The Amazing Pole Vaulter? The Mysterious Man With
1,000 False IDs? These aren't Marvel characters; they're Marvel actors.
Though it was a bit of a surprise when it was first announced,
Woody Harrelson wound up playing the villain Cletus Kasady aka Carnage in 2021's "Venom:
Let There Be Carnage." He also has a bit of history when it comes to the law. In 1982,
as detailed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harrelson was arrested for jaywalking,
and things got out of hand. As Harrelson recalled, he and an unnamed friend were the
victims of police brutality after being stopped for jaywalking. The actor said,
"It was so brutal, the way they were handling me. A bunch of students gathered
around and were complaining to the cops, and the cops were vicious to them, too."
According to Harrelson, the incident culminated in him being maced to prevent him from fleeing
the scene, before he was taken to jail with six separate charges against him. He added,
"That was a real eye-opener — and an eye-closer at the same time because
it really f---ed my eyes. I had to wear sunglasses for a long time."
Though this incident was by no means the last of his encounters with the law, the three-time
Academy Award nominee, long-time cannabis activist, and vegan lives a less eventful life
these days. Hopefully, he manages to stay out of the kind of limelight that leads to more mugshots.
"If you're gonna treat me like a baby, I'm gonna act like one."
Despite the fact that Josh Brolin's first foray into the world of comic
book adaptations with "Jonah Hex" was largely unsuccessful,
he was clearly not turned off the genre. He later portrayed two major Marvel characters:
Cable in "Deadpool 2" and The Avengers' ultimate foe, Thanos.
Despite earlier encounters with law enforcement, the actor's experience with mugshots didn't begin
until 2008. He was arrested for interfering with an arrest outside a bar in Shreveport,
LA along with Marvel co-star Jeffrey Wright. While neither
actor has given much insight into the event, Brolin did state in W Magazine,
"It was nice to be in jail knowing that I hadn't done anything wrong. And it
was maddening to be in jail knowing that I hadn't done anything wrong."
In 2013, the actor had a second encounter with police in Santa Monica just before midnight on
New Year's Eve while intoxicated and pole vaulting down the street near his home.
According to Santa Monica Police Lt. Darrell Lowe,
Brolin was booked and then released approximately 6 hours later once he had sobered up. The actor
has since stated that it was a significant moment for him. Via The Guardian, he said,
"I realized that I was on a destructive path. I knew that I had to change and mature."
While Jeffrey Wright is a newer addition to the Marvel canon,
his relationship with fellow Marvel veteran Josh Brolin goes back far beyond his time in
the MCU. He plays the Watcher, a cosmic being who serves as the narrator of "What If...?"
"There is still hope for this universe."
As previously mentioned, Brolin and Wright were arrested in Shreveport, LA, outside of
Stray Cat bar where the pair had been attending a wrap party for their film "W" back in 2008.
Following a report of cast and crew members refusing to leave despite being asked,
the police were summoned. When Brolin and Wright stepped in to attempt to diffuse the
situation they were restrained on charges of interfering with an officer, via Action News 5.
Witness accounts along with a video of the arrest which was released by
the Associated Press suggest possible police misconduct. TMZ reports at the
time indicated that Wright tasered multiple times and pepper sprayed.
Cited witness statements claim foul, racially-fueled language being used by
police officers. Unfortunately, despite multiple witness reports, the Shreveport Police Department
ultimately deemed that their officers had responded with professionalism. Also, none of
the fellow officers who had previously attested to witnessing the tirade had officially come forward.
While the star of the original "Blade" series will not be returning for the MCU reboot,
Wesley Snipes' place in Marvel history will never be forgotten. Snipes has had
several encounters with law enforcement, but it wasn't until 2008 that the "U.S. Marshals"
actor had his mugshot taken by none other than the U.S. Marshals Service themselves.
After his arrest, the actor faced charges for failing to file tax returns between 1999 and 2004,
a period wherein he had accrued nearly $40 million. Though he offered to pay
approximately $842,000 of his $23.5 million debt, Snipes was fined $5 million and given
a three-year prison sentence, according to People. He was released from prison in 2013,
after which he quickly resumed his acting career, appearing in films such as "Chi-Raq," "Dolomite
Is My Name," and "Coming 2 America." The latter film would see him reprise
his role from the 1980s cult comedy classic "Coming to America" starring Eddie Murphy.
In 2020, Snipes' arrest re-entered the public's focus due to the apparent hypocrisy of the U.S.
Government not arresting former President Donald Trump after accusations of tax
evasion. The actor's arrest and federal prison time were seen in a new light,
with many people calling for apologies to be made, including author Sam J. Miller, who wrote,
"Wesley Snipes and Lauryn Hill had their careers destroyed (OH
AND THEY WENT TO JAIL) for failing to pay taxes."
The original Rhodey to RDJ's Tony Stark, "Iron Man" co-star Terrence
Howard has had a tumultuous personal life. The Academy Award-nominated actor had his
mugshot captured twice, both times related to an assault on a woman.
In the year 2000, Howard was arrested after a flight attendant accused him
of grabbing her during a disagreement surrounding the "fasten seat belt" sign,
according to ABC News. While charges were not pursued after his 2000 arrest, the details
behind his 2001 mugshot are a bit more complex, as cited by The Chicago Tribune and The Smoking Gun.
