Henry Cavill was yesterday unveiled as the latest to don the red cape of Superman, following Christian Bale as Batman and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.
Scots comic genius Mark Millar hailed the trio as the vanguard of a super-powered generation of British actors.
Jersey-born Cavill was the shock announcement to play the alien good-guy in Superman: Man of Steel.
Tom Welling, who plays the character on television's Smallville, True Blood star Joe Manganiello and Mad Men's John Hamm were all tipped for the role.
Kick-Ass and Wanted creator Millar - who has written comic books on Superman and Spider-Man - admitted that many people in the industry can't believe the big three superhero roles are all being played by Brits.
Yesterday, he told the Daily Record: "You always define superheroes with America but something weird is happening with this generation.
"It just feels like suddenly there's an opportunity for anyone. Having the three is a bizarre coincidence.
"What we maybe have is a great new wave of British actors.
"It happened in the Sixties with Sean Connery and Michael Caine and maybe it's happening now.
"The other actor people haven't thought about is James McAvoy, who is the lead in the new X-Men movie "So the idea of having a Scottish guy in it is even better than an English guy. I love it.
"Hopefully it will only be a matter of time before we get a Scottish Batman or a Glaswegian Wonder Woman."
However, Mark said he's not sure how the American public will take to the news that Superman is a Brit.
Mark, who made Superman Russian in his 2003 comic book Red Son, said: "One of my friends who works in the industry asked, 'Can you really have someone who is English playing the part of America's greatest icon?'
"I said you've got to remember Superman is Kryptonian. He's not really American. You guys just adopted him."
But as the new Superman, Cavill has to uphold "truth, justice and the American way".
The relatively unknown 27-year-old will also have to slip into blue tights and a red cape, although he has worn tights previously in his role as Charles Brandon in The Tudors.
Cavill was once dubbed "the unluckiest man in Hollywood" by Empire magazine, after missing out on several of the biggest roles of the past decade.
Cavill was beaten by Daniel Craig to the role of James Bond in Casino Royale after being deemed too young for the part. He was also said to have auditioned for the title role in Batman Begins.
Cavill was also a leading contender for the part when directors Brett Ratner and McG were attached to direct Superman Returns, which Bryan Singer ended up directing.
Brandon Routh beat him to the Superman role in 2006 movie, Superman Returns.
He also missed out on playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight films despite author Stephenie Meyer wanting him for the part. Instead the role went to Robert Pattinson.
No wonder Cavill admitted he is thrilled to take on the coveted role.
"In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognised and revered character of all time," he said. "I am honoured to be a part of his return to the big screen."
The new Superman will be directed by Zack Snyder, who has previously directed 300 and Watchmen.
Speaking about the appointment of Cavill, a Warner Brothers source said: "He's got an amazing quality.
"He doesn't look too much like Reeve and Routh but he's big and strong and he has a very modern feel."
In the new film, which is set for a December 2012 release, fans will be treated to some spectacular special effects in a very modern version of the original story.
Cavill joins a long line of actors to play the famous man in tights.
Kirk Alyn was the first actor to play him on screen in the 1948 film serial Superman and its 1950 sequel, Atom Man Vs Superman.
George Reeves played Superman in the first film, 1951's Superman And The Mole Men and the following television series Adventures of Superman.
The most famous screen Superman was Christopher Reeve, who played the mild-mannered newshound Clark Kent and Superman in four films, Superman: The Movie (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
A horse-riding accident in 1995 left the actor paralysed from the neck down and he later died of a cardiac arrest in 2004 at the age of 52.
During the Nineties, Dean Cain played the Man of Steel in the television series The New Adventures of Superman, while Tom Welling has played a young version of Superman in Smallville since 2001.
Many fans will be disappointed Brandon Routh didn't get another chance at the part.
But Cavill will have a fight on his hands to beat Batman and Spider-Man to box office gold.
The new look Spider-Man will see Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker developing his abilities in high school. Emma Stone plays Parker's first love Gwen Stacy, while Rhys Ifans takes on the role of the Lizard. Martin Sheen and Sally Field will play Parker's uncle and aunt.
To make Spidey's aerial acrobatics even more impressive, the film will be released in 3D and is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012.
Meanwhile Batman: The Dark Knight Rises will see the return of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne's alter ego, Michael Caine as Alfred and Gary Oldman as cop Jim Gordon.
Opening after Spider-Man in the UK on July 20, 2012, the inclusion of big names will once again attract fans.
Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman and love interest Selina Kyle, Tom Hardy will play super-strong baddie Bane and there are rumours that Robin Williams will play evil scientist Dr Hugo Strange.
Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. Let the battle begin.
Christian Bale
Batman
The 37-year-old father of one from Wales became a star at 13 when he featured in Steven Spielberg's Empire Of The Sun.
He later starred alongside Ewan McGregor in 1997's Velvet Goldmine and played a serial killer in American Psycho.
Batman first appeared in 1939. Bruce Wayne, a millionaire from Gotham City swore to wipe out crime and created an armoury of gadgets and weapons, donning a bat suit to keep his identity secret.
Andrew Garfield
Spider-Man
The 27-year old was born in California to a British mother and an American father, but was raised in Surrey. He made his telly debut in 2005 in Channel 4's Sugar Rush.
He won a BAFTA for best actor for A Boy and TV trilogy Red Riding followed. Hollywood took notice last year in his role in The Social Network.
Spider-Man first appeared in 1962 when teen Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and given the power to walk up walls and create webs.
