Tyler Hoechlin explains why it is harder to play a morally pure Superman than other evil characters whom fans find more interesting.

Tyler Hoechlin has the perfect response to critics who find Superman’s morally pure nature a boring aspect. Over the years, viewers have warmed up to the image of morally ambiguous heroes. The latest trends show that fans often rally behind the villain, just because they find the complex character building more interesting. However, Hoechlin tells fans why playing the ‘Boy Scout’ image of Superman is equally interesting.

Tyler Hoechlin in Superman & Lois | Credits: The CW

While Superman & Lois and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel have fewer things in common, Henry Cavill’s iteration too showed how difficult it was for Superman to make the morally pure choice. While many critics bash the movie for the director’s choice to make Superman kill General Zod, it wasn’t an easy decision to make for Cavill’s character. This supports Hoechlin’s point that being Superman doesn’t come easy.

Tyler Hoechlin explains why morally pure Superman isn’t boring

Tyler Hoechlin in a still from Superman & Lois | Credits: The CW

Tyler Hoechlin doesn’t think it is unrealistic or boring to make Superman this morally pure being. During a Zoom meeting between the Superman & Lois team and EW, Hoechlin recalled one scene in the pilot where Jordan plays a video game. He uses the Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat character Raiden to fight against Superman in a fictional version of Metropolis.

When Clark tells him that he would make a good Superman in the game, Jordan replies, “Superman’s boring. I’m Raiden.” Hoechlin shared the story as an example of people’s notion of finding an upright Superman boring. In general, Hoechlin shared that it was a weird notion to label people, who do good consistently, as boring.

Hoechlin shared that it was always the evil characters that people find interesting. He admitted that even actors found it interesting to play someone who doesn’t play by the rules and goes down the wrong path. Hoechlin shared:

As actors with these characters, there is something more interesting about playing someone who doesn’t play by the rules, someone who does rebel in the sense of going down that path that a lot of us would say is not the right path to choose. But it does usually come across as a more interesting thing to explore.

However, after exploring the evil side of Superman in the show, Hoechlin revealed that it was not boring “for someone to be good or for someone to be that boy scout image.” He shared that it was neither easy nor boring to always do the right thing.

Hoechlin further shared that it was difficult to name people you know, who always do the right thing and do good selfless things. He shared, “There’s not a lot of them. It’s a really confusing notion to me that that makes [Superman] boring.” Hoechlin was right as fans didn’t hate the untarnished hero image of Superman in Superman & Lois.

Henry Cavill also showed us why playing a ‘perfect’ Superman wasn’t easy

Henry Cavill in a still from Man of Steel | Credits: Warner Bros.

Many fans took issue with the darker tone of Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel. These longtime fans were completely thrown off when Superman had to kill General Zod at the end of the film. While it was anything but morally pure, Snyder shared that he wanted to show why Henry Cavill‘s Superman would never kill anyone again (via IndieWire).

During an interview with Beyond the Trailer‘s Grace Randolph, Snyder shared that he loved the idea of “Superman going on a journey”. He shared he would reconcile with his morality, his place on Earth, and his love affair with Lois Lane. It appears that Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman had already been through that journey when we see him in The CW show.

Cavill once shared that he applied some of his personal experiences as a lonely kid in school and an actor leading a lonesome life into Superman (via GO POP). Cavill played into the solitude of the character, which will make fans see that his character was also a morally pure Superman in the making.

Superman & Lois is now available for streaming on Max and The CW app, while Man of Steel is available on Max.