In 2001, Howard admitted to striking his first wife, Lori McCommas,
prior to their divorce. He stated, via Rolling Stone,
"She was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids."
The Whitemarsh Police Department report details the argument that immediately preceded the event,
wherein the actor warned over the phone, per The Smoking Gun,
"Don't disrespect me by hanging up on me or I'll come over and hurt you."
McCommas still hung up. She then called 911 afraid of what Howard might do. The
attack ended when Howard's brother entered McCommas' home. The brother
saw Howard storm out of his house to go to the victim's house and followed. In 2002,
the actor pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in relation to the incident.
In 2003's "Hulk," Nick Nolte portrayed David Banner, the genius who served as
both father and origin story for Eric Bana's Bruce Banner. While
the film might not be the Hulk's definitive appearance, Nolte's depiction of the doomed
researcher remains the only iteration of the character within the modern MCU.
Nolte's first significant run-in with authorities occurred in 1961 when the three-time Academy Award
nominee was arrested in Omaha. This was following a bizarre series of events involving a pack of
1,000 falsified IDs falling out of a nonfunctional hearse. Of the event, Nolte has stated,
"I don't think it was an intentional criminal act. It was stupidity."
While he was convicted and sentenced to a 45-year prison
stint, the sentence was ultimately suspended, according to Esquire.
In 2002 — almost exactly one decade after being declared People's Sexiest
Man Alive – Nolte had his photo snapped following his arrest for driving under
the influence. Nolte described the event in his memoir, writing,
"I was a mess and driving on the Pacific Coast Highway. I'm told
six drivers called 911 to report a big sedan weaving on the wrong side of the road."
Despite significant evidence to the contrary, Nolte himself has claimed that the photo in
question was closer to being a souvenir for one of the officers present at the station.
Hollywood superstar Nicolas Cage was already a well-seasoned actor by the time he revved
up audiences in 2007's "Ghost Rider." This was a role he committed to with the exact
amount of hyperactive enthusiasm he has been famous for since his arrival on the Hollywood
scene way back in 1981. His self-branded "Nouveau Shamanic" style of acting has
earned him one Academy Award, and there's no sign of him slowing down any time soon.
Though there have been some false claims within Cage's legal history, the actor definitely
interacted with law enforcement when a mugshot was taken after the actor was arrested in New Orleans.
During what appeared to be a domestic dispute on the street, onlookers flagged
down police outside a residence in the French Quarter in 2011. Upon arriving at the scene,
the responding officer noticed immediately that Cage was heavily intoxicated.
"Tell you the truth I'm a little shaky right now."
He then escorted him down to central lock up, according to Reuters. The actor was photographed
and processed before being bailed out by none other than Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman.
After the case was reviewed by the District Attorney's Office it was deemed that there
was insufficient evidence to charge Cage with a criminal offense. According to CNN,
"The District Attorney's Office did not give Nic Cage any breaks because
of his status. At the same time, we are not going to judge him more harshly, either."
Marvel's favorite leading man Robert Downey Jr. first started portraying Tony
Stark in 2008's "Iron Man," the film that marked the official beginning of the MCU.
Not entirely unlike his on-screen bad-boy persona, RDJ himself has been arrested on
multiple occasions, primarily in association with drug-related charges. His long struggle with
addiction and recovery has been covered many times over. Some of his stories can be told with a more
tongue-in-cheek tone these days, like his arrest for smoking cannabis in Disneyland. However,
the arrests associated with the actor's three most accessible mugshots are more serious.
In 1996, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin,
as well as a handgun. Following another arrest two weeks later involving breaking and entering,
RDJ entered the beginning of his recovery process. According to The LA Times this included
two in-custody programs, two residential programs, and two rehabilitation programs.
Following his failure to submit to three separate drug tests in 1999, the actor was arrested and
sentenced to three years in prison, where his first mugshot was captured. The subsequent two
mugshots were taken following similar drug-related arrests in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Downey Jr. has since stated that he's been sober since 2012. He said in an interview with Oprah,
"For me, I just happened to be in a situation the very last time and I said,
'You know what? I don't think I can continue doing this.'"
"﻿Don’t do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything
I wouldn't do. There's a little grey area in there, and that's where you operate."﻿
While Mickey Rourke has expressed regrets about his role in the Marvel Universe,
his portrayal of Ivan Vanko — aka Whiplash — was an interesting introduction to "Iron
Man." As it turns out, Rourke himself is no stranger to encounters with the law. Though
his 1994 charge of resisting arrest and allegation of spousal abuse came first,
the arrest associated with this mugshot didn't occur until 2007.
On November 8th, 2007, the actor was arrested for driving under the influence
following a traffic stop attributed to an illegal U-turn on his motorized
scooter in Miami Beach. Per Reuters, the arresting officer said of the incident,
"[Rourke had] bloodshot, watery eyes,
slurred speech and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage."
He was placed under arrest, even though the actor denied the allegations at the
time being. Though the former boxer's transition into Hollywood life and his history with substance
use and personal struggles are known to have taken a toll on him, he claims to have found
means of recovery in recent years. He publicly thanked his agent David A. Unger, his priest,
and weekly sessions with a psychiatrist for aiding him in his recovery and subsequent comeback.