Superdowngrade Much?

Brandon Routh has been cast on Chuck for a multi-episode arc.

Yeah – Chuck, the TV show.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I live for Chuck. But Routh played the Man of Steel in Superman Returns…he was supposed to be the next It Boy. A TV show, however beloved and cool and Season Passed it is, still is a TV show.

But, hey – I welcome him.

Routh will play Shaw, a mysterious new spy who takes control as the new leader of Operation Bartowski, becoming a mentor to Chuck (Zachary Levi) and a rival in his affections for Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). He will first appear in this fall’s fourth episode.

Photo: VanityFair.com.

Update: Chuck seems to be turning into a bit of a Superman catch-all.

Smallville vet Kristin Kreuk is also joining the show for multiple episodes as Hannah, a girl Chuck meets on a flight to Paris.