the George Reeves' show when I was young, but I don't remember enough about it to possibly place any of those actors on the "best" list. And as for Smallville, I love reading the reviews and comments that people post on the boards, but I've only seen 3-4 episodes. I do like Lex, but not better than John Shea, so he doesn't supplant him on the list either.
I've never watched the animated series. Are there any other choices?
I have a number of concerns about the new movie, and I'm certainly unhappy about the fact that since they've returned to movie continuity this means that Clark will be a dork once again. I'll definitely see it, but I think I can safely say in advance that L&C will remain my favorite incarnation.
Kathy
