Superman soars

He may not look all that cool but it seems the original man of steel is still a favourite with the viewers.

11:27 13 December 2004

He may not look all that cool but it seems the original man of steel is still a favourite with the viewers.

Superman has been voted the most popular fictional superhero of all time, beating rivals Spider-Man and Batman.

"Superheroes have often been favourite characters in the movies," said a spokeswoman for UCI cinemas, which carried out the poll.

"Superman is the original and best man of steel, a character close to the hearts of kids young and old."

The comic book character was most memorably played by Christopher Reeve but a new version, under the direction of Brian Singer of X-Men 2 fame, is in the pipeline, with Kevin Spacey touted to play evil Lex Luther.

In second place in the poll of nearly 5,000 cinemagoers was Spider-Man, followed by the winged-wonder that is Batman.

The Jekyll and Hyde inspired Hulk came in fourth place, followed by the brand new superhero star of Pixar-Disney's The Incredibles, Mr Incredible.

Other crimefighters that made it into the top ten include Daredevil, Wolverine and the Ninja Turtles.

Top superheroes

1. Superman
2. Spiderman
3. Batman
4. Hulk
5. Mr Incredible
6. Daredevil
7. The Mask
8. Wolverine
9. Catwoman
10. Ninja Turtles