“Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier”..Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans)..Ph: Film Frame..© 2014 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.
Various actors have been able to bring comic book characters to life, but some have gotten to do it more than once.
Comic book movies have been around for decades. Over the past five years or so, they’ve gone from being released annually to being released quarterly. They’ve become so popular that now they’re invading television shows on basic cable and streaming services.
Marvel Entertainment has shows on Netflix and Hulu, and Disney’s acquisition of Hulu, this will only increase. DC Comics has dominated The CW with Smallville, Arrow, The Flash, Black Lightning, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow, with Batwoman on the way. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be any end in site for the Arrowverse.
Because this genre has been around so long, it’s not shocking that you’ll see actors playing different comic book characters. A perfect example is Danai Gurira. She started off playing Michonne in AMC’s Walking Dead and is currently doing a fantastic job playing Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And she’s also not the first to do this.
Michael Keaton played Batman in the Tim Burton movies and then Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. There are also movies like Halle Berry’s Catwoman and Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern that we try to forget. Thankfully, Reynolds went on to play Deadpool the right way. Did you know about the characters these other actors have played?
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War..Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans)..Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..© Marvel 2016
Chris Evans
We know Chris Evans for playing Captain America in the MCU. He’s one of the many bright spots of the Avengers franchise. You also may remember he played Johnny Storm in the two Fantastic Four movies. They may not have been good, but he was great.
He was also in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (for about five minutes) as Lucas Lee, one of the ex-boyfriends Scott Pilgrim had to defeat. Evans is an amazing actor who will be getting acting jobs for as long as he wants. He also could return as Steve Rogers at some point. But aside from all of this, there are three other roles that you may have forgotten about.
First, there’s the underrated movie The Losers. Evans played the tech savvy Jensen. Unlike his other roles, Evans wasn’t the tough guy looking for action. He was the comic relief and genius of their group.
In 2013, Evans played the hero in the critically acclaimed Snowpiercer. Based on a graphic novel, the movie centered on a world where the remaining population lived on a train that constantly traveled the frozen world.
One role people may not know about was his work on 2007’s TMNT in 2007, in which he lent his voice to the character of Casey Jones. He was joined by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who voiced April O’Neil.
Marvel Studios Thor: Ragnarok..Skurge (Karl Urban)..Photo: Jasin Boland..©Marvel Studios 2017
Karl Urban
Karl Urban has been around longer than most people realize. The 46-year-old actor has been around long enough to act in the incredibly popular ’90s show Xena: Warrior Princess. Urban took off as Eomer in the Lord of the Rings franchise and later in the Star Trek movies as Bones.
There have been some bumps in the road. For example, no one is going back to watch Doom or recommend it as anything other than a fun movie. Urban went on to play two comic book characters in two movies and will star in a show based on a comic book that was nominated for an award.
Karl Urban played Skurge the Executioner in Thor: Ragnarok. While he wasn’t the Skurge we’ve seen in the comics, he did leave his mark at the end of the movie. Before that, you may have seen him in a brutal movie that flew under the radar, Dredd. Urban played the lead, Judge Dredd. The Sylvester Stallone version (titled Judge Dredd) was a goof. This version was the exact opposite, as it was bloody, gory, and brutal from start to finish.
In July 2019, Urban will be playing Billy Butcher in a TV adaptation of Garth Ennis’ comic book series The Boys. And the Amazon Prime show has the potential to blow people away.
Credit: Netflix and Marvel Television for Marvel’s Iron Fist — Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson)
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson is one of the most beloved actors in the comic book fans and nerd community. She’s vocal about issues that affect the world, loves to talk and interact with fans, and genuinely seems like a good person.
She’s also been around the acting scene for a while. Before she jumped into pop culture, Rosario Dawson was in ’90s movies like Kids and He Got Game. It wasn’t until she was in Josie and the Pussy Cats and Men in Black II (which is also a comic book movie) that she started getting recognized by audiences. It also helped that she was in Clerks 2 with Kevin Smith.
Rosario Dawson played Claire Temple a.k.a. The Night Nurse in the Marvel-Netflix series, and was one of the few actors to appear in almost of the shows. This wasn’t her first or last role in the comic book genre.
She played the head of the prostitutes in the popular Sin City and later Sin City: A Dame to Kill for. But we don’t talk about that second movie. Most recently, she’s voiced Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in The Batman Lego Movie. She is currently the voice of Wonder Woman in the DC Animated Movie Universe and, previously voiced Artemis in the 2009 Wonder Woman animated film. And she will more than likely be in more movies in the future.
