Superhero films are the dominant form of entertainment at the box office these days, which means
just about everyone is interested in doing a Marvel or DC movie.
The shared universes have scooped up numerous talents, ranging from rising stars to established
A-listers to Academy Award winners.
Landing a coveted role in just one of these projects can be a dream come true for an actor,
but there are those that are lucky enough to play in both worlds.
Typically, one endeavor is more successful than the other, but it’s still impressive
to have that on your résumé.
Here are 10 famous actors who have been in Marvel and DC films.
Ben Affleck
In the early days of the superhero boom, Ben Affleck tried to jump in by taking the lead
role in Daredevil.
Unfortunately, it was far from a hit thanks to its mixed reviews and only took in $179
million worldwide in 2003.
Many years later after turning his career around, Affleck got a chance at comic book
redemption, signing on to play Bruce Wayne in the highly anticipated Batman V Superman.
The announcement of his casting was met with criticism, but Affleck’s performance was
one of the most praised elements of the film.
Now that he’s locked in to direct a solo Batman movie and help produce Justice League,
Affleck is the clear face of the DCEU.
Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds first dived into the comic book realm with roles in Marvel adaptations Blade: Trinity
and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Neither struck a chord with fans, and the latter of those two was particularly maligned
for its portrayal of the Deadpool character.
Reynolds figured that jumping to the DC side of things might lead to better results, but
he couldn’t have been more wrong.
Green Lantern was a disaster, bombing at the box office and with critics.
It took a while, but Reynolds has finally carved out a spot for himself in the pantheon
of great superhero performances.
The standalone Deadpool movie received widespread praise and shattered records.
A sequel is now on the way.
Chris Evans & Idris Elba
Evans and Elba are two of the most famous faces in the MCU, having lent their talents
to multiple installments in the Captain America, Thor, and Avengers series.
To many, they’re Marvel royalty, but they’ve also worked with the fine folks at DC.
They both starred in the Vertigo adaptation The Losers in 2010, but that film failed to
make much impact in the zeitgeist.
Coincidentally enough, Evans and Elba has also appeared in Marvel titles that are not
associated with Disney’s brand.
Evens played the Human Torch in two Fantastic Four films, while Elba was in the second Ghost
Rider movie.
Tim Robbins
Looking over Tim Robbins’ filmography, you’ll see Oscar nominated works like The Shawshank
Redemption, Mystic River, and The Player, but the actor clearly didn’t have the same
kind of luck when it came to choosing which comic book movies to star in.
He’s been a part of horrible flops for both Marvel and DC.
In 1986, he was in the failed Howard the Duck movie, which grossed just $37 million worldwide.
25 years later, he was back at it with Green Lantern in 2011.
Superhero films aren’t for everyone, and maybe Robbins should just look at other genres
for now until a better offer comes along.
Laurence Fishburne
The world of comic books has a multitude of characters with a seemingly infinite range,
and nobody represents that better than Laurence Fishburne.
He provided the voice for the titular Silver Surfer in the second Fantastic Four film,
giving life to an all-powerful individual capable of anything.
In 2013, he played the human and decidedly powerless Perry White, editor of the Daily
Planet.
None of his forays into the superhero genre have been critical hits, but Fishburne has
consistently been a strong presence in all of them.
He even had some good moments of comic relief in Batman V Superman, so hopefully we see
more of him in the DCEU.
James Marsden
It’s frequent for actors to collaborate multiple times with a certain director that
they enjoy working with.
It would appear that James Marsden is loyal to filmmaker Bryan Singer, and not just one
comic book franchise.
Marsden and Singer worked together on the first two X-Men films in the early 2000s,
kick starting the superhero movie craze we currently live in.
In 2006, when Singer jumped to DC to helm Superman Returns, Marsden went with him to
play Lois Lane’s boyfriend.
As a result, Cyclops was killed off early in X-Men: The Last Stand, which angered many.
J.K.
Simmons
One of the most pitch perfect castings in all of superhero films has been J.K.
Simmons as Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson in the original Spider-Man trilogy.
He so accurately embodied the spirit and look of the character that the future cinematic
incarnations of the property have stayed away from Jameson completely.
Now that Simmons’ time with Marvel is done, he’s shifting gears to DC.
The Oscar winner was recently cast as Batman ally Commissioner James Gordon in the Justice
League film, becoming the next acting great to bring life to the iconic character.
Audiences can’t wait to see Simmons share the screen with Affleck’s Batman.
Tommy Lee Jones
Jones has one of the most varied filmographies in all of Hollywood, so it’s no surprise
he’s done his fair share of comic book movies.
His first appearance was as the villainous Two Face in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever,
delivering a campy and over-the-top performance.
Years later, he had a more subdued turn in Captain America: The First Avenger as Colonel
Phillips, Steve Rogers’ commanding officer in the U.S. Army.
He provided a sense of gravitas to that role and proved to be a memorable supporting character.
It’s a shame his time in the MCU is complete, but maybe there’s some room for him in the
DCEU somehow.
Will Smith
By now, everyone knows that Will Smith played Deadshot in Suicide Squad, turning in a strong
performance as the assassin with a heart of gold.
Many can’t wait to see to see the character return in future DCEU installments.
But years before Smith played Floyd Lawton, he was in a Marvel Comics adaptation.
It’s a little known fact, but Men in Black was an obscure comic book before it was turned
into an entertaining summer blockbuster.
There, Smith displayed excellent chemistry with co-star Tommy Lee Jones in a part that
firmly established his place among the Hollywood’s elite.
Smith headlined a trilogy, but now with Deadshot he seems to be fully committed to DC.
Josh Brolin & Michael Fassbender
Jonah Hex is considered one of the worst comic book films of all-time.
It’s surprising to see so many top tier actors in its cast.
Among the names were Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, and they both got superhero redemption
later on in their careers.
Fassbender went on to play a young Magneto in the X-Men: First Class trilogy, earning
much praise for his performances as the complex antagonist.
Brolin is in place as Thanos in the MCU, making a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy before
his role expands greatly in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War.
Both have to be happy with the way this turned out.
Those are just some of the actors who have been in Marvel and DC films.
Which ones did we miss?
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