Kevin Costner's Best TV And Movie Roles To Date

Beginning with the original "Superman" in 1979, comic book superhero movies have often starred a lesser-known actor in the lead, but featured a well-known Hollywood great in a supporting role. From Marlon Brando as Superman's father Kal-El to Anthony Hopkins as Odin in Marvel's "Thor," it's also common for that superstar to play the hero's father, and that trend continued in Zack Snyder's 2012 Superman reboot, "Man of Steel." This time it was Kevin Costner taking on the role of Jonathan Kent, the human adoptive father to baby Kal-El (played by up-and-comer Henry Cavill) who discovers him after he lands on Earth as a baby.

In Zack Snyder's version of Superman, Pa Kent was far from the older, retired man who needed help around the farm that he was often portrayed as in the comics. Costner's take on the character was a rugged, capable cowboy type, eager to get his hands dirty and dedicated to setting a good fatherly example to his alien son. World-weary but principled, Costner's Pa Kent helped Clark come to terms with his extraterrestrial origins, delivering several powerful parenting moments. Though he didn't have a large part in the film, it was an important one, and he'd return for a scene in the movie's sequel, leaving his mark on the franchise as the role model for Henry Cavill's Superman.