Thursday, August 29, 2013

Actors Appearing in Multiple Superhero Films as Different Characters

Whether you like the announcement that Ben Affleck will be appearing as Batman in the upcoming film or not, surely you remember a previous superhero film starring Ben Affleck.


Say what you want about the film, I personally enjoyed it, but I get why most don't.  Regardless, I feel Ben Affleck did a good job as Matt Murdock despite the rest of the movie kind of being a horrendous piece of shit.

All day I've been trying to think of other actors who have appeared in multiple superhero movies as different characters.  Some were very obvious, others I didn't even realize had played more than one.  I'm positive it isn't complete, so if you know one I missed, let me know please!

Chris Evans

The most obvious one to me is Chris Evans.  He first appeared in the Fantastic Four as the Human Torch is 2005, then reprises the same role in 2007 for the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.  Neither one of those were fantastic, and will most likely be (or already have been) forgotten due to his next superhero appearance.  In 2010, Chris Evans played the title character in Captain America.  He appears as the same character in in the Avengers two years later, and will play Captain America again in 2014 for Captain America: Winter Soldier.  In addition to this traditional superhero roles, he also played a villain in Scott Pilgrim VS the World and played a fugitive trying to clear his name in the Losers, both released in 2010.

Ryan Reynolds

The most obvious role Ryan Reynolds has played in the Green Lantern.  In 2004, Ryan Reynolds played Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity.  Hannibal is a member of the Nightstalkers, a vampire hunting organization.  He then went on the play Deadpool in 2009 in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  Finally, he played Green Lantern in 2011.  Additionally he played an undead policeman with Jeff Bridges in RIPD in 2013.

Sam Elliot

While he hasn't played the main role in a comic book movie, Sam Elliot has played two fairly important roles in Marvel movies.  He portrayed General Thunderbolt Ross in the 2003 Hulk film.  His character is in charge of a task force to apprehend the Hulk.  In the comics, he goes on the become Red Hulk.  Sam Elliot also portrays the Caretaker in Ghost Rider (2007).  In the film, he is a former "ghost rider" who helps the current one use his powers for good.

Ray Stevenson

Ray Stevenson played the lead role in the 2008 reboot of Punisher.  In Punisher War Zone, Stevenson played Frank Castle, and I'll assume you are probably familiar with the Punisher.  He also plays one of the Warriors Three, Volstagg, in Thor and will reprise that role for Thor: The Dark World.

James Marsden

James Marsden has played the lead member of the X-Men, Cyclops, three times so far.  In X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).  Personally, I thought he did a pretty decent job.  Marsden also played Richard White in Superman Returns (2006).  I apologize, but I never saw this movie, and I'm apparently not familiar enough with Superman to know who he is..let me know!

Hallie Berry

Like James Marsden, Hallie Berry has appeared in the first three X-Men movies as Storm.  She is also appearing in X-Men: Days of Future Past coming out next summer.  In addition to her role as Storm, she has also played a certain iconic DC character, Catwoman.  Released in 2004, it is really considered one of the worst movies ever made.  This version of Catwoman is it's own thing, literally just using the name.  I'm not sure it counts.

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones appeared in Batman Forever in 1995.  He played the infamous Harvey Dent, or Two Face.  Nothing against Tommy Lee Jones, but this particular version of Two Face is just horrible in my opinion.  I don't think it has as much to do with him as it does the writing.  On a more positive note, Tommy Lee Jones appeared as Colonel Chester Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger.  In the film, he is in charge of finding the right person to undergo the super soldier experiment.  Notably, he as also appeared in all three Men in Black films.

Nicolas Cage

For being in every movie ever, Nicolas Cage really hasn't been in as many comic movies as I expected!  Nicolas Cage first appeared as Ghost Rider in 2007, then again in 2012 in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.  As a huge Ghost Rider fan, I'll admit I kind of liked the movie a little.  I also really like Nicolas Cage!  I can see how most people think it's a pile of shit though.  I really did think that Spirit of Vengeance wasn't that bad at all.  In 2010, Nicolas Cage appeared in the "real world superhero" movie Kick-Ass.  Cage portrays a former cop who gets framed and makes it his goal for him and his daughter to stop the people who set him up.

Ron Perlman

Does Hellboy count as a superhero movie?  Ron Perlman has appeared as Hellboy multiple times, twice theatrically in Hellboy (2004) and in Hellboy: The Golden Army (2008).  Is I can count Hellboy, I can count Blade right?  Ron Perlman also appeared in Blade II in 2002.  He plays a villain.  Ron Perlman was voiced in two direct-to-DVD, animated Hellboy films.  Thomas Jane also appeared in the YouTube short film Dirty Laundry.  It stars Thomas Jane and is kind of an unofficial Punisher movie.  It's very good, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Aaron Taylor-Johnson appeared as the lead character in 2010 in Kick-Ass.  He plays a regular kid who decides to start fighting crime for the greater good.  He appeared in the sequel released in 2013.  It has also been announced that he will be portraying Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Quicksilver is the son of Magneto and former X-Men villain.  He eventually becomes a hero and joins the Avengers with his sister Scarlet Witch.

Evan Peters

Evan Peters appears as a fairly minor role in Kick-Ass.  He plays the main characters best friend, which is ironic because the main character in Kick-Ass is going on to play Quicksilver...and so is Evan Peters.  Due to restrictions of rights to certain characters, Marvel can use the Quicksilver character as an Avenger, and Fox can use Quicksilver as a mutant.  So Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters will both be playing the same character by name, but different pretty much everywhere else.


Michael Clark Duncan

Michael Clark Duncan appeared as the classic villain Kingpin in 2003's Daredevil.  He plays a major crime lord who kills Daredevil's father.  He also appears as the voice of Kilowog in Green Lantern in 2011.  He didn't have the best track record for superhero movies, but he never did a bad job!  He also appeared in Sin City in 2005.

Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau appeared in Darevil as Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock's partner in law!  He also appears in Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), and Iron Man 3 (2013).  He directed the first two films, and appears in them as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's personal bodyguard.

Ben Foster

Ben Foster appeared in the 2004 Punisher film as a neighbor/friend to Frank Castle.  He also appears as Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006.  I think he did as good a job as he could in Last Stand, considering the movie he was in!

Rebecca Romijn

Rebecca Romijn has played Mystique in four different films so far.  She was heavily in X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand.  She also has a very brief cameo on X-Men First Class which is fun.  Furthermore, she plays a neighbor/friend to Frank Castle in the Punisher along with Ben Foster.

James Remar

I don't know if this counts.  I don't think it does.  James Remar is an FBI agent in Blade Trinity, and portrays some kind of US Military leader in X-Men First Class.  I'm running out of people!

Stan Lee

With the most appearances in comic book movies as different characters, we have Stan Lee!  There are so many I shouldn't list them all, but here we go:
  1. X-Men - Hotdog Vendor
  2. Spider-Man - Man Saving Girl
  3. Daredevil - Man Crossing Street
  4. Hulk - Security Guard
  5. Spider-Man 2 - Man Saving Person
  6. Fantastic Four - Willie Lumpkin
  7. X-Men: The Last Stand - Man Watering Plants
  8. Spider-Man 3 - Man in Times Square
  9. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Himself
  10. Iron Man - Hugh Hefner
  11. Incredible Hulk - Hapless Citizen
  12. Iron Man 2 - Larry King
  13. Thor - Truck Driver
  14. Captain America: The First Avenger - General
  15. The Avengers - Random Citizen
  16. The Avengers Deleted Scene - Man at Coffee Shop
  17. The Amazing Spider-Man - Librarian
  18. Iron Man 3 - Beauty Pageant Judge
  19. Thor: The Dark World
  20. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  21. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
So not counting the Avengers deleted scene, by the end of 2014 he will have appeared in twenty comic book films!  Stan wins.  So when people complain about Ben Affleck playing two different comic characters, mention Stan Lee has done twenty.  Nobody messes with Stan Lee.

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