6 Reasons Tyler Hoechlin Will Make an Excellent Superman
Note: Contains spoilers for Season 4 of MTV’s Teen Wolf.
As you may have heard, Tyler Hoechlin has been cast as Clark Kent/Superman for The CW’s Supergirl. In case you are not familiar with Hoechlin, he was a mainstay in the first four seasons of Teen Wolf (which is a really good show, you should all watch it, except for Season 4 which is a disaster, we will talk about that more below, but the rest of it is great, seriously). I, on the other hand, am very familiar with Hoechlin’s work.
Me and Tyler Hoechlin (right)!!! At a Teen Wolf con in 2015 during a photo op. This picture lives on my fridge. Ian Bohen is also in it but we don’t talk about him since we learned that his favorite book is ATLAS SHRUGGED.
So as the resident Hoechlin expert, I give you six reasons you should be as thrilled as I am at this casting decision.
1. Like Kent, Hoechlin wears glasses.
There will be no need to train an actor to deal with his new specs, Hoechlin already has this covered.
2. Like Supes, Hoechlin is tall and broad.
While I am not a Superman expert and have no idea what his canonical stats are, I think the height and body-type difference between myself (5’6″ and 140 lbs for the record) and Hoechlin in our photo speaks well for his on-screen interactions with his fellow cast as everyone (else) in Hollywood is like 5’3 and 100 lbs, right?
3. Hoechlin is used to playing a muscley superbeing.
Hoechlin played an initially-broody, ultimately-the-group-anchor werewolf Derek Hale on Teen Wolf — his personal arc took him from seeking vengeance for his family to training a new generation of werewolves on how to handle their powers and Do the Right Thing. I don’t know if Supergirl’s version of the Man of Steel will be more comparable to Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavill in interpretation, but having seen Hoechlin work Derek Hale’s storyline (even when it got really really REALLY RIDICULOUS), I have full faith in his powers to pull off a superhero.
4. Hoechlin clearly has a sense of humor; for crying out loud, the man duck-faced with me during a photo-op.
And as you know if you’ve been watching, Supergirl is a funny and lighthearted show that aims to entertain as much as it aims to impress. And as I learned during the Teen Wolf convention that picture was taken at, he was quite a prankster on set so I feel confident he will bring that experience to this new role.
5. Hoechlin has already proved he can handle a potentially-wacked-out plot.
Comics ain’t got nothin’ on Teen Wolf — that show started out with werewolves and then threw every other supernatural creature they could think of into the mix (with the notable exception of vampires, but the show is on-going so who knows). And not only are there super-powered beasties and people and people-beasties of the good, bad, and Chaotic Neutral variety coming out of the woodwork, but the characters themselves get some truly bonkers arcs. I mean, just bananas. You can take my word for it — Hoechlin is ready to handle whatever this show can throw at him and then some.
6. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I am SO READY to have Hoechlin return to a TV show!
Not low on the number of reasons Season 4 of Teen Wolf is the worst was [SPOILERS] the show-writers sending Derek Hale, who had just figured out how to turn into an ACTUAL WOLF, not just a dude with fangs!!!, off-screen to “find himself” or whatever. I like Scott McCall and Stiles as much as the next fangirl, and agree that they are a bromance for the ages, but please. With Derek’s departure we lost both a complex character AND my age-appropriate crush. So Hoechlin’s casting as Superman, on a show that is already a freaking delight, is literally the best news I’ve had all week.
In conclusion:
