Brandon Routh

This athletic, fresh-faced actor was at first more famous for what he hadn't done than what he had. With only a handful of small-screen credits on his résumé (a few guest spots, a Christina Aguilera video and a one-year stint on the soap One Life to Live), he managed to land the title role in 2006's Superman Returns. Within days of his casting, this unknown's name inspired myriad angry fan-boy rants questioning whether he was suitable to portray the Man of Steel. Considering that Superman Returns didn't soar at the box office, Routh wasn't able to quiet the naysayers. With the rumored sequel to the 2006 film still on the back burner, Routh joined the TV series "Chuck" in 2010 for a multi-episode guest stint. ~ Rovi