Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls LnC's version of Clark Kent

I'm expecting those evil red juicy dudes heading my way....but I want to know anyways. Lois and Clark's version of Clark first started out a bit dorky and then he got really cool...do you think this was right?

Well I hope I worded it correctly. I got home from work an hour ago and my brain is made of rubber right now. It is 4:33 in the morning...I guess I should go to sleep.

Hope I didn't make anyone grrrrr, but hey I was curious.

I did love Dean's portrayal of Clark. I liked how he wasn't this ultra-cool guy - kind of a rube from the country - but he wasn't this bumbling doofus like Christopher Reeve's Clark. In a million years the LnC Lois would never have fallen for a Clark that was so geekish.

And I also like that over the course of the show, Clark became cooler. That makes sense to me. As he spent time in the city and got some experience and success in his career, he would become more confident. Also, with Lois's influence, he would have become less of a hick.

I'm not sure if Dean's portrayal was any better at the end of the show necessarily. It's almost as if Dean as an actor developed the same way as Clark the reporter did - becoming more comfortable in the role. And I think that showed.

Lynn

Yeah, what Lynn said. He started off unpolished, because that was in character -- both as a farm kid *and* as someone who doesn't rely on superficial appearances to impress people. As the series progressed, though, he gained confidence and dress sense -- and had one particular person to look good for.

Dean's portrayal of the character changed, because the character changed. I think it worked, over all.

PJ

No, grrrrrs, Roo. It's an interesting question.

I loved the Chris Reeve movies when they came out, but LNC forever spoiled them for me and in later years I've been completely unable to watch them when they appear on TV, because I just cannot stand the dorky Clark in them. Which is no fault of anyone, I should add. Well...unless it's the fault of the writers of LNC for making me love their Clark so much that he wiped out any other portrayals before and, I'm pretty certain, forever after. But definitely no one involved with the movies is to blame.

Apart from this, I can only echo Lynn and Pam, who have eloquently noted what my own opinion on this one is.

LabRat

Roo, I think you are going to find that most folcs are going to echo the opinions of the previous preceptive posters.

Dean's inexperience as an actor actually seemed to help in his portrayal of an inexperienced, finding his way nebbish reporter. His growth as an actor then paralleled his character's growth on the screen as the writer's brought him to a logical progression as a reporter, boyfriend, and person.

While Dean will never be mistaken for a great actor he did seem to fit the role well and his version of Clark Kent was quite appropriate to the context of the series.

Tank (who agrees that the movie version of Clark Kent is quite annoying but has to remember that, at the time, that was the version of Clark Kent that was 'out there'... no wonder Lois only had eyes for Superman)

I voted 'yes' for both. The truth is, I've missed several episodes from S1, but I liked Dean's portrayal during the whole series.

Nice question.
AnnaBtG.

Thanks for your replies guys! I enjoyed reading them! I do agree with everyone's point of view.

I said yes to both questions. Like others, Clark did seem to start off unpolished, but grew into his character. Part of that, I think, stems from actually getting the girl. He was always pretty worried about ever attracting Lois' eye in the first couple of seasons, but once they were together, he exuded far more confidence.

As for the geeky Clark Kent in the Reeve movies, that was the way Clark was back then. When DC Comics rewrote their universes, and all their superheroes, they changed his background as well as those around him. Back then, Superman was the real person. He made his Clark geeky to hide his identity. So when Lois admitted she loved Superman in the second movie, Clark was happy about it, not caring that Lois didn't care for his disguise. L&C Clark would have flipped and run away, thinking Lois only loved the cape. The new Clark, after the DC rewrite, was far improved. He also had a dad who survived past his teen years, too.

They also weakened his powers, too. The old Superman could push the earth out of orbit, for instance. The new Superman couldn't come close to that.

Lex also changed, I think for the better. Before, he was a mad scientist. He became a businessman after the remake, a far more interesting character that leads to far more interesting plotlines. A mad scientist as chief antagonist would have made L&C far too cartoon-like, just like fourth season ended up doing, which IMO, killed the series fast with really stupid villains like Fathead.