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 08: Actor Ray Stevenson speaks onstage during the Black Sails panel as part of the Starz portion of This is Cable 2016 Television Critics Association Winter Tour at Langham Hotel on January 8, 2016 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Ray Stevenson
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Ray Stevenson has been all over the place as an actor. This isn’t a bad thing, just a testament to how good he is. You may not recognize him from the Thor franchise, but he was the God of Thunder’s yolly and big-bellied friend, Volstagg the Valuminous of the Warriors Three. It may have been hard to recognize him with the giant, red beard.
Before that, Ray Stevenson took on a role that didn’t pan out for him. He was the Punisher in the 2008 film Punisher: War Zone, a movie that has since been forgotten about.
In 2004, Thomas Jane played Frank Castle. Instead of just his wife and kids, the gang killed Frank’s entire family. In Punisher: War Zone, his origin went back to the story we knew from the comics.
With the exception of a few people, the acting in Punisher: War Zone was pretty bad. Stevenson was among one of the great performers. He had the look and attitude that Frank Castle had in the comics, and he even moved like him. If not for the bad cast, Stevenson could have continued in the role. Volstagg may not make his return in the MCU, but that means there may be another role for Stevenson in the future. Then again, do gods ever really die?
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 21: (L-R) Actors James McAvoy, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Hugh Jackman of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, and Editorial Director of People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly Magazine Jess Cagle attend the SiriusXM Town Hall at the SiriusXM Studios on May 21, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
James McAvoy
James McAvoy has been one of the premier actors within the last several years. He’s slowly getting on everyone’s list as one of the best actors in Hollywood. His performances in Split and Glass show that he is one of the world’s elite performers.
Before both of those roles, he started playing the founder of the X-Men, Charles Xavier, in X-Men: First Class. X-Men: Apocalypse may be on everyone’s “do not watch list,” but he still had a good showing. However, before he was Charles Xavier, he was in another comic book movie that people try to forget.
In 2003, Top Cow published an amazing comic book by Mark Millar titled Wanted. It was a series that highlighted what happens when the villains get together and take over the world. Millar later went to do this for Marvel and called it Old Man Logan. Anyway, in 2008, the movie came out and completely butchered the comic book.
Unfortunately, this movie starred James McAvoy as Wesley. This film also had a young actor who later went on to play Star-Lord. Wanted was nothing like the comic book, it merely carried the name. Thankfully, this didn’t ruin McAvoy’s career. Maybe if this movie was called something else it would have done better. Although, they still would have had to get rid of the future-telling loom.
Arrow — “So It Begins” — Image AR506a_BTS_0246b.jpg — Pictured: Dolph Lundgren as Konstantin Kovar — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Dolph Lundgren
Say what you will about Dolph Lundgren, but the man has had a long career dating back to 1985. He made his big debut in 1985 in Rocky IV where he played the Russian boxer Ivan Drago, a character that has more than a few iconic lines and deliveries. He’s consistently gotten work ever since.
In 2018, he played his third comic book character when he played King Nereus in Aquaman. Before that, he played two comic book characters. Roles people won’t let him forget about.
First, in 1987, Dolph Lundgren played He-Man in Masters of the Universe. He can’t be blamed for the movie being bad. It was the ’80s, and almost every action movie was exactly like this one. On a side note, Frank Langella (Skeletor) was able to give the most underrated performances in a comic book movie. What Lundgren did next is unforgivable.
In 1989, he starred in the first Punisher movie. To say it was bad would be giving it credit. At times, it was uncomfortable to watch. There’s a scene where Frank is meditating naked in the sewer asking why his family died, an image many will likely never get out of their head. However, there is a scene when a goon asked who he was and Lundgren said Batman. That scene alone almost makes that movie forgivable. At least it wasn’t as bad as David Hasselhoff in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Mark Hamill during the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ photocall at Corinthia Hotel London on December 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill may be the most recognized name, face, and voice in nerd culture, dating back to the 1970s. First, he was Luke Skywalker in the internationally known Star Wars franchise. From there, he went on to voice over 300 characters. Some of them are among the more iconic animated characters we’ve seen.
For example, when people think of the Joker, Hamill is the usually thought of as the best. He once did his Joker voice over a Heath Ledger scene from The Dark Knight, and it actually sounded creepier.
He’s was also the Trickster in the live-action The Flash show of the ’90s and reprised the role in the current Flash show. He’s even voiced the character in Justice League Unlimited. There are two voices fans may not realize he’s done, and both of them were on Marvel Comics projects.
The first was in the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon. Hamill voiced the persistent Hobgoblin. Hamill lent his iconic Joker voice to the Hobgoblin and made him more like the Green Goblin than his lesser known doppelganger. The next voice is someone who is completely out of the actor’s comfort zone. Hamill voiced Wolverine in the X2: Wolverine’s Revenge video game.
He gave Wolverine a similar voice to what we’ve heard in the X-Men cartoon from the ’90s. However, Hamill added a little less gruff, which worked well for the video game. He was also able to lean in to the dramatic and comedic scenes well.