Superman beats Star Wars to top sci-fi heroes poll

Actor Christopher Reeve, most noted for his role as "Superman" is shown in a scene. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Superman is flying high as the greatest ever sci-fi screen character, beating Doctor Who and a host of Star Wars creations.

The Man Of Steel - memorably portrayed on screen by the late Christopher Reeve - topped a list of well-known names in a poll compiled by the makers of board game Stratego.

Runner-up in the survey was Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the original trio of Star Wars movies, while another star of the films, the Jedi master Yoda, was third.

The highest-ranked female character in the list - to mark the release of a new game Stratego Sci-Fi - was Ripley from the Alien movies, played by Sigourney Weaver, who was in 21st position.

The top incarnation of Doctor Who was David Tennant, who came in at number 20. Credit: Joel Ryan/PA Archive/Press Association Images

The top incarnation of Doctor Who was David Tennant at number 20, who was beaten by the Daleks at 13 and even the Tardis at 16.

The best placing from the popular long-running Star Trek series was Captain Kirk (William Shatner) at number seven, in the poll of 2,000 people.

Top ten sci-fi characters:

Will Smith in 1997 film Men in Black. Credit: Ho New/Reuters
Michael J. Fox, who famously played Marty McFly in Back to the Future, pictured with an award in 1997. Credit: Fred Prouser/Reuters